The Keeper of The Southern Temple

by AvatarToph

Summary:

The gaang makes it to the Southern Air Temple and find that someone has been living here. To their shock, it's firebenders! And they have learned some things from their time caring for the temple.

Chapter 1: The Temple

     Sokka was fully prepared for Aang to be disappointed. Why would anyone be living up here in an old air temple full of (mostly) the remnants of a terrible slaughter? Everyone knew the air nomads were gone and there were no survivors. 

    So then why was everything so clean?

   Aang hops excitedly out of the saddle and lands among the blossoming sun-peonies with a renewed zest that the siblings hadn't noticed had dimmed on the way here. Now that it was in full force, no amount of shouting for him to wait up could stop him from bending his way up to each open doorway and loudly calling for someone to come out. 

   "What if it's not someone friendly?" Sokka cautioned. 

    "I can just see the evil firebenders now, stooping into the dirt and planting these gardens." Katara says sarcastically as she brushes past him. Sokka huffs, but follows close behind with his club at the ready. 

     "Hello!" Aang shouts into the air and slumps his shoulders. "Someone's gotta be here! This place looks just like when I left!" 

    Katara places a hand on his back. "Maybe someone was here, but they're gone for now. Why don't you show us around?" 

   Aang brightens at this and is quick to tell the two all about what it was like being raised by the monks, complete with a tour of the airball court and kitchens where they made his favorite tarts. At every corner Sokka expects to see something, some sign that awful things happened here. But the rooms are dusted and clear, as if someone were using them recently. 

    As the day reaches its end, they begin to discuss where they will be sleeping. Aang motions them up to an upper ring of rooms where his bedroom used to be when Sokka reaches out a hand to stop him. 

   "Sh!" He warns and points up ahead to the very top of the winding stairs. High above them, slowly making its way down, is a figure with a light in their hands. Katara moves behind her brother, trying to get a good chi connection on the water in her hip flask. Since Aang looks like he is about to go make friends with the potential enemy, Sokka grabs hold of the back of his collar and drags him behind a stone. 

   The three shuffle into a comfortable crouch as they track the movement of the bobbing flame. Eventually they can make out a figure, most likely male, who seems to be holding it in his bare hands, cupped against the wind. 

   "Uncle!" The man (teen? boy?) shouts while looking around. "The noodles are ready! Would you stop playing in your gardens and come eat?" 

    Sokka's stomach starts to grumble in protest at the thought of food. The boy doesn't seem to hear it, thankfully, and continues down the path. 

  "Ah, nephew." An older man with a gray beard steps out of the darkness from behind one of the lower buildings. Katara mutters something about how lucky they are that they didn't accidentally run into him before Sokka shushes her. "Have you seen the pestle and mortar set? My juniper sprouts are about ready to make into tea." 

    "Ask one of the men. Maybe they've been moving things again." He turns to walk back up the path. "What are you doing gardening at sundown, anyway?"

 "I lost track of time." His uncle says wistfully. "It's very soothing, you know. You should join me sometime, Zuko. The calm might calm your nerves." 

   "I'm calm enough." Zuko mutters, a bit of frustration coloring the edges. "You know I'm not like that anymore." 

     His uncle laughs and pats his arm as they pass the trio unnoticed. "Yes, I know. But you still need something to drive you. A young man cannot spend all day in the company of sky bison." 

    Aang practically vibrates with the need to shout his excitement. Sky bison?! They were still around?! Thankfully, Sokka and Katara were fast enough to grip his arms and tug him down between them before he could take flight. 

   The two firebenders continue up the hill and over the crest. Once they are out of sight, the three stand and shuffle out from their hiding spot. The atmosphere feels suddenly too open, like eyes are watching them from all angles, and they need to regroup. 

    "Appa should be safe where he's at." Sokka determines. "We need to find a safe place until we can learn more about these Fire Nation jerks. What are they doing up here?" 

    "Maybe they're refugees. Maybe there are still nomads here and they are sheltering them." Aang says, but even he sounds like he doesn't quite believe it. 

    Katara gives him a kind look. "I think learning more about what's going on is a good idea. Let's find somewhere to sleep for tonight. Appa is all the way down the hill and we don't want to travel too far from these guys if they do something." 

    Sokka gives an approving nod. After a beat, Aang brightens and tells his friends that he can show them his old room. He ushers them toward a large structure with spires and windows that reach up to the sky. The building suffers from a few cracks, but overall looks to still be sturdy. 

    "My room is up there. I wonder if it looks the same!" Aang crouches down and bounces up into the air, twirling his arms to balance himself and land gracefully on a window ledge. Katara and Sokka watch with a groan. Easy enough for an airbender. Now they have to climb up even more stairs! 

     They navigate the building, which seems to be nothing but bedrooms, and find the room that Aang occupies. It is dusty and dark, but there's a bed, some blankets from a chest, and a few knick knacks that show personalization. It's a child's bedroom… From a long time ago. 

     "Here" Aang coughs as he hands over a dusty cloth. "We can all sleep in here. Or we can see if another room is open." 

   Sokka stretches. "We should stay together." The beginning of his words are muddled by a yawn. "Who knows what those fire jerks will do to Aang if we're apart."     

     They all settle into their beds. Aang stares up at the ceiling, just like he remembered doing a few days ago, but the chips in the paint are a painful reminder that so much more time has passed. He clenches his eyes shut and turns to face the window. Rest comes easy soon after.

 —-------------------------

     Aang is too excited to let his friends sleep in. He wants to know if that old man was telling the truth about sky bison being here. 

   They spot the teen from last night after only a few moments of desperate, sneaky searching. They almost get caught by a few scary looking men, but they manage to keep out of sight until they see the one they are looking for. He's carrying a large sack over his shoulder, which Sokka morbidly declares could be a dead body. Katara smacks his arm, but doesn't disagree. 

    They keep their distance as much as they can and watch as the teen winds his way up and over the crest of the mountain to a large, open space. It's a tiled platform surrounded by low fruit trees, open for easy access and escapes if necessary. The teen sits near the middle and drops the sack, which opens to allow a few apple-granates to tumble out. The boy takes out a knife from his sleeve to start cutting open the fruits. 

    The gaang watches in awe as fuzzy white heads start appearing from the nearby doorways downwind from the platform. At least a dozen bison of all sizes gather around the boy, pushing at him with their noses to get him to pay attention to them. 

   "Alright, alright. Here, Akash." He laughs and tosses the slices into the beast's mouth. He then overturns the bag to release the rest of the red fruits and allow them to roll free in all directions. 

    The littlest of the group butts its head against his shins and rumbles in a way that resembles a purr. The teen scratches the sky bison behind the ears, scoops up two of the apple-granates, and begins walking up to the open patio-like spaces that the bisons came from. 

     Aang, followed by the water tribe siblings, clamber up the hillside to get a better view until they can see inside the room. There, snoring loud enough to hear yards away, is a very large, shaggy, old bison. Its horns curl into a full swirl on either side of its head, and its breath sucks the air out of the room and pushes it back out again with such force that the teen has to steady himself. It gives the impression of a sailor staying upright on the deck of a ship. He approaches the creature with confidence, even reaching up to pat its nose once he's close enough. This startles the bison awake and it gives a mighty yawn, showing the kids that it doesn't have any teeth. 

    The firebender cuts around the fruit, releasing it from the tough outer rind, and presses the much softer innards against the bison's mouth. "Eat up, Nisang. We need to go check the peaches today. Are you going to help me?" Nisang gives a rumble of affirmation and squishes the fruit with a wet squelch. His human companion is quick to prepare the other fruit and tosses it in as well. 

    Aang can't believe his eyes. He can feel tears welling up and does nothing to stop them. "Aang, are you ok?" Katara asks. He nods and smiles. 

   "I'm just happy that they are being cared for." 

   "By a firebender!" Sokka says, implying that this is an important tidbit that should not be forgotten. "They're evil! He's probably fattening them up to harvest!" 

   Katara levels a glare at her brother. "Why don't we go ask him?" She asks sarcastically. "Excuse me, Mr. Firebender. Are you being nice to these fuzzy bison babies so you can barbecue them later?" 

    They are both shushed by Aang who flaps a hand in between them. "He's on the move!" He scurries behind another rock to see the teen progress up the hillside with his very large, lumbering shadow. 

      The stranger hums softly as he circles the temple to an orchard nearby. The trees are surrounded by a low fence, most likely to keep hungry bison calves from discovering the sweet treats. Zuko swings the gate open to allow his large companion to enter, then shuts it with a clank. He then checks each tree individually, staring up into the canopy to spot little pink fruits hiding in the leaves. He doesn't have to guard his eyes from the sunlight like Aang and his friends do, which must be another skill of being a horrible, no good firebender. When he finds one, he clambers up the trunk and gingerly plucks the peach from its stem. For every three that he places in the bag on his shoulder, he tosses one down to Nisang who eagerly awaits the soft fruit. 

     It takes the full hour of watching the other boy do nothing but harvest before Sokka finally relents. 

  "Alright, fine. So he's not setting anything on fire yet. Doesn't mean he's not evil." Sokka slouches against the rocks and crosses his arms. 

   "Did you see him give the bison a kiss on his nose?" Katara giggles. "I really don't think he's evil."

    "Yeah, Sokka. The bison love him. And sky bison tend to bite people that are mean." 

    Sokka just grumbles unhappily and turns his attention back to the other side of their hideout where the source of his anger is now hauling the overladen bag back down the hill. He gets a few ready in hand to toss at the little calves as he passes by, scratching the littlest behind the ears and sneaking an extra one to her, then continues down the path and out of sight. The group scrambles to stand and follow on legs that have fallen asleep. 

    Katara points to a circular building that is mostly pillars holding a roof. Their escaped firebender is just making his way inside when they look over, forcing them to hurry down the rocky hill to peek inside at what looks to be a kitchen. 

    The older man from before, the teens uncle, is wearing a white apron over his dull brown and green robes. The sleeves are pushed up to allow him to roll some sort of pastry on the counter. "Ah, Zuko. Bring them here. I think I've got the recipe just right." 

   The kids lean in as close as they dare to hear every word. "How will you even know, uncle?" He asks gruffly as he hefts the fruits onto the surface. 

   "Do you remember that friend in Omashu I told you about? He makes some of the most delicious tarts" the man takes on a wistful look and closes his eyes. "I dream of recreating it to perfection." 

     "Our supplies up here are limited, Uncle." Zuko reminds him as he sets about searching the cabinets for something. "I could take some of the men down the hill-" 

    "No, Zuko. That's too dangerous for something as silly as spices." 

   Zuko looks affronted. "You leave to play Pai Sho all the time!" 

     "That is different." His uncle says with a nod, as if the matter is over and dealt with. "I believe this is what you're looking for." He holds up a small knife, which his nephew snatches and circles back to his peach collection. "I see that the harvest wasn't as bountiful as we had hoped." Uncle smiles warmly. "Or perhaps you were coerced into giving away half your earnings." 

    The teen flushes and keeps his head down while he peels the soft skins. "They are very persuasive." 

   Uncle throws his head back and laughs. "Yes, they are. And I'm sure they enjoyed your offerings." He reaches across the table and brushes his hand close to Zuko's to get his attention. "I do not mean to alarm you, but were you aware that you had a few shadows follow you?" 

    "Gia, Akash! You know better- !" Zuko turns, ready to berate a few baby bison for wandering away and is shocked into silence when he meets human eyes. The kids duck back behind the pillar, but it's too late. They've been spotted.

Chapter 2: Fireboy is bad at talking

Summary:

He is.

"Come out, my friends. It's alright." Uncle says kindly, coming to stand with Zuko. "You have come a long way to get here. Why don't you let us get you something to eat?" 

     Aang pokes his head back around, smiling guiltily. "I'm sorry we spied on you." He breezes his way into the room and lands in front of the firebenders. "I'm Aang." 

    "An airbender." Zuko whispers. He can't keep his eyes from focusing on the tattoos. "Wh- how? We've been here for years and never-"  

    "Let's get you some refreshments before we start asking big questions." His uncle grabs his arm to corral him back into the kitchen area. Zuko goes numbly, stumbling to stay upright. 

    Katara and Sokka come out from their hiding places as well, though a bit slower and more cautiously. It's a bit awkward to be standing a few feet away while the two strangers have a hushed conversation, so they shuffle over to a round table to wait for them to be ready.

    After a few minutes, they return to the trio with trays of snacks and tea. Zuko sets his down a little too firmly and displaces the little cakes from their perfect presentation. Uncle side eyes him, but sets about serving everyone a cup of steaming tea. 

    "Now, let's start with introductions and what has brought you all the way up this mountain." Uncle says as he takes his seat. Zuko fumbles into his own. 

    Katara takes the lead before Aang can say something too revealing and Sokka says something stupid. "I think a better question is what are you doing up here?" 

    Zuko gives her a glare, but his uncle speaks before him, for much the same reason. "We were travelers with no clear destination. We came across these abandoned temples and have worked to restore them." 

    "So you came aaaall the way up here with no ulterior motive?" Sokka leans in. "We know you're firebenders." He says before she can stop him. Katara could positively smack her brother. She settles for giving him a deadly glare.

    "How long were you spying on us?" Zuko demands. 

   "Long enough to also see that you've been taking care of sky bison." Aang quickly adds, directing his words at Sokka. "So they're not evil."

    "And how did you know there was a temple here?" Sokka asks as if he's going to catch them in a lie. 

     "I was searching for the Avatar." Zuko says before his uncle can stop him. His uncle looks like he wishes he could shove the boy out of the room before he goes any further. "He was supposed to come from this temple and I thought I could find some clues about where he went." 

    The gaang goes completely pale. They note that Zuko's eyes stray to Aang occasionally, but he very intentionally doesn't ask the obvious question. He doesn't have to. 

    "What were you going to do when you found him?" Katara ventures. Sokka reaches slowly for the knife he keeps tied to his thigh. 

   Uncle tries to intervene with a quick "It's not-" but Zuko speaks over him, eyes still on Aang. "I was going to hand him over to my father." Uncle pulls a sour face and pinches the bridge of his nose. Zuko awkwardly tacks on "But that was a long time ago." 

    The kids share a brief look of wariness before Aang asks "what are you going to do now?" 

    His eyes show great conflict, the wheels are turning as Zuko processes a big decision that he hadn't given himself a lot of time to think over before. He had gotten complacent with the bison and his sense of duty to the temple. "I… don't know." He admits. 

    "Like, you might still go on a rampage and burn the mountain to ash, orrrr….." 

   "Sokka!" Katara thwacks the back of his head, though it's what they were all wondering, to a certain degree. 

    Zuko looks taken back by this. "What? No. Of course not!" He huffs and stands, which makes everyone flinch back at the quick motion. "I'm getting some air." He mutters as he turns and walks out of the area and into the sunlight. Soon, he's disappeared between the buildings and the rocks and looks like he's going to keep going. 

    Uncle sighs and takes a sip of his tea. The steam curls around him as he exhales and says "Forgive him. My nephew has been through much. Let us discuss what your next plans are? I assume you will not be staying with us long." 

—-------------

     Zuko retreats to his favorite place in the temple. The feeding room of the calves. 

    Gia and Zanzu are already waiting for him next to the trough and give little grumbles at his tardiness. For a moment he can forget the Avatar and focus on them. 

   "Alright, alright. Let me go get the hay." Zuko pushes past them and climbs up to the loft where the bales are stored. It's too high for the little ones and too narrow for the adult bison to get into. Perfect for storing anything you don't want to end up in their mouths. 

    He takes hold of the pitchfork and is about to pierce the tufts of hay when he hears a screech at his feet. He yelps and jumps back, falling onto his backside and almost tumbling out of the loft. "Momo! Don't scare me like that!" 

    The bat-lemur chirps in his curious way and clambors over the teen to dig in his pockets. Zuko lets him, knowing it will be harder to keep him out. "I didn't bring any snacks. Go bother Uncle or Jee." 

    Momo flicks his tail and scampers off to find someone with food. That little lemur was always napping in the worst places! Thank Agni he hadn't stabbed him! 

     Zuko gets back to pitching a sizeable amount of hay down to the bison and, when he jumps down, finds that they were too impatient to wait until he was done. Both calves are covered in hay, though it doesn't stop them from eating what's on the ground. He rolls his eyes and goes to check on the others before he starts his daily tasks. 

    After caring for the young bison, Zuko ventures around the temple in search of any hidden relics or skeletons. By now, after nearly three years of this, he's gotten almost all the rooms cleared, dusted, and spiritually cleansed. He had to do it in the way of the Fire Nation at first, but in his second year he and Uncle found scrolls dictating the important ceremonies of the Air Nomads, including the rituals for the dead. Now, he mainly kept busy by sweeping and dusting areas that had gone too long without cleaning. Only occasionally would he find bones. But it took its toll on him each time. 

     Cleaning doesn't give him the release it usually does. Instead of letting himself drift with the menial task, his brain churns with the thought of what he wants to do now. What was there for him? Return to the Fire Nation? No, it had been too long. And Uncle had shown him what being treated with open kindness was like. He couldn't go back to being on edge with Azula and Father. Stay here? With the bison and his men and Uncle? Forever? It wouldn't be the worst option, but certainly not the most exciting. 

    But if the Avatar had returned… that changed things. The forces of the war would shift and things would be different. He didn't know what it meant, what this would mean for his people, but he wanted to be a part of it. 

    He sweeps the same floor, stuck in thought, until Yan comes to fetch him for dinner. He puts the broom against the wall and follows her to the communal area without a word. He hesitates to enter when he sees the three kids are still here and corralled at a table against the wall. They look up and catch his gaze when he comes in, but make no move to attack. 

    "You've kept yourself busy, my nephew. I couldn't find you." Uncle approaches with a warm smile. "You should join them tomorrow. Aang is looking for a hidden room the monks told him about." 

    "Aang?" He parrots and swivels to look back over to the bald kid with the tattoos. Aang is looking as well, but squeaks when he is caught and ducks his head down. "Do you think that's a good idea?" 

    Iroh gives him a gentle look. "The paths of life are useless unless we walk them." 

   "I shouldn't have asked." He snarks, but brushes his hand against the older man before leaving. Iroh watches carefully as the boy hesitantly makes his way over to the table of children and sits. They are all slow to speak at first, but soon Sokka is leading the conversation. Zuko looks a little less lost each time he catches a glimpse. 

    The trio is cautious, but open to the possibility of Zuko maybe sorta being a friendly firebender. If his uncle was right, then Zuko just looks like a grump but has a squishy soft center. 

   "So what do you do around here?" Sokka asks with his arms crossed. "We saw a bunch of the others cleaning and cooking and stuff, but you disappeared." 

    Aang looks to him excitedly, which makes his answer feel like black sludge rolling off his tongue. "I… clean out the other buildings. The ones that have been left alone since…" 

    "Since your people destroyed everything?" The girl asks in a tone that hits like a whip. 

    He hangs his head and fiddles with his chopsticks. "Yeah. That." 

    "What kind of stuff did you find?" Aang wonders, tapping his chin. "Monks don't keep a lot of material goods, since that ties us down. Oh, did you find any meditation beads? I hadn't gotten mine before I left!" 

    Zuko flicks his gaze to Sokka who gives him a subtle shake of his head. "I, uh, found some necklaces. And other things. Mainly a lot of dust." 

    Aang insists that Zuko show them his collection of found objects tomorrow. It would have been right that very moment, but a man came by to serve curry and rice. Aang was stalled in his desire to be reunited with cultural items by the sight of a traditional, vegetarian dish. "Is this mango-pumpkin curry?" 

    "Yeah, Uncle and Gao make it all the time. Mango-pumpkins grow really well up here." Zuko says as he dishes out a good portion on each plate. 

   "So there's no meat?" Sokka whines, but picks up his chopsticks anyway. He's still incredibly hungry and it smells pretty good. 

   Zuko quirks a smile. "We don't eat meat up here, in honor of the airbender traditions." 

    "What next? No hunting?" 

  "Nope. No fishing, no smoking, and no hurting animals." He confirms, delighting in the shock on the other boy's face. 

    "And apparently treating sky bison like giant fuzzy babies." Katara says with a laugh, which Sokka joins in on. Zuko blushes. 

   Aang takes a mouthful of curry and melts against the table. "Whoever made this really knows their way around a kitchen! This is perfect!" The siblings are prompted to try their own serving, which leads to more exclamations of delight. This leads to a subject that Zuko is well versed in; praise for his uncle. 

   "Fire Nation food is spicy and has a lot of strong flavor. Making something according to the airbender diet was hard, but Uncle has been experimenting for years to get it perfect. It's probably not exactly how you remember, but we've all been enjoying it." 

    "The Water Tribes rely on salt." Katara pipes in. "It keeps the meat good during the polar winters and makes sea prunes taste amazing." 

   Sokka leans back with a self satisfied smirk. "We'll have to show you guys what real food tastes like." He startles and sits upright again. "That is… uh… if you were to leave the temples. Or whatever." 

   The firebender shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know. I'm not sure what my future holds." 

     "You could join us." Aang says as if it's totally obvious. Katara coughs hard enough to need a drink of water. 

    "No offense, Zuko, but I don't know if we're ready to have a firebender join us." 

     "What? Why not?" 

  "Aang, we don't know anything else about him. We've only been here for a day." The group falls quiet as they think about this. 

    Sokka chews his lip. "We don't have to leave tomorrow. We can wait until Zuko has shown Aang the stuff he found." Katara raises a brow at him, but has no real argument. It would be nice to explore, since she's never been anywhere like this before. The North Pole can wait one more day. 

   "It's settled." Aang says triumphantly when he sees that she has caved. "Tomorrow morning you and I can show these guys everything the temple has to offer!"

Chapter 3: Meet The Bison

       The gaang decided to bring Appa up to meet the herd, which excites him greatly. As soon as he smells the others he gives a mighty cry and flies as fast as he can up to the platform where many are gathered. Sokka and Katara are almost thrown off in his haste. 

   Now that Appa is sniffing at the babies and grumbling happily, Aang and his friends are free to search for the firebender. They find Zuko in the same orchard as yesterday, picking peaches and filling a satchel. His big friend is with him again, as seems to be the usual for his trips to pick fruits, and is napping on his back in the sunshine. 

   "Zuko!" Aang takes air assisted leaps across the path and lands on a low branch under the teen. "You have to come meet my bison! And tell us everyone's names!" 

    Zuko startles and has to grab the trunk to avoid falling. Once the tree settles he looks down at the boy and says "you have a bison?" 

    "Yeah! His name is Appa." Aang jumps down and nabs a peach for himself. "And he loves peaches!"  

     He makes it to the ground and huffs at the weight of his bag. "I'm sure we have plenty for him and the others." Sokka and Katara wave at him from the gate. They look very tired. "Are they ok?" 

  "Hm? Oh. They're just not used to getting up this early." He moves over to Nisang to pet his fluffy chin. "But I want to make sure we see as much as possible!" 

    Zuko huffs out an almost laugh and hefts the bag higher on his shoulder. "Well, let's not waste time, then. I'll introduce you to the herd." 

    They all make their way back to the open platform where two of the littlest are biting at Appa's heels to get him to play. Zuko shooes them away and wags a finger in front of them. "No biting. That's not how you make friends." 

    Katara makes a high pitched noise that devolves into cutesy talk when one of the calves comes to sniff at her. It's only tall enough to reach her hip, so she bends down to pet behind its fluffy ears. "What's your name, sweetie?" 

    "That's Gia. She's a troublemaker." Zuko deadpans. "She likes it most when you scratch the corner of her chin." He points to the side of his jaw for emphasis, which Katara copies on the bison. Gia rumbles a purr. 

   "This one is Kol. He's smart and gets into everything." He points to the one already snooping in his bag. Zuko pulls out a few peaches and tosses them to the gaang. "That one-" he gestures behind Sokka to a larger bison with a milky eye. "Is Ganyi. He gets startled if you approach him without announcing yourself, so don't come at him from his bad side." 

   Aang and Katara share a look between them, thinking of how similar that seems to their guide. 

    "That one is Akash. He's easily startled, so don't move too fast. And that one is Muya. She's Akash's mother and doesn't always let people near." 

    Aang tosses his peach into the air and catches it with little effort. "No problem." He bounds off to make himself a new friend, leaving Katara and Zuko with the last two large bison in the open space. 

    Katara shuffles, a bit unsure. "So, uh… who's this?" She points to the bigger of the two, bigger than Appa by a few hands. It has a snaggletooth that looks rather menacing. 

   "Chandani. Light of the Moon." He says and strokes the bison's cheek with fondness. "She wouldn't join the rest of the herd for the longest time, but she's like a mother to them now. She's very protective of her family." 

     Katara can't help the flop of her heart to hear him speak about this mangy haired beast as if she were his child. Katara stands beside him and lets Chandani sniff her hands before giving her the peach. 

   "And this is her sister Jyoti. Light of the Sun." Zuko turns and uses his other hand to pet the golden fur of the bison behind him. "She was the first one we found up here. She's the friendliest of the herd." 

   "They really are opposites." Katara laughs. "I guess that makes sense that they are siblings. Sokka and I are like that too." She goes for a joking, light hearted tone, but something must have upset Zuko because he turns away from her with a grimace. 

     "There's one that doesn't come around often. She's not very nice." Zuko says quietly. "She's on the other side of the mountain. I only visit her every so often to make sure she's OK. But she doesn't seem to like it when I do." 

     "Well…" Katara purses her lips in thought. "Aang is pretty good with animals. He might try." If she wasn't mistaken, there was almost a hopeful twinkle in his eye before he turns and walks away, busying his hands by getting more peaches out and introducing them to more of the bison. But Katara keeps it in mind. 

—--------------

     Zuko takes them to what used to be the training tower, according to Aang, where Zuko keeps a chest of stashed relics. Aang tears up a bit to see so much reduced to ash, but he wipes them away and smiles. Katara holds his hand to remind him that they are here for him. 

    Zuko crouches next to the chest to dig out a blanket, which he lays out to place the items down, then a reed with holes in it, a deflated ball made of sewn cloth, and a few scrolls. He stays kneeling as Aang sits and inspects the items. 

   "This is a flute. Monk Gyatso loved to play it while we walked. And this is what we played air ball with- we should go play air ball by the way- And-" he unscrolls one of the documents to reveal the written history of Avatar Yangchen. The next one is recipes for the spring festival, and the next is death rites. Aang puts the scroll down as if his strings were cut. He can't stop the flood of tears, even as he looks to Zuko and asks "Did you hold to the air nomads traditions for this too?" 

    Zuko clenches his fists and feels a lump in his throat. He pushes past it and chokes out "when we realized how to do it." 

    "How many?" Aang demands. His voice is deeper than usual and laced with anger. 

    Zuko ducks his head with a pained grimace. "Too many." 

     The room lights up with a blue hue. Everyone backs away from the spinning winds as Aang releases the power of the Avatars in the small room. Sokka moves quickly and manages to pull Katara out of the doorway and away from the projectiles. Zuko, shocked and awed, can't force himself to move. It's not until Katara flings herself back inside and wraps him in a hug that Zuko realizes he could have been killed if he hadn't stopped. The air returns to his lungs in a painful gulp. He hadn't realized all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room until it returned sharply. 

    While Katara and Sokka come to comfort their friend, Zuko is finally able to stand on weak legs and run.

Chapter 4: The Troublesome Bison

   Aang finds him wedged between a rocky outcrop near a steep drop off. He's concentrated deeply on a single gazebo with a crumbling roof down below. The area is quiet and cold with a swift wind blowing up the mountainside and ruffling his hair. Aang lands a few feet away and pads over as quietly and softly as he can. Zuko doesn't look over to acknowledge his presence. 

    "I'm sorry." Aang says after a while of silence. He tucks himself into a hollow between the rocks and sits in a non-threatening meditative pose. "I shouldn't have done that." 

   "You had every right to be mad." Zuko says. He looks pained. "I'm sorry for what my people did." 

   "You've done a lot of good here, though. I can feel it." He wipes away the moisture collecting in his eyes. "I got angry because... I should have been here for my people. I shouldn't have run away. There's so little left, but you've been protecting it! And I'm really grateful for it." 

    Zuko shuffles over, though he's unsure what to do once he's next to the boy. He settles for patting his leg. "If you'd been here when it happened, you would be dead." He says bluntly. Aang looks even more miserable at the thought, but doesn't argue. Zuko looks over his shoulder down the hill for a moment, then looks back to Aang. "There's actually something I need your help with." 

   "Huh?" 

 "There's a bison down there. She's… she's not very nice and she doesn't like me. But I saw how the others liked you so quickly I was hoping that maybe you could get through to her." 

   Even though the sadness is still there, it's pushed aside by the prospect of being able to help. Aang peeks around him to the gazebo and sees a long flat tail bobbing in agitation from the entrance. "What's the matter with her?" 

   Zuko shrugs. "She gets aggressive around the other bison, so she stays over here. No matter what I bring, she won't let me get close to her. I think she has something stuck in her paw, but I can't get it." 

   Aang nods in understanding. Before he is about to jump down the ledge and approach, he turns to ask "what's her name?" 

   The teen gets a wistful look in his eye as he says "Lala" and nothing more. Aang nods and uses his bending to bounce down the mountainside to stand just outside of the structure; enough that she has no doubt felt his presence, but not too close to make her nervous. 

    The bison grumbles in a loud and threatening manner as she turns to face him. She doesn't come out, but hunkers even more into her home. Aang holds his hands up to show he has nothing to hurt her and just sits. Lala roars and thumps her feet, but doesn't come closer. Likewise, Aang stays perfectly still. 

    Zuko nods off after a while, but drifts in and out of wakefulness each time Lala makes her dissatisfaction known. Aang is always in the same spot. Midway between noon and sundown Sokka and Katara find him and settle at his shoulders to fight the cold wind. They all watch as Lala emerges from her hole, slowly stepping near Aang, retreating, and coming back, then repeating the cycle. 

    To the group's amazement, close to sundown, Lala huffs and lays down in front of Aang, giving a low rumble that tapers off into silence. Aang reaches out to pat her snout and begins talking to her. The wind carries the noise away, so they aren't sure what he's telling her, but Lala lets him circle to her back leg and check her paw. There is a thorn between her toes that Aang removes with little trouble. Lala rumbles again and retreats back into the gazebo, but no longer looks ready to murder him. 

    When Aang returns to them he looks much more at peace than before. "She just needed to know I wasn't going to leave her." He says. 

   Zuko looks back down the mountain to the bison, but she is out of sight. He joins the rest of the gaang as they head back to the communal areas for something to eat. 

—-‐—---------

    Uncle makes a stir-fry with an assortment of vegetables and a sweet sauce that even Sokka begrudgingly says is pretty delicious. Katara stays quiet for the majority of the meal and only addresses Zuko once she's finished. 

  "I understand if you don't want to. But… I think it would be a good idea if you joined us." 

    Zuko is surprised by this and doesn't respond immediately, but is saved by Uncle passing out desserts of moonpeach tarts. Aang excitedly bites into his and nearly starts crying again. 

   "This is exactly like the monks used to make!" 

    Uncle grins. "That is high praise, my friend! Have another!" He sets the treat down in front of him with a flourish and a bow, which makes everyone chuckle. He turns to Zuko. "My nephew, would you help an old man with something?"

    Zuko nods and quickly retreats from the table to assist Iroh with whatever it is. They make their way to the back room before his uncle turns and gives him a strong hug. "Uncle, are you alright?" 

    "I am just so proud of you." He says against Zuko's chest. Zuko wraps him in a hug as well, then leans back to give him a questioning look. Uncle smiles and says "you have a great destiny ahead of you. I think it would be wise to go with the Avatar and help him on his journey." 

    "What? But… what about everything here?" 

    "I'm sure the bison will miss you, but there are people here who will care for them." 

    "What about the temples?" 

  "We will maintain them." 

   "What about-"

  "Zuko." Iroh stops him with a look. "You have done wonderful things here and worked to become a better man- better than your forefathers. Now it is time to use those lessons to improve the world." He settles his hands on his nephew's shoulders. "It is time for you to fight for what you think is right." 

    He can't think of what to say. Only to nod and give his uncle another hug. Iroh returns it gladly, then shoos him back to join his friends and tell them his decision. 

    He approaches the table awkwardly, feeling out of place, but some part of him wanting to belong with this odd group. They turn to him and smile. He clears his throat and announces

   "Okay. I'll join you." 

Chapter 5: The Serpent

  It's hard to leave when he's lived in the temples for the past two years or so. The men offer pats on the back and smiles, wishing him good luck and not to try to befriend every large creature he meets. Sokka gives him a snarky raised eyebrow at this that makes him flush with stung pride. He gives him a shove in retaliation. 

     Uncle presents his dual dao, reminding him that he will need them very soon. Zuko sets them aside to keep his hands free for one last hug. Hopefully this isn't a final goodbye. 

    To the rest of the gaang, the firebenders give wrapped boxes of dried fruits and vegetables, as well as a few sweets and candied lemon-citrus. Aang pops one in his mouth experimentally and sucks in his cheeks, eyes watering. The men laugh and tell him to take it slow next time. Aang nods and discreetly spits it out in the grass. 

    They bundle onto Appa's saddle and drift back down the mountain, returning to their goal of the North Pole. Zuko is glad he packed extra thick shirts and cloaks. Speaking of packing-

   Zuko digs into his pack for something, feeling around until something inside shifts and clings to his arm. "GAH!" Zuko pulls free and waves his arm to dislodge the lemur-bat chittering unhappily at being woken up. "Momo! Why are you in my bag?!" 

   Momo scurries over to Aang and wraps himself tightly around his neck. Aang laughs and pets his soft little head between the ears. "Hi, Momo. It's nice to meet you." 

    He huffs and corrects his sleeve, which had been pulled up and disheveled by the mischievous creature. Now that the pack is wide open, Zuko spots his original target. 

   "Here, Aang." He lifts up the mediation beads with care. Aang gasps and reaches for them like a lifeline. After inspecting the necklace, complete with large wooden medallion of the air nation's symbol, he holds it to his chest for a long moment before placing it safely in his own pack. 

    "That was Monk Gyatso's." He says as he looks off into the clouds. Katara places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He was my teacher… and a good friend." 

   "How do you know it was his?" Sokka asks from Appa's head. Appa does a pretty good job keeping himself straight, so he feels comfortable turning around and releasing the reins. 

    "He carved a pygmy koala-goat on the back. They were his favorite animal." He quirks a smile. "He would draw them in the sand all the time." 

    Katara claps her mittened hands together. "That's so cute! I've never seen a koala-goat before. What's your favorite animal, Aang?"  

   "Sky bison." He answers automatically. "They're so gentle." 

   "I like tigerseals." Sokka says proudly. "They're vicious! And they make some pretty good stew meat." 

    Katara rolls her eyes, then tells Aang "I like polar dogs. We had a few in the village for pulling sleds, but we had to trade most of them a while ago." The group looks to Zuko expectantly. 

   "I uh… like… turtleducks." 

  Sokka and Katara share a confused look until Aang explains "They're a little pond animal in the Fire Nation. They're so cute and fuzzy!" 

    The siblings raise mocking brows, but Zuko is already red with embarrassment, so the words are unneeded. Sokka pokes the wound anyway. "Is there anything cutesy that you don't immediately bond with?"

   The kids share a laugh at his expense. He huffs and crosses his arms and pouts, but it's obvious that he's not truly mad. They spend the rest of the day giggling about cute animals that Zuko can befriend from the other nations. 

—----‐—‐—---

     Kyoshi Island is small, even to Zuko who grew up in a nation of archipelagos. They decide to land and start making breakfast when the trouble begins. 

     "Women's work?" Zuko asks, offended. 

    Sokka continues digging in his pack without looking at the matching glares he and Katara are sending his way. "I get that it was probably different up on your little mountain retreat, since there weren't any women, but that's how it is. Girls do the cooking and cleaning, and men-" he triumphantly pulls out his fishing line and rod. "-do the fishing!"  

    "The Fire Nation doesn't work like that." Zuko says and follows him to the water's edge. "Women and men do the same work." 

   Sokka makes a noise of dismissal and sets about tying the line and hook. Since he's obviously done with the conversation, Zuko shakes his head and releases a plume of smoke before heading back over to Katara and the mess of cooking utensils scattered on a blanket. 

    "Hey Katara! Watch this!" 

  They all turn to see Aang dive into the water and swim out into the deep. He circles and sinks below the water a few times before a hulking fish jumps into the air. Aang grips the dorsal fins and hollers in joy as it bucks and shimmies to remove him. 

    "That's impressive." Zuko mutters. 

  "Are you kidding?" Sokka scoffs. "The fish is doing all the work." 

   They watch his antics for a moment before Katara notices a large shadow in the water chasing him. "Aang, watch out!" 

    Katara uses her bending to thrust herself in his direction, though it's a struggle against the waves and commotion caused by the retreating fishes. After tense minutes, she manages to pull him to shore to cough up sea water. And soon after, they are knocked out. 

—------------

   Suki is a force to be reckoned with. And she isn't too happy about Sokka's misogyny. 

   Katara and Zuko have a good chuckle when he returns from 'showing the Kyoshi girls what a real warrior looks like' with a few bumps and bruises on his ego. He retreats to their shared room and doesn't emerge until it's time to eat. 

  Zuko decides to stay out of town as much as possible, since he's already getting weird looks directed at his burn. Kyoshi is a neutral village and wouldn't have many visitors; friendly or otherwise. They wouldn't have seen injuries like his, but the pity is unwanted. 

    Instead he returns to the shore where they were attacked. There's no one here (most likely because of the serpent) so Zuko feels pretty comfortable practicing his katas in peace. When he trudges to the shore, the rest of the island seems to still be asleep. The morning dew collects on his pants and shoes and causes the sand to stick. He dreads having to clean them later.

   Breathe in... Breathe out… Breathe in… Blow out a tendril of smoke… Breathe in... Allow the heat to collect in his throat… and breathe out a steady stream of flame. He stretches his arms over his head and lets himself fall into the familiar routine. 

   The dew has dried and he feels himself start to sweat by the time he is done. Well, he needs to clean off the sand anyway. Might as well just get in the water to cool off. 

   It's ice cold and salty, but feels great against his heated skin. A few tiny fish swirl away and around him as he wades deeper until he is up to his chest. He holds his breath and goes under. The gentle sway of the waves rocks him and eases his sore muscles and allows him to relax enough to not even notice that the fish have all swam away. 

   When he comes back up for air the sun is blocked entirely. Once he is able to wipe the grit from his eyes he can look up and up and up to see the colossal figure of the sea serpent towering over him only a few yards away. 

  It sprays a sheen of mist from its nostrils in clear agitation, tail whipping in the water aggressively. Zuko locks eyes and can't look away. He feels paralyzed, but not entirely fearful. This is a water wyrm. A sea dragon. It could be the only one of its kind in existence and he was getting to see it! Uncle will be so jealous if he ever gets the chance to tell him. 

   The wyrm must see that his expression is one of awe and not of anger because its demeanor shifts from aggression to curiosity. He doesn't get much time to dwell on it before the beast slithers out of sight with minimal disturbance to the water, like it was never there. 

    Zuko shakily makes his way back to shore and up the hill to the village.

—--------------

    Sokka looks good in green. Zuko is sure to tell him, just to see the blush that peeks out from beneath the heavy war paint. 

   Unfortunately, Suki is within earshot of the comment and tells him that he would look good in it too if he wanted to join them. Zuko backpedals and comes up with any excuse he can think of, but is bullied into joining their training session for the afternoon. Regalia included. 

   "It obviously doesn't look as good as Suki, but yeah. You look like a Kyoshi warrior." Sokka chuckles when Zuko hobbles out from behind the changing screen. 

    Zuko huffs and grips the layers of skirt in his fists. "How do they walk in this?!" 

   Suki smacks his hands with her fan. "A warrior can fight in anything. Now let's see what you've got." 

     He grumbles, but obediently falls into a traditional fire pose. If Suki is surprised she doesn't show it. She immediately launches into the fight and, even though he holds his own for significantly longer than Sokka, she still kicks his butt.

—-----------

   "I haven't fought in a long time." Zuko mumbles as they leave the dojo. Sokka snorts and elbows his side. 

   "You've gotten all soft from being around cute animals." 

   "What's your excuse?" Zuko shoves him off the path and runs ahead, laughing as Sokka catches his footing and gives chase. 

—------

    Their time on Kyoshi Island is short lived. They barely make it out before they are captured, though Katara and Zuko did all they could to keep the buildings from catching fire. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be Zhao's main goal. Seeing him again was hard, though, and distracted Zuko from being as involved in the fight as he could have been. All he could think was how this man had smiled at his Agni Kai. How vicious and cruel he could be. And now he's an admiral now.

    They watch the little village disappear into nothing as they climb into the clouds and get as far away as they can. Hopefully they don't run into him again. 

Chapter 6: Fire Boy in the Earth Kingdom

   Zuko knew leaving the temples would be exciting, but he was a bit exhausted by how many 'adventures' the group kept falling into. 

   And now all of them were trapped in Omashu- stuck in some growing rocks while Aang tried his best to figure out these challenges! Their king was crazy! 

   Thank Agni he had told Aang that Flopsie wasn't being aggressive and was showing behaviors of playfulness. That could have turned out very differently if he had aggravated the large goat gorilla, which are known for extreme violence when angry. 

    The king, with his curved spine and fragile looking hands, doesn't seem like a threat. And after seeing the two battle, Zuko finally sees what Uncle meant when he said not to judge a scroll by its bindings. The old geezer is terrifying! 

   And apparently a friend?! So this kooky king is actually the same age as Aang and they were once very close. Just in time before they are completely covered in the rocks, Bumi reveals that they are a candy that can be removed easily. Zuko feels rather foolish that they hadn't even tried very hard- too worried that they would get hurt or lead to Aang being hurt. 

    And now, after only a few more mishaps, they were finally entering the region of the North Pole. No one knew what to look for, really, since the Northerners hadn't been seen or heard from in over a hundred years. Aang, ever the optimist, was sure they would find them. 

   "How are you handling this so well?" Sokka asks after miles and miles of nothing but water. 

   Zuko has to take a minute to realize he's being talked to, since they were all sitting in silence for a long time. "The cold? Or the boredom?" 

     "Both" 

  "Uh…" He scratches behind on of his ears. "I guess life at the temple. The air is almost always cold there, so we had to regulate our breathing to keep ourselves warm. And there's not much to do except chores, so.." He shrugs. 

     "We use airbending to regulate our temperature too!" Aang says happily from Appa's head. "Man, who would have guessed the elements have so much in common?" 

   "Uncle says the elements are connected in almost every way. The best way to get better is to learn from the other elements." 

   "What could waterbending learn from firebending?" Katara asks, not unkindly. "They're the exact opposites!" 

    Zuko stands and wobbles before finding his balance against the cold winds. "Uncle showed me a move that he said came from the Southern Style. When an enemy is shooting fire at you it can be hard to redirect with pure strength. But if you use their force against them the way water moves, you can allow it the path of least resistance and take control, like this." He shoots out a fireball into the wind, allowing it to come back at himself as they fly forward. Instead of dissipating or breaking it, he shifts his stance into something similar to what katara would do and moves the flame around himself, arms flowing like a wave, and sends the wisp over the saddle. The group oohs and ahs in wonder 

        and a jet of water sprays the saddle!

  "Katara!" Sokka angrily shouts, wiping water off of his hood. He looks around at the group and notices that Katara and Aang are looking over the saddle and Zuko is gone. 

 

Chapter 7: Fire Boy in the Water City

 "Did Zuko just waterbend?!" Sokka exclaims as he scrambles to the edge of the saddle just in time to get a jet of water to the face that forces him onto his back. 

   "Hang on!" Aang says as he leaps to take the reins. With a few quick maneuvers, they are weaving out of the way of more icy water. They can't keep it up, though, and Appa gives a mighty groan before his feet hit the ocean and are swallowed in ice.

—---------

     Zuko stands between the water siblings, steaming himself off in a display of obvious firebending that made the other occupants of the throne room nervous. He wasn't particularly concerned. He was soaked and it was their fault. 

    "Avatar Aang. It is an honor to have you here." Chief Arnook says, even as his eyes flit over to the three behind the boy. "We are sorry about the treatment you received upon your arrival, but we take the safety of our people very seriously." 

    "That's alright." Aang says happily. "It's an honor to be here, Mr chief sir." 

   Sokka snorts, which gets a reluctant smile from Zuko. Katara reaches around to pinch her brother's arm. 

    "Let us show you where you will be staying, and tonight we will have a feast!" This brightens everyone's moods significantly. Aang turns around to grin at his friends before bowing once more to the chief. Two guards with thick spears come forward to escort them out of the throne room. The group eagerly follows.

   Once they are out of sight, the chief looks over to a burly man in the shadow of the pillars. "Takuei." The man comes closer and stands at attention. "Keep a watch on that firebender. If he does anything at all that seems suspicious, take care of him." The man nods, then allows himself to slip back into the shadows and out of the room. 

    They didn't see much of the city when being brought to the chief, but now that they are walking at a leisurely pace, the gaang is able to take in the beauty of the sculpted ice around them. 

    Well, most of them are focusing on the ice. Sokka has found something else to focus on. 

    So focused is he that, when the rest of the group turns, Sokka continues walking straight into the river. The pretty girl in the canoe, whom he had been ogling over, giggles into her mittened hands and watches with amusement as he hefts himself out of the water with much effort. 

    "Here." Zuko offers and flattens his hands over the boy. The edges of the fur of his hood sizzle at the heat, but Zuko's hands move quickly enough that they don't burn. Within moments he's mostly dry again, only a little damp. Sokka clings to the other teen before he can move away. 

   "Tui and La, you're warm. Don't you dare move." He says and clacks his teeth dramatically. Zuko rolls his eyes, but obediently walks at a sedate pace to compensate for the koala-boy wrapped around his right arm. Katara coos at the antics, but Sokka just sticks his tongue out at her and mutters about how she's just jealous. 

    The guards shuffle uncomfortably, thankfully keeping to themselves. They continue on their way through the city until they have climbed up to one of the innermost portions closest to the sheer cliff that makes the protected Northern wall. The homes look just the same as every other building in the tribe, though the distance from the gates to the city make them the most safe. 

    "Let us know if you have need of anything." One of the men says gruffly while the kids look around the home. Aang thanks them right before they shut the large door. 

     "Well, they seem nice." Katara mutters sarcastically, but shrugs it off to continue exploring the rest of the space. Zuko, who still has Sokka wrapped firmly against his side, silently agrees. 

    "This is way different than the Southern Tribe." Aang runs his hand against the railing of the stairs. "It's big, but doesn't feel like something people actually live in." 

    "I never asked. Are you two from the Southern Tribe?" 

    Sokka finally unattaches himself and opens a mysterious chest next to a couch carved out of the wall. Inside, he finds pelts. "Yeah, where else would we be from?" 

   "There's all sorts of places for waterbenders." Zuko says as he retrieves one of the furs for himself. Momo squeezes close to his chest and clings as tight as he can, chirping happily at the heat. Looks like he traded one clingy monster for another.

   Aang takes a white pelt that Sokka hands him. "Whoa, really? That's not how it was a hundred years ago." 

    "The crew and I traveled a lot before coming to the temple. We met a lot of displaced groups, including waterbenders who found homes near rivers and swamps." Katara nabbed a fur from Zuko before he could claim all the rest for himself. He sent her a glare and tightened his grip on the remaining pelts.

   "I guess things are worse than I thought." Aang says to himself. He flops onto the couch with a sigh. Sokka and Katara come to sit next to him, brushing shoulders and huddling close.

  "I wouldn't say that." Zuko says cautiously. "I mean… it's not bad. Well, not totally bad." The group stares at him, waiting for him to get to the point. "They're helpful, you know? Areas that only had earthbenders or nonbenders had people who could keep the town from flooding. Or they could make sure the water was clean to drink. And that couldn't happen if all the waterbenders stayed at the poles." 

     "It's still sad that they had to do that." Katara insists. "But you have a point. Maybe they were Southern benders who broke free." 

     "Well, we can always ask them when we meet." Sokka groans. "I can't just sit here and wait for food. Do you think I could get a snack somewhere?" 

    Aang jumps to his feet and tosses his fur back at the chest. "I want to explore some more! Come on, guys. Let's go look around!" 

    Everyone shuffles to comply, putting away their nice warm furs to see what else the city had to offer. Aang leads the way, with the rest of the group following close behind. Zuko, who takes up the rear, looks over his shoulder at the alley between homes. There is nothing there, but he can't shake the feeling that someone is watching. 

Chapter 8: Fire Boy and the Water People

  With his borrowed hood pulled up, Zuko goes practically unnoticed. Aang, who wears nothing over his bright air nomad robes, is the center of everyone's focus. Katara, Sokka, and Zuko are just in the background, which doesn't bother them at all. Traveling with the Avatar leads to some nice perks as well, including free samples of local delicacies and being allowed to enter most places unhindered. 

     Sokka is, for once, comfortably full and quiet. Katara is busy listening to every detail she can from anyone who spares them a moment to tell them local history. Aang is watching the people passing by, smiling and waving and enjoying himself. And Zuko can't stop looking over his shoulder. 

   Once the sun starts to set, people begin herding in the direction of the communal hall. A couple of children run underfoot and exclaim that they can't wait for the feast, which tells the gaang that they should start following. 

    The communal hall is cavernous and echoes with everyone's chatter. One of the many guards that line the walls ushers them near the front of the long tables to be close to the chief's platform. Zuko makes sure he is huddled in the middle and away from the general populace. Sokka reaches over to harshly rub his hood into his hair. Zuko sputters and works to fix his bangs while shoving the annoying boy away. 

     "Are you two brothers?" A feminine voice asks from Sokka's other side. He whips around to see the beautiful girl from before with white hair. She smiles serenely, but her eyes sparkle with laughter at their antics. 

    "No, no. He's-" Sokka coughs into his hand as a blush creeps up his neck. "Hi, I'm Sokka."

    "You're traveling with the Avatar, right?" She peeks around at the others, then returns her gaze to him. "I'm sure you have a lot of stories to tell." 

    Katara and Zuko don't hide their snorts of amusement as Sokka fumbles his way through the conversation. He goes from trying to impress her to asking her out to an 'activity', which seems to work. The girl gets up and says farewell, heading up to the podium to take her seat next to Chief Arnook. 

    "So you and the princess, huh?" Katara chuckles. "Do you think she'll be impressed with some of the stories I have of you? I'm sure she'll love to hear about you and the-"

    Sokka hollers over her to avoid any more being said. The other three laugh at his continually growing blush that doesn't go away until Arnook steps up to speak. 

    "My friends and loved ones." He begins. The room immediately grows quiet to hear what he has to say. "We have been blessed by the Spirits. The Avatar has returned and comes to learn from our greatest waterbenders." A few hoops and hollers of joy from some of the young men, most likely waterbenders as well, spring up among the crowd before falling silent again. "It is also my daughter's sixteenth birthday. She is now of marrying age and will bring with her a strong future for our Tribe." 

     There is clapping and cheering, but Sokka can't take his eyes off the girl. His friends hope that he doesn't end up hurt by whatever strong emotions are obviously taking over. 

—------------------

    Zuko doesn't want to disturb the others and he can't stand the itchy feeling of being inside for too long. The sun is about to rise, so he needs to go out and stretch. 

    He slips out of the home and keeps to the alleys. Left, right, left, right. Keep it simple so that he can find his way back. He's most likely going to have trouble anyway, since everything looks the same. He kicks himself when he realizes he could have made some sort of mark on their door to tell it apart. Too late now. 

    He makes it to the edge of the city where no one seems to live and the cliff looms high above. He turns his back to the ice and begins his morning meditations. 

     He stretches out his sore muscles by leaning, twisting, squatting, and bending, holding each position for thirty seconds before moving to the next. Once he is done, he straightens up to begin his katas. The North doesn't get as much sun as he is used to, especially here hidden in the shadow of the ice wall, so he doesn't want to open his Chakra for meditation. He will save that for later in the day when the sun is at its peak. 

    He finishes his katas and hears people begin to stir further in the city. Time to try to return before there were too many people out and about. It was nice to have this moment to himself, though. 

   He manages to make it about half way without anyone really taking notice of him, but the closer he gets to their temporary home the more women and children he passes by. A woman gives a startled gasp when he brushes her shoulder and he catches sight of his scar. Zuko hurries along before she can say anything. A few others look to see what has happened, their eyes trail him until he disappears around a corner. 

    He makes it back without any incident. He's out of breath and shaken, but he's back now and he's safe. Nothing happened. Not really. Why is this so difficult for him? He used to live in a castle! Why is being around so many people suddenly so hard? 

   He slips into the house and notes that the group is still asleep. He grabs one of the furs from before and goes back to the bedroom where Aang and Sokka are nestled in their bedding still. He crawls back onto his pallet between them and waits for them to wake.

 

Chapter 9: Fire Boy finds a fuzzy friend

  Katara and Aang have gone to find a waterbending teacher, so Zuko goes with Sokka to find something to do. 

    The people here are unconcerned, as if there is no war or stress or hardships. From the interactions Zuko sees from below his hood, everyone works together to get things done. It's very community driven, which is similar to how the crew lived while in the temples, but had been such an unfamiliar way of life before then. 

     Sokka keeps up a steady stream of chatter as they walk. Nothing in particular, but it's familiar and an unexpected comfort against the onslaught of new things all around him. A few people look over at them, but no one approaches the strangers. And yet Zuko can't shake the feeling that someone is watching him closely. Sokka doesn't appear to have noticed, so it's probably just general paranoia. 

     He is more than happy to let Sokka take the lead as they meander to the blacksmiths, the craftsmen, the scenic bridges, allowing Sokka to stop and chat and make his stupid jokes with the locals and learn more about how they do things here. Zuko keeps himself a few steps away, as if occupied by the strange spears or hammers or endless ice. The people don't mind him and don't ask. It's boring, aside from the information he takes in. 

   "Get outa here" He hears a man exclaim from one of the fish stalls. Zuko turns to see one of the fishermen shooting a little fuzzy creature away from his catch of the day, going so far as to kick at it. Zuko rushes over. 

    It's a baby something, that's all he can tell. It has a shell like the turtleducks, white fur, and flippers. It's beyond adorable and he's never seen anything like it. The man goes back to his work and Zuko feels it is safe to scoop the little thing in his arms and take it somewhere safe. 

    Sokka is still busy and most everyone else is busy with their own work, so Zuko scoots over to one of the man-made rivers to place the animal near. "Go on. Go home." 

    It stares up at him with large black eyes and doesn't move into the water. He hums to himself and looks into the cold water for a moment. "Are you hungry?" It blinks. That might be a yes. Zuko rolls up his sleeve and leans over the water until he catches the shimmer of scales. 

    He pierces his hand into the icy river and brings up a small fish. He puts it on the snow to let the little creature get to it and watches as it uses its tiny needle teeth to tear into it. 

    "Why do you have a polar turtle-seal?" Sokka's voice asks from his bad side. Zuko startles. Sokka is kind enough to look sorry. 

    "It was by itself." He says in self defense. "I don't see any others. Where would the rest of its family be?" 

    Sokka looks around. "It probably squeezed through the grates upstream. The rivers have to be closed off to make sure predators don't come in, but this guy must be small enough to get through."

   Zuko picks the creature up and holds it like a baby against his borrowed parka. The cub lets out a high pitched honk-like noise, but doesn't squirm. "So we head upstream and find its family." 

       Sokka looks between the two before sighing. "I feel like you'll do it no matter what I say. I might as well go with you, in case of trouble." 

    He rolls his eyes playfully, but doesn't counter the assertion that he would need protection. In a hostile environment like this, it may not be unfounded. 

     The two follow the waterways, making many turns and progressively getting closer and closer to the protective wall. The closer they get, the more Zuko feels the pierce of someone's gaze on his back. They make it to the smooth barrier of ice that protects the tribe from the outside world and. There are two large, circular openings where the ocean is allowed to flow into their city, protected by both the thick bars of ice as well as a collection of guards. Guards who are not happy to be approached by two strangers. 

     "Stop." One of the men holds out a hand and shifts his spear to the other. Sokka and Zuko pause in their approach. "What are you doing so close to the wall?" 

   "Uh-" Sokka points over his shoulder at his companion cuddling a baby turtle-seal. "He wanted to find its family." 

     The six men stare at the taller boy who wishes he could be swallowed up in his parka. The best he can manage is to duck under his hood until they can hardly even tell if he's human. 

     "No one leaves without approval from the chief." The man says. 

    Zuko clutches the little cub closer. "But the current is too strong here. He can't get back out." 

     "It's a turtle-seal." One man says as if he thought Zuko were stupid. "The older ones attack our hunters. Give it to one of the butchers."

     Zuko glowers from behind the thick fur lining his hood. "No." 

    Sokka pulls him by the shoulder away from the men and back towards the city. "Come on, buddy. Let's go. We won't get through." Zuko comes with him, though he's obviously torn between fighting with these men and trusting that Sokka knows what he's doing. 

     "There's gotta be some way to get him out." Zuko mutters. The little pup flaps its flippers against his chest and nibbles on the material in front of it. 

    Sokka looks over his shoulder at the ridiculously adorable scene. "I don't know. They've got this place pretty well secured." 

    "I'll find something." He looks down to the little creature he has adopted. "Even the most secure places have secret passages." 

    He's not wrong, but Sokka isn't sure what kind of plans he's already scheming. To be fair, he was already crafting a few ideas himself. And if Zuko was going to do something reckless and stupid, he needed the planning master to keep him from getting himself in trouble. "Alright, then first things first, we need to find a weak point in the walls where no guards are around. Then we can make our way out undetected and sneak back in the same way." 

    Zuko hmms while stroking his thumb between the little turtle-seals ears. His eyes were already taking in the environment, calculating where they could check for cracks or weaknesses. "What about where the big wall meets the ice cliff? Maybe there's some spot that has worn down?" 

    It's as good as anything he supposes. They choose to go right, since they are closer to that side, and spend the better part of an hour getting to the seam between natural and bender-made ice. There are a few houses dotting the cliffside, but everyone is working in town and won't notice them sneaking around. And while there isn't a crack, there is a little pool that isn't connected to the rivers, yet it has a few tiny fish swirling inside. 

    "It must have a source. It's got a current." Sokka says. "See how they disappear into the deep part over there? I bet it leads out under the wall." 

    Before he can come up with a good plan on how to use this, Zuko has already splashed into the icy waters and disappeared with the seal pup in his arms.

    Zuko should have thought this out better, since he can't hardly see in the dark of the tunnel, but he manages to push forward and find the exit right before running out of air. He drops the cub onto the edge of the ground so he can heft himself up and shake off as much water as possible. He picks the turtle-seal up again. The terrain around him is flat, barren, and white. There are only a few dots of color that come from other little pools along the base of the glacier cliffs, as well as distant blobs that stop and stare at the strange creature that emerged from the water.  

    "Is that your family?" Zuko asks the baby. It's the only lead he has, so he starts walking in that direction. He warms himself along the way, steaming visibly as he dries off. The seal honks approvingly and rubs its face into his chest. 

    It feels like he's not even moving. He walks and walks, but there's no real indication that he's gone any amount of distance until he looks backwards at his footprints. And even then, they disappear until he can't tell them apart from the rest of the white. He keeps going.  

   As he gets close enough to kind of make out the shapes, one of the blobs releases an awful noise. Zuko cringes at the sound, but the pup excitedly wiggles in his hold. "OK, OK, that must be them." He laughs and adjusts his hold. He picks up the pace until he is within a few feet of the hulking beasts. Not anywhere near the size of a sky bison, but larger than him. And they look to have sharp teeth. Zuko quickly lowers the baby onto the snow and steps away. 

    A blubbery turtle-seal with dark gray markings scoots its way closer until it has properly smelled, nuzzled, and wrapped itself around the little seal pup. The baby honks happily and wiggles free to rejoin the rest of the pack, who welcome the turtle-seal in, now that it smells like its mom. Zuko huffs a sigh of relief and turns to head back. 

    "Don't move." A large tribesman commands. He's standing only a few paces away and ready to take him down if he makes a wrong move. Zuko freezes in place. The man is tall and bulging with muscles. He looks like a serious opponent, with or without waterbending. He walks closer to Zuko with a rope in hand. "Turn around and bring your hands together. I'm taking you back to Chief Arnook." 

    "Why?" Zuko's heart flutters with nervous energy. He didn't expect to get caught, and for some reason hadn't thought there would be serious consequences for just returning a seal pup. He complies, though, and crosses his wrists at the small of his back. He winces when his arms are manipulated and harshly restrained. 

    The man leads him back to the wall with a firm hand on his shoulder. "A firebender escaping from the city after sneaking around? I'm sure you can imagine why the chief would be interested." They approach the curved wall that marks the firm barrier of the city where a large group of men has already gathered with spears and shards of ice, apparently awaiting his return. Zuko gulps in dread. 

Notes:

I love comments. I eat them up. Please send more!

Chapter 10: Fire boy gets in trouble

  Arnook was more imposing this time. Or maybe it was because he was restrained and knew he had done something bad. And that all his friends were similarly in trouble for different reasons. 

    The chief glares down at them from his low throne, flanked on either side by his team of elders and guards. Between each member of the gaang stands a similar guard with pointy spears at their sides. All except the one who keeps a steady hand on Zuko's aching shoulder. 

    "A firebender, whom we entrusted to behave himself with the understanding that he was on thin ice, escaped out into the tundra without an escort or permission." He turns to look at Sokka. "A fellow warrior from our Sister Tribe, who should understand more than anyone else in your group, allowed him to escape and aided in finding a weak point in our border." 

    Sokka is about to open his mouth and argue, but his personal guard gives him a shoulder shove to remind him to stay quiet. 

    "A young waterbender who wishes to learn insults one of our finest and oldest practices in healing and would rather tear apart our culture to learn fighting." Katara is practically vibrating with anger. Arnook simply moves on from her and stares at Aang. "And the Avatar. You bring these troublemakers into my city." 

    The group settles into silence. Arnook gives them all one final look before closing his eyes and sighing. "Takuei, let us clear up what happened with the firebender." He looks past Zuko's shoulder to the overly intimidating warrior who retrieved him earlier. Zuko can feel the meaty hand resting on him tense and grip his clothes. 

    "He stayed with the one named Sokka for much of the day." The man grumbles in a rough voice. "Then, midday, he found a turtle-seal." 

    "... a turtle-seal." 

 Takuei nods. "Little one. He went to the gates and was denied exit." The room has to quiet completely to catch his words. This man doesn't seem used to long speeches. "He went to find another way to leave." 

   Arnook notes that Katara and Aang seem surprised by this, looking to Sokka for some kind of explanation for why they thought this was a good idea. "And how did he manage to leave?" 

     "Pond near the western side. Lets out under the wall." Takuei says with a grunt. "Lost sight of him for a moment, but I found him returning the pup to the herd." 

     The room echoes into almost painful silence. The group stares at Zuko in bafflement and the boy's cheeks pinken under their harsh focus, though his eyes remain fiercely on the chief. 

    "Did he do anything else? Any firebending? Signal to a rogue ship?" 

     Takuei grunts in the negative. He pats the boy where he had previously gripped him. "Just escorted the pup back to its mama." 

    Arnook sighs, seeming to come to a decision with himself, but knowing it isn't going to be well liked. "Word of this will reach the people and they will not be happy to have a firebender running amuck in the city after he knowingly escaped our fortress." The group make noises of protest and are silenced with the wave of his hand. "I will keep my people safe above all else. Since the reason for this was… innocent in nature… the firebender will spend one day in a holding cell and be under house arrest for the remainder of his stay, unless escorted by a royal guard." 

    "Chief, that is far too lenient!" One of the elders exclaims. The others grumble their own opinions. 

    "It's not fair! Zuko isn't dangerous, he lives under the air nomad code of ethics!" Aang yells over the noise. 

    "Your friend Sokka will also be joining him for the day in the holding cell for aiding him."

     Katara balls her hands into fists and asks "You're not even going to ask why he did it? You're just going to punish him?" 

    The waterbending master who sits at Arnooks' left lifts a brow at her. "We do not need your input, little girl." Katara is close to combusting at this comment and the rest of the team feels uncomfortable at the tension in the air. Pakku smirks at the reaction. 

    "If you wish to remain, young Avatar, your friends will follow our code of ethics. If you find it not to your tastes, then we will have to ask you to look elsewhere for a waterbending master." 

      Aang looks to each of his friends desperately, knowing that this isn't fair and it isn't right, but unsure what else to do. Katara places a hand on his arm and murmurs something to him that must put him at ease. He turns back to the chief and nods. "Fine. We'll follow your rules." 

    "What about Katara?" Zuko asks before they can be dismissed. Pakku scoffs. 

   "What about her?" 

  "Are you going to teach her how to fight?" 

   Pakku's smug look flips into a sour frown. "We do not believe that women should learn how to fight. Women learn healing here." He vaguely gestures at the young girl in question. "I'm sure if she puts her mind to it and tries very hard, she could manage to learn something from our women." 

    "Chief Arnook, please. Katara is gifted. She's already a fighter. She needs to learn." 

   "I said no, Fire child." Pakku interrupts. "And at this rate I am beginning to rethink teaching the Avatar. But-" he crosses his arms. "I might allow him to learn if you apologize." 

    Everyone looks to Katara with a wince. It's demeaning and horrible, and they wouldn't blame her if she refused. But Aang needs to learn waterbending from a master. The safety of the world rested on her being able to swallow her pride-

    "No! No way am I saying sorry to a selfish old man like you!" With each word she punctuates with a wave of her fists that crack the walls around them. It's a powerful display, but shows how little control she has on her abilities. "I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me!" 

     Katara stomps out of the throne room with the aura of a coming storm. Aang retreats with her, leaving Sokka and Zuko with their handlers and the rest of the council of elders. Arnook, who doesn't seem used to such displays of open disobedience, stands in silent shock. Zuko really hopes she knows what she's doing. 

Chapter 11: Fire Boy and the Pond

Notes:

I had so much trouble getting myself to write this chapter.

   Katara had taken off her parka and was pacing with angry energy. Aang stands to the side nervously, looking back up to the doors at the top of the stairs in anticipation. After long minutes, the doors open and Pakku slowly makes his way down.

   "So you've come to face me, huh?" Katara spits as she sees him coming. Pakku scoffs and says something over his shoulder, which frustrates Katara even more. Without much thought, she calls forth a water whip and slashes it at the back of his stupid head. It falls apart on contact, but it gets his attention. 

    He is goaded into the fight and shows precision and control. And while Katara obviously isn't a master, her sheer willpower and fury makes it hard for Pakku to keep her still or knock her down. Unfortunately for her, the battle ends with her trapped in a multitude of spikes that press against her arms and legs, effectively pinning her in place. 

    —---

   "So wait, she lost… but he's still going to teach her?" Sokka interrupts. 

   Zuko huffs from the cell across from him. "He's about to get to it, idiot. Let him talk." 

    "She lost, but then Pakku found her necklace. It turns out that it's the necklace Pakku made for her Gran-Gran a long time ago!" 

    "Gran-Gran was supposed to marry him?" 

   "That's what Katara said! And she left because she didn't want to follow their rules about women and be forced to marry him. Once he found out she was her granddaughter it changed Pakku's mind and now he's going to teach both of us!" 

    "That's great." Sokka grumbles. "But we're still stuck down here until tomorrow and they didn't give us anything to eat!" 

     "All you ever want is food." Zuko chides. 

    "We're only down here because you can't control how much you love fuzzy animals! I don't think you get to criticize anyone for their passions." 

   "Well, I just came down to tell you guys how it went. And since you're obviously not hurt-" Aang stands and dusts himself off. "I'm gonna head back. Have a good night!" 

    He hurries out of the jail block and back up to the city, hearing the two boys bicker all the way. 

—-------------------

    The next few weeks are pretty happy. Sokka grows close to Princess Yue, Katara and Aang progress in their studies, and Zuko is allowed out of the home as long as Takuei escorts him. And even though the man looks rough and stern, Zuko finds that the warrior is actually very knowledgeable about the people of the tribe and often goes out of his way to make sure they are safe and have their needs met. Many of the elderly begin to warm to him when they see him trailing after Takuei and carrying supplies to those in need. 

   So it's a huge shock when the sky begins to darken and stink of fuel. Zuko looks up to the clouds to see that they hang heavy with soot. 

   "Everyone get to the community hall!" Someone shouts and breaks the tension. People begin rushing towards the heart of the city, pushing their way to safety. Zuko looks to Takuei to see what he makes of this, but the large man is already busy helping an old woman up on her feet and getting her pointed in the direction she needs to go. Zuko doesn't know what else to do other than help as well. 

   Most everyone is in too much shock and fear to care that a spark spitter is helping them, so Zuko is able to reunite kids with their parents, rush into homes to tell inhabitants that they need to get going, and release the cage doors of polar dogs. Takuei pulls him towards the hall once it seems everything is clear and tells him to find his friends. 

—----------

   

 

—-----------

    "What's he doing?" 

 "He's meditating so he can enter the Avatar state." 

  ……

"Do you think it's hard?" 

"It is when you guys keep talking!" Aang shouts in frustration. "Come on guys, I can hear everything you're saying!" 

   Zuko sits across from him at the pond as a more silent companion than the girls are being. Sokka stalks back and forth near the doorway with his club at the ready. Similarly, Zuko has his swords across his lap, poised for motion. 

    Aang sighs and turns back to the pond. The noises of the ensuing battle beyond their hideaway quiets until it's just silence. He finds his focus pulled to the spinning koi, circling each other. Swimming so serenely. 

   When Zuko looks up again, Aang's tattoos are glowing. It's different than that first time in the temples and doesn't cause him distress to be so close. The wind is calm and the atmosphere placid, no one else seems to be disturbed by him going into such a powerful state. Something about this place evokes a sense of serenity. 

   "Do you hear that?" Sokka asks and keeps his club at the ready. Everyone but Aang turns to look at the doorway where the faint echoes of footsteps can be heard bouncing off the icy walls and turning into a cacophony of thundering feet. Katara bends a ring of water around herself and stands in front of Aang. 

   The spiked uniforms of the Fire Nation appear from the archway as soldier after soldier run in. Katara freezes many of them, but the humid air makes it easy for them to melt it. Zuko sends balls of flame and redirects their retaliation while Katara regathers her water for another attack and Sokka, as he had bragged for the past month, was showing how much practice he had gotten with the warriors by taking on three of the soldiers at once. 

    Their efforts distract them from the true enemy who stalks across the grass towards Aang, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him away from the pond. Too late, Zuko turns to see Zhao bent over the water with one hand inside. Yue gasps when the white fish, wriggling for dear life, is lifted out. 

    "Stop!" Yue pleads and rushes forward. Zhao shoves her away easily with a smirk. "Don't hurt her!" 

    Everyone stops what they are doing to take in the scene. Zhao laughs and seeks out Zuko's gaze. "Watch closely, former-Prince. I am about to make history! They will call me Zhao the Moon Slayer!" 

    Katara and Zuko share an uncertain glance, not entirely privy to what the fish has to do with it, but it's obvious from Yue's reaction that this is very bad. Sokka runs to her side to help her stand. 

    The next few moments are a blur of motion. Zuko launches into an attack to get Zhao to back away from the pond. Katara forms a spear from the water that nicks Zhao's wrist and loosens his grip. She uses more of the blessed water to surround the frightened fish and pull it from his grasp and back where it belongs. 

     Before Zhao and his men can try for it again, the ice that surrounds the sacred space flows down toward them and wraps itself around Aang, forming an impressive glowing entity that soon towers above them. Zuko has to jump out of the way as it moves to grab the soldiers and swallow them into its form. Zhao watches in stunned silence until he too is grabbed and carried away. The Avatar continues out into the city, growing bigger with the help of the waterways, and collecting each of the little red fighters with a sweep of his hand. It's impressive and awe inspiring, but Zuko can't help but feel frightened by the sight. This is the power of The Avatar. As innocent as Aang might appear, he's a force to be reckoned with. 

 

Chapter 12: Fire Boy Walking Through the Forest

   Zuko is so glad to be back in the Earth Kingdom where there are plants and colors other than blue. It seems that Momo and Appa feel the same way, if their reactions are any indication. Appa disregards any demands to keep flying and makes a very firm landing at the first sight of plants, grumbling happily before he starts eating mouthfuls of grass. Momo takes off for the trees with loud chittering and disappears. 

    Zuko sinks to his knees and grabs fistfuls of dirt and raises them to the sky. "Thank Agni!" Sokka scoffs at his theatrics. 

    Aang lands next to him with a smile. "Since Appa has clearly chosen our camping spot for today, let's get some foraging done." He tosses an empty satchel to Zuko. "And just in time, since we've run out of nuts and dried berries from the temple!" 

     Sokka and Katara share a sour look at the mention of the dried berries.

     Zuko finds new energy and stands, bag in hand. "We should get some mush-roots too." Katara makes a retching noise behind him. "And lemon weed grass! That would go great with blue bramble berries." 

   "Yeah!" Aang says excitedly. "It's so great that you like so many air nomad foods. You know exactly what to look for!" 

   A blush creeps up Zuko's cheeks. "I didn't like all of them at first, but Uncle made a lot of great meals with them. And once we found the actual recipes, it helped even more." 

   "Well if you two are going to be finding little berries and whatever I will have to be the warrior of the group and find meat." Sokka proclaims, swinging his knife expertly. He saunters towards the forest ahead of them and ignores the giggles everyone else shares at his ridiculous, exaggerated walk. 

   The three fall into silence once they can no longer see the beach. Aang zips up to the trees to check for fruit and Sokka keeps a keen eye out for any animals. Zuko checks the roots of the trees for fallen nuts, walking completely silently despite the many leaves.  

    "How do you do that?" Sokka asks. 

  "Do what?" 

     Sokka gestures to his feet. "That. Walk without noise. Is that a Fire Nation thing? For sneaking up on people?" 

   "No. It's an Air Nation thing." He snaps back. "I thought we were over the whole fire-equals-bad."

    "Hey" Sokka holds his hands up in defense. "I didn't say it was for bad stuff. It was implied, but I didn't say it." At Zuko's glare, he continues. "In the South, we practice quiet walking in the snow. It helps us sneak up on elephant-tiger seals, but it's different from walking on leaves like this. So how do you do it?" 

    Zuko harrumphs and focuses on finding roots again. Sokka, seemingly forgetting what he was doing in the forest in the first place, devotes his full attention to annoying the answer out of him. He pokes, prods, and incessantly asks "how do you do it? Show me, show me, show me-" until Zuko throws his hands up into the air and shouts in frustration. Sokka smirks in triumph and gives him some room. He has plenty of practice with being an annoying sibling, so he knows when to back off. 

    "Can't it wait until we are done gathering food?" Zuko asks miserably. Aang is already well ahead of them and out of sight, so he won't be there to help him distract Sokka away from his annoying tendencies. 

    "But it will help me hunt better." 

 "Maybe you can learn to live without meat." 

    "Now you sound exactly like Aang."

 Zuko lets out a laugh. "Well, we do follow the same philosophies." He set his bag down and turned to Sokka fully. "OK, first thing is that you have to avoid the brown leaves as much as possible. Those are the driest ones and crunch when you walk on them." He walked across a section of leaves to show what he means. "Your weight needs to roll as much as possible from toes to heel. It helps distribute your weight and reduces the noise of things you'll walk on." 

     Sokka and Zuko practice until Zuko is satisfied that he has the basics down and won't trip over his own feet. By then, the sun had mostly disappeared behind the trees. There was only about an hour or so of daylight left and they weren't sure where they were anymore. 

     "I'm pretty sure we came from the East." Sokka says and points. "Come on, Zuko. Stop wasting time so we can get some food and head back." 

    Zuko huffs and rolls his eyes, but laughs along and shoves the other boy playfully. "You're so annoying." 

     "Hey, jerkbender. It's starting to get dark. Why don't you use your jerkbending to light the way?" 

    Zuko accommodates and summons a ball of flame into his palm. The dusk recedes and the shadows stretch out around them, allowing them to see the rocks and sticks in their way. The trip back is quiet. 

     At least, it would have been if they had been going in the right direction. 

    "Do you hear that?" Sokka asks suddenly and comes to a stop. Zuko follows his lead and listens intently to the woods around them. For a while, there is nothing. But both boys know to wait long enough to be sure. 

    Zuko yelps when his body suddenly sinks down to the waist in the soil. His fire putters out as he tries to pull himself free. Sokka bends down to help him and finds his legs swallowed into the ground as well. 

    "Show yourselves!" Zuko demands angrily. He sends a ring of fire around them to push away the dark, revealing men from all sides making their way closer. Sokka readies his boomerang and yelps when a rock comes flying at his hand to knock it away. 

    "Glad we took that turn, else we wouldn't have discovered the firebender so close to the base." One of the men says. 

   "Let's get these two back to General Fong. See what he wants done with them." 

    Zuko and Sokka find their hands encased in stone behind their backs and their legs freed. Before they can struggle free from the mob surrounding them, both boys are shoved forward with a man at each of their shoulders. They are marched into the darkness, turned this way and that until they can't remember which direction they came from. 

   "I think we need to stop hanging out alone. You always get me arrested." Sokka smiles weakly, but Zuko is staring ahead with a look of fear that reminds Sokka that they aren't among his people anymore. This is serious. He vows to himself that he will get them out before anything happens to Zuko. 

Chapter 13: Fire Boy in a Cell

  When her brother and Zuko didn't return with Aang, she knew something had happened. Sokka was occasionally reckless and made stupid choices, but he knew to always return before the sun had fully set. Momo makes noises of concern, looking around the camp for his fire friend. 

   "We should go look for them." Katara says. But after only a few minutes of wandering in the dark they realize how useless that idea is. Even with a burning stick from the fire, which emits sizzling bits that fall and sting their knuckles, it doesn't do much good. They'll have to wait until tomorrow.

—-----------

    Sokka is able to catch a bit of sleep curled in a ball in the corner of his cell. Much like the North Pole, they are kept in cells across from each other. But where Sokka is unfettered and allowed to wander his cage, Zuko has his hands and feet completely encased in rock, pressed against the back wall with his hands level with his face. He tugs his legs occasionally, almost without thought, and mutters to himself all throughout the night. There's no sleep for him.

    From what Sokka can only assume is the morning, two guards come into the cell block to stand in front of his bars. They say nothing, even with Sokka's taunting. A few moments later more guards come to join them, followed by a more decorated and pompous man. Most likely the general they talked about earlier. 

    "You're from the water tribe. North?" The man asks. Sokka clamps his mouth shut. He doesn't know what this guy's angle is and doesn't want to reveal anything yet. The man doesn't seem to mind. "We don't get many water tribe around here. You lot usually keep yourselves tucked away behind your wall and leave the fighting to the real men." 

    Sokka opens his mouth to argue that his father is one of those real men, that this chump has no idea what he's talking about, but thinks better of it at the last second. The general grins at the almost easy victory. He turns and eyes Zuko up and down; his disheveled stance, the scar, his tired glare. "Traveling with a firebender. Interesting."

    "What do you want?" Sokka asks to draw the man's attention back to him. He stands and puffs out his chest. He knows it's ridiculous and he doesn't have the power to back it up, but hopefully this will keep the earthbenders attention on him a little longer.  

     Fong scoffs at the display. "My men protect this land from any fire nation troops foolish enough to try to come inland. Since you find yourself cozy in the company of a firebender, I find it something worth… questioning." He twists a foot against the ground, bending the floor into clay that sucks his feet in and startles Sokka off balance. He pinwheels his arms for a moment before succumbing and falling on his backside. His hands are captured in the same way once they make contact with the floor. The position is undignified, demoralizing, and makes Sokka grit his teeth when he has to look up to meet Fong's gaze. 

    Zuko strains against his bindings to see his friend, but the general is standing in the way. One of the guards bangs his wrist gauntlet against the bars and snaps for him to settle down. 

     "Tell me what brings you out this far, boy." Fong demands. His stance becomes ready to twist into action should he need to further hurt him.

   Sokka meets his glare with his own. "I'm traveling with the Avatar." He jerks his head behind the man where Zuko is chained. "And he is the Avatar's firebending teacher. So if you don't want to be on the bad end of the Avatar State, you'd better let us go." 

    The man scoffs, then throws his head back into a full laugh. The men standing guard smirk as well. "You expect me to believe that? The Avatar is over a hundred years old. Why would he keep some water welp and a disgraced fire prince as company?" Zuko gasps at this revelation. The general turns around and reaches out to grab the bars. "Yes, I know who you are. Ex-prince Zuko, son of Firelord Ozai. You've been on the run for quite a while with a bounty on your head." 

    "What bounty?" Zuko asks with distrust laced in his tone. 

    Fong smirks condescendingly. He is about to answer when the sound of hurried footsteps comes from down the hall. An out of breath soldier comes into view, panting between words. "General Fong… the Avatar…." 

    "What?!" Fong spins to stand toe to toe with the young man. "Speak up. What of the Avatar?" 

   "Here… at the gate." He gulps in air, then yelps when the general shoves him out of the way. He disappears up the stairs with the rest of the earthbenders, leaving Sokka and Zuko alone in their cells. 

   Zuko looks relieved at the news and allows himself to relax. But when he looks over to his friend, he notices that the gears are spinning. "What?"

    "So you're a prince."

 Zuko's heart stutters at the mention of his old title. He turns his face away with a frown. "You were there when Zhao said the same thing." 

    "Oh, well, excuse me for being a bit distracted with the whole saving-the-moon thing." He snarks. It comes out with more bite than he means for it to. Zuko doesn't move, doesn't turn to look at him again. "Come on, why would you keep something like that a secret? You're the prince of the Fire Nation for La's sake." 

    "I'm not anymore. I got banished." He uselessly attempts to gesture at his face. "It's not important anymore. It's not who I am." 

    "Helping the Avatar take down your dad seems important to me." 

   "What do you want me to say? You guys had a hard enough time trusting me to begin with." Zuko takes a moment to collect himself, breathing in and out in slow, even breaths. "My father is not a good man. He needs to be brought to justice. I want to help Aang in any way I can." 

    "I'm not doubting that." Sokka assures him. "I'm not mad that you didn't tell us." Zuko levels him with a narrow glare. "OK, a little bit, but more importantly we can start planning how to get to the firelord. What are his weaknesses? What does the inside of his fortress look like? Stuff like that." 

   There's a blanket of silence for a moment, then Zuko makes a soft noise. "I guess I never thought of those things. Once we are out of here, we can start planning properly." He shifts in his bindings, straining against the rock holding his hands up. "But first, we need to get out of this." 

   Sokka chuffs a laugh. "Don't worry, I've already got a plan." 

Chapter 14: Fire Boy escapes

   Zuko watched in amazement as Sokka's legs wiggled, pulled, and finally came free of his boots and the restraints that held them. He then used his freed feet to kick the rocks away from his hands. Now he was fully able to stand and tug his boots out to slip back on. 

    "They were my Dads. Not quite my size yet, but I guess that's a good thing." Sokka says as he moves to the bars. He stands with the bars at his side and donkey-cow kicks at the stone. It doesn't break. 

    "You're not going to break it like that." Zuko chimes from his cell. Sokka ignores him and continues. It's painful to watch, with the boy huffing between hits, until he has to hobble away with a tender foot. Zuko watches silently until it's clear that the boy is done. "You're using the middle of your foot. You need to use your heel." 

     "Why didn't you say that earlier?" Sokka moans. Once he's done massaging his foot, he hops back up to try again. He strikes the bar with a quick kick, centered on his heel, and nearly whoops for joy when cracks appear. After another steady hit it falls apart and allows him to slip through. Using the same technique he is able to break one of Zuko's as well. The tricky part comes when they have to decide what to do with the rock around Zuko's hands and feet.

    "It doesn't matter. Go tell Aang that we're here." 

    "I can't leave you. I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Sokka says petulantly. 

    The firebender rolls his eyes. "I'll be fine. Go tell Aang and Katara and they'll be able to vouch for us." Sokka continues to hesitate, so Zuko spits a fireball at his feet, forcing him to jump away. 

    "Fine! fine!" He yelps before slipping free of the cell once again. Zuko watches him go with a bit of trepidation. While it was true that sending him away was the best bet, if anything went wrong they could be in serious trouble. This was their only chance, while Aang was here. 

     Sokka, likewise, realizes the gravity of their situation as he ascends the steps up to the surface world. It seems everyone is busy catching a glimpse of the fabled Avatar, so the gate to the cell block is unguarded. It is, however, still locked. 

    Sokka grits his teeth and uses his already sore foot to kick at the bars as hard as he can. They are as thick as his fist and made of tough stone, but a solid hit cracks the middle enough to give him hope. With the last of his strength he gives the last final kick that crumbles the pillar and allows him to squeeze through. 

    He's afraid that it'll be hard to find his friends without getting caught by a passing soldier, but it's like the base is completely empty. Not a single person crosses his path until he makes it to the large, pentagonal opening in the center of the base. There, hundreds of men are lined along the walls to catch a glimpse of the Avatar while that jerk of a general talks. 

   "Aang! Katara!" He shouts, running out to greet them. Katara spots him first, immediate concern at how he's practically limping from his sore leg flashing in her eyes. He's tripped by a rumbling wave made of the ground and lands face first.

   "Sokka!" His sister cries and rushes to him. Aang says something angry and accusing at the general, but Sokka can't hear past the ringing in his ears. Katara helps him up. "What are you doing here?" 

    "General Jerk kidnapped us! I managed to get out using my amazing skills, but Zuko is still down in the prison." 

   Katara whips around to glare fiercely at the man, already walking towards him with her hands at the ready. Aang follows suit, obviously needing no help being angry at him. 

   "Release our friend." Aang demands, as commanding as a bald twelve year old can manage. 

    Fong frowns. "Don't you see? This anger can be the final push you need to enter the Avatar state! I know we can figure this out if -"

     "No!" Aang, Katara, and Sokka say in unison. 

   There is a pause, then Fong visibly deflates with defeat. "So be it." The kids share a hopeful look. Nothing is ever that easy for them! "Men! Attack the Avatar!" 

    Sokka ducks out of the way of a flying boulder, just as Katara uses her water to form a ring around them and block the next coming stones. Aang uses the open space to channel a tunnel of wind from above and send it in a tornado around the edges of the courtyard. Most of the men are too distracted by Katara to block the wind and are swept off of their feet. Sokka targets the ones that are still standing, throwing his boomerang and whacking them with the blunt end of his club. 

    Most of the men are taken out of the fight, but there are still many of them and only three of team Avatar. Fong manages to sink Katara into a sand trap at the same time that Fong's men are able to restrain Sokka. 

   "You don't have to do this!" Aang pleads, but it falls on deaf ears. Fong raises his hand to force Katara's head under-

    A blast of fire sizzles against the edge of his beard, startling him out of his concentration. He takes a step back and looks for the source, but isn't fast enough to avoid a sweeping kick to the back of his legs. He lays prone on the ground, hands blocking his face, and stares up at the firebender who should have been down in his cell. 

    "You don't know what you're asking for." Zuko growls under his breath, just loud enough for the man to catch. Sokka comes over to pat his shoulder, mostly to make sure he doesn't go too far. He knows the teen lives by the airbender ethics or whatever, but he can't be too sure that will continue to be the case when he's angry. 

    "The war could be over! Thousands of people could be saved if he-" 

    "Let's get out of here." Katara scoffs, as if he is nothing more than the village crazy person. Every angle of her body shows her anger, her absolute rage, as she stalks her way back to Appa. Aang follows without a word. 

     Sokka looks at the man still prone on his back and shakes his head, as if Fong were a child who had disappointed him. Zuko keeps his fists in position for defense and backs away. He knows better than to let an enemy at his back. It's when they are all in the saddle and up in the air that he allows himself to relax. 

Chapter 15: Fire Boy in a Swamp

  The swamp is musty and creepy. Sokka claims not to feel any sort of energy here, but Zuko thinks that can't possibly be true. It reeks of spiritual influence. Aang, Katara, and the animals feel it too, if their twitching is anything to go by. Zuko's not even surprised when something pulls them in and forces them off of Appa into the disgusting water below. 

    "Eugh! It got in my mouth!" Sokka loudly spits and brushes at his tongue. 

     "What is this?" Katara asks as she places her hands against a twisting root protruding high above the murky slush. 

    Zuko shakes as much algae off his hair as he can. "It's a swamp." He answers absently. "Lots of dense tree coverage and even more water. This is one of the places that a lot of waterbenders disappeared." 

     Katara and Aang eagerly choose to explore in the hopes of meeting one of these benders, but Sokka makes sure to let them know that he thinks this is an awful idea. Unfortunately, this is when the swamp makes it known that they will not be leaving anytime soon and flings them in different directions.

     Zuko has to untangle himself from the mess of roots that he was thrown into. The air is hard to take in, making his lungs feel like they're drowning just from the water hanging in the atmosphere. And now he's covered in slime and who-knows-what-else. He just wants to find his friends and get out of here. No more finding waterbenders, no fun adventure, just changing into dry clothes and trying to get the stink of this place out of his hair. 

   Luckily, there's enough breakage in the overhang to allow gaps of sunlight, meaning he doesn't have to risk using his firebending to see. Thank Agni, because it looks like someone is just beyond the ridge in the distance. 

    "Hello?" He calls out. The person doesn't seem to hear him and remains standing in the patch of light. He focuses on them, determining that it's a woman, possibly fire nation from the style of their hair. It's really familiar. He trudges through the water to get closer but, after having to look down to find his footing, she disappears. How odd for someone else from the fire nation to be here, especially wearing long robes… robes that looked very formal, like what his mother used to wear. "No." Zuko tells himself out loud. "It's not her. You're imagining things." But it's just as crazy to think that someone could disappear unnoticed without a trace. He continues on his way and pushes it from his mind.

—----------‐–

    They find each other just before sundown. Sokka tells them of his vision of Yue, but she seemed ethereal and powerful. Aang saw a girl and a flying boar, whom he claims to have never met. And Katara shares her emotional vision of their mother. 

   "That must have been hard." Zuko says quietly and means it. He places a comforting hand on her shoulder, mirroring the hand that Sokka places on her other side. She smiles wetly, wiping the stray tears that collect in her lashes. 

   "What about you?" 

  Zuko takes his hand back and stares into the little campfire he had made moments ago. "I'm… not sure. A woman. Fire Nation. But I didn't see who it was." He looks up and around at his friends. "I think it was my mother too. But I haven't seen her in years." 

     "The swamp gasses are making us hallucinate." Sokka determines. "Let's get some sleep and head out tomorrow." 

    They huddle against the trunk of a large tree, wrapped around each other and happy to be in the company of friends in such a strange place. 

-‐—---------------

    It turns out that Zuko was right. This is one of the swamps where escaped waterbenders had hidden away. They are different from what the kids expected, but they have learned new techniques that Aang and Katara find fascinating. 

     Sokka and Zuko watch from a safe, dry log as Aang and Katara wade into the waters again and practice bending the water in the branches. Huu tells them about the few generations that have built a life here, and Katara and Sokka share stories of the tribe that these men were born separate from. Zuko, wet and dirty and smelling of something moldy, is filled with warmth and happiness that they were able to find their people after all. 

 

Chapter 16: Fire Boy has Feelings

 His sister is fierce. And her friends are just as formidable. 

    "Hard to believe you two are related." Sokka comments as he shucks off his torn shirt, courtesy of Mai and her knives. Zuko gives him a questioning look, bordering on a glare. He's heard it all before; how Azula is smarter, better, more skilled. He hadn't thought he'd hear the same from his friends after only meeting her for twenty minutes. 

    He seems to catch on to what Zuko is thinking and flounders to correct himself. "I mean-! You're so… I don't know. You're like Aang. And she's deadly!" 

     "Yeah." Zuko mutters and looks out at the night sky. Momo chitters from inside his shirt. 

    "What I think my idiot brother is trying to say is that you and your sister have completely different attitudes." She shoves Sokka's shoulder for good measure, as if he needed any more confirmation that he had goofed that royally. He ducks his head between his shoulders in shame. "You're like a steady campfire. You're warm and helpful and comfortable. And your sister is like… like lightning! It's scary and dangerous-" 

   "And deadly!" 

  Katara rolls her eyes at her brother. "And deadly." 

     Aang twists from his seat at Appa's head to grin at the firebender. "You would have fit in so well at the temple. I bet you and Chuni would have been great friends! He was like that too." 

    Zuko blinks in confusion at the conversation. "Like what?" 

    The boy smiles in a bright and earnest way. "Kind."  

    Zuko feels something like tears welling up behind his eyes and his chest gets tight. He can't meet anyone's eyes. Katara nods along with the estimation of his character, agreeing that this is the perfect word to describe him. And while he would say it makes him proud to be considered this way by his friends, part of him is greatly torn by this. 

  "Being kind is a weakness in the Fire Nation." He says helplessly. 

    "Your uncle is kind." Katara reminds him. 

    "And we were both exiled." He says, as if this proves his point.

    Aang frowns. "It's never a weakness to be kind." 

    "Oooh, you got upset cus you thought I called you weak!" Sokka blurts, to everyone's displeasure. "No way, buddy. You're super talented! Maybe not with lightning, but you have those swords." 

    Zuko sends him a withering glare and goes back to looking over the saddle. "Firebenders aren't supposed to be good with swords." 

    "Firebenders probably aren't 'supposed' to live by the Air Nomad code of ethics, but you're doing that." Katara gives him a light shove on the arm in a sisterly way. "Firebenders probably aren't supposed to be best friends with a herd of sky bison." 

   "Oh! And they probably shouldn't be helping the Avatar!" Aang chimes in.

    "And they probably shouldn't reunite waterbenders in swamps." 

    "Or rescue cute, fluffy animals." 

  "Or-" 

   "OK, OK, I get it! I'm a bad firebender!" Zuko shouts, letting sparks dance from his lips. The group goes quiet, then laughs in his face. "What?!" 

    "That stuff doesn't mean you're a bad firebender" Aang says between sniggers. "That doesn't have anything to do with bending at all!"

    "If anyone says you're a bad firebender because you're "too nice"-" here, Sokka uses air quotes coupled with a disgusted face. "then they sound like jerks." 

    "Yeah! Jerk benders!" Aang adds, which sets them off into giggling again. Zuko wonders if there's truth to the idea that full moons bring on madness. 

     "You guys are crazy." He says, though there isn't any bite. Momo, disturbed by all the talking, yowls unhappily and squirms around to lay against his chest again. This sends them into another fit of laughter that Zuko feels more comfortable joining in. 

—------------

    Gaoling is nice, for an earthbender colony. They have many earthbenders, so surely Aang will be able to find someone to teach him. Too bad he is absolutely set on some little girl he saw in the swamp being his teacher. 

    They walk up and down every major street, every market stall, every academy, and not a sliver of hope in finding who they're looking for. They do get quite a few odd looks directed at Zuko, so he takes to pulling his hood down as far as he can. Bumi had said that he needed to find someone who waits and listens. This doesn't seem like something that would be hard for an airbending nomad to vibe with, yet they spend the full day being disappointed that no one fits this description. 

    Katara overhears a couple of punks in the streets talking about some rumble competition. This doesn't sound like fun and it'll take place at night, but Sokka is excited and eventually convinces them all to be excited too. They get their seats near the front for Aang to get a good look. They jump in fright when a slab of rock nearly squashes them into the bleachers, but Aang wants to stay put. They'll just have to be extra careful. 

    There are a few talented benders, as well as some comically bad benders, but none that feel right to Aang. The siblings tell him he needs to be less picky, but Zuko understands the importance of finding the one that is right, especially for the Avatar. He pats the boy on the shoulder in solidarity as the show goes on. 

    "Your champion! The Blind Bandit!" A central platform rises to reveal a tiny girl holding up the winners belt, which she hands off to one of the decorated women circling the stage. 

   "She can't really be blind, can she? That's just a gimmick." Katara murmurs to the group. They watch in amazement as she dodges and attacks with grace and speed. If they weren't close enough to see the milky green eyes for themselves they wouldn't believe it. 

    "Does anyone dare to go against The Blind Bandit?" The announcer asks tauntingly. The crowd stays quiet in anticipation, but it seems no one will step forward. "No takers? Then-"

    "I'll face her!" Aang hops down the stairs amidst the shocked whispers of the crowd and stands in front of the girl. 

   She doesn't look at him, but somewhere near his knees with deep concentration. When he tries to talk to her, she scoffs and twists her feet, trying to get a read on him. But what comes back is obviously confusing for her because she doesn't throw straight at him and isn't able to block when he hits her with a blast of wind. The fight can hardly be called such, which makes the girl angry enough to stomp away without another word. 

    Katara and Sokka run down to congratulate Aang, but Zuko watches as she leaves. He's got a feeling he knows a bit about this mystery girl, even if she didn't stay to talk. 

 

Chapter 17: Fire Boy meets Earth Girl

   "How are we supposed to find her? Gaoling is huge!" 

    Sokka kicks a rock along the path. "Maybe we ask around? See if anyone knows an amazing, blind, little earthbender?" 

    Zuko waits for them to lull into silence before saying "I think I know some things about her." 

    "What? How?" Katara rounds on him in surprise. "You didn't talk to her either!" 

    "I'm from a very privileged upbringing." He says. "I know a thing or two about rich kids. Especially ones who have to hide things from their parents."

     "So what do you think we should do?" 

  They round the corner to the edge of town where Appa is already asleep. Everyone yawns in anticipation of being able to join their fluffy friend, so Zuko tells them they can worry about it tomorrow. For now, as Uncle always liked to say, a man needs his rest. 

—--------------

     "She's most likely from a really rich, influential family." He explains in the morning. Everyone else is still rubbing the sleep from their eyes, but Zuko has been up for a while now. "Her clothes were made of fine material." 

    Sokka groans. "How is that supposed to help? There are probably tons of rich people here." 

   "Not just rich. Rich enough to afford gold accessories from Fire Nation traders, if the stainless steel headpiece is anything to go by." 

    "Wow." Aang says. "You were paying attention." 

    Zuko just shrugs. "It's been a long time since I've seen metalwork like that. It caught my eye." 

    "She went North when she left the arena. That's probably the direction of her home." Sokka taps his lip in thought. "Let's go back to the arena and head north from there." 

    Sokka takes the lead as they trail through town, retracing their steps to the hidden entrance of the arena. He circles the area, noting out loud where air vents can be found among the rocks and grass, and finally, where some disturbed earth shows a bender-made path headed north. Aang uses his bending to twirl into the air, looking past the few trees and fences to see if there's anywhere she might have gone. He lands silently and points slightly to the right, telling them that there is a large garden over the hill. 

    Sure enough, they find a solid stone wall surrounding healthy bonsai trees and little ponds. Aang easily jumps over, forgetting that they are on a stealth mission and that his friends can't do that. 

   Sokka helps Katara and Zuko up, then takes their arms to hoist him over. They overcorrect and end up in a pile in a bush. 

    Zuko grumbles as he picks twigs out of his hair. "This isn't a good idea." 

    "I just want to talk to her." Aang justifies. Sokka stumbles free of the foliage, only to have the ground beneath him lift and send him tumbling back in. 

   The little girl from before, dressed in long pastel silks, emerges from behind them. "You here for a rematch, twinkle toes?" 

    "No, I came here to talk." He says again. 

   "Don't answer to twinkle toes! It's not manly!" Sokka says as he crawls out of the bush once again. Zuko and Katara roll their eyes in unison. 

   "I had a vision in a swamp-" He gestures with his hands, which the girl cannot see. "And you were there with this flying pig and-" 

   "He thinks you are the person who is supposed to teach him earthbending." Katara cuts in. "Aang is the Avatar and needs to learn all of the elements."

   She seems to think about it for a second before turning her back to them. "Not my problem." She throws over her shoulder and begins to walk away.  

    "Wait." Zuko moves to be beside her; not blocking her path, but making it known that he wants her to stop. The girl flicks her wrist and overturns the stones he stands on, causing him to pinwheel his arms for balance. 

   "Get out of here before I call the guards." 

    The group look around at each other in dismay, unsure of what to do. Katara decides to try to reason with her, holding her hands up as if she were a frightened animal. "I know it's a lot, but Aang needs this. The world needs this."  

    "Guards! Guards!" She cries, lifting her head up and clutching her dress. The group scrambles away as if she were going to bite them, hopping over stones and shimmying up the wall again just as two men round the path into view. 

     They check the area and murmur something to the girl before escorting her back to the large home. Sokka taps his chin with a smirk. He's already got another idea. 

—----------

   The snobby servant at the door looks at their ragtag group with disgust, which soon morphs to shock when Aang shows him his favorite airbending trick. He quickly scurries inside to let the masters know they have important guests. 

     They are shown around the main rooms before being seated at a large table. The madam and master of the house bow to them, telling them that they are honored to have them. They introduce themselves, their head of staff, the servant from before, and finally-

  "And this is our daughter, Toph." The group looks to the doorway where the earthbending girl stands, looking very displeased that they had made themselves comfortable in her home. She doesn't say anything, though, and carefully moves to sit in her chair. 

    "Master Yu is Toph's bending teacher. He's the best in the land." 

   "I'm sure he's great. But I had someone else in mind." Aang sneaks a look over to Toph, but she is pretending to be fully invested in her plate. Or she really couldn't tell that he was talking about her. This notion is destroyed when he is sent head first into his bowl of soup, courtesy of a new rock jutting under his chair leg. 

    They are kicked out soon after. Zuko shrugs it off as no harm no foul, indicating to his scar that some people react very differently when they are upset. The group decides not to push their luck tonight. 

Chapter 18: Fire Boy helps find Dirt Girl

 They decide to stick around in town for a few days to try again. What else can they do? It's obvious that the spirits are telling them that Toph is important, so they just need to convince her that she is. 

    They head to the market in the morning for some fruits and a spare sewing needle when they are approached by a carriage. It stops abruptly next to them, kicking up a cloud of dust, before the door swings open and Lady BeiFong steps out. Her hair, which was in a perfect, intricate braided wrap yesterday, is now a hurried mess. She looks frantic. 

   "Avatar! Please, I need your help! My daughter has been taken!" 

    "What?" Aang and Katara say in unison. Aang steps forward with a worried look. "What happened?" 

     "They left a note." She pulls a small scroll from her sleeve to shove at him. "Please, they want more money than we can afford. We just want our daughter back safely and we don't know what to do." 

   Sokka and Katara scooch close to his sides to read the note. In it, the kidnappers declare that they want 20,000 gold, or the Avatar. And the meetup is at Earth Rumble Arena. 

    "We will get her back." Zuko promises. Lady BeiFong wipes a stray tear and nods, instantly believing his conviction. 

—-----‐—---

     "Ok, so they know we're coming. But they don't know which one of us can bend. I say we wait until we get close, get a feel of the situation, then when I give the signal we take em out!" 

    The Avatar Gaang nods at Sokka's plan. Lady and Lord BeiFong stand silently to the side. "What's the signal?" Aang asks. 

    "How about… KYA! AVATAR SLICE!" 

  "That's stupid." 

    Sokka gives Zuko an unimpressed glare. "Let's see what you've got, then." 

    Zuko flushes at everyone's attention on him. "Uh… why not just… say 'now' or-" 

    "Because that's not action-y!" 

   Katara grunts in annoyance. "You two are ridiculous. We're just going to wait until Aang says 'go'. Once you see Toph, start looking for a way to get her out." 

    They reluctantly agree and shuffle into the tiny walkway down to the arena. It's dark and quiet, except for their footsteps that echo off the rocky walls. There's no way to silently sneak in, which is something they will have to work around. Hopefully this isn't an elaborate trap. 

     Zuko curses himself for even thinking that because, as soon as Aang passes through the entryway, a mechanical jaw engulfs his body and lifts the boy into the air. 

     The group shouts in surprise and hurries out into the open space to see where he went. They see the large metal cage, swinging lightly as Aang struggles to free himself. He's alright, at least. 

    "Hmmm, that was easier than expected." A man, The Boulder, says from the stage. Next to him is master Yu, looking smug. 

   "Where's Toph?" Katara demands as she walks down the stairs towards them. Zuko, Sokka, and the BeiFongs hurry after her. They are stopped from coming closer by two of the earthbenders from the rumble popping up out of the ground, ready to fight.  

    The Boulder gestures above them, where another mechanical cage is being lowered. Lady BeiFong gasps as it opens and her tiny daughter is deposited on the ground, stumbling to catch herself. She rushes forward past the others to hug her close. Toph seems startled at this, but hugs her back. 

    "Run along. We've got an Avatar to sell." The announcer says from the sidelines. Lady BeiFong ushers Toph off of the stage and over to her father. 

    "We're not leaving without Aang." Sokka says as he frees his boomerang from the holster. The benders in front of them snicker. 

    "The Avatar is worth a mighty bounty. And speaking of bounty…" the announcer snaps his fingers and suddenly Zuko's arms are gripped from both sides, forced behind his back, and wrapped in thick rock. "Prince Zuko, I believe. Never met a royal before. You've got quite the bounty on your head as well." 

     Zuko snarls and kicks, but his feet sink down into the floor. Katara is about to pull the water from her pouch when Toph shouts "Hey knuckleheads! I challenge you to a rumble!" 

     Her parents try to shush her and pull her away, but Toph is immovable. She makes her way back down the steps to the stage. "Or are you chicken?" 

    The Boulder looks to Master Yu, then the announcer. The announcer snaps his fingers again. "Have it your way."

   Zuko is gripped by the back of his collar and carried over to the bleachers where he is deposited and restrained with earthbending all the way up to his knees. All of the benders come up to the podium, chuckling and muttering to each other that this will be too easy. 

    Zuko feels much better when Katara and Sokka sit at his sides. The BeiFongs follow soon after, though they bite their nails in nervous anticipation. 

    Toph starts the fight by kicking up the dirt around them. The men are disoriented and separated, trying to find their way while their eyes water to get the particles out. The observers watch as men come flying out of the cloud to collide with the edges of the bleachers or wall, crumpling in a sad pile on the ground. The BeiFongs gasp and clutch at each other. 

   The dust begins to settle, showing just the announcer and Toph. He spits. She spits. The BeiFongs cringe in disgust. 

    The girl stands perfectly still as her opponent surges forward, knocking his heel into the ground for the killing blow. A chunk of the floor flies at her face, missing her by inches as she dodges with little effort. She uses the motion to swing forward, slamming her fist into the ground and calling forth a column of stone to knock against his chest. He lands among the fallen benders after colliding with the cave wall. 

    Sokka jumps up with a victorious shout, followed by Katara and Aang. Zuko would join them, if not for the fetters keeping him stuck to the bench. Toph trots up the steps to rejoin them and release him.

   Katara uses her water whip to slash the chain holding Aang aloft. It snaps and he's able to use airbending to burst the confines and float down to them. 

    "Thank goodness you're alright." Lady BeiFong says and hugs Toph again. "Let's get you home and out of these dirty clothes." 

    "That was so frightening to watch!" Lord BeiFong says and places a hand behind her back. "We are never letting you out of our sight again." 

    "Wait-" Toph stumbles and locks her feet in place. "Mom. Dad. I love earthbending. And I'm really, really good at it!" 

   "No. You are young and-and tiny and-" 

 "I'm going to teach Aang earthbending. With or without your permission." 

    Her parents look to each other in shock. They are about to argue before Zuko steps between them and Toph, holding his hands up. 

    "You can't deny that Toph just showed a great deal of control." He starts. They don't answer. "And I know you're worried about her. You love her. But keeping her locked away isn't the answer." 

    "She is not going to run off with you lot!" Lady BeiFong says angrily. 

    Sokka puffs his chest in anger, but Zuko cuts in before he can speak. "She gets to decide that." 

    "Mom. I want to do this." Toph says in a small voice, so unlike the cocky, strong fighter she showed herself to be moments ago. Her mother gets down on her knees in front of her, grasping her hands in desperation. 

    "You're my little pond lily. You're my baby." She's crying now, along with Toph. "You can't go." 

    "But Mom-" 

  "No buts." Her father says. "We are going home."

    "W-wait." Her mother turns back to her, looking deeply into her milky, unseeing eyes. "I… I know you're… unhappy, Toph. We didn't listen to you and we've sheltered you. I… I just want you to be happy, my love." She looks to her husband, then to the kids gathered around, then back to Toph. "Will you promise to send me letters? Will you let me know you're safe?" 

    Toph hiccups and gives her a watery smile. "I'll send you my best drawings." This gets a laugh out of her mother before they are embracing again. Her father sputters in confusion and indignation, but Sokka mutters to him that it's better for Toph to leave on good terms than to run away angry. He grumbles, but doesn't argue. 

     They do return to the estate, with Toph's mother helping her pack. They share their final moments before she leaves with the rest of the group, ready to start her adventure. 

Chapter 19: Fire Boy Tries to Keep the Peace

  Toph is abrasive and rude and not at what Zuko had become accustomed to. It seems the rest of the group shares in this opinion. Katara tries to tell her that they need to all help out, not just with her own things, but to help everyone. It doesn't seem to stick and leads to a swelling sense of frustration. 

       Zuko finds Toph punching rocks in an open valley near their camp. Aang and Katara are practicing their waterbending in a fresh spring, so Zuko knows she'll be alone. "Hey" He calls out to get her attention. 

    "What do you want, Sparky? Here to tell me I'm not being nice enough to Twinkle-Toes? Sugar Queen already beat you to it." She doesn't move to stop punching the pillar she made, obviously needing to get rid of some aggression. 

    He has to decode the new nicknames before answering. He stands near her side, but doesn't ask her to stop her vigorous exercise. "I think we need to talk about the group."

   Toph growls in frustration, turning to face him, though her gaze doesn't go higher than his chest. "If I had known this was such a touchy-feely gang I would have stayed home." 

    Zuko sighs. "Just… let me tell you what I came here to tell you. Then you can go back to beating up rocks." 

    She blows her bangs out of her face, only for them to fall back in place immediately. Toph plants her feet in a strong stance with her hands balled into fists at her hips. "Fine." She says as if listening to him will be the worst thing she's done all day.

    Zuko rubs the back of his neck nervously and hesitates before speaking. "I think… maybe everyone just doesn't realize where you're coming from." 

    Toph lifts a brow, mostly obscured by her bangs. "I'm listening."

   "All of the nation's are different. And earthbenders have to be tough. And independent. So of course, when Katara asks you to help out, there's a misunderstanding of expectations." When the girl opens her mouth to agree, Zuko holds up a finger. "But I think you don't understand water culture either." He lifts both hands to clasp in front of his chest. "The water tribes are strong by working together for everything. Everything. They flow together and help each other out, because living on the edge of the world is hard and everyone has to pull their own weight."  

     Toph's shoulders sag out of their defensive position. "So… what you're saying is… when Katara nags at me to help clean-" 

   Zuko puts a hand on her shoulder, firm and warm. "She's saying you're Tribe now. She knows she can trust you to do those things, and she will do them for you." 

    "But I don't need her to! I'm just fine on my own." 

    "We know that. But living on your own is hard. My uncle used to say something like… the reed alone breaks in the wind. But the reeds together bend." 

    Toph makes a noise of interest. "Your uncle sounds wise." 

   Zuko smiles fondly. "I guess. I can't understand him half the time."

—-‐—-------‐—

     "You did it! You're a true earthbender." Toph says approvingly. Aang flashes a huge smile at his friends, which only grows when they all come to give him a group hug. Toph, now a full member of their clan, is dragged in to join.

—-------------

     Well, she was for a few days at least. 

  They spent the next week being chased by some Fire Nation machine that never seemed to stop. They weren't able to sleep, or even relax! It was only a matter of time before they snapped at each other. 

    Zuko, as a firebender with a natural temper, had a lot of practice keeping his emotions in check. Deep breathing, counting, thinking through a solution, all sorts of techniques that he had learned from Uncle and from the Air Nomad code. The others, however, were easy to rile up. One bad response after another, and she's marching out of their camp. If she were a firebender, Zuko is sure there would be steam coming out of her ears.

    "How could I say something like that to my earthbending teacher?!" Aang says to the sky and flops onto Appa's soft fur. Katara clutches her arms around herself, looking guilty and remorseful. 

    "She probably just needs some time to herself." Sokka says casually. "But she did have a point about Appa's fur. We need to get him cleaned before we move on."

     "We can't move on without Toph." Aang declares. 

   "Let's worry about this first." Zuko says kindly and places a hand on Aang’s head. "It takes a while to clean a bison. Toph might come back on her own by then." 

     They set out to scrub and pull all loose hair from the fluffy beast in the river. It seems like it will never end, but after a few washes the loose hairs stop coming off in clumps. It's calming for everyone, and Zuko realizes that he misses doing this for the calves back at the temple. He wonders who is doing this for them now. He's so lost in thought it takes him a moment to realize the others are heading back to shore. Appa grumbles happily when they are done, shaking out to get the water off. 

    Sokka scoops up some of the dry bits caught in the bushes and turns back to the group. "I have an idea. Aang. Fill up a satchel with fur and drop them in a path going south. The rest of us will take Appa west, towards town. Aang can meet back up with us when he's done." 

    "But what about-" 

  "We can all look for Toph while we're up in the sky." Sokka says to cut him off. No one needs Aang spiraling into a guilty mess again. "We need to make it quick. Who knows how close that machine is." 

     Aang stuffs as much fur as he can into his bag before taking off on his glider, letting the wind whisk pieces away to make it look like Appa is flying in that direction. Zuko and Sokka wrangle the saddle back on while Katara gathers their things. They are loading up the last bags when a knife swooshes a hair's width past Katara's nose and thunks into a tree. 

    "It's Mai and Ty Lee." Zuko says and hops down from the saddle. The girls are riding a pair of mongoose-lizards that use their webbed feet to seemingly run across the river straight at them. Ty Lee twirls off her beast once they make it to land and immediately targets Katara. Without time to think, they all jump into action as the girls try to incapacitate them. 

    Sokka uses his boomerang to knock the next blade out of Mai's hand, but it doesn't stop her for long. She dips her hand back into her sleeve and pulls an identical knife out and flings it at him. It hooks his sleeve and pins him to a tree. He is able to rip free just in time before she can bring the next one to his neck. Zuko kicks her feet out from under her, causing her to fall forward and barely stop herself from face planting into the trunk. 

    Katara falls to the ground, her water whip splashing uselessly into the grass. Ty Lee cartwheels past her and into the fight, managing to land a solid hit against Sokka's shoulder before he can get away. His left arm flops uselessly to his side, but his right arm, now holding his machete, swings up to block her next attack. Zuko can see that he's got that handled for now and focuses on Mai. 

     She's beautiful. Even more so than the last time he saw her. Her long, angular face, her inky black hair, her poise. He wonders what she must think of him, dressed like an earth kingdom commoner. He thinks he sees a look of surprise and intrigue when he uses a dance-like motion to maneuver himself around her, pushing her to use her own momentum against her and cause her to fall. He tries his best not to use his bending, else he actually hurt her. He's pretty sure she's only doing this because of his sister. Speaking of which-

    "Where is Azula?" Zuko demands. Mai looks up at him from where she had landed in a heap, glaring without much heat. Her gaze flickers over his shoulder for just a second, and he finds himself on the ground next to her, paralyzed in both arms.

    Mai dusts herself off as she stands. "Good to see you too." She mumbles sarcastically. She and Ty Lee head back to their rides, taking off into the forest headed south, right where Aang will be.

     "You guys alright?" Sokka asks somewhere behind him. With a bit of a struggle, Zuko manages to push himself up with his legs and his head. His arms flop against his sides. Katara is slowly starting to regain control of her fingers and gives a thumbs up. Sokka is face down in the dirt, unable to see it. 

    "We're ok." Zuko assures him. "They're headed after Aang. We need to get to him."

    "You're the only one who can use your legs." Katara says. "Get a head start. We'll join you as soon as we can." Zuko nods and does his best to stand and walk the direction they headed, hoping Aang was alright.

Chapter 20: Fire Boy vs Zappy Girl

    Zuko works his fingers, then his wrists, then his full arms as much as he can as he trudges through the forest. By the time the trees become sparse and turn into dry desert, the animal tracks are gone. But the bits of fur are still going in this direction, so Zuko decides that following Aang's trail is more important. 

     There is a collection of old, broken down buildings up ahead. He can barely make out a figure darting from one building to the next, followed by another figure chasing after it. Zuko picks up the pace. 

    Aang is quick and agile, but his sister is determined. Her fire is cobalt blue as it shoots from her fingertips, looking like a precise ribbon rather than burning flame. She's good. Even better than Zuko could have imagined, though it has been three years since he last watched her. 

    Zuko plans to take her by surprise by using the silent walking technique, but it's ruined when Aang sees him and gives a relieved smile that someone is here to help. Zuko curses in his head as he jumps out of the way from his sister's fire, which she shoots at him without ever taking her eyes off of the airbender. 

   They continue their battle throughout the ghost town, with Azula easily taking on both of them. She is as light on her feet as them, which makes Zuko seethe in a familiar way. He spent years learning the air nomad styles and she picks it up after only a few minutes! 

    The sun is close to the treetops, which causes their long shadows to distort the area. Zuko can't keep track of a lot of the quicker movements with his limited depth perception, but thankfully Sokka and Katara come running to help. 

     Azula, now fighting four opponents, has to divert to defense rather than offense. She runs to duck back into another building, but is stopped by a portly belly. 

     "Uncle!" Zuko exclaims. His uncle is dressed in faded green and browns, much like himself, and standing next to their missing friend. Soon, the whole group has Azula surrounded against a crumbling corner. 

    She holds up her perfectly manicured hands, aloof and smirking, despite her position. "Alright. I know when I'm beat." They stand in tense anticipation for a moment, unsure of what to do now, when Azula strikes a single string of lightning from her hand. It looks so thin and blue that Zuko is sure it's her fire until Iroh cries out, clutching his singed chest. Zuko only allows himself a moment of horror before turning to unleash his fury on his sister, along with the rest of the group. But when the dust and fire and air settles, Azula is gone. 

  Zuko doesn't care. All that matters is making sure Uncle is alright. He falls to his knees next to him, looking him over. There's a dark patch of burnt material near his heart. Zuko carefully peels the robe away to show the skin beneath. 

   Katara takes up the opposite side and covers her hand in water. It glows a calming blue, so similar to the lightning he just witnessed that Zuko panics and moves to stop her. She startles, but sees the look in his eye. "Zuko, I can help." He chokes on his breath, but puts his hands down to let her look over him. 

    She moves her hand over his chest a few times in slow, steady circles. When she pulls away the skin is light pink, but seems to already be knitting itself together. Zuko takes in a shuddered breath. 

    Iroh groans from the back of his throat, which is everyone's cue to help him sit up and make sure he's alright. The man gives them a disoriented smile, leaning heavily against the supportive shoulder Zuko provides. 

   "Thank you, young lady." His uncle slurs. With a bit of effort, they are able to get him to stand and take shelter in one of the less dilapidated buildings. Aang flies off to get Appa so that they can get Iroh into a town. 

    "What were you even doing here?" Zuko asks. "Is everything ok at the temple? Who's taking care of the bison?" 

     Iroh holds up a shaky hand and places it on Zuko's knee. "Peace, nephew. I left because I received a message from a friend. I was on my way to offer him some advice and some ingredients." He chuckles. "And the calves are doing well. Little Akash started hovering before I left. And Lala has started coming 'round at meal times." 

     This news startles Zuko. Toph notes that his heartbeat stutters for a moment before picking up speed. "She… she has? That's good." 

     His uncle gives him a smile that stretches to crinkle his eyes. He says fondly "I know you worked hard to get her to join. Sometimes we plant the seeds that others get to sow." Zuko just nods numbly, taking in all the information. 

    Aang lands in the doorway, kicking up dust. "I think there's a village nearby. Maybe they have someplace for you to lay down and heal." 

     "Excellent idea, my friend." Iroh nods. "Hopefully somewhere we can get some warm tea." 

    "And a hot meal!" Sokka chimes. 

  "And finally get some sleep!" Toph says as she makes her way to the bison. "Come on, lily livers. Let's get out of here!" 

    The group look to each other, not sure what to say about her sudden return, but happy enough to not question it right now. They can have a nice rest, then tackle all issues tomorrow. 

Chapter 21: Fire Boy Knows Things

     Their fond reunion only lasts for a few days. After parting with Iroh and entering the desert, their troubles begin anew. 

     They should have listened to Toph's intuition. Or Zuko's distrust of Wan Shi Tong. Or when Katara noticed those sand marauders eyeing them in town. 

     And even after trudging through the desert, finding Aang, and letting Toph wallop the thief for information, they continue to be plagued by misfortune. 

     This time, it's kind of Zuko's fault. His bleeding heart wouldn't let a poor couple cross the serpent's pass all alone. So instead of using the perfectly good passports that Toph had procured, he had insisted on going with them to make sure they were safe. And Katara wouldn't let him go alone, and Sokka wouldn't leave Katara, and Toph wanted to be a part of the adventure, Aang didn't want to be left out, and Suki had just rejoined their group. So all of them were in agreement that they were going to use the dangerous pass to get to Ba Sing Se. Great. 

    And then they were attacked by a sea serpent that reminded Zuko of the one on Kyoshi Island. He shouts for the group to lower their weapons and stay still. They do, unsure of how he knows this, and stand like nervous statues as the colossal beast turns its head this way and that to inspect them. It rears up, gurgling from deep in its throat, then sprays one last jet of water at them before diving into the deep. 

    "What in La was that about?!" Sokka demands once the utter shock wears off. The rest of their gaggle blinks in confusion, as if trying to convince themselves the serpent had really been there. 

   "It looked a lot like the sea dragon at Kyoshi Island." He answers a bit dumbly. He hadn't been entirely sure it would work, so he's just as shocked as everyone that they weren't eaten. "Dragons like to preen. They like people admiring them, as long as they don't see you as a threat." 

  "There's no way you learned that from the Air Nomads. I refuse to believe that you have all this random knowledge of every beast across the four nations from a few dusty scrolls!" Sokka stomps his foot like a petulant child. "HOW do you always have an answer for how to handle animals?!" 

    "Actually-" Zuko blushes and fidgets his hands on the edge of his sleeves. "This one was kind of a guess. I grew up reading Love Amongst The Dragons and I just hoped that this was a real fact."

    Everyone exclaims in shock and flustered relief, but decides not to push the issue. They are alive and that's what matters. The group continues single file across the narrow path towards dry land. 

     That night, Zuko catches sight of Aang alone and away from the campfire. He watches for a moment before deciding to slip away and sit beside him on the edge of the cliff. "Hey." 

    Aang sits curled with his legs against his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around them. The boy is usually so boisterous and fills a room with his presence, so it's odd to see him so small. He doesn't acknowledge Zuko's greeting, so they sit in silence and look out over the black waters that stretch around them. 

     "I wonder if he's safe." Aang finally says. Zuko almost misses it, hidden under the noises of the rest of the group clanging for seconds. He turns to look at him, letting him know that he heard, but he's not sure what to say. Aang continues "he's been with me through so much. I can't… I don't think I can go on without him." 

    They fall back into silence for a moment. Zuko sighs. "I wish Uncle were here. He always has these weird, wise nonsense sayings that I think you'd understand better than me. But…" He looks back to the sky, admiring the almost full moon hanging above them. "I know how you feel. I've dealt with a lot of loss. But the most important thing is that you're not alone, Aang. We are all here for you."

     He claps a hand against the monk's shoulder, which gets a small smile from him. Aang reaches up to cover his hand with his own. They finish the rest of the meal staring at the sky until the rest of the group huddles in their rolls to sleep. Zuko puts out the fire with little effort before laying down and succumbing to sleep. 

     The mood of the group lifts entirely when the woman they're accompanying goes into labor. Katara, may Agni bless her, knows what to do and doesn't need the boys to handle anything. When they are allowed to shuffle into the tent and see the new little wonder, Aang begins crying in relief, telling them that he feels a sense of hope. Zuko and Sokka lay a hand on each of his shoulders for emotional comfort when the woman declares that she will name the baby Hope. 

     They make it across the pass and, after making sure that the couple has everything they need, they part ways to find their own entry into the city. It takes them the better part of another day from the water's edge before they finally see the long rock wall of the capitol. After another while, they are able to see where the wall meets the land. 

    And where an entourage of Fire Nation machines surround a massive, spinning drill headed straight for it.

Chapter 22: Fire Boy and the Drill

   Aang doesn't wait for his friends. He flicks open his glider and takes off into the air towards the wall to see what he can do. In seconds he is a distant speck while the group can only watch. 

    "I can feel the vibrations." Toph says confidently. "Everybody hang on!" She grunts, twists her wrists, and lifts a circulation section of the earth they are standing on. With another noise of effort, she slides her feet forward and backward in a dramatic rendition of running, sending the platform of rock rolling forward with everyone on it. Everyone but Toph gets on their knees to avoid being accidently thrown. 

    They make it to the wall before the machinery, but then have to contend with the boulders hurled down at them from the confused guards. 

   "We're on your side!" Sokka shouts as loud as he can, but the wall is massive and there is no chance they heard. Zuko is clinging to her by the shoulders, tightening his grip and murmuring which direction they need to lean to avoid getting hit. She takes the directions without comment until Aang flies back down to relay what he has been told.

   Sokka jabs his finger in the direction of the drill. "Aang, you need to get back up there and help them delay the machine. The rest of us will try to hold off the rest of them." 

   They nod in agreement. Aang pounces into the air, bending a gust of wind against his glider to fly at high speeds to beat the approach of the drill before it can make contact. Toph follows the unnatural vibrations until they are right alongside the mechanism and, without warning, launches their dais up into the air. Everyone shouts and tumbles onto the rounded top of the drill in a heap.

    Sokka dusts himself off, looking around at all of the features visible to them. He points to a hatch a few feet away. "That's how we get in!" He yells over the constant grinding. 

   Zuko wraps an arm around Toph's shoulders and helps her walk toward the opening. Between him and Sokka they are able to force the wheel on top to turn and release, then fling it open to crawl inside. The inside is dimly lit with red bulbs that cast the hall in an eerie light. Since there's no soldiers, they are able to move quickly. 

   "Here." Zuko says as they pass a maintenance door. The walls around them have more connecting bolts than usual and the sounds of the shifting sections are louder. Passing through the door leads to a short walkway out to the exposed support beams. "We can do a lot of damage by destroying these." 

    "Uh, I don't think there's a lot I can do." Toph complains. 

    Katara bends the water from her flask to form a whip. "Tell us if you feel any changes. If this thing falls apart, we need to get out quickly." 

    While Katara slices the beam, Zuko attempts to grip the metal joints and heat it enough to bend. The metal is thicker than his arm and dissipates the heat before it gets hot enough to do any damage. Sokka seems to be having as much trouble using his club. 

    "This isn't working." Sokka declares after multiple attempts. He looks over to the others to see that Katara is the only one making progress, though she is sweating from exertion. "Let's rethink this. Katara, focus on getting half of the bar cut. Once we have a few that are weakened we can look for another way to take this thing apart." 

    Everyone cheers on Katara as she works on another beam. She uses powerful strokes, semi hardened into ice, to cut quickly. In half the time it took to cut the first, she already has four more done. Her braid has a few loose strands and her cheeks are red, but she grins with pride.

    They slip back out to the hallway to look for more options. They could head to the control panel, but there's no telling where it is, and this thing is long! They are still debating when Toph tells them that there are footsteps headed their way. 

     Sokka thinks quickly and opens another round hatch protruding from the floor. Katara asks "what does slurry mean?" before jumping in after him. As soon as Zuko, the last of the group, ducks inside a knife chatters against the rim. He blanches at how close he came to getting skewered, but Toph grips his sleeve and tugs him along through the thick muck flowing down the pipe. Now his thoughts only center around staying upright as the force of the liquid gets stronger. The rushing noise gets louder and louder, then the metal beneath them gives way and they are falling with the slurry out the backend of the machine. 

    Everyone groans as they get up, rubbing sore arms and backs from where they landed. Katara makes a shout of surprise when she sees Ty Lee riding the muddy water soon after. Before she is able to touch down on the ground, Katara flings the water back into the pipe, holding the girl in place against the swirling force around her. 

   "Try taking my bending now, circus freak!" Katara shouts. Zuko winces at the hurtful name. 

     Toph holds her hands up and adjusts her stance. The group isn't sure what she's doing until she stomps forward, extending her arms with her hands bent down and shoves the rocky sludge back into the machine. Ty Lee gives a short scream before disappearing into the mechanism once again with the liquid. Soon after, there is a groan of metal on metal, then the front sections of the drill gush the liquid from each partition before collapsing against the dirt like a defeated beast. 

    Soon after, the tiny speck of their friend glides into view and swoops down to give them the news that Azula was at the front. They each give high fives and whoops of joy to each other, but Zuko takes a step back and stares into the pipe where his sister's friend was moments before. Part of him was relieved that she hadn't been able to do harm to them. But… a bigger part of him hoped that she was alright.

Chapter 23: Fire Boy in The Big City

Notes:

Second chapter uploaded in the same day?! Crazy

 Convincing the guards to let them into the city was easy enough, with the head of the guards personally thanking them all for their help. The only hiccup in the interaction being when he caught sight of Zuko and gave a startled yelp. Aang is quick to smooth things over and let him know that Zuko is a trusted friend. The man merely nods, keeping his eyes on the scar. 

     They are bundled off to the train cars to bring them into the city proper. There are hundreds of other people shoved among them, which thins out with each stop. Katara and Aang talk excitedly about what they think the home they are being given must be like. Zuko chuffs a laugh as Sokka joins in with ridiculous suggestions, including a swimming pool and personal servants. 

    Toph sits calmly by his side, but he can tell that she is nervous. "What's wrong?" He asks quietly, so as not to alert the others. 

   Her brow pinches in concentration. "Just can't see with the train bumping around. They're taking us to the center? We've been on this thing for like an hour. How big is this place?" 

    Zuko looks out the window across from them, now unblocked by other passengers. "Pretty big. The houses are all smooshed together, too. There has to be millions of people here." 

    "Your heart rate picked up. Are you ok?" 

    He nods. "Yeah. Just… living on a mountain for a while makes you used to being alone. I'm getting used to being in towns, but… there's going to be so many people here." 

   Toph nods as well and scoots closer. "I hope we can see the king and get out of here quickly. I'm not too excited to be in such a big place either." 

    Zuko doesn't have anything else to say, so he goes back to looking out the window. He hopes that the couple and their baby made it here safely and wonders where they are right now. 

—----------

   Joo Dee is creepy. And obviously keeping secrets. It's too bad that Zuko knows nothing about forcing the truth from someone; not like his sister. 

    The house is large and has everything they could need, but it's dull and far away from the castle. And, according to their escort, it would be months before they could see the king. 

    Katara smooths the tension by reminding everyone that they had other things to occupy their time. They were still on the hunt for Appa, they could take stock of their supplies and use the money from Toph's parents to buy what they need, and they could ask around town to see what everyone here knew about the 'no war in Ba Sing Se' thing. It wasn't ideal, but they couldn't do much of anything else. 

   Zuko and Sokka draw bison on bamboo-grass paper. It's almost therapeutic to Zuko, to try and recall all of his favorite features of a bison, especially Appa, and translate it to paper. He makes a pretty good sketch, holding it up to compare against Sokka's rather hilarious interpretation. 

  "I haven't seen him in a while, ok?" Sokka defends while hiding his blush. Toph pats him on the shoulder and tells him it looks just like him. Sokka, having still not caught on to her favorite prank, thanks her before remembering that she's blind. 

    They use Zuko's drawing to make a reward poster with their temporary address and some basic information. If someone has seen a two ton bison, Katara reasons, they don't need to know what his favorite foods are. Zuko and Aang relent and keep it simple, then take it to the printer man to make a few dozen copies. 

    The next day is spent hanging the flyers, as well as asking around town to see if anyone has seen a giant fuzzy beast. Most of the elites they cross paths with turn their noses up at them and don't answer. Zuko feels his anger start to boil to the top after the 17th person walks away before he can finish his sentence. 

  "This isn't working." Katara moans, then looks down at herself. Is it because we don't look fancy?" 

    "I think they'd probably have an issue either way." Toph mutters, picking her nose. 

    "We~ll a new set of clothes couldn't hurt." Sokka says with a grin. Katara rolls her eyes, making a jab under her breath at how much he loves to shop. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with looking good! And we should probably present ourselves better to meet with the king anyway!" 

    Toph shrugs her shoulders. "You're not wrong. Alright, Snoozles. Let's get Aang and go shopping." 

    They set off back for the house, since Aang could be anywhere. By midday he trudges inside, looking defeated. 

   "Why don't you take your mind off of it and come with us?" Katara puts her hands on his shoulders. "We have time. And we can keep asking while we look!" 

    The gaang make their way to the market with Katara and Zuko counting up their money. They have enough for everyone to choose something nice, as well as a bit left over for an accessory. 

  Toph sighs. "I should probably send something to mom and dad as a thank you or whatever." 

    "We can keep an eye out for something special." Katara promises, then takes her by the hand and drags her to the nearest market stall with fine fabrics. Aang follows soon after. 

   Zuko sticks close to Sokka, thinking that he might be the more reasonable of the siblings. He's greatly disappointed to find that Sokka is actually much worse and decides to use Zuko as his fashion guinea pig-rat. 

    "We obviously can't put you in reds, but there should be some good orange and gold accents to bring out your eyes." Sokka says as he strokes his chin. He brings out a few bolts of fabric to hold against the teens chest, then puts them back. Zuko groans. Sokka shoots him a glare. "Hey, weren't you a prince? Shouldn't dressing nice be in your blood or something?" 

    "I haven't been a prince in a long time." He says, ducking his head when he notices another patron eyeing them oddly. He whispers "I don't care about clothes." 

    Sokka scoffs. "When I'm done with you, you're going to change your mind about that, my friend!" 

     Their friends are done before Sokka has even finished deciding what Zuko's outfit should be, then he takes another long while deciding on what color scheme he should choose for himself. Katara huffs with agitation and fondness and declares that they are going to the tea shop to wait for them. 

    Zuko is paying for his outfit when Aang grabs him by the arm, bouncing up and down in excitement and babbling something too quick for him to understand. He manages to lay the gold coins in the vendors hand before he is pulled out of the shop. "Hold on!" Zuko grumbles hotly as he adjusts his hold on the silky garments. "I'm going to drop these!" 

    Aang doesn't seem to hear him, but he does say a bit more clearly "Uncle is here!" 

   "Uncle?!" It takes him a second for his brain to connect what the monk is saying before he jolts into awareness. He lets Aang pull him the rest of the way into a fine little tea shop called The Jasmine Dragon. There, circling among the tables, is his Uncle with a large smile and kettle in hand. When they enter, the man goes to set it down before rushing to give him a hug. 

    "Oh, my boy! I am so happy you made it safely!" He tuts and swipes his hands through Zuko's unruly bangs. "Come! Let me introduce you to some fine folks! Lady Yema, Lady Kin, this is my boy Zuko that I was telling you about." 

   "Oh! Your father has been telling us all about you, Zuko! How wonderful that you made it." 

   Iroh continues to talk with the women while Zuko stands awkwardly with his armful of clothes, blushing to the tip of his good ear as they bat their eyes and titter over his uncle. Whom they believe to be his father. Which… is something to unpack later. 

     "Unc- uh. Father." He says, then coughs in embarrassment when they all turn to him. "I'm going to, uh, sit with my friends. Over there." 

   "Oh of course! I'll be right over." He waves him off, smiling in a way that Zuko hasn't seen since they found those pastry recipes at the temple. He shuffles over to join his friends and watches the man who has raised him for the past three years- the fabled Dragon of the West and first born of Fire Lord Azulon- happily bussing tables and talking with his customers like this is what he was sent by Agni to do. He remembers Iroh's talks of finding fulfillment in the little things, usually applied to tea leaves or pai sho tiles. But he thinks that maybe he gets it. His uncle is happy here. And he wants to protect that at all costs. 

Chapter 24: Fire Boy at the Party

  Their days become a flow of circling a portion of the city, finding nothing, and coming back to the Jasmine Dragon before sundown. Zuko always makes it there before everyone else and gets roped into helping serve tables during the evening rush. He's socially awkward and unused to people talking to him, which makes it a comedic relief against the disappointment they feel. 

    Everyone starts to call Iroh 'Uncle', which he finds to be sweet, even though Zuko shoots them a possessive glare when he hears it. Sokka quickly reminds him that he has nothing to be jealous about because Uncle is his Father, remember? Zuko will duck his head and scurry away, unable to form an argument with customers around. 

    There is a party at the castle coming up, which Iroh tells them he has been invited to for his tea services. Since the Gaang hasn't received an invitation of their own, he tells them that they can come as his servers. It's a perfect plan, except for figuring out what to do once they are there. But, as with most of their plans, it's something that they are confident they can improvise. 

     The night of the party arrives and everyone spends the waning moments of daylight getting ready. And while everyone else is frantically slicking their hair back, smoothing out wrinkles, looking for lost accessories that Momo hid, Zuko takes a deep breath and falls into the rhythm of getting ready for court. 

    He's rusty. He never had to do it for himself growing up, but he and Uncle had practiced on the ship before settling at the temple. It was unseemly for a prince, even a banished one, to be seen with his hair in disarray. So he is familiar with tying the ribbon around his hair, forming a top knot with no bumps or strays, and tucking the ends under his hair. He knows how to correctly cinch his overshirt, how to fold the sleeves, and how to set the hairpin firmly. He looks himself up and down in the mirror and thinks that maybe they can pull this off. 

     Sokka, surprisingly, knows what he's talking about when it comes to colors. The accents do bring out the gold in his eyes. And Sokka's own outfit manages to do the same for him.  

    Aang and Sokka are bowing to each other in the living room when he comes downstairs. He is about to ask what they're doing, but can't manage to get it out before they bang their heads together. Toph scoffs at them from where she is reclined nearby. 

    "Wow, Zuko. You look great." Katara comments kindly. He thinks to tell her that she looks great too, but thinks better of it when he catches the pout forming on Aangs face. 

    "You didn't tell me I look great!" 

  Sokka raises his hand and shouts "or me!" 

   They bicker the rest of the way to The Jasmine Dragon, with a few reprimands that they shouldn't shove each other and dirty their clothes. Sokka and Aang wait until Katara has her back turned to bump each other on the shoulders, snickering under their breath. 

    "You all look wonderful, children. Oh, Zuko!" Iroh greets them at the door and gives them each a pat on the shoulder, except for Zuko who gets a tender hug. His uncle backs off immediately, fretting over the teens' robes and muttering about keeping them pristine. "I can't believe you remembered." He chuckles when he notices Zuko's carefully crafted top-knot. "But unfortunately, it is not the style of the earth kingdom. Here, I have been practicing how to make the current court styling." 

     The gaang keep themselves busy and let Zuko have this moment with his 'father'. Iroh sits him down and gently undoes his nephew's hair, quickly collecting it and brushing it through his fingers. In seconds, he has it in a more triangular shaped bun, wrapped in a stronger fashion. Zuko doesn't need to see himself in the mirror; he knew that Iroh would do it perfectly. 

    They make it into the party with no problems. There's a low buzz of conversation around them and plenty of beautifully dressed people milling about. Zuko fiddles with his sleeve until Iroh places a tray in his hands with an order to see who would like some oolong tea. He grumbles, but obediently disappears into the crowd with his collection of tiny cups. The rest of the group is given similar trays with tea samples and sent to scope out the room. 

    Katara keeps close to Toph, feeling a bit uneasy alone in such a large crowd. Toph doesn't even bother talking to anyone or offering her ginseng samples. She keeps her head down and ears open to the noises of the room. Katara can only assume she is using her bending to feel where the king might be. 

     "I don't recall children being invited to these events." A man with scowl lines around his mouth and serious, dark eyes approaches the girls. His robes are so dark they are almost black, matching the aura he gives off. 

      Katara falters, trying her best to smile against the horrible feeling crawling up her back. "Uh. We're just here to help out our uncle. He was invited to serve tea." 

    The man looks her and her 'sister' up and down, coming to some silent conclusion. He smiles, though it's not friendly. "Yes, from the Jasmine Dragon." He gives them a final look before saying "you'd better run along. Wouldn't want to disappoint your 'uncle', now would we?" He then disappeared between party guests, as if he hadn't been there at all. 

    "He knows something." Toph says, just loud enough for Katara to hear. Katara silently agrees, but doesn't say anything in response. She goes back to circling the room and hopes they don't run into him again. 

    This hope is squashed when Aang makes a spectacle of himself and tries to airbend his way in front of the king, only to be pulled short by that same man. Zuko and Sokka are nabbed by men in uniform and hustled into a side room, along with the rest of their friends. The door clangs shut, cutting off all outside noise. The only sound comes from a crackling green fire in the large fireplace. 

     "It seems that you are not aware of how things work here." The man drawls. "I am Long Feng. I'm the head of the Dai Li, which protects this fine city from people who would see our culture destroyed." His eyes flit over each of them, but linger on Zuko's scar for just a breath longer. "Whatever issues you experienced outside of the walls need to be forgotten. There is no war. And you will not cause unrest within my city." 

    "What do you mean no war?" Sokka asks incredulously. "Of course there's a war!" 

   Long Feng makes a face somewhere between a sneer and a smile. "The King has more important things to worry about." 

   "You mean he's your puppet." Toph accuses. 

   "Oh no." Long Feng says unconvincingly, holding up a hand to feign innocence. "The king is important to the culture of the city. I just protect him from things that would… hinder what is best for BaSingSe." 

     "You mean best for you." Zuko snarls and takes a step forward. "Keeping everyone in the dark isn't going to fix anything." 

    The man simply puts his hands behind his back. "I would think a firebender would be the most concerned with keeping a low profile." He chuckles when this gets a startled reaction from the kids. "Yes, I'm aware of what you are. As well as your 'father'. If I were you, I would be careful what I say and do." He moves to the door, which is opened for him by two agents on the other side. "You never know who might be watching."  

     The group shares looks of concern and dread when the door closes again. It seems the city is not as boring as they had feared, but it would have been better if it was.

Chapter 25: Fire Boy makes a plan

     Aang was falling into a depression spiral. Katara had tried getting touchy feely. Toph had offered to punch something for him. Sokka had steered far away from it all. That left Zuko to try his best. 

    He had finished at the tea house for the night, said goodbye to Uncle, and headed back to the house they had been confined to for what felt like months. He'd given the Aang problem a lot of thought, but there wasn't much that he knew how to do when he himself was feeling lots of emotions. 

   Except to sneak out and do some vigilante stuff. 

     It's not the best idea, especially since they apparently have the Dai Li to look out for, but Zuko is feeling a little stir crazy, which he's sure the flighty monk is feeling as well. When he makes it back to the house, he checks around until he finds Aang sitting alone in one of the upper rooms. 

    Zuko closes the door softly. Aang crosses his arms and continues to stare outside from his seat on the window ledge. 

   "I don't want to hear about how it's going to be alright anymore." Aang grumbles. 

     Instead of responding, Zuko roots around in the armoire between them. Clothes start flying, landing in a messy pile behind him, until he finds a selection of dark clothes to suit his purposes. Aang has become suitably curious and moved closer to try and determine what his firebending teacher might be up to. 

     When he's close enough, Zuko flings a set of fabrics at him. Aang yelps and pulls them away, looking to Zuko for an answer. 

   Zuko stands, clutching his own set. "Change. We're going out." He says, then leaves to give Aang privacy. Aang looks back down at the garments, confused. He shrugs and begins replacing his colorful clothes with the somber ones, if only to have Zuko finally tell him what his plan is. 

    He jumps when Zuko comes back in, decked in dark wraps that don't hang freely like the typical outfits of the other nations. He's also wearing a thin scarf around his face, almost like he's-

   "Are we going to do something bad?" Aang asks with a hint of fear. 

    Zuko sighs and lowers the mask. "Kind of." He straps the sheath of his dao onto his back. "We've looked in all the open places for Appa. Now it's time to look somewhere else." 

   "Like where?" 

   "Sokka made a good point the other day. Where would you keep a two ton bison? Who would have the resources to hide and feed something so big?" 

    Aang thought for a minute. "... the castle?" 

   Zuko nods. "It's big, so there's no telling where he actually is. But if we start looking, maybe we will find some answers." 

    Aang grins at the idea of taking action, but frowns quickly. "Wait. Shouldn't we tell the others?" 

     "Yeah, Zuko." The teen twists around and jumps into a defensive position at the voice right behind him, only to see that it's Toph. "Shouldn't you tell the others about your SECRET PLAN?!" 

    He tries to shush her, but the sound of feet thumping up the stairs as quickly as possible tells him that it's too late. Sokka pops his head around the door frame, hair askew, and asks "Did I hear something about a secret plan?" 

     Zuko groans and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Fine! But can we at least move this conversation away from an open window?" The gaggle of kids nod and rush out of the room, chattering excitedly about what Zuko's secret scheme might be. 

    Katara looks up from her scroll to see everyone tumbling into the room. She decides that asking Aang about his outfit is the most pressing issue presented. "What are you wearing?" 

     Aang looks down at himself, already forgetting that he's in very different clothes. "Zuko told me to." 

    "Aaand why did he do that?" She gives the teen a look and sets her scroll aside. "And why was Toph yelling about a secret?" 

    Zuko sits in the center of the room cross-legged and waits for the others to sit and join him. Once they are in a circle, he tells them in a low voice "I think Appa might be in the palace." 

    "Why?" Toph asks, which is obviously what everyone else is wondering.

    "That Long Feng guy from the party gave me a weird feeling, like he knows way more about us than he let on."

    "That's right! And he knows everything about what goes on in Ba Sing Se." Sokka adds, already scheming his own ideas. "Even if Appa isn't in the castle, I bet he'd know where he is!" 

     "So what, you planned to sneak around the huge, highly guarded castle until you found a clue?" Katara scoffs. "Whose idea was this?" 

    Everyone looks to Zuko, who blushes up to his ears. "I know it's not perfect! But it's better than sitting around waiting for something to happen!" 

      Katara sits back against her bed with consideration. "It's dangerous. Long Feng knows you're a firebender. And he knows that Uncle is too. What else do you think he already knows about us?" 

     "That's why we need to do something." Aang says desperately. "He could strike at any time. And I don't think he'll let us anywhere near the king unless we do it ourselves." 

      This makes Katara pause. "You know… that's not a bad point. But we can't sneak in in the middle of the night." 

    "What, you wanna wait until his guards have had a good breakfast?" Toph snorts.

     She gives the girl a condescending smile. "Oh, I'm sorry Toph. If you don't think you can take them-" 

    "Hey!" Toph shouts indignantly. "I can take them any time!" 

    "Then let's think this through." Katara swings her gaze to Zuko and raises a brow. "And not sneak off on a wild idea." 

    Zuko pouts, but admits that he was probably acting too hasty. Not out loud, of course. 

      They agree to make an action plan in the morning, once they are rested and thinking clearly. Katara makes Aang and Zuko promise not to do something foolish on their own, which they both begrudgingly agree to. 

—------------

      For as much teasing she gives him, one would think that Katara doesn't trust her brother's intelligence. And maybe that was true before they had started this adventure, but now she has seen the scope of his brilliance. In issues like this, she looks to him to come up with the most logical and safe course for them to take. 

     "Katara was on to something. Attacking during the day is going to be just as effective as attacking at night." He says over breakfast. "The guards at the walls of the city are the ones on high alert, but the palace? They've probably not had a serious attack in years!" He takes another mouthful of sausage, swallows, and adds "plus, who expects a full on attack in the middle of the day?" 

     "So where are we going?" Toph asks. "Are we going to beat Long Feng into a pulp until he tells us where Appa is?" 

    Sokka shakes his head. "Long Feng could be anywhere. But we know that he wants to keep the king in the dark. If we jeopardize that, we know Long Feng will come to us. Zuko-" the teen perks up at his name. "No firebending unless it's absolutely necessary. We don't know who Long Feng told, and that might be a secret weapon we can use later." 

   Zuko harumphs and sits back against his chair. He's been feeling rather pent up lately and was excited at the idea of bending freely. 

      "Toph will use her earthbending to make a tunnel as far into the castle as possible. We don't want Long Feng to hide the king before we get there." 

   "Lets get going!" Toph groans. "I want to beat some chumps into the dirt!" 

    "These guards aren't our enemies." Zuko says hotly. "Don't knock them around for fun!" 

    "Zuko's right. We need to do this as peacefully as possible." Aang adds cheerily. 

    Sokka rolls his eyes. "Alright, monks. Let's try waving flowers at them and hoping they get out of our way. I'm sure that will work." 

    Zuko clenches his teeth and takes a calming breath. "We don't know what the king is like. If we start hurting his people, he probably won't care what we have to say!" 

   Katara taps her chin and nods. "That's a good point. But getting to the king is top priority. If we mess this up, we won't get another shot." 

    Zuko and Aang concede, knowing that they didn't convince anyone to go easy on the guards, but glad to have someone else in the group that understood. They get themselves ready before heading towards the castle, ready to get some answers. 

Chapter 26: Fire Boy Breaks In

  They make it to the first wall of clearance needed to get closer to the castle. A few guards side eye them as they walk along the low barrier. Beyond it, which they can see if they stand on tip-toe, is a long expanse of open courtyard, then what looks like a dip down, possibly a rock pit or moat, then another wall with more guards. The structure of the castle is distant, with more protection most definitely beyond what they can see. 

   "Alright, Toph. Now." Sokka checks to make sure they are in a blind spot of the guards, hidden between two houses a few yards away from the wall. Toph kicks her foot into the rockbed, then pulls with her hands to separate the stone and reveal a staircase down into the depths of the ground. Everyone quickly hurries inside before someone sees them before Toph closes them in. Since they are out of sight, Zuko feels comfortable lighting a fire in his hand and showing the way. 

     Their walk is quiet. Toph extends their path, occasionally stopping to touch a hand to the wall and feel where they are, then continuing. Aang takes up the rear and closes the unneeded sections behind them. Katara nervously grips her water pouch, feeling tense anytime they hear a rumble ahead. 

     It doesn't feel any different to the rest, but Toph stops them after a while of walking, saying "we're at the palace wall." 

    Sokka claps her on the shoulder with a grin. "Do you know where the throne room is?" 

    Toph nods. "Straight ahead. There's a big room, bigger than the rest, and there's only four people inside, just standing around." 

    Everyone gets ready, with weapons and elements drawn, before a hole opens above them. They jump out of their hiding spot to see a few startled guards turn and look at them. Too late, because Katara is ready with a water whip and sends them all falling on their butts. Toph forces open the doors and everyone runs inside. 

     The guards along the hall are unprepared, having to stand up straight from their slouched positions to engage them in combat. The first few are easy, but as they progress into the castle there are more who have heard the ruckus. 

     Sokka flings projectiles away with his club, keeping most of the attacks away from the group so that everyone can focus on taking them down without much harm. This gets harder to do once they have about twenty men coming at them. Zuko does his best to keep the flames from taking over his swords, trying his best to do no harm as he circles around Aang. 

    One guard, who gets back up from being blown against the wall, is able to sneak up behind him and grab his throat. Zuko twists and slams the hilt of his dao against the man's temple, causing him to stumble away. Zuko regains his footing and expertly slashes through the air until the sharp tip is pressed against the soldier's throat, wedged cleanly between his chin strap and the metal collar of his shoulder plates. They make eye contact for a beat before Zuko moves away, running to catch up with the group that is already further away than he expected. He doesn't catch the relieved confusion, for the soldier definitely noticed just how golden his eyes were before he was spared. 

      When Zuko catches up, Aang has already blown the ornate doors open. Inside are more than just four people, as can be expected when they discovered that a team had infiltrated the castle, but the king is still here thankfully. He's young, probably in his thirties, and unassuming. If it weren't for the pastel robes and fancy headwear, he wouldn't have looked like much of a king. More of a scholar than anything, but not everyone was trained from birth to fight, Zuko supposes. 

    Long Feng is standing to the king's side, glowering at them from afar. "Dai Li! Take care of them!" The darker dressed men step forward, shooting rock fists at them. 

   Aang creates a ball of wind around them, which slows the hands down enough to be avoidable, but doesn't stop them outright. "Wait! We just want to talk!" He pleads. 

     "Get the king to safety." Long Feng orders and the remainder of the non-specialty soldiers move to obey. The king is shuffled along, looking confused and frightened. 

    "Your Highness, we need to talk to you. We aren't here to hurt you!" Sokka shouts, hoping to appeal to him. 

    The king turns back to them, as if to say that he would like to hear them out, but the guards do not hesitate and attempt to gently maneuver him out of the room without touching him too much. The man decides to use this to his advantage and dig his dainty feet into the stone floor in protest. 

    "Stop!" He shouts, sounding as though he has never had to raise his voice before. His men pause in confusion and the king uses this moment to straighten his glasses. "What are you here for? This is very unusual!" 

      Aang steps forward. "Your Majesty, I'm the Avatar. I came to talk with you about the war, but we were stopped by Long Feng because he doesn't want you to know about it."

      "He threatened us to keep us quiet, but you need to know! And we need your help." Sokka steps up alongside Aang, having already put away his club to allow him to hold his empty hands up in peace.

    The large doors behind them creak open again to allow a flow of soldiers in. They are banged up and bruised, obviously the soldiers they had just attacked, but ready to close them in. 

   The king gestures to the incoming soldiers. "You need my help, yet you attacked my men?" He pauses. "And what's this about a war?" 

    Everyone looks to Long Feng, who has kept quiet to slink closer to the wall. He takes the chance to scoff and say "Don't tell me you believe them? They have broken in and threatened your safety! They will say anything to get out of trouble." 

     "We can prove it." Zuko blurts. 

  The room hangs heavy for a moment, with everyone looking to him to offer some sort of proof right now. He shuffles uncomfortably under the attention. "Uhmm… the uh, drill? That might still be there." 

    "It's been weeks. They've probably hidden it away." Toph grouses. 

     "The men at the wall! They helped fight against it! If the drill is gone, we can ask them about what they saw!" Katara spins to face the king with a look of hope. "Your men helped fight against a huge Fire Nation drill that tried to infiltrate the city. They can tell you about it!" 

   The man shuffles, looking like a lost child. "I don't…. I've never left the castle." 

     "We will protect you, your Majesty." Aang says. "We just want you to see what happened." 

     Long Feng is about to interrupt, but a single soldier comes forward from the men that fought them in the halls. "Your Majesty?" He bows in the Earth Kingdom way, waiting for the king to allow him to speak. When he is given permission, albeit reluctantly, he points to the firebender of the group. "I think I can vouch for their pursuit, at least that they don't mean any harm. He had me pinned and I thought for sure I was done. But… he let me go. None of them caused severe harm to any of us." 

    The king must see something in the way his own man speaks, or perhaps he's intrigued to leave the castle. Either way, he nods to his guards and commands them to start preparing a ride for them to get to the wall. Long Feng glowers in disapproval, shifting further into the shadows and communicating with his agents. 

Chapter 27: Fire Boy and the king

    Aang flies ahead to notify the men at the wall. The rest of the Gaang climb into a carriage with the king and two guards- one of which being the man Zuko had spared. They hear the Dai Li agents take their places above the carriage at the four corners, effectively trapping them in as much as keeping others out. 

    By the time they make it to the wall and hurry out of the most awkward carriage ride of their lives, Aang already has two of the highest ranked men ready and waiting to bring them up to the top of the wall. 

    The men stumble over their own feet, giving garbled greetings to their king, and try not to make it obvious that they are staring on the way up. King Kuei is far too busy seeing the outside world for the first time in his life to notice. 

    "Over here, your majesty." Aang directs them. Zuko breathes a sigh of relief when he catches sight of the dark metal still visible on the other side. It's obvious that Long Feng tried to cover it up, but the indent of where the majority of it had collapsed was still there, as well as a majority of the hull. 

    "Oh my! What is that?" King Kuei asks in astonishment. 

   Long Feng quickly says "just a project to strengthen our borders. Nothing for these outsider children to be causing so much trouble about." 

    Katara matches the older man's glare with one of her own. "Then why is the drill trying to break through the wall?"

    "Training practice." He sniffs in disdain. "Your Highness, I tried to warn you that this was nothing to be concerned about. They are breeding fear into everyone they speak to-" 

    "Hey, you guys! Do you remember what happened when this drill showed up?" Sokka asks one of the men. 

    The soldier startles at being addressed. "Uh… I… I remember seeing it a few weeks ago, but… the rest is a bit blurry." 

     Toph adjusts her feet to face the man. "Blurry? Like, you don't remember what happened?" 

   "I…" He is sweating now, flitting his eyes between Long Feng and his king. "No. One day it was here. The next day my men are ordered to take it apart." 

    "You see? If we were attacked, our fine soldiers would remember that." Feng smiles coldly at the group. "I think we've had enough of your tall tales, children. His Highness has important work to do." 

     "Wait!" Sokka exclaims. "There's a ton of stuff inside with Fire Nation insignias on it! Aang, see if you can fly down and get something!" 

     Aang nods and clicks open his glider, jumping off the side of the wall before anyone could stop him. They watch him ride the wind down to the machine until he's just a tiny dot against the gigantic mechanism. He disappears underneath some of the exposed metal for a while before coming back out with a red cloth tied to his belt. When he lands in front of the king, he unties it to reveal a large, muddy tapestry with the flame symbol in golden thread. 

     "That is puzzling." Kuei reaches out to touch it, as if it might be an illusion. "Why would I not know about this?" He whispers to himself. 

    "Because Long Feng is using you." Sokka steps forward, holding his hands out in a subconscious gesture of innocence. "He's controlling the Dai Li right under your nose and silences anyone who talks about the war. But it's real. It's happening. And we need your help." 

   Kuei seems to think on this, turning back to look at the metal monster so far down below. Out of the corner of his eye, he catches one of the Dai Li adjusting his stance, keeping his eyes trained on Long Feng, obviously waiting for a signal. 

    "Men. Arrest Long Feng." He orders. For a moment, it seems he will not be obeyed. The Dai Li hesitate, as if he needed more proof of where their loyalties lie, but the guards jump into action to restrain the man in rock up to his neck. "Take him back to the palace prisons. I will decide what to do with him later. " Two of the men nod and, in perfect synchrony, bend Long Feng and his fetters to the platform to be taken back down to ground level. 

     The kids all breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that Kuei made the right choice. He, however, doesn't appear to be so happy with himself. "Your highness?" Zuko asks quietly, coming a little closer to the royal. "Are you ok?"

     "How could I be so foolish?" He says to himself. "I trusted him." 

   Zuko chews his lip, wondering if he should be the one to discuss this. But everyone else is patting themselves on the back and discussing what they should do next. "It's hard, being royalty." He shrugs, unsure what to do with his hands. "All that matters is doing the best you can." 

    Kuei shakes his head with a self-deprecating smile. "There is so much more to ruling a country. But I have no excuses. I should have known better." He sighs and meets his eyes. "I am thankful that you all brought this to my attention." 

    Zuko feels his cheeks heat up. "Uh, yeah. Of course." 

   He's saved from having to think of something else to say when Aang bounces up to his side and says "Your Kingliness. We'd like to talk with you about what's really going on in the world."

    Kuei sobers up from his pity and nods. "Yes, I'd like that very much."

Chapter 28: Fire Boy Alone

   They had the next week or so with the king before it all went to Koh.

    Sokka excitedly reported to them that his father was at Chameleon Bay and wanted to talk with him. Toph, likewise, had gotten a letter from her mother that she was in town. Aang had a note from someone claiming that they could help him with the Avatar state. That meant Zuko would be here alone in the capitol with the king. 

    Well, not completely alone. The group had told the king about their 'Uncle' who makes wonderful tea and should definitely get to visit them within the palace. That meant Zuko had a familiar face to help him protect King Kuei while everyone else got to have some down time. 

   "I can stay here with you, Zuko." Katara had said, but she obviously wanted to go. 

    Zuko nudged her fondly and shooed her into her room. "Go pack. Uncle and I have this handled." 

   She would have argued, but was too giddy at the prospect of seeing her father again. She jumped into action and had all her things stuffed in a bag faster than he'd ever seen her move.    

     The group said their goodbyes as they went their separate ways, with Iroh and Zuko remaining on the palace steps, surrounded by earth kingdom guards that may or may not be loyal to their cause. 

     That morning, they had been told that some kyoshi warriors would be visiting, which Sokka had given his approval on. He'll be happy to see Suki when he gets back, Zuko thinks to himself as he enters the planning room. Kuei and his personal guards are already there, with maps and food spread across the table. 

     "Your highness." Zuko bows.

  "Excellent timing, Zuko." He says with sincerity, though still looking down at his scrolls. "I'm having a bit of trouble understanding what I'm looking at. Do you know much about the Fire Nation capitol?" 

     Zuko flicked his gaze to the guards on reflex, willing his heart to stay in his body. "U-uhm. Yes." He shuffles over, keeping his bangs in front of his scar as much as he can. How much should he tell? Does King Kuei know he's fire nation? Surely, with his fire nation-y name and golden eyes. But the man is so uninformed about everything. Maybe he doesn't know what to look for? 

    "Are these mountains?" Kuei asks. Zuko follows where he is pointing. 

    "Those are volcanos." 

 Kuei takes back his finger as if burned. "Real volcanoes?!" He sputters in disbelief. "Why would anyone want to live near them?! Don't they erupt?" 

   Zuko has to remind himself that this man is as educated on the outside world as a young child. He just needs direction, but he'll understand soon enough. "Not all the time. Fire benders are able to feel when the volcanoes are close to erupting. And there are men and women who specialize in keeping the lava away from the villages." 

     Kuei still looks disheveled at the news. He adjusts his tiny glasses and shakes his head in disbelief. "What should we do, then? Go around them? Come from a different side?" 

   "They look just the same as any other mountain here in the Earth Kingdom. They can be climbed. Or, if you'd prefer, there's a traveler's route through here." Zuko runs his finger along the map from the edge of the island into one of the bigger cities. "It's paved between here and the capitol. It'll be a lot smoother." 

    Kuei is about to answer when another military man enters the room, stating that the kyoshi warriors have arrived. "Have them wait a moment in the throne room. I want to have the documentarian finish writing what we have discussed." 

     The man bows and turns to leave. Zuko and Kuei talk lightly while a small man at the other end of the table scribbles quickly into his notes, making sure that everything is written. Kuei announces to the room that they are finished here and will be making their way to the throne room. 

   It takes a moment for Zuko to realize that something is wrong. He and Kuei have already walked across the room to the man's throne, with Zuko at his side, before he fully takes in who it is he's looking at. And it's definitely not Suki. 

   "Well, I thought my plan was rather inventive." Azula stands from her crouched position, no longer feigning loyalty to the earth kingdom. Ty Lee and Mai follow soon after. "I wouldn't have anticipated you had already wormed your way into the King's graces, Zuzu." 

    Kuei was, once again, very startled at how everyone was acting. Zuko couldn't spare him much time to catch up with what was happening and instead jumped to stand between him and the girls. 

   Azula scoffed, not even bothering to act like she would fight him. "Come now, brother. We know how this will end." She snapped her fingers, signaling Ty Lee to twirl into action. She jabs quickly, sending Zuko backwards, retreating as far as he can away from her touch. 

    He's only able to avoid her for so long before he crashes to the floor, arms and legs limp. Azula stands behind the king with blue fire flaring from her fingertips, grazing against his adams apple. She says something to the man who then eyes Zuko with a pained glare. He doesn't have much time to dwell on it before he's dragged away.

Chapter 29: Fire Boy Fights

   He is dumped into an underground crystal cave and sent tumbling down into the dirt. He can't maneuver himself into a more comfortable position, but there's someone already there that lifts him by the arms and sits him up against the wall. 

    "You too, huh?" Sokka asks, sitting across from him. Katara begins fretting over him, looking for injuries. 

     "What?" Zuko coughs. "I thought you two were going to see your father?" 

    Katara huffs while looking upwards, frustrated and sad. "The Dai Li got us before we even made it past the city wall." 

   "They took us through some underground lair." Sokka adds. "They had Appa down there!" 

   "You saw Appa?" Zuko asks in surprise. He starts to twitch his fingers against the rocks at his sides. 

    Sokka smirks. "Not only that, we freed him!" At Zuko's shocked look he explains "we got away from them long enough to break apart the chains keeping him there. Then he flew out of some opening in the ceiling." 

     "Then we were captured again." Katara says. "But it was worth it. Hopefully he went to find Aang." 

   Zuko groans and tries his best to lift his arms. "Once I can feel my legs again, we can find a way out of here." 

    "Who did this to you? I thought only that circus girl could-" Sokka sucks in a breath. "Wait, is your sister here?!" 

    "Yeah." Zuko says, as if it were obvious. "I thought you knew that. She took the king hostage. She's probably the one who sent the Dai Li after you. She's posing as a Kyoshi Warrior." 

     Sokka looks crestfallen. "So… Suki wasn't here." 

   Zuko is able to shakily lift his arm to pat him on the shoulder. "Sorry, buddy." 

    They jump when the wall is lowered once again a few yards away. Sokka and Katara, as the only ones who can move, jump up into a protective stance. They relax when Aang and Iroh come around the corner, just as surprised to see them. 

    "Nephew!" 

  "Katara! Sokka!" 

     The kids share a hug while Iroh falls to his knees to embrace the teen on the ground. Zuko uses as much motion as he is capable of to wrap his arms around his shoulders. "Uncle, Azula is here. She-" 

   "I know." He says and tightens his grip before pulling away. "I was headed to the king when I heard a commotion. I saw the agents taking you away. Luckily, I intercepted young Aang before he made it into the palace." 

    "Thank you for finding Appa." Aang finishes saying to his friends. "He's just outside. Let's get out of here!" 

    "Wait." Zuko uses his uncle's help to stand on shaky legs. "We can't go. Azula has King Kuei. We can't let her take down Ba Sing Se." 

     "Azula?" Aang frowns and sets his shoulders. "You're right. We need to end this." 

    They all jump back when large, sickly green crystals jut up from the ground to trap Iroh with only his head exposed. "Uncle!" Zuko and the others shout. 

    "I expected this treachery from Uncle, but you Zuko?" Azula taunts. The group looks up to where Zuko had been dumped not too long ago. She stands there, surrounded by Dai Li, with her hands on her hips and most of the kyoshi uniform forgone for a more militaristic style. It's surprising that she still wears earth kingdom greens. 

    "Release him." Zuko grits out. He takes a step forward, as if to threaten her, but she seems unfazed. 

    "I have an offer." She says in a low, tantalizing voice. Her harsh expression smooths into one of invitation. "I had today planned down to the last detail. I hadn't anticipated you being here, but I'm glad that you are." This makes Zuko pause in surprise. If she notices, she gives no indication. "I want you by my side as we take down this city. For the Fire Nation. For father. For your honor." She holds out a hand. "I want you with me, Zuzu. We can go home. Together." 

    The group wants to shout at him to not listen, but mostly everyone is intrigued to see what he'll say. They know what his relationship with his sister is like. Uncle mutters something to Zuko so low that only he can hear. Zuko turns to look at him, still silent, and looks back to Azula. 

    "Azula… I've missed you." He says, voice cracking with pent up emotions. "I've learned a lot while I was banished. Mostly, I learned how to find inner peace by following the teachings of the air nomads." Zuko clenches his fists at his sides, looking around at his friends. "I've wanted to tell you for so long that… I'm sorry I wasn't a good big brother to you. I was always jealous of how much better you were than me. I want you to know that I love you." 

    Azula smiles, though a glint of satisfaction flickers in her eyes.

    Zuko takes a few more steps towards her. "But I can't join you in this. And you don't have to do it." He gives her a pleading look, his voice full of determination. "This war is wrong. We can bring it to an end." 

     Azula tuts and lowers her hands, still smiling. "Oh, Zuzu. Always so weak. I shouldn't be surprised." 

    In the blink of an eye she shoots a thin string of blue fire at his chest, causing him to stumble and roll away. The rest of the gaang runs forward to assist as he gets back up, helping him to his feet and keeping the Dai Li at bay when they start to attack. 

    They are overpowered. The Dai Li are numerous and his sister is strong. In such a limited space, they can't use any big moves, else they would put their friends in danger. It would be helpful if they had-

    A few of the Dai Li suddenly come to a halt before flying towards each other and creating a messy clump on the ground. When they try to stand, it becomes clear that their metal shoulder guards are fused together somehow. Another set of agents fall victim to the same problem, then another. Azula growls in frustration. 

    Toph comes stomping out from the darkness. "What's the matter? Can't handle us without your lackeys?" 

    Instead of coming up with a retort, the princess slashes at them with a wave of fire. While she continued the attack, managing to keep all of them on their side of the cavern, the Dai Li star to get themselves out of their metal gear and rejoin the fight. Soon enough, the kids were surrounded and unable to gain ground. 

    Aang looked around himself at how his friends were flagging. Katara was sweating and her arms were shaking to stay up. Sokka had lost his boomerang a while ago and was barely keeping the men at bay with his club. Zuko was trying to stick close to the group, but had already nearly been grabbed by the stone hands that tried to drag him away. He needed to end this. 

     Aang crafted a crystal hut around himself to meditate in peace. Release worldly attachments. Release his love. Release Katara. He had to do this. 

    The crystals begin to glow a blinding blue before breaking apart. Aang, in full Avatar form, begins to levitate as he collects the energy around him. Everyone stops and stares at the sight, in varying degrees of fear and awe. 

   A bolt of lightning crackles through the air, making their hair stand on end as it comes crashing into Aang's back. He seizes for a moment that feels like an eternity before he loses the glow and begins falling to the ground. 

    "No!" Zuko shouts, fully blinded by rage as he runs at his sister who still has two fingers raised from bending. She gives him a look before raising her arm bracer to block his blade. "How could you?!" He demands, hitting with as much precision as he can manage in his anger. 

   She would taunt, but she finds herself actually having to put effort into getting out of the way of his hits. He manages to knock her against the cave wall before he is gripped by multiple rock hands that force him to kneel. His knees knock hard against the floor, shocking him out of his rage momentarily. 

   Azula brushes her hair out of her eyes, panting from exertion. "Working on inner peace, hm?" She laughs. "You can work on it plenty when you're rotting in prison." 

   "Zuko!" Toph shouts before overpowering the other earthbending, releasing him from the hands. Everyone is motioning for him to join them, running deeper into the cavern and away from the fight. He flicks his gaze to his sister for a split second before following, feeling like a failure for running, but feeling like even more of a failure when he sees Aang's limp body in Sokka's arms. 

 

Chapter 30: Fire Boy with the water people

   Zuko helps Sokka maneuver Aang's limp body off of the bison and onto the sandy beach. Water Tribe men swarm them to offer aid, even though they aren't sure what's going on. Katara hovers nearby, which Zuko is thankful for when the men start eyeing him oddly. 

    Toph lands on her feet, but stumbles and falls on her backside when she can't get her feet free of the wet sand. She mutters about how much she hates sand and clings to Appa's leg. 

    The crowd parts for a man with a stern face and confident walk. Katara and Sokka run to him, exclaiming happily despite the situation. He hugs them and lets a single tear fall as they exchange testaments of how much they missed each other. Zuko kneels in the sand, keeping Aang's head on his lap. 

   "What happened?" He asks once they pull away from each other. He takes in the singed clothes of the boy on the ground, his closed eyes and occasional painful twitch, and the teen who sits beside him. Fire Nation, if his golden eyes are anything to go by. 

     Katara crouches next to the two and holds a protective hand over the boy's chest. "Aang was struck by Azula's lightning. I used water from the spirit oasis in the north pole to heal him, but he's been unconscious since then." She wipes away a few stray tears. "Ba Sing Se is lost. Azula took control of the military, and we don't know what happened to the king." 

    Their father just nods and motions a few men forward. They use a blanket to hoist Aang between them and carry him into their camp. The rest follow after. 

    Zuko holds out his arm for Toph, who continues to grumble unhappily. She's shivering, so Zuko lets out a warm breath between them to help keep her shaking down. One of the men walking next to them glowers. 

    "We need to start planning for the day of black sun." Sokka says as they walk. "We've got some plans drawn up, but we need to count how many men we'll have for the fight." 

    They make their way into a tent, while the team that is carrying Aang turns to a different tent. Zuko is distracted by watching where Aang is going that he doesn't notice someone has stepped into his path until he bumps into him. 

    He looks up at a tall, frowning man with his meaty arms crossed imposingly. Zuko isn't sure what to make of this and attempts to step around him, only to get yanked back by his robe and flung away. He stumbles and has to hold onto Toph's arm to make sure that she doesn't fall. 

    Toph frowns and concentrates with her feet to get a sense of where their opponent is. "Hey! What's the big idea?" 

    The man clenches his jaw, but doesn't answer. A taller man with bandages wrapped around most of his chest and arms stands beside him. "Water Tribe only. You'll have to find somewhere to wait on the beach." He doesn't make a comment about how Zuko belongs to the enemy, but the implication is too blatant to ignore. 

    Toph scoffs. "This isn't 'water tribe business'. This is end-of-the-war business!" She points at them, despite not actually being able to see where they are. "You two numskulls are going to kick us out of a war meeting just because we aren't from your tribe?" 

     "Yes." The muscular man says flatly. It's a challenge, but one that isn't worth fighting. If they continue, it won't get them into the meeting. It'll get them kicked off the beach completely. 

    Zuko rests a hand on top of Toph's and nods. "May we at least check on our friend who is hurt?" 

     "And let you near our injured men?" He laughs humorlessly. "Get out of here." 

    Zuko pulls Toph along, despite how she wants to dig her heels in and continue arguing. He finds them a nice spot on the beach near Appa and away from most of the hustle of the camp. He directs her to sit on a log while he looks for wood that isn't completely soaked and makes a pile. He lights it and comes to sit next to her, offering an open arm for her to lean against his side. 

    Toph makes a noise of displeasure, but leans against him and allows him to wrap an arm around her. "They better not get into the fun stuff without us there." 

    "Fun stuff?" Zuko smiles. "You mean the nicknames? Don't worry, they won't be able to do that without you there." 

    This seems to lighten the mood and Toph chuckles. "I hate this." 

     Zuko hums in agreement and wills the fire to grow bigger. Appa rumbles happily and flops onto the sand next to them, nose almost touching the flames. 

    The sun has gone down by the time Katara and Sokka emerge with the man from the tent. They are smiling and hugging and chatting, still not noticing that Zuko and Toph aren't with them. Zuko rolls his eyes and sticks his hand out to play with the fire. 

    It's understandable that they are so caught up in being in the presence of their own people. Zuko felt much the same when they were passing through that fire festival before they met JeongJeong. They've been through a lot in a short amount of time: fighting their way into the palace, getting a message that their long lost father was so close, getting captured and having to fight Azula and losing horribly… 

     Zuko's eyes feel heavy, like the rest of him. He's tired, body and soul. He wants to be able to relax, but these tribesmen look at him like pacing cougar-bats ready for him to fall asleep. Toph is already laying with her head on his lap, breathing softly. He strokes her hair idly to keep his hands busy when he catches someone sending a sharp look his way. 

     He's about to wake Toph so they can both sleep on Appa when Katara and Sokka come out from the shadows to sit on the other side of the burning embers. They look tired too. Toph comes awake and rubs her eyes, complaining that his lap is too bony to sleep on. They all smile, but no one has the energy for much more than that. Katara gets up, grabs a couple of the blankets from their pack, and shoves them all over to Appa's fuzzy legs. They fall into a pile of limbs, barely able to get comfortable before falling asleep. 

Chapter 31: Fire Boy and the Water Dudes

   Zuko always wakes before anyone else. It's something he considers a perk of being a firebender, though the others would grumble that it's most definitely not a perk. He shuffles himself out from the tangled mess of the others and makes his way to the edge of the beach to the tree line to relieve himself. 

  He comes back to the beach for morning meditation. He's gotten used to Aang joining him and, while doing his stretches, finds himself checking over his shoulder to see if the kid is going to come. He sullenly reminds himself that Aang is too hurt and pushes himself even further. 

    If he'd been stronger, he tells himself while doing lunges, they could have done it. He swaps from fire styles to the air steps midway through and tries to keep his terrible thoughts from circling further. If he'd been better, if he'd been smarter- 

    He shoots a blast of fire out towards the water with a steady fist, grunting from the power of it before sitting in the sand. Zuko lets himself wallow in his self pity for a moment before he wades into the water to wash off the sweat. 

    Sokka comes to join him a little later. The rest of the tribe has started their day with communal breakfast, which is probably why Sokka is there to pat him on the shoulder as he emerges from the ocean. He goes to change into something clean. 

   The man spooning out the portions into clay bowls gives him a look that tells him he's not getting any. Zuko doesn't push his luck and heads over to the blanket that his friends are gathered on with the man from yesterday. Katara is deep in conversation with him about some of their adventures while Toph just sits with her head down stirring the contents of her bowl. 

   Sokka smiles at him when he sees him coming, holding a second bowl aloft for him to take. It seems that Sokka may have taken notice to the air surrounding him. 

   "You must be Prince Zuko." The man says and sets his own bowl down. He doesn't give off an air of suspicion like the rest of the men. "My name is Hakoda. I am the chief of the Southern Water Tribe." 

    "Oh. It's an honor to meet you, your… highness?" Zuko hastily sets his food down to make a quick symbol of the flame and attempt a short bow while sitting. Katara snickers behind her hand. 

   "Just Hakoda is fine." He says with a small smile. Sokka knocks his shoulder against him with a matching smile. Oh. He should have guessed before. 

   "You're Katara and Sokka's father." Zuko blurts. 

   "I am. They told me much about you last night." He wraps an arm around Katara to pull her close to his side. "You've been an important part of the team and I thank you for helping to keep my children safe." 

    Zuko really doesn't know what to do, so he just sits and stares. Sokka chuffs a laugh. "Finish your food and we'll start talking about our next steps. Dad has some good ideas about where we should go." Zuko nods and picks his bowl up again, happy to have something to do with his hands. 

    The rest of the day goes smoothly, now that the chief has established that he trusts the firebender. Toph continues to cling to his arm when they are in the wet sands, but shoves him away to make sure no one thinks she's weak when they are on solid ground. Zuko takes it quietly and fondly, knowing that she is indeed a strong person. These tribesmen will realize that soon enough. 

    They meet in one of the tents with a low table and many papers. Sokka is the main speaker, detailing where they need to go to make it to the capitol before the comet. Hakoda nods along, inserting tidbits about the Fire Navy that he had come in contact with. It seems that the two had discussed where the gaang had traveled already last night, so now was going to be about where to go from here. 

    "These are the most recent maps of the capitol city we were able to get." Hakoda produces a scroll from the pile and lays it out, weighing the edges with river rocks. "These little squares are the barracks, and this is the main dock for supplies. We should be able to come in from this side-" 

    Zuko watches and listens without needing to input anything. They are well researched and knowledgeable about ports, and it isn't something Zuko studied much of when he lived in the palace. Azula would probably have plenty of snippy comments about how they hadn't thought about the wind, or that they needed to do it at night, or-

    "What do you think?" Sokka asked, directing it at him. 

     "It's good." He says, hoping they don't realize that he wasn't listening at the end. "Since the eclipse will make firebending useless, they'll have the borders of the island heavily patrolled by nonbending military. It won't matter what side we come from, they'll see us coming." 

   Hakoda puts a finger down at the east side of the coast. "This is where we come from, then. It's closer to the castle by a few yards, has fewer roads, and seems easiest for us to access while being harder for them to get to the beach." 

   Zuko stares at the map, imagining his people, and can't trust himself to comment without throwing up. 

Chapter 32: Fire Boy on Deck

   With each passing day, the men start to become more comfortable with Zuko around. They don't talk to him, but they don't sneer and watch his every move. The easy touches and laughter shared with Katara and Sokka have helped put them at ease. 

    Today will be different. Zuko rubs at his wrist in nervous anticipation, because this will probably solidify how they feel about him, no matter the outcome. It had been Sokka's idea, which his father had agreed with, and Zuko can't say is bad. 

  They're going to steal a fire navy ship. 

  Zuko stands on the beach to keep an eye out for a glint of metal on the horizon. According to the tribesmen, they would often deal with a stray trading ship or explorer near this area. There is no guarantee that they will appear today. They can only wait. 

     It's not until the sun is a few fingerwidths away from sunset that they see a trail of steam in the sky. Zuko looks behind him to make sure everyone is out of sight before he thrusts a palm into the air to release a burst of flames. 

    The signal is spotted because the ship lurches into a turn and heads their way. Zuko shuffles nervously on his feet for the long minutes it takes for the ship to come close.  The ship itself stays in the deep with a single boat lowering into the water and coming to shore. Four men in Fire Navy attire pull the boat up into the sand and come to question Zuko. 

    They take in his dull earth kingdom clothes, grimy and crusted with salt from not being able to wash, and his large scar. One of the men steps forward with a concerned look. 

    "Why did you send a distress signal?" 

  Zuko takes a step back and motions to the trees behind him. "My friend is hurt. We were attacked by earth benders and separated from the rest of our men."

    He must read the anxiety in his voice as actual fear, for he doesn't question the oddities of the situation. He just nods and motions the men to follow Zuko into the woods. He takes them straight into the ambush, which goes off without a hitch. 

    Zuko, Bato, Katara, and Hakoda change into the uniforms quickly. They leave them in their basic clothes and tie them with hemp cord to the trees. Bato quietly questions why they don't just end them, but Hakoda just shakes his head. When they wake, they will be able to free themselves without difficulty, but by then they will be long gone. 

    The four of them clamor onto the boat and begin rowing back to the ship. This is the tricky part. Luckily, Zuko's only role at this point is to bend if they get questioned. It's Katara that has the actual hard job. 

    When they bob their way next to the ship, Zuko attaches the lines to the clips at the front and back of the little boat. They sit completely still as they are hoisted up the side of the ship and back onto the deck. 

   "So what did he want?" Someone on deck asks before they take in the faces of the four, realizing that these are not the people they know. Katara steps forward, raising her arms high and calling the waves to do the same. The boys clutch the railing of the deck to avoid being thrown overboard when she sends it crashing over them. The sailors shout in alarm, but none are seriously hurt and are able to swim to shore. 

    There are a few men who were below deck that come up to see the commotion. Zuko and Hakoda rush them with their swords but, without needing to be told, Hakoda follows Zuko's lead and doesn't pierce their armor. Instead, the pair of them wrangle the men over the side of the ship where they can shed their heavy armor and paddle to the beach. 

    Once the ship is empty of all passengers, Zuko runs to the engine room where he will need to keep the fire burning while Hakoda steers them around the bay back to where the rest of their men are waiting. Katara pushes them along, speeding up their travel and ensuring that the tribesmen understand they were able to take the ship. 

       Sokka and their men whoop for joy when they see them round the bend. They have already gathered their supplies, ready to board once the ship is nestled deep into the sand. 

—--‐—----------

     Zuko doesn't see much of anyone for the next week or so. He keeps himself busy in the depths of the ship maintaining the fire, which is easier for him to do than to expect Katara to constantly push them forward. 

    Toph visits him a couple of times, complains about how smelly he is, then drops off the food she brought for him and disappears. Sokka will stop by to say a few words, usually funny stories about his childhood that are resurfacing with all the familiar faces, but doesn't stay long due to the extreme heat. Katara he sees the least, but that's because she is constantly watching over Aang. 

    It feels like how things were at the air temple; alone, but busy. He's left to his own devices, doing what he can to be useful. If he lets himself think on it too long, it starts to ache behind his ribs in a way that it didn't back with Uncle. Now that he knows what it's like to have companions, it sucks to be without them for so long. 

     He makes a bit of an effort to leave the flames when he gets too tired or needs some fresh air. It's hard to tell what time it is down there, so it's a bit of a shock when Sokka comes running into the engine room and blurts that he needs to come up to the deck NOW! 

    He thunders up the stairs right behind Sokka and takes in the sight. Aang is awake, for starters, and everyone is looking at him with trepidation. Sokka pushes him towards the monk and says "see? He made it. We all did! It's ok!" 

    "Zuko?" Aang's eyes start to blur with tears. He pitches forward weakly and Zuko and Katara are there to catch him. They lower him to sit against the metal deck. "What happened? Where are we?" 

    "We're on a fire navy ship." Zuko says with his unused, crusty voice. 

    "You've been asleep for two weeks." Katara says. "Do you remember what happened?" 

    "No, just that you guys were in danger." He says miserably. Most of the men have meandered back to their posts, choosing to give them some privacy. "Azula was there, and… what happened to Ba Sing Se?" 

    Katara places a motherly hand on his shoulder. "Aang, it's not your fault. Azula struck you with lightning. You almost died -" 

    It's obvious her words are making him frazzled and anxious, knowing what the underlying message is, so Zuko interrupts her. "Do you know the story of how Yangchen protected the Northern temples from being destroyed?" 

     This startles both of them out of their spirals. Aang blinks at him for a minute, giving him a chance to wipe away the tears from his cheeks. "A little." 

     Zuko explains "angry mountain goat-cougars were destroying anything they could. She couldn't stop them from getting into the temple because there were too many. " 

    "And she made everyone gather the important items and retreat." The boy inserts helpfully. 

    "She didn't want to let them hurt the temple, but she had a plan. They had to get to the music chamber so they could make enough noise to scare them away. But she had to wait for the perfect moment when all the goat-cougars would be there." 

     Aang nods a bit miserably. "I understand." 

     Sokka balks from behind them. "I don't!"

     Zuko rolls his eyes. "Yangchen had to let some of the temple get destroyed to save the rest of the temple. Like how we had to retreat and lose Ba Sing Se to win the war." He places his hand on Aang's other shoulder. "You needed to get out of there while we still could. We can still win this." 

    Toph and Sokka ambush him from behind and squish him into a messy group hug. When they part, Aang looks a bit better and offers a small smile. "Thanks, you guys." Aang brightens fully when Appa rumbles from the other side of the deck. He quickly stumbles onto his feet, using his glider as a makeshift cane to hobble over to his big friend and talk with him for a while. The rest of the gaang leave them be. They have a lot of catching up to do.

Chapter 33: fire boy and the gross village

     Aang tells them the next day that they need to separate from the tribe. Sokka and Katara take the news a little hard, but Toph is ready with the fervor of someone who still hasn't developed their sea legs.
    Zuko is torn and wonders aloud if they will be able to power the ship without him. Bato claps him on the shoulder and tells him that they know how to shovel coal, thank you very much. His tone is warm and friendly and Zuko just nods in acceptance. 
    They collect their things, spend a while on their goodbyes, and take off on Appa towards the west where they will find the first of many Fire Nation archipelagos. 
     They steal a new set of clothes, camp out in a cave, and decide to float on Appa until they find something interesting. 
    "What's that smell?" Toph complains from where she lounges against the saddle. The rest of the group gag and try to fan the stench away, but it persists. 
    "Look." Katara points to the water below them. There's no reflection due to the thick sludge making up most of the river. Sokka pulls his fishing line up and makes a noise of disgust at the green goo that clings to the hook. 
    "Maybe there's food in the next town." Aang says encouragingly, eyeing the hook worriedly. Whatever 'food' this next town has doesn't look like it'll be any more promising than what Sokka had tried to pull.
    They do find a village nearby. Aang stashes Appa in the thick forest near the shore where they won't be found while everyone else perfects their fire nation look. Zuko, most of all, has to adjust his head scarf a few times to make sure it falls in just the right way to cover the left side of his face without looking suspicious. 
   It turns out that he didn't need to worry so much. Everyone in town looks half dead, trudging along the raised walkways without a spark in their eyes, let alone worrying about the newcomers. The only one that they need to worry about is the crazy man who calls himself multiple names. But he's probably harmless. 
      Zuko watches from the back of the group as the gaang interacts with his people. It's heartening for them to get to see the humanity of the Fire Nation. But it's devastating how broken these villagers are. These are his people and he can't do anything to take care of them.
    They head back to Appa and Momo with their measly two-headed fish to prepare the campsite. Zuko spends the time quietly brooding and thinking about what he can do. 
   He saw the factory just upstream. He saw the grime emptying from the pipes straight into the river. He knows that that's where the problems are coming from. And if they were going to leave tomorrow morning, maybe he could do something about it…..
     The gaang doesn't eat, other than Sokka who chokes down the nasty fish. They solemnly retreat to their bedrolls and go to sleep. Once the group has started snoring, Zuko checks their surroundings before getting up and checking his bag. He pulls out the black pants and shirt and ducks behind Appa to change into them. 
    When he emerges, he sees that someone is also awake on the other side of camp. In the dark it's hard to tell who it is, but they seem familiar. But he's not sure who in their group has flowy robes or a hooded cape. 
     Zuko sneaks closer while the person crouches to see their reflection. They're so familiar. Is that- 
   "Katara?" 
  The figure stands and twists around so quickly they almost fall over. The hat gets knocked off in their haste, revealing long brown hair and familiar blue eyes. She looks startled, unable to make a comment. Zuko steps forward and takes in her outfit and the face paint half finished. "Are you… pretending to be the painted lady spirit?" 
    Katara shushes him and looks over his shoulder to make sure no one else wakes up. "I'm going to heal the villagers." She says with determination, daring him to fight her on this. "Wait… what are you doing in your sneaky outfit?"
    Zuko only pauses for a moment before he chuffs a laugh. "I was going to steal supplies from the factory."
   The two share a quiet laugh of disbelief. What a situation to find themselves in: believing that they needed to hide this from their friends and not realizing that someone else has the exact same thought. 
    They decide to separate and complete their tasks, with Katara healing villagers while Zuko steals large bags of rice and dried vegetables to give to the ones she had healed. Zuko has to pull Katara away after her sixth or seventh healing. If they don't return to camp and get some sleep, it'll look suspicious. 
    The next morning goes well, with Zuko managing to keep a straight face while Katara does all the lying. Can't go yet, Appa is sick. He just nods along with the rest of them when they decide to wait it out another day. 
    Unfortunately, the workers in the factory were quick to notice a thief had stolen a chunk of their food stock. The gaang came to the docks in time to see the poor people being screamed at. 
    "Our medicine and food goes missing at the same time you're all 'miraculously' gifted them from the Painted Lady?" One of the burlier men in uniform shouts. "How stupid do you think I am?!" 
    "Pretty stupid." Sokka mutters, earning a laugh from his friends. 
   The surrounding villagers go still and quiet when the man's gaze lands on them. He stomps his way over to them and leans, making sure they all land in his massive shadow. "Got something to say, boy?" He growls. 
    Zuko steps forward between him and the group, keeping his head low, but his eyes steady on the thug's fists. "No, sir. We were laughing at how silly it is to believe in some spirit mumbo-jumbo." 
    Thankfully, no one contradicts him, though he can feel Katara's hackles raise as if preparing for a fight. The man nods once in approval before turning and terrorizing the rest of the villagers once again. Once his attention is no longer on them, Sokka corrales them all behind a nearby hut.
    Sokka leans in close to whisper harshly "what were you thinking?!" 
    Katara rears back. "What? I was just trying to help- wait, how did you know-"
   "Oh come on, I saw your face when he came over. It's the same look you gave Dad when you had broken his favorite bowl. I can't believe you'd do something so reckless! These people are going to be hounded by those soldiers now." 
    "Alright, alright! So Katara stole some stuff. Now we need to figure out how to get these Fire creeps off their backs." Toph says, reminding the siblings that they aren't alone. 
    "No no no! We are headed out of here! We can't risk getting caught." 
    Katara clenches her teeth in fury. "I don't care about getting caught. I am not abandoning these people." She points an angry finger at her brother and says loudly "I will never abandon people who need me!" 
    Before she can turn and stomp off to face the soldiers alone, Sokka grabs her arm. "Wait." He sighs. "You're my sister, and I will never abandon you." 
    "So what's the plan?" Aang asks excitedly. 
    Zuko coughs to get their attention. Once everyone has turned to look at him, he asks "why don't we make them believe in the Painted Lady?"  

Chapter 34: fire boy and the water spirit

 I'm unable to find time to dedicate to long chapters right now. Have a little baby bite!

 

 

 

The plan is crafted and argued and changed and completed within an hour. 

    In that time, the soldiers are still harassing and pilfering the village, going into homes and taking anything they claim could have been stolen. The group gets into place and waits. 

   First, Toph and Appa set the mood by making groans and thumps with a large stone slab. Katara uses bending to create an unnatural mist that floats over to the docks. Zuko and Sokka circle around from either side of the water's edge towards the village as Katara speeds her way across the river, making sure that everything goes without incident. Aang, as planned, has crawled under the wooden docks and prepares to help boost her when needed.

    The villagers stand in awe of the display while the lower ranked soldiers cower. They begin whispering about spirits and curses, finally squealing when they spot the dark figure headed their way. A few don't even wait for their superiors to acknowledge the threat before hopping on their water skimmers and getting away. The ones who are left get into uneasy fighting stances. 

    Katara jumps from her ice raft onto the pier with grace. The mist obscures her features and makes it easier for Zuko and Sokka to sneak around to the remaining skimmers and tie them together. 

   Meanwhile, Aang uses his airbending to send cold currents of air at the soldiers and raise Katara into the air when the meat head tries to attack her. Zuko and Sokka wince at how close it came to hitting her, but finish up their work quickly to provide backup. 

   "Leave." Katara says in a deep and threatening voice. "And know that this village is protected." 

     The last of the men and women from the factory scramble away. The villagers hoop and holler with joy, which turns to laughter when the skimmers bump into each other in the water and start sinking. The soldiers make a delightfully pitiful sight as they slosh away in the muck. 

    "Hey, wait. You're not the Painted Lady." The strange man who rowed them to the town says. One by one, the villagers take notice, muttering and pointing that she is one of the visiting strangers. "She gave me a fish!" A boy says in a betrayed voice. 

    Sokka runs to her side and defends her, but Katara places a gentle hand on his shoulder and tells the people that she wanted to help. That their problems are real and their hurt was real. When the people don't know what to do with this information, Zuko shuffles his feet and finally blurts "We need to clean the river." to fill the silence. A few villagers side eye him, causing him to duck his head and cover up with his scarf, but everyone nods and agrees that this is the best course of action.  

    Once Aang and Toph join them, they set up a system with the people to separate the muck, take it to the forest, and allow better flow for clean water from upriver. By the end of the day, the water is crystal clean, with a few little fish poking around the beams of the dock in curiosity. 

    Sokka begs them to keep their visit a secret as they bid them farewell. The strange man gives them a thumbs up, which doesn't give them any confidence.

Chapter 35: Fire Boy and Sarcasm Guy

   They land among the hills in an open field, unused and unseen and perfect for making camp. Tomorrow, Katara groans tiredly, they can head to the town just a mile or so away for supplies. Everyone agrees and pulls out their blankets to sleep under the stars on such a clear night. 

    "That one is the lionturtle. The monks used to use it as a way to point South. See how it's tail points straight?" 

    Everyone squints at the sky, trying to make out the shape that Aang claims to see. The only one not doing so is Toph, who picks her nose and makes a noise of disinterest. 

   "Whoa, what's that one?" Katara wonders, looking up at a dazzling star that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. 

   Aang sits up. "I'm not sure." 

 "Is it getting brighter?" Sokka asks. After a few seconds of intense staring, it becomes clear that it is, indeed, getting brighter. And closer. And hotter!

   A meteorite the size of a house barrels down from the sky and crashes into the earth a few yards away, sending chunks of dirt and grass flying everywhere. It eventually skids to a halt once it is firmly wedged deep into the soil. 

    "Oh no! The fire is going to burn its way to the town!" Katara points to the flaming field spreading from the messy landing and creeping up hill in the direction of the closest village. 

   Aang balls his hands into fists and directs them on what to do. "Katara, get as much water as you can onto the meteorite. Zuko, sap the heat from the fires. Toph, you and I can use earthbending to stomp out the flames around the rock." 

   "What do I do?!" Sokka asks excitedly, then deflates when he is handed Momo for 'safekeeping'. He watches his friends charge at the danger and use their skills to put out the flames and save the day. 

     When they are done, they're hardly even out of breath. They smile and share high-fives before calling it a night and heading to bed. Sokka grumbles and curls up in his sleeping bag, feeling a familiar ache of being less than. 

‐—------------

    "Alright Sokka. What's wrong?" Zuko asks the next morning over breakfast. The others are sitting with their legs dangling over a railing, discussing the events of last night, and out of earshot. 

    Sokka pouts. "Nothi-" he stops when Zuko gives him a heated glare. "Ugh, fine. I guess I'm just… I'm not… like you guys." 

    Zuko pauses and looks his friend over. What he saw was very familiar to him. "You're worried you're not as good." 

  Sokka winces at the phrasing. "You guys can do all this cool magic mumbo jumbo and I'm… just ordinary." 

   Zuko sets his bowl aside and turns to face him. "Sokka. You know that's not true." The look of flat disbelief tells him otherwise. "Ok. I'll spell it out for you, then. The spirits blessed us all differently. No one is more important or better than anyone else." 

    Sokka feels frustration well up inside him. "But when it comes to fighting or saving the day, I need to be helpful! Or else I'm just in the way." 

    Zuko had the gall to smirk at him. "I hope you know how ridiculous you sound." 

   "What?" 

  "You're the most helpful out of all of us." Again, Sokka makes a face of disbelief. "I mean it. You come up with all the plans. You keep us on track. You have the most level head. We wouldn't have gotten this far without you, and we wouldn't be able to go even further without you." He looks around them to make sure no one else is listening. "Look. I know better than anyone what it's like to have a sister outshine you. It's hard. But… you know you've got a ton of great qualities, right?" 

     Sokka sighs and stares out over the town. "It just doesn't feel that way."  

   They share a moment of silence as they eat. Suddenly Zuko jolts and turns back to him. "I know what will help." He gestures over the tops of the buildings to a grove of cherry-bonzai trees further away from the edge of town, almost unnoticeable. "Past those trees is the mansion of Piandao. He's the greatest swords master in the Fire Nation. Maybe the whole world. We should ask him to teach you." 

    "We don't have time." Sokka says halfheartedly, now looking at the tiny trail with interest. 

    "We will make time." Zuko bumps his shoulder. "Maybe being reminded of your skill will make you feel like a part of the team." 

     He looks like he's about to argue, but keeps it to himself and shovels more food into his mouth, gaze going back to the trees. 

‐—------------‐—

    The group waits at camp while Sokka goes to talk with Piandao. Zuko tells them it's a good sign that he hasn't come back by lunch, because it means he probably took him on as a student. They still wring their hands with worry and putter around for something to do. By sundown Sokka returns with a huge smile, telling them that he will be going back tomorrow. 

    Katara gives Zuko a quiet 'thank you' at dinner as Sokka gestures wildly at what he learned that day. He's happier than they've seen him in weeks. It brings the mood of the group up just being near his energy. 

    The following days are dull and uneventful. Without Sokka, it's like the spark of joy is dimmed. Zuko and Aang meditate in the morning, followed by Aang training with Katara and Toph, then after lunch he practices airbending moves that Zuko has taken to copying. At dinner, Sokka will regale them with his lessons, then they go to sleep. The only difference is when Sokka asks everyone to help him haul the meteorite up to the mansion. Zuko is quick to wrap himself in a scarf to cover his face. It will do no good for his old sword master to recognize him. 

    Against Zuko's wishes, they stay the night curled together in a pile that the butler finds amusing, and wake in the morning to find that Sokka and Piandao finished the sword. It's black and perfectly balanced. But when Piandao declares him a creative student that he is proud of, Sokka can't hold himself still. 

   "I can't accept this." He says sadly. His friends look at each other in confusion. Sokka looks up at his master and proclaims. "I'm not who I said I was. I'm Water Tribe."  

    Piandao says something before drawing his own sword and launching into an attack. Sokka tells them over his shoulder that this is his fight and they can't interfere. Zuko places a hand on Katara's shoulder, expressing through his eyes that it'll be alright. She hesitates before falling out of her stance. 

    Sokka parrys and attacks in ways that are much smoother than just a week ago. The bystanders are in awe of the artful way he blocks, steps forward, and guides his sword like an extension of himself. Unfortunately, it's not good enough to beat a honed master and he finds himself without a weapon and on his back in the grass. 

   Everyone rushes forward to protect him, unsure of what the man will do now that he knows that Sokka isn't fire nation. But he merely steps back with a smile. 

   "I didn't realize I would be hosting the Avatar." He slides his gaze across the group. "Or the prince." 

    Zuko removes the sash, feeling suddenly foolish for trying to trick him. Piandao just smiles wider and gives him a single nod before going back to Sokka. "I knew you weren't Fire from the moment you came." 

    "Then… why did you teach me?" Sokka asks in a quiet, unsure voice. 

    "Because the way of the sword belongs to all nations." He helps the boy stand and looks at the group as a whole. "Your journey is going to be difficult. But there are members everywhere who will offer whatever help we can." 

    They leave soon after, with goodbyes and sweet treats made by the butler stowed in their pockets. Sokka eyes Zuko before saying "Piandao mentioned he had another student years ago. A little spitfire who ended up being a great dual dao master." 

   Zuko startles. "He did?" 

   "Yeah." Sokka confirms and taps his friend on the shoulder with his newly sheathed blade. "Maybe that spitfire and I should practice sometime. See who's the better sword bender." 

    Zuko groans, though his heart isn't in it. "Don't call it that."

Chapter 36: Fire Boy has Feelings

      Sokka awoke when he smelled bacon. He gave a mighty yawn before untangling himself from his bedroll and heading over to the campfire. Katara and Zuko were always awake before everyone else, nothing new, but this time Aang was sitting on a distant rock, seemingly talking to himself. "What is he doing?"

   Zuko didn't move his concentration from the noodles he was preparing. "Communing with Avatar Roku, I think." 

   "What? Wait. Never mind. I don't want to know." He plops down next to his sister who is frying up the wonderful bacon. He makes a move to nab one straight off the pan, but Katara smacks his wrist and glares. 

   Zuko shrugs. "He muttered something about the dragon Fang, then he started walking over there. He's fine. Probably something important about the war, so we definitely shouldn't disturb him." 

     They finish up breakfast, morning stretches, hunting for small critters, and even soaking their feet in a small nearby creek for a while and Aang still isn't done. Toph and Katara go off to bathe, leaving Zuko and Sokka to watch over the monk while he meditates. 

   "So how do you know so much about Avatar stuff?" Sokka asks and stares out at the sky. 

   Zuko makes a humming noise, trying to piece together his thoughts. "You know I was hunting the Avatar when I first came to the temples." He waits for the nod of acknowledgement from his companion. "I didn't just learn about the air nomads during those years. There were a lot of scrolls about the previous Avatars from each of the nations. It… didn't fit with a lot that I was taught growing up." He starts fidgeting with his hands and adds in a murmur. "Uncle helped me connect the dots for a lot of the things that didn't make sense."

"Oh." Sokka looks stricken. "I'm sorry, bud. I know you miss him." 

  He can't even pretend he's not hurting, because they know how important his uncle is to him. "I know what happens to traitors. So did he. I just… don't understand why he would…" 

     "Because he loves you. A lot." Sokka tries to smile. "And he knows you love him too." 

    This releases his tenuous hold on his tears and suddenly he's crying. Sokka just pats him on the back while he lets it out. "People who love me end up dead." He declares. "My mom… now my uncle… I can't… I don't know what's wrong with me." 

    The two startle when Katara and Toph come running to their sides, looking ready to fight. Toph asks loudly "what's wrong? What happened?" 

    Sokka shushes them and motions for them to sit. Zuko wipes at his face in a poor attempt to clean his cheeks. Katara scoots close enough for their knees to touch. "What happened, Zuko?" 

    Zuko opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Sokka helpfully tells them "I reminded him of his uncle. On accident! But now he's saying crazy stuff about how he thinks something is wrong with him." 

    "Nothing is wrong with you. Bad things happen to people during war." Katara says kindly. "We're going to find him. We'll get him out." 

    He doesn't want to tell them that it will be too late. That traitors are killed quickly and painfully. Uncle Iroh is probably already gone and he never got to tell him how much he appreciates him. They don't need to know yet. Not if they can keep their hope. He just nods miserably and hopes it's enough. 

     They pause to look at Aang when a gust of wind sweeps past them and seems to enter Aang's body. He jolts, sitting up more fully and looking around himself until he makes eye contact with his friends. 

   "Aang!" Katara grins and stands, barely making it to her feet before the boy wraps her in a hug. "Zuko says you were talking with Avatar Roku." 

     "I was. And he gave me a lot of things to think about." He catches Zuko's eye and beams. "Did you know you're my great grandson?" 

    "Huh?!" He blurts before Aang clings to him, nuzzling his face into his chest. 

   "Roku told me about his descendents and said that one was closer than I thought. But I knew he was talking about you, and when I asked he said you were!" 

    The team shares looks of surprise. "But… my great grandfather was Firelord Sozin." 

    Aang let's him go, as if remembering something very important. "Oh! Sozin's Comet! He told me that we need to start preparing for that." 

     "Aang. Slow down." Sokka advised. "Start from the beginning." 

    The boy takes a deep breath in, then out. "Ok. So, Avatar Roku's dragon Fang came to get me and pulled me into the spirit world because he wanted to show me what happened to him." The team sits in a circle to listen as he continues. "It turns out that Roku and Sozin were friends when they were kids! And then Roku found out he was the next Avatar, so he had to leave to train." He gets a sad smile as he says "he came to the Southern Temple to learn airbending. He was really good friends with Gyatso." 

    Katara and Sokka, who sit at his sides, place comforting hands on his shoulders. He has to take a moment before he continues. 

    "When he came back, Sozin was different. He was firelord and had the idea to start spreading the glory of the Fire Nation to everyone. Roku thought he'd convinced him not to, but later Sozin betrayed him and wouldn't help him when he was fighting an erupting volcano."

      Zuko keeps silent. He's heard the other side of this story and he knows now that it's not true, but he hadn't known that Sozin was there when Roku died. His great grandfather killed the Avatar. His family was the worst. 

    "It's kind of cool, you know?" Aang says, though the forced happiness doesn't reach his eyes. "My past life was friends with my teacher. I wonder what other friends I've had that I didn't know about." 

    "Do you think friendships can really transcend a lifetime?" Toph asks uncertainly. Katara and Aang take her hands in theirs. 

    "I don't see why not." 

  Sokka makes a thoughtful noise, stroking his chin. "Scientifically speaking, it shouldn't-" 

   "Oh shut up and hold hands." Katara says. Sokka obediently takes her offered hand and reaches his other out to Zuko. 

    Zuko hesitates. Everyone who loves him ends up hurt. He doesn't want to put them at risk, and he's not sure he feels like he's worth it. Aang looks up and gives him a knowing look. He and Zuko have a lot in common and, despite all the pain and loneliness, this little monk is still willing to put his whole heart into it. 

    Zuko links hands with Sokka and Aang, feeling like maybe this time will be different. 

Chapter 37: the Runaway

  Sokka and Toph have been sneaking into town a lot more often than necessary. Katara has already expressed her worries many times, but it hasn't changed their minds. Most surprising to Zuko is that they returned today with satchels full of food. And a hawk. 

  "He can send messages for us!" Sokka exclaims happily. Aang laughs and welcomes the bird to the group. 

    "How could you afford him?" Zuko crosses his arms. "Messenger hawks are for the elite. They're expensive." 

     Sokka shrugs and sends a sly look towards Toph, though she can't see it, and prattles on about the other supplies they brought back. From what he can see, it's spotless fruits and good cuts of meat that would have come from the high level grocers. 

    He knows that Katara is catching on that something is wrong. Aang is the only one who doesn't seem to notice the thick atmosphere of secrets and unsaid accusations. 

     Later, he sees Katara shuffling around the campsite to collect dirty clothes. She stops when she is gathering Toph's things and stands with a piece of paper. After a moment of staring at it, her expression hardens and she stomps over to the girl. The conversation quickly escalates and Zuko feels the need to make sure everything is alright. 

     "-sneaking off to steal things!"  

   "It's not stealing! We earned it!"

      "Earned it by lying!" 

   Zuko looks around and can't find Aang or Sokka, so he's going to have to step in and mediate. "What happened?" 

   Katara whirls and thrusts the paper- a drawing of Toph titled 'The Runaway'- in his face. "They're going to get us caught!" 

    Zuko feels a headache coming on. "So, you've been going into town with Sokka and… earning money?" Katara huffs and Toph nods in confirmation. "How?" 

     "We found some people lookin to make a bet and we made some bets." She leans back as if unbothered. "Not my fault if they underestimate me."

    Zuko sighs and sits in the grass so that he's not looming over her. "You know that's wrong. This isn't legal. Or safe. And we need to be smart about how much we go into town." 

     Toph leans forward again. "We were being smart! We need money to buy food!" 

   "And hawks?" Zuko prompts with a raised brow, hoping she catches on to his dry sarcasm. 

    She blows the bangs out of her face, only for them to fall back into place. "We had some extra." 

    He takes a deep breath, letting it out through his nose and hoping he can keep his thoughts together. "Ok. So you know you got more than you needed. And made some questionable purchases. So, now we need to get going before anyone starts to question the strange kids with too much money." 

    Toph just shrugs and closes her eyes. "I'm sure there's other towns with plenty of suckers. " 

    "No, Toph." Katara chides. "No more stealing." 

   "It's not stealing!" She shouts, stomping her foot and cracking the earth around her. Toph stands and brushes past them. "And you're not my mother!" 

    "I'm not trying to be!" Katara yells at her retreating back. Zuko places a hand on her shoulder. She's done talking for now and yelling doesn't do any good.

    Zuko allows the two room to dwell on what was said. Even though Zuko is prone to being overwhelmed by his emotions, he has learned to hold himself back until he can think rationally. (At least sometimes. And that's got to count for something.)

    In this situation, it reminds Zuko of his crew back at the temple. If someone tried to get something through his thick skull, it wouldn't sink in immediately. His men knew that they had to wait a day or so before he actually thought it out. And Zuko had a feeling that Toph was much the same. 

    So for now, he would meditate with Aang. And hope that Toph would see reason. 

—-----------

    He's not sure what led to this, but now Katara was traveling to town for some scheme!

    The boys waited at camp to avoid being seen. Apparently part of her horrible plan was identifying Toph as The Runaway. Zuko groans and rubs between his eyes. 

    Of course, it goes south quickly. Katara and Toph are both identified as the Avatar's companions and detained. They manage to escape and run back with the news that there's a bounty hunter after them. 

   They pack up quickly. It's not until they're in the air that Katara and Toph are able to give the full story, as crazy as a man who can make explosions with his mind sounds. 

    "I think I'm probably done with grifting." Toph says quietly. Katara scoots closer to her with a smile. 

    "Group hug!" Aang shouts and pounces from Appa's head to the saddle. Toph grumbles, but is the first one to reach out her arms to be brought in, closing her eyes and enjoying the moment just like everyone else. 

Chapter 38: fire boy and the water witch

  Zuko may be awkward and socially anxious, but he had learned how to tell a story. And, as the rest of the group was finding out, had heard a bunch of truly terrifying stories from his crew. 

     "The only thing left was his shoes. The end." 

    Sokka wraps his arms around himself to pretend he isn't scared. "It's cold. Zuko, make the fire bigger." 

    "You sure you're not shaking from… the Wildebeest ?!" Toph reaches over and gives him a push, causing him to shriek and jump out of his seat. Sokka scowls at them all when they laugh. 

    "Alright, I've got one." Katara says. "And this one is real." 

     "Is this one of those ' a friend of a friend told it to his cousin'-" 

   "No." Katara says flatly. "It happened to mom." 

    Sokka takes a seat next to Aang, subtly clinging to the monk's shirt and allowing him to wrap his arms around him. Whatever. Not like he was scared. 

    Katara launches into her story with everyone completely immersed. When she reaches the scariest part, Toph jolts and holds up a hand for her to stop. 

   "I hear screaming." She says with a note of fear. Sokka, who is still wrapped around Aang, scoffs and tells her she's probably just spooked and imagining things. Toph huffs and sends a glare in his general direction. "I mean it! It sounds like it's coming from inside the mountain." 

     "Hello-"

 "AHH!" The group screams in tandem when a figure comes out from the trees into the firelight. Katara is seconds away from projecting a water whip from her flask when she registers that it's not a wildebeest or crazy killer- just an old woman. 

    The rest of the gaang comes to the same realization as well and slowly start to calm back down. She looks apologetic for having startled them and shuffles a little closer. "I'm sorry to have crept up on you, children, but I saw your fire from nearby. You know, these woods aren't safe at night." She smiles and motions for them to follow her. "Why don't you stay at my inn tonight? Have a nice bed to sleep on." 

    Sokka, as the leader, makes the decision to follow her. Zuko reaches out to the fire and wills it down to embers, which Katara quickly and sneakily drowns with a splash of water before jogging to catch up with the rest. 

     The woman introduces herself as Hama and tells them that people have gone missing in those woods, usually on a full moon. Everyone shares a collective shiver of dread. Tomorrow night is the full moon! Once everyone is seated at her table, she sets about fixing a dinner for everyone. Sokka and Katara are delighted to hear that she has sea prunes, ignoring how Zuko and Aang share a look of disgust. 

   "Thank you for this." Katara tells her. Hama gives her a warm smile and dishes out an extra helping of prunes. 

    "How can we repay you?" Sokka asks between mouthfuls. 

     Hama taps her lip in thought. "I could always use strong hands to help me with a few things." She looks to Zuko. "If you have time tomorrow." 

    Zuko shudders involuntarily. Something about the way she looks at him makes him feel… on edge. Sokka doesn't notice and just nods, telling her that of course they would help her with whatever she needed. 

    Toph asks him later if he's alright as they go their separate ways to their bedrooms. He mumbles a quick answer, knowing she won't believe that he's fine, but unable to put into words how he's really feeling. They'll be gone soon enough, though, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Nothing to make a fuss about. 

—--------------

     Sokka and Katara are overjoyed to discover that Hama comes from the Southern Water Tribe! Zuko, Aang, and Toph watch as the siblings gush over their shared culture with the woman and discover the hardships they have all gone through because of the war. When Hama mentions being taken away by firebenders, her eyes flit to Zuko for the barest of seconds, so quick he isn't entirely sure it happened, but it spikes his heart rate enough that he decides to step outside while they talk. 

    Toph goes with him and holds his hand. They don't say anything for a few moments as Zuko catches his breath. He can't quite explain what it is, but Hama unnerves him. He thinks Toph feels it too.

    After they go back inside, Hama tells them that they will make use of the day so that they can be on their way tomorrow morning. She sends Sokka and Aang into town to fetch a few supplies, asks Toph to help level her gardens, and tells Katara that they will practice a waterbending technique together. Zuko isn't told what to do and, in contrast to the looks she had given him earlier, she now refuses to meet his eyes. As if disregarding that he is there. 

     He wants to go to market with the others, but he's not sure he feels comfortable leaving Toph and Katara with Hama. They're capable fighters, but what if something happened? No. He'll stay. Even if the thought makes him uneasy. 

    He tries to follow them out to the field where she says they will practice, but Hama turns to him and asks in a fake sweet voice "I'm so sorry, but this is a Water Tribe technique. Are you from the tribe as well?" 

    Zuko shifts his weight, feeling out of place. "...no." 

    Katara wants to vouch for him, but is too excited to learn more about her people. "It's alright, Zuko. We won't be too long." They turn and continue walking, disappearing behind the trees and tall grass. Zuko lets out a frustrated huff and turns back to the inn to join Toph. 

—----------

    Everyone gathers at the table for dinner once again, sharing stories and laughing. Zuko tries to smile and play along, but it's hard when he feels so queasy. 

    "Is everyone in your group a bender?" Hama asks before taking another spoonful of stew. 

    "Except for Sokka, but he's incredible with a sword." Aang blurts happily. 

   Sokka points his spoon at the monk. "And a boomerang! Don't forget!" 

    Hama's eyes drift to Zuko again. "And you, dear? Do you bend?" 

    He chokes down the broth in his mouth and hesitantly answers "y-yeah. I'm a… firebender." He feels like running out the door at the gleam in her eyes when he says this.

    Aang cuts in "but he follows the teachings of the Air Nomads! That's why he and I don't eat meat." 

     Hama smiles. "How interesting! Well, children, it's been a long day. Why don't we head off to bed." She gathers their bowls and bids them goodnight. Everyone mutters a reply and meanders their way to the bedrooms. 

    Zuko shuts his door with a sigh of relief. Tomorrow morning he would get up bright and early and make sure they leave this place as soon as possible! He quickly gets under the covers and tries to sleep, despite the anxiety he couldn't get rid of. 

    When he was finally able to close his eyes and steady his breathing, he hears the door creak open. He wants to jerk up and see who it is and panics when his body doesn't respond. He feels nauseous, the unnatural churning of his chi going against him alerts him that something is terribly wrong.

    "Up, little puppet." Hama's fake sugary voice tells him as he is tugged, his body moving in jerky motions out of the bed to stand in front of her. She has her hands up, as if moving a marionette, her eyes glittering with amusement as he panics. Hama marches him out of the inn and into the cold night air with the full moon shining brightly above them.

—------------

     Katara jolts awake. It's hard for her to sleep on full moons, but even moreso when it's so hot. He hears a door open and close somewhere downstairs, which doesn't concern her at first. But she knows that she will have trouble getting back to sleep and if it's Hama puttering around, maybe she can ask her more questions. 

    She slips on her shoes and quietly tiptoes past everyone's rooms, then tries very hard to get down the stairs without too much noise. But when she gets down to the living space, there's no one there. And the door is wide open. 

     Up on the edge of the hill, she can make out two figures walking away. Hama, and someone else. Didn't Hama warn them that people go missing on full moons? What is she doing going out at night? 

    Katara decides to follow. Something doesn't seem right. 

—-----------

    Sokka told himself that he wasn't going to sleep. He would stay vigil all night because something wasn't right here. Talking with the townspeople only confirmed that creeping feeling. He knew Zuko could feel it. And Aang, the ball of positivity and joy, said that there was some sort of bad energy resting over the people. If Aang felt something bad, then Sokka knew he was onto something! 

   Unfortunately, staying vigil while in the countryside was easier. Having a very comfortable bed and shelter and a full belly made it a struggle to keep his eyes open. 

   That is, until he hears two people making their way down the stairs and out the front door. Sokka grabs his sword and hops out of bed. "Aang." He whispers to the boy, shaking his shoulder. Aang snorts and sits up. 

    "I'm up, I'm up." He grumbles and rubs his eyes. "What's wrong?" 

   "Somebody left." Sokka holds up a hand to keep Aang silent as he hears another creak in the hall, signaling that someone else is sneaking out too. "Ok. Something is happening. Come on." 

    By the time they make it to the front door, anyone else sneaking around is already gone. But there are fresh prints in the dirt heading up the hill toward the forest. Sokka leads the way towards answers. 

—---------- 

     "Hama!" Zuko and the old woman stop as Katara approaches. He wants to call out to her desperately. He's still facing away and can't see what she's doing. 

    "Katara, dear. I'm glad you're here." She croons, twisting the boy around. "I had plans for this one, but I think this will be better suited to teach you something." 

    "What are you doing to Zuko?" She glares, her blue eyes shining with visible anger even from the other side of the field. 

    Hama moves her hands and forces Zuko to walk forward a few steps before bending into a low bow. "This is what I wanted to teach you, Katara. Blood bending. A technique I had to teach myself to get out of that-" She clenches her fist at the same time Zuko lets out a strangled cry of pain "- wretched fire nation prison!" 

     "Stop!" Katara pleads. "What are you doing?!" 

    "You're going to learn how to blood bend, my girl." Hama makes Zuko run forward, arms swinging in attack. Katara jumps out of the way just in time. "Take control of him. Show me you are a true survivor." 

    Zuko lunges again and manages to land a hit against her arm. Katara stumbles back, feeling a mix of betrayal from Zuko and Hama, then feeling terrible because she knows Zuko would never do this if he were in control. She freezes the ground around him and traps his body in a column of ice. 

     Just when she is about to circle around to incapacitate Hama, Sokka charges forward with his sword drawn. Hama waves a hand in his direction to stop his advancement. The effect is immediate, with Sokka coming to an abrupt halt midair and choking on his battle cry. Katara can only watch as the two boys turn to each other and begin slashing at each other. 

    "Hey!" Aang lands in the grass next to her and blasts the two apart with a tunnel of wind. They don't stay down for long. Soon they are both attacking Aang. Thankfully, Hama doesn't seem capable of forcing Zuko to firebend, or maybe it's his own willpower keeping it from flaring to life. 

     Katara looks at how Hama is standing, what she taught her about sensing the water in everything around her, and knew what she had to do. She raised her hands and closed her eyes, feeling for the water in Hama. There it is. 

    She sharply yanks on the veins in her fragile arms, making Hama lose her control and stumble a step to catch her balance. Katara doesn't give her a chance to regain it, though, and pins her arms to her sides. Sokka and Zuko fall into the grass, groaning with relief to have their bodies back. 

    From the forest comes a multitude of voices before villagers pop up over the hill. They come to the field and take custody of Hama, spitting curses at her and marching her towards the town. But not before she looks over her shoulder at the poor girl she had just forced into blood bending and congratulating her on her new ability. 

    Toph, who appeared with the villagers, puts her hands on her hips and announces "I was right! There were voices under the mountain!" When no one praises her intuition, she asks "what happened to you guys?" 

    Katara weeps, falling to her knees. The group comes to rest their hands on her in solidarity, but they can't offer much comfort. How could they understand what she had been forced to do? 

—----------

    The next morning, when they are in the air and moving far away from that awful inn, Zuko sits close to Katara. She doesn't move away, but doesn't seem too open to hearing what he wants to tell her. 

    He waits a moment before quietly telling her "You're really brave." 

    "For letting her make me do that? For… taking control of her with that horrible bending?" Katara looks at her hands in disgust. 

    "Do you know how this happened?" Zuko gestures to the burn over his eye. "My father did it to me." 

    "What?" She immediately moves to touch it, but pulls her hand back. "Why?" 

    Zuko looks out over the clouds. "He said I disrespected him. And he wanted me to fight him." There's a stretch of silence. "But I couldn't do it. I didn't want to fight. He burned me and sent me away." Zuko looks back to her. "I know what it's like when someone forces you into horrible situations. And you have to choose how you'll react. But Hama is the one who made you choose. If you hadn't done what you did" He is careful to stay away from the word. "She would have hurt us. Would have made us hurt each other. But you stopped it as quickly as you could."

     Zuko takes hold of her hand, the one that had almost touched his face. "You're not a monster. And you don't have to teach anyone else that technique. You can choose for it to be forgotten."  

    "But I can't forget it." She whispers, close to tears again. 

     "Neither can we. But we will all be the last ones to remember. Together." 

     Katara smiles. She can live with that. They stare out at the clouds together and neither feels alone. 

Chapter 39: fire boy and the beginning of the battle

   Zuko stares at the monk, hoping to make sense of what he is saying. "You want me to… lift this boulder?" 

    Aang nods emphatically. "In my dream, the fire lord had the Dai Li and they flung rocks at you, but you got crushed because they were too heavy. Oh! Sokka!" He diverts his attention to the other boy, allowing Zuko to slip away. "Climb that ledge!" 

     "What is going on?" Zuko asks Katara. She sighs and continues to poke the campfire back to life. 

    "He hasn't been sleeping much. I think he's worried about the plan." 

     Zuko looks back over his shoulder to see Sokka unsuccessfully attempting to get away from Aang, who is pulling him along for another test. "Well, we do only have one more day before we reconvene with your tribe. It's pretty stressful." 

    Katara notes that Zuko didn't say 'attacking the fire nation' or 'taking down my father'. She knows the idea of violence is as hard for him as it is for Aang. Maybe moreso, since it's a family matter.

    "Do you know how to cook these?" Katara asks as a distraction. She holds up a handful of spotted onion-chives that they had gathered yesterday. "I've never seen them before." 

     "Yeah." He sits cross-legged next to her, moving their cutting board across his lap and begins dicing them with a pocket knife. They sit in silence for a while, working and trying very hard to keep their minds off of what comes next. 

—---------

     The Southern Fleet looks big. But Zuko worries that it might not be enough. 

     They land on the deck of the main ship. Sokka and Katara climb down to give their dad a hug before everyone is taken on a tour to meet all of the people that were picked up. 

    Toph immediately feels her fellow Earth Rumblers and leaves the group to intimidate them. Zuko chuffs a laugh at the tiny girl shouting up at the tall, muscular men, then refocuses on what the chief is saying.  

    "Some of these folks are… a bit odd." Hakoda says with a wince, darting his gaze over to the nearest boat that holds many members of the foggy swamp tribe. It made sense then, with such a diverse group, that Zuko was no longer the focus of anyone's attention. 

    Sokka looks proud. "I'm glad you were able to find everyone. When do we tell them the full plan?"

    "Once we land." His father says and places a hand on his shoulder. His eyes are glassy with fondness. "I'm very proud of you."  

    Katara clears her throat jokingly. He is quick to assure her that he's very proud of her too and brings her in for a group hug. Aang and Zuko share a smile with only a twinge of jealousy at the easy and open display of affection. 

     They bring the ships to shore soon after; hundreds of people come bursting out onto the sand, milling around and getting to know their fellow fighters. While everyone gets to stretch their legs, Hakoda and his men get out the needed supplies. Sokka digs in his satchel to pull out the maps from Wan Shi Tong's library, ready to hand them over to his father, when Hakoda holds out a hand to stop him. 

   "This is your plan, Sokka. You should tell them." 

   Sokka chokes on his next breath. He can't.. he's not ready! There's so many people! There's a hand on his arm and, when he looks over, he sees Zuko giving him a meaningful stare. When he looks around, he sees Katara and Aang and somewhere in the sea of people is Toph. And a lot of these faces are familiar. The Duke, Pipsqueak, Haru, the Mechanist… he knows these people. He can do this. 

   The crowd gathers closer to the flat rock that they are using as a stage. Sokka gets his map out and pins it to the stand, hoping that his hands aren't shaking too much. He clears his throat twice before turning to look out at everyone. He feels his throat closing up. Say something! 

    "H-hi!" He says as loudly as he can. "Uhm.. so we're all here to face the Firelord." 

    The crowd is silent, staring back. Katara winces in sympathy. Aang gives him a thumbs up. 

    Sokka takes a deep breath, ready to start again, but his dad rests a hand on his shoulder and begins talking for him. Sokka feels very small and vulnerable, even though everyone's attention has now shifted to the man. When he's done, Sokka slips away with his shoulders up near his ears, red faced and unable to look his friends in the face. 

    Katara and Aang pat him on the back, murmuring words of encouragement. He just crosses his arms and stays silent. Zuko watches quietly and waits until they are back on the ships to speak. 

   "I know that wasn't how you wanted it to go." Zuko says as they stand at the rail. Sokka sighs. 

   "I had one chance to prove that I can lead and I blew it." 

   Zuko has the absolute gall to chuff a quiet laugh. Sokka glares daggers at him, but Zuko continues to smirk. "That's not leading. This is leading. Being a good public speaker is such a small part of it, and you don't even have to do that when you become chief. You could get someone else to be your speaker." Sokka looks like he wants to say something, so Zuko cuts him off. "I know you won't though, because you're going to get better. Because you'll have a lot of chances and your people will listen." 

    "Haven't you lived on a mountain for like 3 years? What do you know about public speaking?" Sokka asks with a light tint of hurt, but he doesn't sound like he's being mean. 

    Zuko rolls his eyes. " I was still their captain. And even though I didn't want to give speeches, Uncle made me do it all the time."  

    "I bet you practiced with the baby bison." 

   Sokka laughs when Zuko blushes at the (correct) accusation and thumps him on the back. They are reminded of the seriousness of their situation soon after, when a bubble forms around the ship and seals them in. The boys share a look of determination. It's go time. 

Chapter 40: fire boy and the firelord

   They make it to the shore faster than they anticipated, which is good. They have a few moments before the eclipse sets in. Team Avatar races off the deck and towards the front of the palace. 

    There aren't any guards here; only the troops near the shore that everyone else is currently fighting. As they get closer to the throne room they should be seeing more and the fact that they havent makes something inside him queasy. Zuko lets them know they have about 2 minutes before the eclipse starts. 

    The doors bang open and echo in an empty room. Sokka grits his teeth in frustration. "They must have known we were coming." 

    "We can't waste this opportunity! Where else would they go?" Katara asks. 

    Zuko thinks, but the answers don't come quickly. His anxiety starts to build. Where would he be? Is he even still in Caldera? Is Azula with him? 

   "Zuko, focus!" Toph punches his arm. "Where's the most likely place he would hide?" 

    "Underground." He blurts. "In the dragon bone catacombs." He points back down the hall with his sword to where they came from. "There's a secret entrance over here. But we don't know-" 

   "We've got to try." Sokka says and rushes forward. Everyone follows as Zuko takes the lead, twisting down corridors and behind tapestries until they descend a rough set of stone steps. Aang and Zuko light the way. As they walk, Zuko falters a step, then whispers to the group that the eclipse has begun. 

    "I feel someone pacing." Toph says excitedly. "To the left." 

   It's hot down in the catacombs; hotter than standing in the sunlight had been. There are massive animal skeletons in the wide halls where anyone could be hiding. The group tries to keep focused. Toph stops them in front of a large set of doors, telling them that they're here. 

    Aang uses an air blast to swing the doors open with so much force that they bang against the rock walls. One falls to the floor, having broken off its hinges, and makes a mighty clang in the almost empty chamber. Almost empty, because there is a single figure sitting on the throne against the back wall. 

   Azula claps in a taunting, slow manner. "I do hope you weren't expecting someone else." She stands and begins walking towards them.

    "Where's the Firelord?" Sokka demands with his sword leveled at her. Everyone else stands in formation at the ready. 

    "You're Sokka, right?" Azula smirks. "My favorite prisoner used to talk about you. She was convinced that you'd come and rescue her, but you never came." 

   Something dangerous flashes in his eyes before he charges forward. Katara and Toph follow his lead. Zuko grabs Aang's shoulder to keep him from joining. "She's stalling us! We have to find him!" 

   Aang nods, looking torn. "You guys stay here. I can-"

  "No." Zuko says fiercely. "Even without bending, he's dangerous. I'm going with you." Toph, who is the closest to them, gives a thumbs up that she heard the plan. The boys leave with the hope that the three of them can take care of her quickly.

    The best guess that Zuko has is that he might be in the old bunker. It's not been used since before Azulon, but it is heavily fortified. As they race down the pathways and see a line of guards, he feels that it must be correct. 

     Aang sweeps his arms and forces the hot air to pummel the soldiers into the wall. By the time they can stagger back to their feet, the two are already in the bunker. 

    There's a dias with decorative metal flames lining the edges, as well as a higher set surrounding the throne. It's gaudy and over the top, yet Ozai looks perfectly at home. He frowns at the sight of them, but doesn't immediately get up. 

    "So. My son and the Avatar. Here to kill me?" He waves the attending soldiers away. "How pathetic." 

    "Your reign is over, Firelord." Aang declares with a booming voice. "We're here to make sure of it." 

    Ozai grins devilishly. He looks to Zuko with amusement. "Oh? Are you going to challenge me to another Agni Kai? We both know how that will end." 

    "It's not my destiny to kill you." Zuko says, though his swords are in each hand at the ready. 

    Now he stands, but doesn't look to be in any hurry. "Your destiny was to die a long time ago. But your mother got in the way." He laughs, still looking at his son and not at Aang. "Don't you want to know what happened to her?" 

   It's like his body is filled with cold water. He hesitates. No, he has to let go of earthly troubles. They have a mission. "We don't have much time, Aang." He grits out. "The eclipse is ending soon." 

     Aang nods and uses earthbending to trap the man's legs. "Last chance, Ozai. Step down." 

   His smile is gone. Now, he realizes his tactics won't work. "Men! Attack!" 

     The dozens of soldiers who had been called out of the room come rushing back in with spears and swords. Zuko steps in front of his friend to block the first few, but can't keep them all at bay. Aang jumps high to avoid them, while also sending wind tunnels to knock them down. When he lands, he turns the floor into sand wherever the firebenders are. Zuko jumps to the safety of the only solid ground where Aang is crouched. 

    Ozai almost has his legs free when he and the other firebenders gasp. The eclipse is over. Zuko grunts with effort and is the first to use bending to firewhip the guards around him. They have almost all of the soldiers taken out when the air in the room begins to tingle with energy. 

    Ozai stands on the dias, arms circling himself as he pulls the positive and negative energy apart. Aang, who is still fighting off a hoard of firebenders, doesn't notice in time. 

    Zuko steps in the way of the arc of electricity. He tries desparately to remember what Uncle talked him through. In, down, up, and out. The room is crowded, his ears are ringing, there's no time to think. He releases the energy back in the direction it came from. 

     Everyone is knocked off their feet when it makes contact. The edges of Ozai's robes smell like burnt hair and sizzle for a moment. He's dazed from the impact, but still breathing. Before he has the chance to stand, his hands and feet are encased in rock once again. Aang collects the sweat and moisture in the room to douse the firelord and keep him from setting anything on fire before moving to stand over him. The others in the room watch as he approaches him, ready to see what he's going to do. 

    Ozai glares at him with pure contempt. "Go on, Avatar. End me." 

    Aang breathes in, holds, and breathes out. "I won't kill you. But you're never going to hurt anyone ever again." As he speaks, his voice takes on multitudes and the blue of his tattoos begins to glow. The room watches in awe until it is so bright that they can't stand to look at it anymore. He holds his hands to the man's head and heart, releasing a bright blue flow of energy to combat the deep red that emanates from Ozai. 

     After a battle of wills, the blue shines through and overtakes the man leaving him panting on the ground with a glazed, half dead stare. "Wh… what did you do to me?" 

    "We have taken your bending" the Avatars respond. "You are not worthy of the gift of Agni and have been judged accordingly." There is a sense of finality, then the boy is returned to himself. Zuko catches him before he falls. 

    Everyone in the room is still. Zuko looks at the soldiers who are still conscious, gripping his friend fiercely and daring them to attack. 

    One of them approaches cautiously. "So… he isn't firelord anymore?" 

    "No." Zuko answers. 

  The others look among themselves with confusion. "Is he the firelord now?" 

    Zuko shakes his head. "Avatars aren't allowed to hold leadership positions." 

   "Then that means… you're firelord. Sir." 

  "No" He denies immediately, but isn't so sure. What does this mean for the country? Uncle is most likely dead. Azula will continue the war. As long as he wasn't taken out of the line of succession, he technically would be firelord now. "Are there any fire sages we can talk to? We need to begin peace talks." 

    He lifts Aang against his chest while a few men bustle out of the room to find someone to help. A woman, who wears the armor of a commanding officer, approaches to ask if they need anything. It's such a shift from moments ago when they had been fighting that Zuko doesn't know where to begin. 

    "We need to make sure everyone else is alright." Aang says as he tries to regain his footing. Zuko helps him stand, but lets him go once he's wobbled towards the door. The soldiers follow as the Avatar leads the way back down the halls. 

    Sokka is clutching his leg while he clutches Toph close. Katara looks exhausted, but still sends water tendrils like arms of an octopus to grab at Azula's heels. Azula has never looked less perfect. She has a few hairs loose from her top knot, her sleeve is torn at the elbow, and she's no longer smiling as if she's already won. There are many guards who have come to defend their princess, but stand in a semi circle around the fight. No doubt Azula has told them to stay out of her battle. 

    "Stop!" Zuko and Aang say in tandem as they rush forward. Azula flits her gaze between them for a moment before slinging a wheel of fire at Zuko. He blocks it, silently impressed that it still has so much force when she has been fighting for so long, and tries again. "Azula, stop. It's over." 

      "It's not over until I've won." She sneers. Katara manages to wrap a water appendage around her middle while she's distracted and fling her against the ceiling. Zuko shouts in surprise when she doesn't manage to catch herself and comes crashing to the ground in a heap. 

     He doesn't even consider the danger of such an action before falling to his knees at her side. He turns her to lay on her back and look at him. She's breathing, but unconscious. "Someone get something to bring her up to the healers." Two soldiers nod and run out of sight down the dim hallway. 

     "What happened?" Katara asks as she sits down. She looks over her shoulder at the men and women who continue to stand at attention, but don't attack. 

     Aang sits next to her. "I think I took Ozai's bending away." Many of the soldiers look disturbed by this news, but still no one moves to attack them. 

    Sokka hobbles over with Toph and sits down with a wince. "How come you never mentioned being able to do that?!"

    "I didn't know I could!" Aang defends, then wraps his arms around himself. "It didn't feel like when I talk to my other lives. I think I was possessed by a spirit." 

    Zuko listens with interest, but doesn't move to join them. Instead he adjusts Azula to lay her head on his lap and strokes her hair without thinking. What is going to happen to her now? What's going to happen to him? Things were so much simpler at the temples. 

Chapter 41: fire boy is firelord

   Within the next hour, Zuko is taken to the fire sages who consult the family tree and agree that, yes, he is still in the family line and will be crowned Firelord before sunset. He wants to feel something about that, but he's mostly numb. 

     The remaining fire nation soldiers at the beach are alerted that they are to stop attacking immediately. When it is announced that the Firelord has been defeated, the Water Tribe and allies cheer and begin heading to the palace. The infirmary is filled and overflowing soon after with fire and water healers working on their patients as quickly as they can.

    Among them are Zuko and Azula, sequestered to the very far edge and given a privacy curtain to separate them from the general public for the time being. Azula is still asleep. Zuko can't look away, just in case she stops breathing. 

   Katara pushes the curtain aside and comes to stand beside him. She's exhausted, but determined to help as many people as she can before she finds rest. Zuko doesn't bother telling her he's fine. He tried that a few minutes ago and it hadn't worked. "How is Sokka?" 

   She huffs. "He'll be fine. He insisted on walking himself up from the catacombs and strained it more than he should have, but it's set. As long as he doesn't do anything stupid…" She leaves off with a fond smile, which Zuko shares. 

    He can't hold it long, though, when he thinks about his sister. "I know you don't want to, but… can you-?" 

    She gives him a sympathetic look before circling around to the other occupied bed. The princess is lightly restrained with cuffs over her hands to prevent bending, though they all know it will only give them a moment of safety if she were to wake up angry. 

   "She's stable. No internal bleeding." Katara determines. "I don't know when she will wake up, but it looks like she'll be ok." Zuko nods with a sad frown and keeps his eyes on his sister as Katara takes her leave once again. 

—------------

    Zuko has been crowned for a full fourty minutes when a servant lets him know that Azula is awake. Despite how tired he is, he rushes along the hall to her room. Nothing is on fire, so that seems to be a good sign. 

   He enters and sees her backed against the wall, stance wobbly and eyes unfocused. She must still be out of it. Zuko approaches slowly with his hands up, much like he would with a bison, and quietly ushers the servants to leave while he handles this. 

   " You need to rest, 'Zula." He says calmly. She doesn't respond, or seem to recognize that he is almost right in front of her. Slowly, carefully, he touches a hand to her arm and begins moving her back to the bed. "Come on. I won't let anything happen to you." 

    Azula scoffs, as if on autopilot, at the notion that she needs protection, but lets herself be laid on the bed and tucked in. Her restraints were removed sometime between now and when he last saw her in the hospital wing. Zuko smooths the sheets down in front of her, then moves his hand to stroke her hair again. "Sleep, Lala." 

    The nickname sparks something. Azula looks confused, then her eyes focus enough to look right at him. "Zuzu." She whispers, then succumbs to sleep once more. 

    Zuko watches her breathe for a moment, tucking loose strands behind her ear, and thinks 'I won't leave you. Never again.' 

‐—----------------

    The next day is busy. Zuko, Hakoda, Bato, and the kids work with the fire sages to gather information about where the troops are currently stationed, inking letters to notify a ceasefire, and counting prisoners of war that will be released. It's exhausting, slow, and tedious. When he feels like he's about to drown he gets a visitor. 

   "Uncle!" Zuko jumps up out of his chair and sends it crashing behind him. A second later he has the man wrapped tight in his arms, clinging to him like a scared child. "I thought you were dead."  

     Iroh hugs him gently and says "I don't know why, but he kept me in the Caldera Tower prison. I had just escaped when I heard of your victory." 

     The others come to hug him, wrapping the two in the middle as everyone expresses their joy that Iroh is here. He gives each of them a smile and his gratitude. He turns back to Zuko. "Firelord Zuko, what would you like me to assist with?" 

    Zuko thinks on this for a moment. "We've got a lot of paperwork to do. There's so much that needs to be handled, but…" His expression is torn, guilty looking, and vulnerable. "I keep thinking about the bison. And the crew needs to know that they can come down if they choose. I need someone trusted to go check on them." 

    Sokka laughs and puts a hand to his own forehead. "Seriously?! You're the leader of a country now and you're focusing on your fluffy little bison babies?" His friends share a delighted laugh, happy at the lighthearted request against all the harsh and heavy matters they've been wading through. 

    Aang raises his hand like a student in school. "Ooh! Appa and I can take him! We'll be back way sooner than taking a boat! And I think Appa would like to see the other bison again." 

    So, the next morning, Zuko and friends wave goodbye as Uncle and Aang climb into the saddle with a week's worth of supplies and treats. Appa lifts into the air and glides up into the clouds, disappearing as a tiny dot against the horizon of the rising sun. Zuko heads back inside and decides that he needs to check on his sister. 

Chapter 42: fire boy and fire girl

    They sit together in her tea room, of which she never uses for this purpose. Until today, it has been an entertainment room for when Mai and Ty Lee visit. It is kept undecorated and bland. Azula has never cared for making things pretty. 

   Zuko pours the tea himself and takes his cup in hand. Azula takes hers as well, but doesn't drink. Zuko hopes she doesn't think it's poisoned, but isn't feeling brave enough to ask. 

    "How's decimating the country going?" She asks with fake aloofness. Her eyes are boring into him harshly. He misses when she was out of it and allowed him to stroke her hair, then he feels guilty for thinking such a thing. She was unwell. He should be grateful that she is feeling more like herself.

    "Redirecting the fire nation towards peace-" He corrects "is going as well as can be, since it was a mess under Fa… Firelord Ozai." Azula doesn't show any outward signs that she is analyzing his choice of words, but he knows she is. "It's difficult. You know I'm not the best at 'discerning the finer points of court politics '." Zuko mimics her chiding voice from when they were younger. Azula almost rolls her eyes. Almost. 

    "You must have suffered some sort of oxygen deprivation on those mountains." Azula sneers instead. "You would take us from the height of victory and snuff out our glorious purpose, because some scrolls said that being kind is the true strength? How childishly naive." 

    The Zuko she knew from before his banishment would have risen to the bait and bubbled over like a volcano. But the teen who sits before her now isn't like that. He just sets his cup down and looks over her shoulder at the wall. He always had a hard time maintaining eye contact with her. At least that hasn't changed. 

    "Choosing peace is hard. And it'll continue to be hard." After a moment of hesitation, he manages to force his gaze to meet hers. "But I think it would be easier if I had someone smart by my side. Someone like you." 

    She flushes with sudden anger. It comes upon her unexpectedly, raw and electric, and she suddenly can't sit here anymore. "You think you can talk like that, like nothing has happened, like you didn't ruin everything, and offer me some meager scraps to get you out of the mess you have made for yourself?" She pushes her chair back and stands. "Get out." 

   " 'Zula-" 

 "Out!" She lets the flames come to her hands and throws one at his stupid head. He ducks and heads to the door, seems to fight with himself, and turns back around. He doesn't approach, but he doesn't leave. "I said get out!" She screams. 

   "I won't leave you." Zuko says with determination. Azula remembers hearing him say that at some point when she was laying in the infirmary. It doesn't make any sense. 

   "You're an idiot." She declares. "You know you never should have been Firelord. You know you're too stupid, just like Father and Grandfather always said." 

    She smirks triumphantly when Zuko reacts like he's been slapped. But still, he doesn't leave. "It doesn't matter what they thought. Not about me." He takes a step forward, looking deep into her eyes. "And not about you." 

     Now it is Azula's turn to jolt with shock. What is that supposed to mean? What is this fool saying? 

    Before she can respond, most likely with more anger, Zuko takes another few steps forward. "Father wanted you to be a tool for him. And Grandfather didn't like either of us. We were always told what we were supposed to be." Now, Zuko is standing in front of her. He wants to touch her, but doesn't think that would be received well. "I don't want that for us, 'Zula." 

      "Because it places you at the bottom." She scoffs harshly. She takes a firm step away, then turns to her bedroom's doors. Over her shoulder she says "No wonder the nomads were so easily destroyed. If this is how they think, they were too weak-willed to live." 

    Zuko watches her leave before returning to his office in defeat. 

    The next morning, her rooms are found to be empty. Princess Azula is gone. 

Chapter 43: fire boy doing thinking

   Zuko's guards are on high alert at all times, now that the princess is missing. Aang and Katara want to find her, but Zuko says that finishing peace talks with Omashu and BaSingSe are more important. They need to finish this while they have the ear of the kingdoms, then they can worry about her. 

    "We will send the prisoners who are healthy enough as soon as possible. The others will be healed before being sent home." Iroh declares as they sit around the meeting table. He is immensely pleased that Firelord Zuko has chosen to sit at the head of the table at equal level with the diplomats and advisors, rather than at the throne behind a wall of fire. From the looks on everyone's faces, they are also aware of the importance of such a decision. 

     "Why did we not use them as bargaining tools?" Previous war minister Ching asks from down the table. He thumps a fist on the wood. "We will have nothing for ourselves when they begin demanding recompense."

   "They are suffering in the prisons." Zuko chides. " We took them from their homes. Their lives are not tools to hold over their families heads." 

    Gao Ming gives a disbelieving snort. "Hog-bear wash. You don't know anything about how to lead, let alone how to understand the finer points of these discussions with other leaders. They'll eat us alive!" Many of the attending men and women of the court nod and murmur in agreement. 

    When they have settled, Zuko sits back in his chair. He straightens to his full height and tries to channel his inner 'Azula'. She would know how to make them see it her way. She wouldn't even be questioned. "I have studied the ways of the other kingdoms. They don't live the way we do. We didn't live this way until well into the war. The wellbeing of our citizens have always been top priority. That is how the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom still see it." He wishes his friends were here to vouch for this assertion. "If you need to look at it in terms of getting a trade for it, then think of it like this: they will see us relinquish their people back to them. They will see the mercy we have shown. And they will understand what it means. Having the goodwill of the leaders of the world means more than you are aware of. I've met each of them, and I know that they will do what is right, just as I have promised them to do the same." 

       The advisors are quiet as they soak this in. The rest of the meeting goes smoothly and ends when the sun is high in the sky, which Uncle takes as an excuse to bully him out to the gardens for lunch. With the rest of the team spreading the news of the end of the war, as well as delivering notices of a peace conference by hand, no one was around to remind Zuko of basic necessities. Except Uncle. 

   Uncle sighs happily once they are seated in the shade of a pavillion, quietly thanking a servant for the tea they deliver. He and Zuko share a moment of silence and enjoy the beauty around them. After a while, Uncle comments "just like the temple." When Zuko sends him a questioning look, he laughs and answers "when you would get so wrapped up in your work and I would send someone to tell you to rest. You know, a man needs-" 

    "-his rest. I know, I know." Zuko finishes for him with his own smile. "I'm… sorry. For everything." 

     Now, Uncle was the one to be confused. "You have nothing to be sorry for." 

   "You were on that mountain because of me. And I know I wasn't easy to deal with, and you got sent to prison because of me, and I thought you were dead-"

    "Zuko." Iroh reaches a hand across the table to lay on his nephew's. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

     They fall silent when the servants return with bowls of steaming noodles. Iroh quickly moves away from the conversation to begin eating, though Zuko has to take a moment to gather himself before he can. He doesn't think Uncle is lying, but he knows that he has much to make up for. Both with him and with Azula. He will have to work hard, whether they agree or not. 

Chapter 44: fire siblings taking trips

  The leaders of the world converge for peace talks. Not at the Caldera, not in the Earth Kingdom or the poles, but an island; uninhabited and relinquished from Fire Nation borders. Toph and Aang built the structure that they would use to house everyone, Katara and Sokka worked together to find the best paths for water to flow, so that everyone would be within view of a water source at all times, should anything get caught ablaze, and Zuko worked with his staff to create a welcoming garden along the front.

     King Kuei was nervous, but excited to see someone he considered a friend again. Chief Arnook was skeptical and would only come if he were allowed to bring a band of waterbenders for protection. Even with the knowledge that the meeting place would be made of stone, there would be no firebenders other than the firelord present, and he was one of the Avatars teachers.

    Zuko and friends wait along the steps leading up from the shore. Twelve wooden ships slowly and meticulously make their way to the piers to tie themselves in place. A team of seven waterbenders stand in a line in front of the dock, arms crossed, and ready to harm anyone who even thinks of setting the ships on fire.

     "Firelord Zuko!" Kuei says happily. He waves above the heads of his circle of guards. Zuko waves back with less energy, but a warmth in his chest that he can't keep from showing on his face. Sokka nudges his side and is about to make a comment about how he and Kuei don't have time to nerd out on theater scrolls when he spots his father. He and Katara take off down the rest of the steps, past the other tribe members, and tackle him in a hug. Toph joins Aang to greet King Bumi and his attendants, showing off new bending moves that make the men eye them nervously. 

   Zuko tries not to feel a stab of jealousy at their comradery. It was easier when they could hide his heritage. It was easier pretending to be a monk on a mountain. But now he's got a role to fill and nations to form bonds with. If he can't even manage that with his own sister, how can he expect to-

     "Look!" A few gathered in the incoming crowd point past the treeline where a fire nation balloon is barely visible. A murmur of unease ripples across them as they wonder if they were tricked. Zuko, equally as confused as everyone else, tells his friends to be ready. There's no telling if this is friend or foe.

     It lands close to the meeting hall, right in the middle of the newly sculpted garden. The ramp descends, crushing freshly planted lilies, and the doors above slide open with a hiss of metal on metal.

    "Hello, Zuzu." Azula says as she makes her way down. She looks better than the last he saw of her, as if she's slept more. "You can't think of having your little peace talks without the brains of the family." She gestures to herself, sounding very self assured, though her eyes look uncertain. 

     Zuko stands in front of her for only a moment before pulling her in for a hug. She is noticeably startled, but covers it with a cough. "Come now, brother. You're embarrassing the family line." She frees herself and reaches up to straighten his hairpiece. "We can… discuss things later. For now I believe you have some guests to attend to." She looks over his shoulder pointedly. When he looks over he can see the other national representatives watching them warily. 

     He blushes and smiles. "Yes, um.. right." He nods to his friends and begins the walk back to the summit where they will be having their meeting. The rest follow his lead. 

—-------------

     They fly back to the palace together in the air ship. It's been a long few days, but Zuko is happier than he has ever been. 

   "You're grinning like an idiot." Azula comments from her seat nearby as she files her nails.

    "It feels like we can really do this." Zuko says. He looks out the window and chuffs a laugh when he sees Aang doing loops in the sky on his glider. After a pause, he whispers "I'm glad you came." 

    She doesn't react as if she heard him, but after an even longer stretch of silence, she seems to settle in her seat. Her shoulders relax, her demeanor calms, and she seems to be at peace. Like an animal that, after years of abuse, has finally found a way to trust. It speaks louder than words ever could. 

     "Hey." Zuko blurts before he can stop himself. Azula pauses to look up at him. "I want to show you something." 

    "If you must." She sighs, sounding put upon. Zuko ignores her and heads to the captain to give him new directions. A few moments later, their course diverts to the south. 

—-----------

     "This is where you wanted to take me?" Azula scoffs. "Where you hid away for three years? Aren't you tired of seeing it?" 

    Zuko nudges her up the hill and away from where his old crew have come to greet them. "I have some friends here I want you to meet." He laughs. They pass by empty temples and archways crumbling in the wind, exactly as he remembers them from months ago. "There's an orchard we need to stop at first." 

    Azula sighs again, but follows along. 

  The peaches are ripe enough to be picked. Suddenly, Zuko wishes he had brought a satchel to carry them with. He dumps a few into Azula's arms, which she complains about, but doesn't drop them. Once they are loaded down with as many as they can carry, Zuko leads them to the tiled meeting grounds where he would always call the calves. 

     Azula shouts when something nudges her from behind. How did someone manage to sneak up on her? She twists around, ready to slash at the offender, when Zuko grabs her hand and lets her see for herself who dared to attack. 

    A fuzzy bison head looks up at her with big, wet eyes and little horns. She stares at it, unable to comprehend, as it sniffs at her hand and dips down to eat the fallen peaches. Soon, a few more bison of varying size come to greet them. 

   "Lala!" Her brother says happily. She is about to reprimand him for the nickname, but he's not looking at her. He's looking at a mangy beast. 

    "You named that thing after me?" She growls. Zuko just laughs. 

    "She was stubborn and wouldn't let me near her. It fit." 

    Azula looks at the bison skeptically. It's obviously not as well cared for as the others, with matted fur and a chip in her horn, but she has good coloring and the others get out of her way when she goes for the peach pile. 

   "She didn't like me." Zuko adds quietly, still watching the bison. "I couldn't get her to join the others. Not until Aang showed me how to help her. I just needed to be there with her and let her come on her own terms." 

    Azula feels a sting to her pride, knowing that that sounds exactly like her, but refuses to acknowledge it verbally. She doesn't need his confirmation that he was trying to use the same tactic. "And then you decided not to give her any care after that?" 

     "I've been gone! In case you forgot!" Zuko squawks. Azula waves him away. 

     "If you can't be bothered, then maybe someone else should do a better job than you. Now where is a hairbrush for these beasts?" 

     He didn't really have expectations for coming here, with it being such a last minute decision, but this certainly wouldn't have been high on the list. Watching Azula dote upon the bison he couldn't even look at a few months ago, brushing the fur free of twigs and dirt- and Lala allowed it!- made something inside feel less broken. Zuko lets out a laugh when Lala begins rumbling an appreciative purr as she settles onto the tiles for easier access. Azula shoots him a satisfied, victorious smirk and goes back to her task. "I think this one shall be mine." 

     "You'll have to follow the air nomad way of life to bond with a bison." He says teasingly. There's no way she would. But… what if it's not such a crazy idea?

    Who knows what crazy things the future might hold.

Notes:

The end! Thank you everyone who commented and kudo-d this fic! It was a lot of fun!