A promise is a promise?
Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine, but belong to Mike and Bryan.
Note: this takes after A:TLA comic "The Promise part one".
Note: this story contains spoilers.
And so it came to pass that Aang the Avatar (and the last Air Bender) and Zuko the Fire Lord met in the corridors of Zuko's palace.
"Good morning, Zuko," Aang said carefully, noting that Zuko didn't look particularly well rested. "Is there something wrong?"
"Aside from the fact that we're almost ready to start another hundred years of war?" Zuko replied dryly. "Well gosh, it's hard to determine."
"There's no need to be stroppy," Aang said crossly. "Look, I don't want to fight you either, but as the Avatar I have to! That said," he paused, "sorry about getting into your face lately. It's just that, well, Katara has kissed me and all, recently, and-"
"Or, as my uncle says, a man has only two worthwhile topics of discussion – love and war. War, however, is too bloody a topic to talk with the ladies, so let's talk about love. Aang, are you trying to impress your ladylove?"
"Er," Aang looked away. "No. Yes. Maybe. This doesn't change anything, Zuko! The four nations must be kept separate once more!"
"I see," Zuko said heavily, before abruptly changing his topic: "I went to see my father last night."
"What!" Aang's eyes bulged out. "Are you mad? What had he advised?"
"Let's see," Zuko said thoughtfully. "First, get a hold of your staff. Then – wait for you to turn around. Then –"
"I see," Katara (the up and coming Mrs. Avatar) spoke up, as she joined the two young men in the corridor. "I suppose that we should be grateful that you didn't ask Azula instead."
"Eh, it would probably involve koala-sheep shearing scissors somehow," Zuko said dismissively, "but that is exactly my point."
"?"
"We defeated Azula and my father by working as a team, not fighting one another instead. Can't we do that now? Have some sort of a team meeting?"
"I don't know about that, Zuko," Aang replied, thoughtfully. "This is really between you and me-"
"Actually, it's a good idea," Katara said firmly. "Aang, you cannot avoid Sokka just because he's my brother!"
"Why? He wants to be the best man at your wedding or something?" Zuko innocently asked, and was quite surprised to see Katara glare at Aang at these words and Aang noticeably wilt at the mention of a wedding. "Oh boy. That's not good."
"Tell me about it!" Aang and Katara replied as one, albeit for different reasons, before lapsing back into an uncomfortable silence.
"Yes," Zuko shook his head, "definitely a team meeting. ASAP."
And so, Sokka and Toph joined Aang, Zuko and Katara in the conference room. "So, what seems to be the problem?" Toph asked brightly.
"I and Aang need to come to an agreement about the peace-time division of the lands and Aang needs to prove to Katara how competent and manly he is while doing so," Zuko said plainly.
"Oh! That's a tough one!" Toph snorted.
"Excuse me? Since when Aang needs to act extra tough to impress me?" Katara said huffily.
"Uh, Sokka and I had a talk and he explained it to me – it's a guy thing, apparently," Aang said, somewhat unsure about Katara's reaction to this piece of news – and he was right.
"Say what?" Katara whirled to her brother. "Sokka, what were you thinking? This sort of behaviour has caused Gran-Gran to leave master Pakku and flee to the South Pole! Do you really want Aang to act like master Pakku?"
"Um," Sokka winced. "No? I mean, Gramp-Gramp is a good guy once you get to know him, but-"
"But nothing," Katara said firmly, turning to Aang. "Aang, listen to me. You're already man enough for me – you don't have to act like Sokka or master Pakku to impress me."
"Really?" Aang said, much more like his usual cheerful self than earlier. "Does that mean that I don't have to grow a moustache quickly either?"
"No!" Katara said firmly and gave Aang a hug and a kiss. "You do not!"
"And now that we have solved Twinkletoes' and Sugarqueen's love drama, what about that other problem?" Toph said brightly. "What's the long and short of it anyways?"
"Aang wants to separate the Four Nations once again," Zuko shrugged, "but many people don't want it. There're marriages between my people and king Kuei's people, for example-"
"And, of course, Twinkletoes and Sugarqueen themselves," Toph nodded in her usual manner. "Twinkletoes, if the Four Nations are to be separate, does it mean that you and Sugarqueen can't get married anymore?"
"…" Apparently Aang either thought of himself being above the law or never thought as to how it'll apply to himself.
"Oh, don't worry about that," Sokka said in his trademark style. "He hasn't yet proposed yet - the way it's going, me and dad will have to talk to Aang – sharply – and-"
Whomp! Toph earthbent Sokka into the room's floor before Katara could water-whip her brother instead. "Okay, Snoozzles, it's time-out for you, 'kay?" she said brightly. "Twinkletoes?"
"Look," Aang said slowly, clearly thinking it over in lieu of new information that he had realized just now, "it's my job as the Avatar – to keep the four nations separately-"
"Separate, you mean," Suki said thoughtfully as she entered the conference room with tea. "Tea?"
"None for me thanks," Zuko said firmly. "After spending years in my uncle's company, I hate it."
"Very well; and why is my boyfriend sticking out of the floor?"
"Because his sister would've done worse?" Zuko explained helpfully while Toph gave Suki a jaunty little wave.
"Oh," Suki sighed. "Oh dear. What have you been talking about?"
"Well, we intended to talk about keeping the four nations separate now that the war's over, but we cannot get over the fact that Twinkletoes hasn't proposed to Sugarqueen yet, even though he keeps trying to impress her by acting like Snoozzles," Toph said matter-of-factly.
Suki just sighed. "Aang," she said quietly, "you don't have to be someone else to impress Katara – that never works. And Katara," she turned to the Water Tribeswoman, "you cannot rush this sort of thing. Aang loves you, I'm sure he does, he's just shy."
"I know that he's shy," Katara said, sounding slightly peeved, "and I love him for that. I don't know why he even wanted to change – it's all Sokka's fault, I bet."
"Hey!" Katara's brother yelled from his down-under position, "we did intend to discuss the issue of the four nations after all!"
"What about the four nations?" Suki shrugged. "I love Earth Kingdom and would've willingly died for it, but until Avatar Kyoshi took matters into her own hands, there wasn't any Earth Kingdom – just a lot of warring city-states and all sorts of ronins." She paused "I love Earth Kingdom dearly, but if king Kuei were to lay certain…claims upon the Kyoshi Island, there would be trouble, believe me!"
"I believe you," Katara nodded. "Everyone, remember Oma and Shu? They were from neighbouring cities, yet they were divided by war-"
"Forget Oma and Shu," Sokka said firmly. "Dad talked to me about how our ancestors have left North Pole for South – not everyone found the North Pole's rules and regulations to their liking – like Gran-Gran, for example."
"Oh," Aang said thoughtfully. "What are you trying to tell me?"
"That borders and politics do not define nations alone – people define them as well," Zuko said matter-of-factly. "This is no solution either, but Aang? I'm afraid that whatever Roku had in mind, the world will not go back how it was before the war. I'm sorry."
"I know that," Aang said crossly, "even though I – sometimes – wish that it had. But I promised Roku-"
"Now wait just a moment!" Sokka said with a sudden sharpness. "Toph…"
"Here, Snoozzles," the diminutive earthbender bent Sokka back out of his hole. "You were saying?"
"Aang," Sokka said firmly, "I'm sure that Roku was a good man and Avatar, but for all of that, he didn't stop the war – you did. Therefore, you're a better Avatar than Roku is, and while listening to your elders is all fine and proper, you have to decide for yourself what do you want to do – whether you want to get married to my sister or not, for example."
"Sokka!" Katara spoke up, but Aang interrupted her.
"You really think that I'm a better Avatar than Roku was?" he asked Sokka quietly.
"Yes! Roku didn't stop the war – you did!" Sokka said firmly.
"But I didn't stop it alone," Aang said, still thoughtful. "I stopped it with you all. And we all are from different nations."
"My point," Zuko said matter-of-factly. "If the nations will be kept separate, so will we all and that's bad."
"Yes, but there are lot of people who want that instead," Aang shook his head. "The former Freedom Fighters, for one."
"So we'll have to do a lot of paperwork, and by 'we' I mean me, and the Earth King, and your father, right?" he turned to Sokka and Katara.
"Eh, we'll get back to you on that," Sokka said thoughtfully, "but what do you say, Aang? Are you willing to negotiate?"
"No duh!" Aang said much more happily than before. "But Sokka? No more manly advice from you!"
"Hey!" Sokka sputtered, as everyone laughed, and for the moment, all was all right with the world.
End