breathing together
- Chapter one, Zuko.

Zuko and Toph: Your prince to my commander,


"At the end of the day, a loving family should find everything forgivable."


"You burned my feet, remember." He cannot help but let the odd sensation gnaw at him, as he wonders why she finds it a necessity to remind him of this day in and day out. He usually, on the many occasions the young Earth bender has slyly reminded him of this fact, replies with an indifferent, "I know. I was there," before performing whatever task she has commanded him with. Toph waves her newly healed feet his way as incentive, just in case he has any funny ideas about not complying with her. Through the corner of his eye, the one with a mark permanently burned into the left crevice of his face, he frowns. Toph Bei Fong grins with a satisfied expression, perfectly delighted that with little trouble she coerced the Fire Nation prince into performing a mundane and demeaning task.

Zuko grimaces a bit at the sight. Clods of dried dirt, grass, and other accents of the earth hug her feet, caked on to create a protective layer, as the girl calls it, for her makeshift eyes. Toph points down, sensing uneasiness through his vibrations, beckoning him to his duties as official slave. No one else had dared try and blackmail the prince, a felony in the Fire Nation, who was a seasonally trained warrior – then again, so was she. Zuko got the sense that Toph was accustomed to having servants as he was. He could tell by the way she so un-humbly demands that he "get between my toes, Sparky!"

His expression drops as the foul smell embraces his senses, and it is all he can do to hold down a gasp for air and possibly his breakfast.

"Disgusting," He murmurs out, only to be dealt a blow against his right cheek by Master Bei Fong's toes.

"Can it," She lifts her toes higher, resting her head back in ease, "and keep scrubbing."


Zuko and Suki: Hey Zuko,


"A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them."


One day, when his guard was unusually lowered, due to his prolonged training of the Avatar, he let it slip effortlessly: "I don't have a mother." In an instant, Suki lowered her gaze and muttered a swift apology. Her first try at conversation with the fire bender, since the prison at Boiling Rock, had failed miserably, and only left her with regret for the attempt. As she bit her lower lip softly, watching his back gradually move towards the group of friends huddled around the fire, she offered unsurely:

"Me neither." It did not help, she considered, because he never turned around or acknowledged her confession. She knew he heard, though. After watching the prince return to the bonfire, Suki hauled the pale of water back to the congregation, settling next to Sokka. Sokka, after shoving a piece of meat down his throat, offered a concerned look to Suki. After shaking her head with and a jab into his ribs, and indication that she was fine, the Kyoshi warrior returned to eating her meal. Sokka shrugged and ravished another morsel. For the remainder of the time, Suki would often steal a glance at Zuko's scar and wonder how he felt about not having a mother.


"Uh," She hesitated, with her hand resting heavily in the air.

"Hmm?" He looked up from floor indifferently.

"Could you help me with the water again?" She regained her posture and pushed a second pale towards his figure. And, with silence, he agreed.

Zuko eyed her carefully. He had not known the warrior long enough to trust her as greatly as the others seemed to, and it was not his personality to be overly trusting – especially after learning he had a hand in burning her village. Should the Kyoshi girl harbor any ill feelings after his ambush on her village, he made sure to remain a few feet behind her walking pace – just in case. When her pace livened, though, she swiftly turned the corner. He lost sight of her momentarily.

After he quickened his own stride, Zuko turned the corner, only to be pushed to the side. Immediately alarmed, a struggle ensued between the two warriors. Zuko, who was ready to pull her much smaller figure over him, and with a much stronger chance at victory, stopped as he heard:

"Stop it, Zuko." He realized that the girl was cradling his head loosely. Frozen in place, Zuko let Suki slide down the wall and place his head in her lap. After another uncomfortable struggle that followed, Zuko calmed into her grasp.

"I bet this is what it feels like to have a mother."

Suki grinned after seeing his eyes expand. Twisting her clumsy fingers through his dark hair, Suki glanced at the skyline, watching the sun dip into the vista. "My mother used to hold me like this, you know." She commented, running her hand along his head. Eventually, the prince sunk into her and grasped her figure.

Barely audible, the prince whispered, "No, I didn't."

Suki jumped in her skin as the fire bender embraced her torso tighter. But, like Zuko, she eventually relaxed.

"That's okay." Suki said. "If you don't know how it was with your mother."

Silence between the two persisted until the sun sunk behind the scabby mountains, and then Zuko broke it.

"My mother held me like this." He said.


Zuko, Sokka, Katara, and Hakoda: Being a family,


"The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have."


It was just a little disgusting, he admitted to himself, as he watched the "guy with a boomerang" peel his toenails in delight. Flicking them in all directions, Sokka jeered with excitement. The other members of band had been conditioned with this routine, and thus left as soon as Sokka howled about his 'bad boys'. Only a few figures huddled around the fire – the brave, the uneducated, and the like-minded. Katara, who was in the process of repairing her father's shoes, glanced at her brother in repulsion, turning in her spot as to not witness any further. At either side of Sokka sat Aang's earth bending instructor, Toph, and the Kyoshi warrior, Suki. Toph occasionally raised her toes to join Sokka's festivities, which reminded the prince of his labors as personal foot hygienist. Suki tried to smile, but was secretly hiding her urge to leave – which she, although having a great desire to, never did, even after Sokka proclaimed, "Big daddy's coming off!"

Next to the prince sat Hakoda, who was finishing up his dinner. After noticing the very visual disgust pained in Zuko's expression, Hakoda chuckled inwardly. Setting his stew aside, the tribal leader called on his daughter. "Katara, you should leave, his big toes are horrible." After another stitch, she denied the offer.

"I'm used to it by now."

Hakoda grinned, extending the offer to the other girls. Sokka shot his father a look.

But, as Katara, the others turned his suggestion down. The others, who had left after Sokka's first toenail went flying, eventually returned by the fire. Hakoda suggested to the wanderers to be wary of Sokka's toes, but, like the others before them, they all voted in favor of being surrounded with company.

To Zuko, he never made the offer. "This is what being a family is about, son," He thumped the preoccupied prince in the mid of his back. "And you're now a part of it."

With a cough, Zuko mentioned, "I'm used to it by now."


© Disclaimer: I own nothing from Avatarverse,
or any of the pretty quotes used. All characters, places, and
quotes remain the intellectual and creative property of whoever
they belong to, which, if you did not catch, is not me.

Wow; it's finished! O.K, so this is my first non-chaptered, non-deleted contribution to the Avatarverse. As I've discussed with Suki (not the Suki from Avatarverse, but my dear wifey ... well, one of them), it is very hard for us, who are used to writing for Kingdom Hearts, which is much more open to a fanfiction writer's development, to write in the Avatarverse -- the creators of Avatar really did wonderful jobs at characterization for their amazing characters. So, basically, it was a pain in the butt for me to properly write Zuko, because he is a very detailed character, and we, as viewers, are new to his non-anger powered personality. So, hopefully, this is not the most horrible piece of writing you have ever read. The Suki and Zuko drabble was the hardest to write, because I feel stupid for how I wrote about Zuko; is it horrible?

And, before I forget, this entire collection is for my wifey's Suki and Ana, who I also call Mio. They are amazing. And amazing writers, so check them out sometimes ... Fester Bestertester, tally ho!

Next Chapter: Hakoda.

¤ composed by lunamaria.