Two Nations Divided
Chapter 1- Zuko's journey to self discovery
The bitter war the Firenation had waged with both the Watertribes and Earthkingdom had not been resolved. Almost a hundred years before the last of the Airbenders had been annihilated. That is, the last except for Aang, the Avatar. Five years before, after being stripped of his honor and exiled from his homeland, the Firenation, prince Zuko was given the mission to find and capture the Avatar.
Prince Zuko failed in his mission. He was cursed to forever be a dishonored exile from his own country. Although, it took five years to complete Zuko finally accepted the fact that the Avatar could not be captured, grudgingly as he did so. After realizing that their plight was hopeless both Zuko and his uncle cut their ties to the Firenation, their hair.
Since then, Zuko's hair had begun to grow back. Surprisingly, he and his uncle had found safe haven from his father, the Firelord, in the midst of the Earthkingdom city Ba Sing Se. his uncle quickly settled and soon, even opened his own tea shop (that old man did know his tea) and was doing well.
After four months Zuko began to go stir crazy. He had grown accustomed to being on his ship following the trail of the Avatar. He also was not used to being treated like a common peasant. He was a prince for crying out loud! More importantly, he was Firenation!
He had to get moving again. It would be different this time though. This time, Zuko would be leaving his uncle behind. Over the five years of exile from their homes in the Firenation his uncle had become more than just an uncle to him. He was a tutor, a friend and more of a father than his own father had ever been.
His uncle insisted on going with him but Zuko was adamant on going alone. He decided to head north across the ocean to the North-Pole. He had not been able to enjoy himself the last time he had been there because he was still on his mission to capture the Avatar, when he had still believed that there was still hope of reconciliation with his father.
After chasing the Avatar's tail for almost five years Zuko knew one thing for sure. He really liked Watertribe girls. It was weird, he knew, but he couldn't help how felt. He found Watertribe girls to be spunky and focused and, wildly attractive, he could never act on these feelings though. He wasn't a complete dolt! Uncharacteristically, he found himself daydreaming of what his life would be like if he had been born into the Watertribe instead of the Firenation.
In his fantasy there was a girl (more like a goddess) with jet black hair, as shiny as a newborn seal's, she wore the clothes of a typical Watertribe girl, but her eyes were not compatible with either, they were the same red-brown color as Zuko's own, matching also in their intensity. He wanted a closer look, to investigate the red flecks in her eyes but, before he could, a sharp pain in his arm snapped him out of his reverie.
"If you really want to leave, I recommend that you get going now," his uncle whispered to him through the dark of the early morning, "you know, you could always change your mind."
"I haven't changed my mind uncle. I'll miss you though."
As Zuko embraced his uncle he had the strangest sensation that this was the last time that he would get the opportunity to embrace his uncle that way again. Suddenly, Zuko was reluctant to let go, a sensation he seldom had. He had not hesitated to get onto the boat when his very own father had exiled him from his home. In fact, he couldn't be aboard fast enough when he realized that leaving home also meant leaving Azula behind too.
Azula, his younger sister (by two years, big deal!) was her father's daughter, a firebending prodigy who loved nothing more than to gloat over her quickly acquired success to her brother. It infuriated Zuko that everything came so easily for his sister while he had to kill himself with work just to achieve anything at all.
His jealousy for his, oh so perfect little sister had made the first few months of his journey easier for him. The separation anxiety really hit him after the first year and after the fourth year he was desperate to get home. He even wanted to hear her smug, cocky voice.
He knew better now. Azula was a traitor! He couldn't believe that he had trusted that lightning shooting, ass kissing, traitorous twerp for a second. She, who had mockingly teased him ever since the day she first noticed that she could bend fire. He had never thought that she would go so far as to use deceit or try to betray him, her own flesh and blood but, it was left to his assumption that firebending had burned a hole in her chest where her heart used to be.
He chose to believe that the only reason Azula was the way she was, was because she had been left alone with there father for so long. Zuko finally saw his father for what he really was, a tyrant, a coldhearted, greedy bastard who could as easily turn his back on his own son as some shut their windows against the wind. Azula had been so much more pleasant to be around before their mother had left them.
Zuko took one last long look at his uncle, imprinting in his memory the old man who had been there with him throughout all his journeys, stood by him through all the challenges, defended him when his name was being slandered and taught him how to take care of himself without the help of others. The wise and sometimes fumblingly idiotic old man never failed to create a warm spot in his heart that never ceased to remind Zuko, even in an Earthkingdom city, that he was Firenation.
His uncle placed a placating hand on Zuko's shoulder and let it stay warmly there for many moments, letting his heat flow into his nephew before, almost reluctantly, he let go.
"Be careful Zuko. I'll miss you terribly. You were always like the son I never had."
"I will be careful uncle. Don't worry about me."
With that Zuko left. Rappelling down the stone wall surrounding Ba Sing Se. It was ironic that he was breaking out of the city that the Firenation were excessively anxious to penetrate. Zuko chuckled to himself as he recalled Azula's failure when she had tried to invade the city, only to be defeated and humiliated by Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph. At least Zuko could say that Azula knew what defeat at the Avatar's hand felt like with a straight face.
Determined to be inconspicuous, Zuko made his way by moonlight to the Serpent's pass. Although he knew that that way was dangerous and he would more likely get killed than make it to the other side, he also knew that it was because it was so dangerous that nobody would dare go anywhere near it. Therefore, the likelihood of him being spotted while traveling there was very, very slim.
Just before dawn he arrived at the stream that was the beginning of the Serpent's pass. As he looked at the stagnant water and a shudder traveled up his spine he began to reconsider the path he had chosen to take. He braced himself, took a deep breath and dove into the icy cold water, scrambling to the surface gasping for breath when the shock of the freezing water reached his spine. It was at times like that Zuko really wished that he had been born a waterbender instead of a firebender. Catching his breath again, Zuko began making his way across the water in long strokes.
Surprised when he made it to the other side without experiencing any casualties Zuko quickly dried his clothes before the chill gave him pneumonia or something even more terrifying, a cold. It was typical Firenation mentality but he knew that he would rather burning lungs any day over a cold.
His clothes dry, Zuko made his way into the mountains, heading eastward, just as the first rays of the sun could be seen over them. Walking quickly on the rocky path Zuko was forced to thread more carefully as the rocks beneath him gave way. He would have been sent hurtling towards his ultimate doom if he had not been able to dive to safety in time. For once he was glad that his father then, his uncle had drilled him in firebending basics ceaselessly. The stealth training didn't hurt either. His reflexes were incredibly fast and his muscles, strong.
At midday a sense of idiocy and bewilderment settled on Zuko. He had turned down his uncle's offer of food and water and was both hungry and parched. He had been so sure that a place called the Serpent's pass would be ideal for hunting exotic, wild animals that he had failed to pack emergency supplies and had gotten himself into a deserted, barren and dangerous path. All because he had decided to go it alone! He was beginning to understand why his uncle always beat him at chess. His uncle would have at least had the good sense to think ahead and pack some food, no matter what Zuko told him.
Zuko was getting tired of his own antisocial nature. It had caused him nothing but trouble and it sucked because he could do nothing about it. He was not comfortable around and even less comfortable trusting them. The number of alliances he had had in the past proved that, there weren't a great number of them to boast about. Usually, he did better on his own but he knew to himself that he just could not do some things alone and some things were just easier with someone beside you but for some reason, he just did not trust people. Hadn't his very own father given him a reason by sending him away?
Shaking himself out of his self pitying state of mind Zuko forced himself to rise and continue his journey, hungry as he was. The heat of the day both rejuvenated and sapped his energy, if that was even possible. When nightfall arrived Zuko didn't know whether he was relieved or upset. It took him a while to even get up enough energy to light a fire for the night. As unappealing as it seemed Zuko went to sleep on an empty stomach, unable to sustain conscientiousness, he passed out immediately after the fire was lit.
When Zuko awoke the next morning, before dawn, both replenished and refreshed he was almost certain that he had died during the night. Upon giving himself an once-over and finding everything to be as it had been the day before Zuko put out his fire and continued on his journey. It was shocking to think that he was walking across the Serpent's pass without something dire or at least tragic occurring along the way. It was almost as though the deadly path had a certain respect for Zuko that allowed him to pass unscathed. As dawn approached, Zuko resolved to leave the troubles of his past behind him. He resolved to be a new man and find his place in the world, even if that meant, in direct opposition of his father's desires.
