A/N: Since I ran out of room in the summary box, this is just to inform you that this story is Modern, AU, and No Bending. It will have some morphed canon, and I will play around with several things that happened in the show. But this is completely Modern/AU/No Bending.
He never thought he would see this city again. Such a peaceful place it was, he could never forget that. It was a false peace, one that the people seemed to embrace. Why bother embracing something that you know would end the next day? This peace lasted for years, and the people bought into it. No matter what King Kuei said, the people bought into this peace.
The train shifted slightly, causing him to lurch forward slightly, the person next to him bumping into him. He narrowed his eyes, looking at the person sitting next to him. It was an old woman, her hair gray and tied in a bun a top of her head. Opening his mouth to speak, he hesitated. The woman seemed broken, tired of the world and waiting for the end. He bit back on his words, turning back away and raising the hood over his head, hiding his face from the world.
Ba Sing Se wasn't always his home. No, he was a man from the once proud Fire Nation. It was a land given its name by the severe heat that it always had. It was the slums of the world. The corrupt and the wicked ruled the Fire Nation. His family was part of the corrupt and wicked. They were the unofficial rulers of the Fire Nation, his father even going as far to call himself the Fire Lord.
The train slowly began to come to a stop. The woman next to him had troubled standing. With a small smile, he held his hand out as he stood. She beamed up at him, taking his hand and standing up slowly.
"Thank you, young man," The old woman said.
"You're welcome."
His voice was raspy, filled with wisdom and knowledge. Such a strange sight for a boy still in his teenage years.
"What's your name, young man?" The woman asked as he helped her off the train.
He flinched slightly, sighing slightly. He wanted to remain secluded from the world for now. He wasn't ready yet. And he didn't need to be exposed yet. Ever since his family was ran out of the Fire Nation to Ba Sing Se, he never wanted people to know his name.
"Zuko," He said, going against his instincts.
"Such a nice name for a fine young man," The old woman squeaked.
Zuko nodded his thanks, turning around and see his red suitcase. He grabbed it by the handle, turning around to see if the old woman needed help. She was gone, nowhere to be seen. He opened his mouth, slightly surprised. Shaking away the feeling, he walked away from the train, traveling up the stairs to the ground level.
Once exposed to the air of the Upper Ring, Zuko immediately felt out of place. It was three years since he was thrown out of his family. The large scar on his face a clear reminder of his weakness, as his father always said. Resting his suitcase down, his eyes came across an old man. Gray hair, flowing to the shoulders. He had a large belly, one probably filled with tea and dumplings. The man looked regal, hands clasped behind his back with a large smile on his face.
"Good to see you again, my nephew," The man beamed.
Zuko shook his head, rolling his suitcase behind him as he approached the old man, his uncle. He stopped, seeing how short his uncle had gotten in the last three years. Or was him getting taller? He shrugged it off, immediately feeling his uncle's arms wrap around him in a tight hug.
"It's good to see you too, Uncle Iroh," Zuko gasped. "But if you don't mind, you're crushing my lungs."
Iroh pulled back, grasping Zuko by his shoulders with the smile still on his face.
"Come, come. Let us return to my tea shop and you can tell me everything about your travels," Iroh said, pointing to the black car behind him.
"Uncle, you know why I was gone," Zuko snapped.
His uncle seemed to ignore him as he opened the trunk, lifting the suitcase into it. Zuko closed it before Iroh could say anything. They shared a look, Iroh's smile fading and only nodding. Zuko mouthed a thank you, sliding into the front seat next to his uncle. Once the car was rolling, Zuko turned back to his uncle.
"Did he say anything about me?" Zuko asked.
"I would not know. I haven't spoken to him since you left three years ago," Iroh replied.
"Perfect," Zuko rolled his eyes. "Is he still stuck on the idea that he's destined to rule the world and have King Kuei submit to him?"
Iroh chuckled, making a right turn into a crowded street.
"I do not know what his destiny is, but I do know that your destiny and his no longer connect. You are your own free man."
"No I'm not," Zuko said, reaching up and lowering his hood, brushing his scar slightly. "I am never my own man, not anymore."
"No, Zuko. You are no longer bound to your father. No matter what he has done to you, you have enough honor and pride in yourself to move on," Iroh snapped.
The car soon came to a stop. Zuko peeked out the window, staring at the tea shop that belonged to his uncle. The Jasmine Dragon. Sighing, Zuko stepped out of the car, walking to trunk, pulling out his suitcase as his uncle popped it open.
"Tell me, Zuko, when do you plan on telling your friends you have returned?"
"I don't have friends," Zuko snapped.
"Enough with the foolishness, nephew. You left behind not just me, but your friends. And one special friend, if I may add."
"She left me, uncle. It made no point whether I came back or not. Now I don't want to talk about it anymore," Zuko said, walking through the doors of the tea shop.
"The room is up the stairs," Zuko heard his uncle yell from outside.
He trudged up the stairs, his suitcase clanking against the stairs as he found the room meant for him. It was next to the room for his uncle. He pushed the door open, staring at the plain bed sheets, dull green and mustard yellow. Placing his suitcase aside, Zuko removed his robe, leaving him in only his black pants and red shirt. His hair was long, touching the nape of his neck. It hid the majority of his scar, only his red ear sticking out through his locks.
"Zuko, I'm sorry for my peeping. I only care for your own good will," Iroh's voice broke Zuko out of his trance.
"It's not that, uncle. I just don't know how to do this anymore. I've been gone for three years now. So much has changed, hasn't it?" Zuko turned around to face his uncle.
"In a way, yes. Your friends used to come around here all the time. It was just a few months ago that they had stopped. Alas, I am just an old man and his tea."
"That's what scares me sometimes. You and your tea," Zuko snickered.
They shared a laugh, Zuko letting a smile dance on his face as he walked to his uncle. He wrapped him in a hug, feeling the old man's arms clap him on the back as they both sighed and smiled to each other.
"I missed you, uncle."
"And I you, nephew," Iroh beamed. "But now we must tell your friends of your return."
"No," Zuko snapped. "I told you already in the letter I sent you. I can't have them knowing I'm back. Not yet."
"And why is that?"
"I have work to do, first."