Disclaimer:

I do not own ATLA or its characters

Claimer:

I do own Sayen, Yunru, Taipa, and Achak.

Summary:

Zuko finds that being Fire Lord wasn't as simple as he thought it would be, well, maybe he knew but didn't get the full picture of it. Aang decides he wants to take his friend out for a vacation, to travel the world. When they go to the North Pole, maybe Zuko finds more than what he bargained for. ZukoxOC

Remember what I state below:

Italics and ' ' Means thinking! The person is talking to themselves, sounds a bit weird, neh? Example: 'Dammit.' Zuko thought.

((Author Speaking))

Chapter One:

Familiar Voices

Sitting at his marble-oak wooden desk, the Fire Lord peered down at his paper work with utter disgust. He was tired of this. He was tired of hearing bickering old men all day. As well as hearing Mai whine about his lack of attention to her and missing his uncle's presence. Zuko was growing sick of this actually. Even when he went to Mai to let out his frustration it was as if his words were not heard and to vent to her was a lost cause. Why couldn't his uncle stay with him? Maybe he wouldn't be bedridden half of the time. Its been four years since he had seen his friends; Aang and Katara were well from the letters he read from them. Suki and Sokka were married and well and Toph, well, she was being Toph and traveling the world. The twenty-year-old sighed as he tried to contemplate what he was going to do to sure assure the Northern Water tribe that he wouldn't hurt them. Why did they feel that way? Well, the South Pole had forgiven him due to Hakoda's help and it became a big deal since their sister tribe had helped built their civilization like a duplicate of theirs. It was now beautiful, large, and prosperous and it always made him smile whenever Katara spoke so highly of it in her letters. Before he could even finish one of the documents that dealt with rebuilding an old foster home, he began having a coughing fit but soon he realized that he was coughing blood. One of the guards came in worried about his Lord and was shocked to see his Lord falling to the floor, holding his stomach as he withered in pain. The Guard ran to his side and called out to his colleagues to get the Fire Lord's doctor immediately.

Two weeks later...

Zuko had a rather large frown on his face as he was told to stay on bed rest due to his ulcer, he also heard that his uncle was on his way to take care of him. The Fire Lord knew he was going to get lectured for taking care of the Fire Nation before his health. Not only was his uncle coming but also his friends, even Ty Lee, was worried and that was sure a shocker. Placing his hand on his head, he groaned as he bit his bottom lip. How was he going to face them? Seeing their worried expressions was definitely going to make him feel guilty and he wasn't sure how he was going to even begin with an apology. Hearing the door open, his amber orbs looked in the direction of which he saw Mai come in. She walked over toward his bed and sat down with a rather bored expression but in a strange way, he could see the worry struggling to reveal itself in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He began which made Mai's eyebrows furrowed.

"Are you stupid?" She asked him, knowing that she had not expected him to ignore it like he wanted to.

He narrowed his eyes at her but he knew he couldn't retaliate in the worst way, she cared and he loved her and he was stupid for letting his health get to this point. "Yeah." He said in rather calm tone. She shook her head before she spoke again,

"Why didn't you tell me you were sick? I would of helped. And it kind of makes me look like I caused it too. They even started to interrogate me." said Mai, her arms neatly folding in her lap as her eyes stayed glue to him and her face stoic. Zuko couldn't help but smirk.

"Like you would've cared. Well, anytime I get sick they are going to think you might be to blame since that would make you Fire Lady if we were to marry. Or to them, you just might be an Ozai supporter secretly," The Fird Lord said nonchalantly with his eyes focused on the ceiling and nothing more. He could hear Mai scoff at what he said but she couldn't help but half grin either.

Placing her hand on his stomach, she had pat it twice. "Zuko I do care. It is just that you don't cater to me like you use to and I miss that and I know that but you know I'm not an Ozai supporter, I would of been killed you." She said while standing, showing that she was about to take her leave. Zuko couldn't help but gape at what she said. 'I don't cater to her like I use to! I buy her jewelry and everything, I try my best to please her all the time! What is she talking about!'He screamed inside his mind but decided to let it go. No. More. Stress. Once she left, he could hear his uncle's voice.

"Hello Mai, you look quite lovely today." He said in his usual charming, aristocrat voice.

"You look dashing yourself, General Iroh." Mai replied with a respectful bow. The old man had came in with a smile on his face as he looked at his nephew who laid in his overly large bed with many pillows and many sheets.

Iroh sat at the edge of the bed beside him, his smile never wavering. "It has been some time since I last saw you, Fire Lord Zuko. It is most surprising that when I come back home that my nephew has an ulcer and a frown on his face." The Dragon of the West said while the twenty-year-old let out a small sigh before closing his eyes.

"I am sorry that you had to come all the way from Ba Sing Se just to see me like this, it was not my intention to get sick but I love my country more than I love myself. I was too caught up on how I can make the economy better, how to get Ozai's supporters on my side, and help make the Northern Water tribe make a treaty with us and open a trade route. They still do not forgive the Country because of what Zhao did to Chief Arnook's daughter, Yue." explained Zuko as he placed his large palms over his face as he he inhaled deeply and exhaled the same way.

Iroh nodded his head, understanding the complication his nephew faced and he knew that this would happen. He is still young but he knew how hard he would have to work to gain trust that has been lost. He just wished that he did not indulge himself so deep into his problems to the point he was coughing blood. "Nephew, how about you take a vacation? You have been working hard and you are young, you need some time away from home."

"I cannot shirk away from my duties, uncle. You know that." The Fire Lord spat, angered that his uncle would think of such a preposterous idea. He was the Fire Lord, Fire Lords don't need a vacation! Seeing that this was no arguing manner, Iroh decided he would go about this another way by using the Avatar.

"I understand." was the simple answered Zuko heard and he knew by the sound of his uncle's voice that this was not over... Days had passed since then and Zuko began to grow concerned, his uncle had visited him and played Pai Sho as well as served tea. It was quite normal but he couldn't help but question at the bright gleam in his uncle's eye. He knew he had a plan up his sleeve but he just didn't know what.

- : -

"Aw, he's sleeping." said a voice that seemed quite familiar to the young lord, he had fell asleep after the conversation with his uncle about how he had been mailing letters to his friends and it had been sometime since he wrote more, possibly a couple of months. He couldn't attend to any of their birthday parties due to his busy schedule so he didn't know how much they had grown since four years ago and it made him worry that he would possibly never see him again.

"Maybe we should just wait until he wakes up and not watch him sleep." came a masculine voice. Zuko eyes instantly shot open which made the group jump by fear of his wrath and by the sheer shock that he just woke up like that. Sitting up, his mouth opened agape.

"Hello Sparky."

"Toph... Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Ty Lee?" Zuko said, looking at all his friends as Sokka grinned like a madman.

"We-" Katara was cut off as a certain Avatar jumped in front of her, a huge grin on his face as he threw his arms in the air.

"We're gonna take care of you!" was all Zuko heard before he slapped his face with his palm as he heard his uncle laughter in the hallway.

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