Avatar: TLA doesn't belong to me. Woe is me. If I did own a:tla a lot of things would be different. The world would probably explode with awesomeness, and there would be a tear in the fabric of space and time. It would be marvelous. BUT ANYWAY - HELLO WORLD. I was originally not going to post this until it was completely finished. But then I realized if I did that, I'd never finish it. So here it is, in all its incomplete glory -
DYNASTY
"The war is over, it's all over," Zuko shook his head in amazement.
"It is a bit shocking, isn't it?" Mai sighed
"Mai…" he turned to face her, biting his lip in apprehension
"Yes Zuko?" A faint, amused smile encased her lips
"I… uh… will you marry me?" He held out a gorgeous necklace, a red strap with a tiered selection of scenes played out in gold and black on thick pieces of circular wood. It was a grand, Fire Nation betrothal necklace
"Yes. I will…" Her smile widened slightly, and she allowed him to put the necklace around her neck.
"I love you, Mai. Thank you."
"I love you too Zuko." She settled into his arms, not caring what the aftermath of the horrible war would be. She didn't care how much effort or time, or patience it would take to remake the world. She would muddle through, so long as Zuko was at her side and she was the Fire Lady. Azula would love this.
"I am ecstatic to be here with you, People of the Fire Nation! I ask that you welcome me, and help me figure out the state this wonderful nation is in! I apologize deeply for the mistakes I am sure to make, believe me it will get better!" Zuko smiled gracefully, "I have been infected with a love for the Fire Nation, and a love for your Fire Lady," He shot his smile at Mai, "And I am eager to help this nation regain its positive reputation, honor our soldiers, and just generally help the Fire Nation grow!"
Cheers surrounded him, and He began to feel lightheaded. Their support was amazing, intoxicating.
"Fire Lord Zuko, Fire Lord Zuko!" they were chanting for him! Chanting!
He flashed a quick grin at Mai and then resumed speaking, "Thank you! Thank you for accepting me and Mai, thank you for being such an amazing people! I am here to tell you that Sozin's Dynasty is over! The reign of terror, the horrible war… it's all finished. I'd like you to help me usher in the new dynasty! The Maiko Dynasty!"
Deafening. The cheers, shouts, and screams of approval were deafening. He felt like crying, tears of astounding joy, but he managed to keep them at bay. He felt Mai come up beside him and grasp his hand tightly. Grinning emphatically, he lifted their hands, and even more cheers ensued.
"My lord, M'lady," the man bowed slightly and waited for the consent to speak.
Zuko made a motion with his hand, "Go ahead, what is so important?"
It was the middle of the night; they had been woken from a deep sleep. They weren't exactly in the best mood, one made even worse by the knowledge that the pudgy man's news must be bad.
"Azula has escaped," he winced
"What?" this was Mai, who was advancing on the man like a hurricane. A gentle hand on her shoulder just stopped her, and she shot Zuko an angry look
"She got out of her cell; they say she's on her way here! She wants the throne!" the man was trembling
"Where is Suki?" Zuko's frown deepened
"I… I don't know," the man gasped
"Well get her! Tell her to come here immediately!"
The man nodded and practically ran out of the room.
"We should get dressed," Mai moved towards the closet as Zuko nodded.
"How do you think she did it?" Zuko stopped in the middle of pulling his pants on and stared at the bare wall. "How did she escape?"
"Zuko, she has a lot of followers. Perhaps she persuaded one of her fellow inmates to assist her, or one of the doctors, or a guard. She probably regained enough of her sanity to be dangerous, and used her manipulative skills to win her an ally. Though I fear for that ally now that she is no longer of any use to Azula," Mai sighed, "There are a multitude of ways she could have done it."
"I suppose…" He resumed dressing.
"Promise me you won't challenge her again?" Mai placed her cool hand on his cheek, "You're stronger, but she might be sane. Or at least, her variety of sanity."
Zuko's distant eyes focused on her face, and he donned a humorless smile, "I won't… I won't fight her without you."
"Thank you. I love you." She kissed him quickly, and went to arrange her hair by the mirror
"I love you too," he called after her
"Knock knock!" Suki slipped through the door and immediately covered her eyes, "Put a shirt on, man!"
Zuko laughed, "Hey, it's my bedroom!"
"Indeed," Suki gave a mock shudder, "Hey Mai!"
"Hi Suki." She nodded to the warrior, "How are you?"
"Quite well, thanks. I know, it's been so long… what, like five hours since I last saw you guys?"
Zuko rolled his eyes, "I believe so."
"So, down to business. I hear family is coming in for a visit. And she's not exactly welcome…" she smirked, "I've already sent the fourth and second divisions to try and intercept her, complete with Yu Yan escorts. I have a few Yu Yan here, set in perimeter along with the first and third divisions. Divisions five and six are set and ready to assist whoever she runs into. She won't get past us, Zuko."
"You're great! Thanks. Now, we need to find out exactly how she got out," He frowned, "To make sure it doesn't happen again."
"I'm on it! Meet me in the war room in ten minutes, ok?" Suki shot a quick salute at the two and slipped back out the door.
"I'm coming with you," declared Mai
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Zuko smiled and kissed her again
"So, these are our suspects…" Suki frowned at the five men in front of her.
A tall man in a strange white coat stepped forward, "Excuse me sir, but I don't understand… I wasn't even in the same wing as the princess. I never came into contact with her. Why am I here?"
Zuko and Suki exchanged a sharp look, "We have our reasons," Zuko frowned at the man, who promptly returned to his place in line with a sharp scowl affixed to his long face.
"We will question each of you in turn. We will know if you are lying, so don't even try." Suki motioned to a smaller room, where they could wait to be called.
Mai bit her lip, annoyed at the situation. She knew very well that they had no idea whether or not the men were lying. Where was that annoying earthbender when you needed her?
Zuko sighed, "Mai, she couldn't get here in this short of time! She and Aang are in Ba Sing Se!"
Mai frowned, "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud! I know, it was a figure of speech, kinda."
"Well, let's get to work. I think we can use our old fashioned detective techniques, no magic bending required!" Suki smirked at Zuko, who let a small smile show through his harried demeanor.
"My Lord, My Lady, Madam Suki, the suspects are awaiting your orders." There was no reproach in the man's tone. It was the same man who had awoken Katara and Zuko with the news.
"Thank you, Zeyn… bring the first one in."
"I have no earthly idea. None at all. Zip, zilch, nada," Suki massaged her forehead with her fingertips
"I don't think any of them did it… they all seemed the same." Zuko tapped the arm of his chair with his hand.
"I think it was that doctor guy… the first one who spoke. He kept referring to her as a princess. She isn't technically a princess anymore, so he should have just referred to her as Azula, or your sister, or another of those petty titles just like everyone else." Mai smiled ever-so-slightly at her deduction
"Good point. Let's talk to him again." Suki called for Zeyn, and the man came walking calmly in. He was wearing a slightly smug smile, and he spoke in a supercilious voice, "You have a visitor, Zuko."
"Wh –"
Azula came striding in, every hair in place, ever-present smirk strong.
"Dear Zuzu, don't look so surprised! You should have known I wouldn't stay in that boring place for long. My throne was waiting!" She laughed sardonically, "Anyway, I'm here to claim it. Please leave, so I don't have to kill you, brother."
"But… I…" He glanced on either side of him and saw that men had knives pressed against Mai and Suki's necks. Azula cackled,
"Do you think I am an idiot? Oh Zuzu, you severely underestimated me. Your men are either dead or on my side. I am offering you the kind way out… banishment. Leave now or die."
"Azula, you don't want to do this."
"Yes Zuko, I do. I have never doubted my ambition, I didn't think you would."
"Zuko," Mai's voice was filled with warning.
"You don't honestly think I'll just let you take over my kingdom."
The former fire princess grinned, "Goodbye Zuzu!"
"Agni Kai." The Fire Lord stood up and shrugged off his shirt.
Mai frowned, irritated, "Look, it didn't work last time. Don't waste time and your life, Zuko. Please, let's just go."
Azula frowned, "She's right! It would be such a waste of time. This is much easier."
Zuko watched in horrified silence as his sister gathered lightning and shot it at Mai.
The Fire Lady slumped to the ground. Zuko ran to her, but it felt like the world was spinning slowly. Suki got there first and shook her head.
"No! Oh, no… Mai!"
Azula cackled again. "She was working for me anyway. You didn't lose much."
Zuko whirled on her, "You're lying!"
"I'm not. I'll show you the letters, if you wish." Azula shrugged, "Honestly, she should have seen this coming. She was the one who put me in the Asylum in the first place… I'm not going to forgive that so quickly."
"She did," Zuko gasped, "She said it… but… oh Mai."
"Leave now, or that will be the fate of you and this earth warrior too."
Zuko nodded. He picked up Mai's lifeless, electric body and walked out of the throne room, Suki following, never looking back.
And so the Maiko Dynasty was ended. But Zuko was never one to give up without a fight. He mounted a rebellion, with Suki's help, but Azula's connections ran deeper than they had ever dreamed. Eventually their resources were exhausted, and the name of Zuko was merely a whisper in dark alleyways. It became a secret, a hidden cause. Slowly but surely they began their rise, and this time they wouldn't underestimate the megalomaniacal Fire Lord.
I have never been rich. Well, they tell me that once, long ago, I was an heiress. A lady of the court. But if they are telling the truth, that was too long ago for me to remember. I remember my mother's face, her gentle manner. I remember the stories of my father, who died before I was born. I remember running freely, no worries. But isn't that how every young child's life is? Free running amongst the nature! I had been running free for a while now, but I had plenty of worries. More than a girl of nineteen should have, I thought. But alas, no one was going to help me. An orphan girl wasn't the most desired worker in this nation. Perhaps I could work in a factory, or a tea shop, but neither of those really suited me. What was the point of being miserable when I would only get enough money to occasionally buy me a meal? It wouldn't be enough for me to have a house, or anything fancy.
I thought that I would live forever on the streets, stealing and begging my meals, constantly worrying about mean dogs or men. That was, until I met a girl who changed my life forever.
Oh, not in that way! Dear me, I don't exactly go that way, thank you!
It had started in the oddest way. I was roaming the harbor, as I was wont to do when I was bored, and the most nondescript ship came into the harbor. It was so nondescript that it caught my attention, odd as that may sound. See, most army ships are large and glorious, giant hulking tubs of metal. And most fishing ships are neat and personalized, with red or gold sails and a quaint name painted on the side. This ship was actually more of a boat, a simple brown thing with neat oars and splintered seats. It had a small mast, and I could see dingy sails folded in the bottom. A withered old man was tying it to the dock, and I shrugged off my suspicions. Probably just a poor fisherman, who couldn't afford a larger one. I resumed my surveillance of the day's catch, figuring out exactly what kind of fish I wanted for lunch.
I had just decided on the Tunbass when the old man bumped into me. I frowned, muttered some curse at him telling him to watch where he was going, and continued on my way. Something nagged at me, but I ignored it, focusing instead on just how I was going to acquire my Tunbass. I was flirting with the stall owner when suddenly it hit me. The old man… when he had run into me, his beard had slipped. Slipped… normal beards didn't do that, right? I stopped in the middle of a sentence, shot an apologetic glance at the stall owner, and ran toward the direction I'd last seen the man.
Something odd was going on, and I meant to find out what. I had definite morals, but I wasn't completely scrupulous, and if there was a profit to be had then I would be the one to make it. I saw the familiar grey head ducking into an alley, and I was quick to follow. It was easy to slip through the masses with my tiny body; quite often I wasn't even noticed. Of course, just as often people would notice me and promptly check their purses, which rather offended me. I mean sure, I'd cut a few in my younger years, but I was above that now. Sorta.
Anyway, enough about that. I slipped into the alley, taking a minute to let my eyes adjust to the dim light, after the bright sun outside.
"Look, our cause needs your bravery and resources! Surely the promised future is incentive enough?" It was the old man who was talking, to a significantly younger and better dressed man.
"I don't know… the… er, the cause already established is working out alright…"
The old man's hands clenched into tight fists, "No, it is not. There are more orphans and street people than ever before. Our soldiers are dying by the thousands, which should be more than enough evidence that it is, in fact, not working out."
"Very well… I'll pledge my support to your cause. I suppose we must have a second meeting." The young man twisted the gold bracelet that encircled his wrist.
"Indeed. Tomorrow, your office."
The young man nodded and began walking back towards the light, towards me.
I slipped into the shadows quickly, luckily before he saw me. The old man was not so lucky though. As soon as he began walking I ran and shoved him into the wall.
He sighed gustily and croaked, "Please ma'am, I have nothing. No money, no rich possessions. I have nothing you would want. I am just a frail old man."
"You do have something I want, and you are not an old man! You have information." I pulled off his beard, a triumphant smile on my face.
"Oh bother. I hoped it wouldn't come to this." He knocked my arms off of his shoulders and turned me around, now he was the one pushing me into the wall. I kicked at his legs in frustration, but he stayed steady.
"Let me go! You can't kill me!" I squirmed, hoping I could slip out.
"Actually, I can. I don't really want to though." He frowned and pulled off the grey wig, revealing dark brown hair pulled into a short ponytail. I realized he was actually a girl! "But now that you have seen me… and overheard some of my conversation I presume?"
I nodded before realizing that it was a stupid thing to do. If I had just pleaded ignorant then perhaps she would have let me go.
Too late now, I suppose.
"As I thought. How old are you?"
"Uh… nineteen, I think." I didn't exactly see how this was relevant.
"A little old…"
"Excuse me?"
She wasn't paying any attention to me.
"Let's see, if your hair was done correctly… you had some better fitting clothes… yes, you could pull it off. I can use you."
"Excuse me!"
"Come with me," she took my arm and began pulling me toward the street but I resisted.
"First you tell me where we're going!"
"My boat," she shrugged
"Where after that? Are you bad? Are you going to hurt me?" It might have been blunt, but I couldn't figure out how to say it nicely
"No, I'm not bad… at least I don't think so. And no, I am not going to hurt you… at least I hope not. Now come on!"
I snorted in frustration, but I let myself be dragged along.
"Now listen to me closely, because if you don't follow my instructions you will be hurt, however much I wish to refrain. I am going to resume my old man's disguise, and you will be my much younger granddaughter. Follow this list," at this point she handed me a beaten up sheet of parchment, "and help me buy everything I need, please."
I frowned again, but figured my only choice was to nod. To my surprise I found that I didn't even try to run when she released me to reassemble her beard and wig. My curiosity was kindled, I guess.
"So just follow me and the list, ok? Oh, and my name is Wang Fire," She held out a hand and I frowned
"Fire?"
"Indeed"
"So, that wasn't too hard, now was it?" The old man's step was noticeably faster, close as we were to the boat.
I made some unintelligible mutter, laden with bags as I was.
"Ok, just put them all in the back here," she moved the sails and I dumped the bags in, "Good job! Now get in yourself… good."
Once we were all settled in she reached for the oars, but I beat her to it.
"Dear Grandfather, I know you were once young and spry, but I can't let you exhaust yourself now! Let me row, please?" I shot urgent messages with my eyes, not knowing if she would even get a hint of my message.
"Oh…" she altered her voice, "Oh yes, deary. Sorry about that… sometimes I forget these old arms aren't what they used to be. Are you sure you're strong enough, granddaughter?"
"Of course, granpapa. I rowed us here!"
"Right, right. Afraid the old mind is slipping too!" She shook her head in mock disbelief
"Don't worry granpapa. I'm sure you'll be fine." I patted her patronizingly on the shoulder, and then assumed my rowing position. It only took a few minutes to get into the open harbor, at which point I opened the sails.
"Good thinking back there," She frowned, "I suppose I forgot about you, a bit."
"No problem," I shrugged, "I'm used to keeping up ruses…" I bit my lip, unsure if I should have shared that bit.
"And yet quick to trust," She laughed slightly, "What is your name?"
"Um, Katara. Just Katara…"
"Katara. Interesting. It is a rather noble name."
"Uh… thank you. Some people… well… Kat is fine. "
"I see." She got the strangest look on her face, and I wasn't sure she saw at all.
"We're almost there. Now listen, when you first see the Fire Lord, don't do anything crazy, ok? He is a nice man, but he's very… on edge."
"He's been in exile for five years. His love died. He has every right to be on edge!"
"You know your history…" Suki frowned
"I was fourteen… I was just starting to pay attention to world affairs."
"Interesting. That's good I suppose."
"You want to know my life's history don't you," I sighed, "Everyone does."
"No, no. I do, but not until we're in front of the Fire Lord, ok?" We had reached the dock by this point, and she was tying the boat up.
"Ok," I stepped out of the boat and helped her out.
She brushed her hands on her pants, and then started off down the dock. I followed, unsure of where we were going or what was going on.
"Here we are," She pointed to a fairly large, wooden house.
"This is where the Fire Lord lives?" I frowned
She nodded, "This is Zuko's house."
She opened the door and slipped in, calling the Fire Lord's name. He answered from the back, and Suki headed in that direction, motioning for me to follow.
"Suki? That's you, right?" The Fire Lord was sitting in a chair, in the shadows.
I frowned. How cliché! I almost said so, but remembered Suki's warning. I suppose this was one time when I shouldn't speak my mind.
"It's me. I've brought a new recruit." Suki stepped back, leaving me in the spotlight.
Fire Lord Zuko stood up out of the chair and came toward me. He walked in a circle around me, sizing me up.
I was being self controlled, I was being self controlled, I was being self –
"What is this, some bad Ember Island Players show? What is with the drama?"
Oh man. That didn't last long.
The Fire Lord frowned. I bit my lip, hoping I wouldn't be executed or something equally life-ending.
He started laughing. After a minute Suki started too, until they were both practically rolling on the floor. I was getting irritated.
"Is someone going to explain something to me? I have… well… I have stuff to get back to if this isn't worth it!"
"By stuff do you mean legal or illegal acts?" Suki smirked
"I… legal!"
"I think she'll be perfect for the resistance!" Fire Lord Zuko grinned slightly
Suki nodded, "Good, that's one more off my list. Can you debrief her, and let her debrief you? I have another meeting."
The Fire Lord nodded, "I've got it."
As soon as Suki had closed the door after her he turned to me.
"Name?"
"Katara."
"Age?"
"Nineteen."
"Class?"
"I… Street Urchin," I lifted my chin. So what if I was forced to live on the street… it was exciting!
He smirked slightly, "I see. So do you have any family?"
"No… well… no," I shook my head firmly.
"I suppose I'd better get your story. Please, sit." He pointed to a chair that was sitting against the wall. I went and sat down in it awkwardly.
I could tell he was sizing me up again. Paying attention to the way I sat, how I was sitting, why I was doing what I was doing. It was rather infuriating, being judged like that.
Zuko watched the new girl (Katara! He had to remember that!) carefully. She said she was just a street urchin, but she had definite signs of nobility. The way she held her head, the way she walked. She hadn't always been on the street. He saw that she had noticed he was figuring her out. Her chin had lifted, her posture become straighter, and her mannerisms more nervous.
He calculated her outward appearance. That fit with her street urchin title. Her hair was in a ragged braid, and it was greasy and unwashed. She was skinny; not good skinny, but malnourished skinny. Her dress was ragged, but it covered what it needed to cover. She wasn't wearing shoes and she had gloves on, something that interested him. Her face was dirty, but it was still beautiful. She had striking, exotic blue eyes that captivated him. The girl had obvious beauty about her, even in her impoverished state.
He shook his head and turned back to whether or not she was trustworthy. He thought so. Over the past five years he'd become an expert at reading people. He'd practiced and practiced, day and night. He wouldn't let himself be fooled again and he wouldn't ever trust so easily again.
"Are you just going to stand there analyzing me or are you going to let me tell my story?" I was getting antsy, wondering if this was all a bad idea.
"Sorry. Go ahead, tell me all of it. From the beginning."
"The very beginning?"
He nodded
"Ok. Well, I don't remember much before my eighth year. I remember happiness, but that's about it. When I was eight, something happened. Someone died; I don't know if it was my mother or my father. Whichever it was, I was sent away. I went to live with an aunt on Ember Island. I grew up there. When I was fourteen, my Aunt died. My only options were to stay in Ember Island and go to an orphanage, or run away. Life on the street is better than life in one of those orphanages… especially if you're a girl. Trust me. So, I moved to the Harbor City. Just packed my stuff in a bag and hopped on a boat. I've lived there ever since. Really, there isn't much to tell." I shrugged
"I suppose not. Nothing else? You can tell me anything: I won't tell anyone else, I won't put you in prison…" He looked at me for a minute and then he laughed again, "I won't execute you!"
"How… how did you…" I gaped at him in disbelief
"You just had this look! I could tell you were thinking that!" His laughter faded into a slight smile.
"That's pretty impressive!"
He nodded proudly, "Thanks"
"So, could you tell me… if you don't mind…?" I bit my lip, "Could you tell me how you beat the Fire Lord… I mean, Ozai?"
His slight smile turned into a slight frown, "I suppose. You don't remember?"
"My Aunt… well… she kept me rather 'sheltered'. Didn't tell me what was going on in the outside world."
"I see. Yes, I'll tell you. Aang defeated Ozai, with the help of the earthbender Toph. They killed him. I don't know all the details of that, just know it happened. I was busy with Azula."
At the mention of her name his face darkened even more.
"How was the Avatar even found?"
"You mean you really don't know anything about that?" His eyes widened slightly
"I… well, no. I don't." I sighed, feeling rather stupid.
"That's fine. Well, Aang was in an iceberg. He was discovered by a couple of fishermen in the Southern Water Tribe. Long story short – he got out and travelled to the North Pole to learn waterbending. When that was done he went to the Earth Kingdom and found Toph. She became his earthbending teacher and started travelling with him. After a… well, eventually I became his firebending teacher. When Sozin's Comet came we defeated Ozai and Azula, with the help of people like Toph, Suki, Mai," He winced slightly at that name.
"I see," I frowned, "So what are we doing here? I mean… I know why we're here I just mean, what is your plan for re-conquering the throne?"
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I'm not 100% sure. Right now we're just placing spies in the Palace. We want to know what Azula's plans are, who her allies are. And we're gathering our own allies, our own source of funding. This is where you fit in. You can go to the Palace, tell us who is on our side and who is on Azula's. You seem sharp, and you have a noble air."
I was flattered, but still wary
"You can go in as a noble, find out the gossip, and come back out. Nobles are constantly getting promoted and demoted, moving from one city to the other, it's not that strange of a story."
I nodded, "I understand. I'm in."
Suki had been watching from the door. When Zuko laughed again she'd smiled, and almost cried. It was the first time she'd heard him laugh in months. He wasn't easy to humor, but this girl had done it twice in five minutes. Suki was impressed, both with the girl and with herself for matching them up.
Most people were surprised that Suki and Zuko weren't together. She could see how they would think that. Five years of working together towards a goal would make people grow close, but it hadn't worked that way with them. They knew their boundaries and they kept inside of them. They were very close friends, but nothing more. Suki wasn't really sure why… it wasn't like Zuko wasn't nice, or handsome. She had just never felt that way, and neither had he. It was odd, sure, but she didn't mind. It made things a lot less complicated.
She cleared her head of her thoughts and slipped down the hallway, towards an interrogation room. She had another recruit to debrief.
"About time! I thought you guys were going to keep me in here forever! Look, I'm all for Zuko, but if he doesn't feed me then I'm out of here!"
"Ah, we'll get you some food sir." Suki opened the door and motioned to a girl walking by. "Hey Kina, sorry to bug you, but can you spare a minute to get our new recruit some refreshments?"
Kina shrugged, "Sure."
Suki thanked her and closed the door, "See?" She turned back to the man sitting at the table, "Refreshments are on their way!"
The man nodded, "Nice. Fast service."
"Indeed," Suki sighed, "So, I'm here to get your basic information and to explain our mission."
The man nodded.
"So," Suki began, "Name?"
"Fire. Wang Fire."
She looked up from her scroll sharply, "That's not funny."
"What? It's my name!"
"No, it can't be."
The man frowned, "Well, it is!"
"That's… I mean… I…" Suki shook her head and pushed her fingers into her forehead. "Moving along. Age?"
"Twenty-one."
"Class?"
The man laughed, "Class? I mean, I took mathematics once, but I didn't like it, so I dropped out. Currently, I'm education free!"
Suki sighed again. This was going to take patience. "I mean social class. For example: nobility, royalty, farmer…"
"I see," He pondered for a bit, "I like to call myself a merchant, of sorts."
"They said they picked you up in a junkyard."
"I was… uh… searching for… materials. I'm a… artist! An artist!"
"Just tell the truth, we don't care what you are or what your background is. We just want to know so we know what your area of expertise is. We need to know where to assign you." She sank down into a chair across from him. "Please be honest"
He sighed, "Fine. I'll give you the whole story."
"Finally!" She sat up to show she was ready
"Listen, you're not going to go spreading this around right… I mean… it's just…"
"No, I won't. We exercise discretion here."
"Good. Ok, here goes. Might be a little rusty in the telling. I don't think I've ever told anyone this. In fact –"
"Just get on with it!" She grit her teeth, holding back her anger.
"Ok, ok! I lived in the South Pole until I was ten. I had a family; Parents, grandparents, and a sister. But when I was ten my mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid. My sister and I were captured in that same raid. We were parceled out to Fire Nation families… I haven't seen her since. I was sent to a family in the Fire Fountain City. They were horrible, abusive… I ran away when I was sixteen. I've lived on the street ever since. See, not complicated, just sad."
"You have Water Tribe loyalties?"
"I suppose. Ten is an awful age to change locations. I wouldn't turn my back on the Water Tribe; in fact, I'd go back there but… I do love the Fire Nation. I've grown used to living here… loyalty has developed.
"What is your real name?"
"Sokka."
Suki paced the floor outside of the room. Sokka was inside partaking of the refreshments Kina had brought. She was left out here figuring out this dilemma.
"You called for me? What's wrong?" Zuko came towards her, frowning
"I think… I think they're related."
"What?"
"The guy in there, Sokka, he told me he'd had a sister. Two years younger. Said they'd been taken from their home at his age ten… her age eight. He said they'd been 'parceled out to homes'. Wanna take a stab at who this sounds like?"
"Katara," He gasped, "But that's… I mean…"
"It's not impossible. It happened, it happened a lot. The Fire Nation wanted to boost their population so they stole kids. Fire Nation citizens volunteered to take these children in, to adopt them. Naturally the Fire Nation didn't care about keeping families together. It was one kid to a house. Siblings would have been split up." Suki massaged her forehead again, "What a headache."
"Why is it a headache? Suki! We could have just done something incredible! We could have just reunited a family! That's amazing!" Zuko ran his hand through his hair in disbelief.
Suki frowned, "I suppose. I guess… you're right! Go get Katara, please."
Zuko nodded, "Of course."
"Why?" I kept my expression guarded. I wasn't giving anything away that I didn't have to
"Just… because! Just tell me, please?"
He was so endearing, I couldn't help it; "Yeah. I had a brother, I think. I remember him. I mean… I'm not sure… if I saw him…" I shrugged it off, "Yeah, I had one."
"Please come with me." He grabbed my wrist, gently, and pulled me towards the door.
"Was that like a test?" I let him pull me
"No," He laughed slightly, "Not a test. Just trust me."
I blinked. Trust… Suki had said I was quick to trust. I didn't want to be quick to trust. I didn't think I was quick to trust.
"Please? Don't you trust me?"
I stared into his golden eyes and saw no dishonesty.
"Yes, I do." I followed him down a maze of hallways until we got to one that had Suki at the end. She was standing with a tall man. She had her hand on his arm and she was explaining something to him. Zuko called her name and she turned, as did the man beside her. He was staring at me. As we got closer, and he became clearer, something about him seemed familiar.
"Katara…" He whispered my name, reached up to touch my hair.
"Do I know you?" I pulled back, almost frightened.
"You don't recognize me? I mean… I guess I've changed… you have…" He seemed crushed
"I'm so sorry. I don't mean to hurt your feelings or anything. I don't recognize you."
"It's her," He turned to Suki, "It's definitely her."
When he turned back to me I could see that he was crying.
"Please, who are you? You're not… I mean… we weren't like… married, or something?" I didn't think I'd forget a marriage but you never know.
"No, we weren't married! Kat, you're my sister! It's me, Sokka!"
I stared into his eyes. I touched his cheek. Sokka? It was like I was running through a fog. I could see the end of the race, but it was blurry, and I wasn't sure when I was going to reach it.
"Brother…" Suddenly the fog lifted. The pieces snapped into place. "Sokka! My brother! Oh my goodness! Sokka!" I was faintly embarrassed that I was crying, but I ignored it because my brother was hugging me. My brother! I wasn't even sure I'd had a brother, much less that I'd find him!
"Thank you, oh thank you!" Sokka turned to Suki and gave her a hug too. She seemed irritated, but I saw her blush too.
"Yes, thank you, both of you… I never dreamed… I mean…" I laughed, "I can't even speak!"
Zuko smiled, "I'm so glad it really was your brother! It's such a coincidence!"
"Incredible," murmured Suki.
Sokka grinned, "Let's get some more food to celebrate!"
Well, there it is. I hope you enjoyed. Now, I want this to make sense. If you have any questions about how the world was saved or anything, just ask! I want it to be clear! :) more WILL be revealed, but if you have specific questions, please ask! :D
Thanks,
~LS