*I don't own anything. If I did Kataang wouldn't have happened. Avatar the last Airbender belong to Nickelodeon.*
Summary: Zuko ran way to his Uncle and found the world of boxing and his best friend. With his Uncle, his best friend Toph, and his trainer, Zuko will show the boxing word just how much the dragon can rule in any arena.
o0o0o
Ba Sing Sae, the city of new beginnings. Or at least, that's what it seemed to Zuko. As he got off the train with his suitcase and backpack, he couldn't stop to wonder how the hell he was going to find his uncle.
Uncle Iroh, the one man Zuko could actually call his father figure. Zuko's own father was, well, a bit of a psychopath to put it gently. Zuko thought of his own father while gently touching his scar over his right eye. He burned the right side of my face to prove a point, Zuko thought bitterly.
That's why he needed to find his Uncle. His Uncle was there for him during his time in the hospital, and whenever Zuko got into trouble, and as much as he was a spoiled brat about it then, he was always grateful back then, and even more grateful now.
He called Iroh a week ago and told him that he would be arriving in a week. Zuko's whole plan was to live with his uncle until he finished high school, and eventually went to college. Iroh accepted the offer with open enthusiasm, as only Zuko knew his uncle would.
Zuko needed directions though, and he needed them badly. Walking through the lower ring seemed to be more confusing then it was supposed to be. All the streets seemed to wind themselves around like a serpent. The only reason Zuko knew he was going the right way, was because his uncle told him he lived beyond the Serpent's Pass. 'Must be going the right way then,' Zuko thought.
Zuko found himself walking under a bridge. 'Well, now I'm officially lost,' he thought angrily. 'This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to be there already. And now the sun's going down!' True enough the sun was setting and that thought seemed to get Zuko more upset then anything else. He didn't even seem to notice when he ran into a group of guys while muttering to himself.
"Hey, aren't you gonna say sorry?" the oldest one yelled at him, while grabbing Zuko's arm. Truth be told, Zuko would have said sorry any other time, but he was far to pissed to give a shit at the moment.
"No, because you should have moved out the way when you saw me coming," Zuko told him darkly, tugging his arm out of his grasp. The four other men behind him started chuckling, and unbeknownst to Zuko, where all ready circling him.
"Well, that's not nice at all," the oldest man said. He wore an evil grin, one that reminded Zuko of his bitch of a sister, Azula. Although Azula's would have made other's heart stop, Zuko just got extremely pissed at the thought of her. "Maybe we should teach you a less-" CRACK!
Zuko couldn't take anymore of this guy. When he saw Azula on his face, he saw his father. That face enraged him to no end, and even though he knew that he shouldn't, he hated his father. Not because of his scar, but because he took away the one thing Zuko found Precious in his life. 'Mom' Zuko thought.
He didn't know if he could stop the anger that he had from being unleashed, and all he knew was that the dragon had come out. That dragon he saw whenever he got angry to the point that he knew he would explode. The dragon increased Zuko reflexes, senses and strength, and Zuko knew that the four other guys were about to attack him from all the sides after their leader was knocked out.
Zuko knew that he shouldn't have been fighting this way. He knew that fighting like this was dangerous, mainly because the dragon had the intent to kill. Zuko was more afraid of the dragon then off his father, and that was saying something.
Zuko hit the second man that charged at him in the stomach before hitting him in the temple with a right cross. With the second man down, Zuko turned to the third man and kicked him in the knee before smashing his fist into the man's nose also knocking him unconscious.
Somebody grabbed Zuko from behind grabbing his arms. The other man started punching him in his stomach repeatedly. Zuko head started to swim from the pain in his abdomen. As the man backed up, Zuko swung out his leg hitting him in his lower rib. With a loud Crack, the man doubled over in pain, and Zuko kicked him again in his face. With another loud CRACK and blood spurting out of his nose, then man swam into unconsciousness.
Zuko slammed his head back into the man who held onto Zuko. The man screamed and released Zuko, only to have Zuko hit him with a jab to his jaw. With his head snapping back, Zuko finally hit him with an uppercut that sent the man flying backwards with such force that he hit the ground with a loud thud.
Zuko was exhausted both mentally and physically. Not only was he battling the men, but he was battling the dragon inside. Zuko didn't want to hurt anybody to the point that they couldn't get up again, but with the fight being five on one, he had to work extra hard in order to keep the dragon from breaking loose. Zuko was getting his suitcase when he heard a voice behind him, an all too familiar voice he wanted to hear when he got off the train.
"Well, this wasn't what I expected to see when I was going to pick you up." Zuko looked up to see his Uncle Iroh with a grin on his face.
"Uncle, it's you!" Zuko shouted, with such happiness in his voice. He was overjoyed to see his uncle exactly the way he remembered him. Even his big stomach was the same as he remembered it.
"Come, nephew. Let me get a god look at you." Iroh waited for Zuko to stop in front of him before taking him into his arms. He hadn't hugged anyone since his son Lu Ten had died. Pushing him away, Iroh gazed upon Zuko, memorizing his face.
"Zuko, you have the same eyes ass your mother," Iroh said, smiling. Zuko's striking gold eyes were known only to his family from his mother's side. Zuko's mother, Ursa, got them from her Grandfather, Roku. His mother used to look at him and say that he looked exactly like his grandfather Roku.
"You might need a hair cut, though," his uncle speculated while rumpling his hair. Zuko's hair was long and shaggy, covering most of his scar without covering his eye.
"Uncle, I'm not going to cut my hair," Zuko sighed, exasperated. "You've been trying to get me to cut it for a long time and I still haven't cut it off. I like my hair like this."
"But-"
"No buts, Uncle. My mother liked my hair like this. She said it helps bring out my eye color," Zuko said smiling. He picked up his suitcase and got inside the black Toyota. Iroh drove to his house, talking and laughing about the school he left and about their past adventures of rollercoaster's and Zuko's dance class he took for stamina and endurance.
Iroh had to admit that Zuko looked very well fit. His muscles were lean and fit his body perfectly. His arms were long and slender, and he looked like he exercised frequently. Zuko was handsome even with his scar, and the scar not only made him look mysterious, it gave him the loner vibe, signaling him as massively independent.
As they stopped at the house, Zuko couldn't help but feel at home. Iroh always had that calming effect on Zuko, whether he wanted it or not. And because the house seemed comforting like his uncle's presence, Zuko couldn't help but smile.
As they got into the house, Iroh cleared his throat. "Alright so your room is upstairs on the right. The bathroom is down the hall to the left and you can see the kitchen is right next to the living room. I think you're tired from the train ride, so your bed is set up for you and you should wake me up in the morning so we can show you the tea shop and another surprise just for you."
Zuko thanked Iroh and went up the stairs to his bedroom. Zuko's bedroom had a dresser and a queen sized bed. His closet was open ad seemed to hold all his clothes, and after putting a portrait of his mother on the dresser, flopped on the bed and lost consciousness.
o0o0o0o
The tea shop was exactly like Iroh, small, inviting, and had the aroma of cherry blossom leaves. Iroh had told him that he needed extra help in the tea shop, because he only had one employee, and the demand for his tea and his customers were increasing, along with his reputation. Zuko was happy to help, and the fact that there was another person helping them caught his attention. Zuko never had a true friend and the fact that he was kind of antisocial never really helped him out. That and his temper usually had people running away from him in fear. But, with the city of new beginnings came a new life, and Zuko was determined to have a friend that he could talk to without having feeling the need to punch them every two seconds.
As Iroh pushed the door open, Zuko saw a girl behind the counter, cleaning the countertop. She had on a green t-shirt that seemed a size too big and an apron over her green cargo shorts. Her black bangs seemed to cover her eyes, and when he saw her eyes he was instantly intrigued. Her eye color was a different shade from most people, a milky green that seemed to see right through him, and upon closer inspection he could see that she was blind.
"Zuko, this is Toph," Iroh said as he introduced the scarred teen to the younger girl. Zuko extended his hand, and shook it with her tiny hands. Zuko couldn't help but notice she had a strong grip, even for a girl.
"Hello," Zuko said. Zuko couldn't be rude to this girl; she was a helper in his uncle's store. Even if she was blind, Zuko knew that if his uncle had trusted her, then he would be bound to enjoy her company. He trusted his uncle on his judge of character.
"Nice to meet you," Toph said. "So your Iroh's nephew, huh? He talks about you a lot. He also told me you have a very bad temper."
"I do not," Zuko said, dangerously low. He didn't like people talking about him, especially if he didn't know the person.
"Actually, he didn't," Toph began, smirking, "but I love messing with new people. Besides, Iroh said he how much he loves you. But, you showed me you do have a temper, and if you didn't I wouldn't like you as much. Welcome to the family, Sparky!"
"Sparky?"
"Yeah. All my friends have a nickname. You just happen to spark up whenever you feel threatened, so you're Sparky." Toph punched him in the arm for a good measure and Zuko winched in pain. The girl hit hard!
"Ouch, what was that for?"
"That's how I show affection. And you better get used to it. The more I enjoy your company, the more I'll be hitting you."
Zuko couldn't help but laugh. Toph was a naturally bold person, and she seemed to know herself pretty well. As he watched her walk back around the counter, he noticed that she didn't have that air of helplessness around her like other blind people. She carried a confidence and bravery about her that felt uplifting. Now he knew why his uncle hired her.
Iroh came back to a laughing Toph and Zuko, and he couldn't help but smile. It has been a long time since his nephew had smiled and he knew this move would be beneficial for him.
"Toph, Zuko and I are closing the shop so you have the day off." Iroh wanted to show Zuko a surprise, and he couldn't worry about the shop today.
"Well, I have nothing to do today, so can I go with you guys?" Toph wanted to spend more time with Zuko. He seemed like one of those guys that needed a friend, mainly because he seemed to be lonely. And people said they were worried about her because she was blind. She saw more then people who could actually see, and that was funny.
Zuko wanted her around, which was a new feeling for Zuko. He was a loner, but she made him feel important. He hadn't felt this way since Azula was four and needed her big brother. He felt protective of Toph, not in an intimate way, but in a platonic way. He felt a brotherly love for the short avalanche, and he knew that she was his first friend in forever.
"You are always welcome to accompany us, Toph," Iroh said with true sincerity. Iroh saw Toph as his daughter and loved her unconditionally. He loved her like he loved Zuko, and to him she was family in every aspect of the word.
o0o0o
In a short time, Zuko found out some interesting facts about Toph. He knew she felt vibrations with his feet that allowed her to 'see' her surroundings. Her first pet was a mole, and her parents, the Bei Fongs, had a multi-million dollar company, but got no love from them. They thought of her as a porcelain doll, and decided she could never do anything herself. She gets mad whenever people do stuff for her, like when Zuko opened the door for her.
Toph became offended and started asking Zuko if he thought she was incapable of opening the door herself.
"Toph, I didn't open the door because I thought you couldn't; I opened it because I wanted to. I know that you can do whatever I could do, just not better," Zuko said smirking. This received a laugh and a punch in the shoulder by said avalanche.
Other then that, Toph always seemed to be laid back, if never tense at all. She was always smirking and seemed to see the funny side in anything they did.
Toph also learned many things about Zuko, he told her about his mother, his crazy sister, and about his father, and how he ran away from his father's life and wealth. She also learned about his reluctance to have friends and about his loner status. She also told him about his scar, and let her touch his face to memorize it.
"Well, you shouldn't feel to bad Sparky. Your still handsome even with the scar, I can feel it," was her surprisingly comforting comment, and, unlike anyone else she didn't ask for the history on his scar. "When you feel like telling me, you'll tell me," and he believed her without a doubt.
o0o0o
When they pulled up to a boxing gym, Zuko was more then surprised. He had told Iroh a long time ago that he wanted to learn boxing, and even then he taught himself the basics to the sport. He looked around and saw people waving at Iroh, and new the surprise: Iroh owned the gym.
"Zuko, this is Takamura, and he will be your trainer for the most part," Iroh told him.
Zuko looked at Takamura, with admiration. Takamura was tall, about 6'5", and his muscles were bigger then most Zuko has known. His face was square and the look he gave Zuko was that of speculation. Takamura gave a wide smirk before grabbing his arm and bringing him to a punching bag.
"So, you want to be a boxer?" Takamura asked. Zuko only nodded. He was afraid to speak. "Well, then you have to learn how to throw a punch."
Takamura walked to the punching bag and spread his legs apart, his right foot behind his left and his left arm extended past his right arm. Then, he pushed off his right foot and slammed his right arm into the bag, making a loud "POW" effect, before it stopped swinging. Takamura looked at Zuko with a smile, and then beckoned him to the punching bag.
Zuko got into the same stance as Takamura, but before he tried to punch the bag, Takamura told him to stop. Takamura then proceeded to widen his legs and extend his left arm, then retreated and told him to proceed, all the while telling him that his power came from his legs, and to push from his hind leg for all his power.
And Zuko did just that, only with more surprising results. Zuko didn't just push the bag back; he pushed the whole stand with a sound that sounded like an explosion. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at what made that sound. Even Iroh looked bewildered at the sight that met his eyes, while Toph was silent from what she heard with her ears.
Takamura was smiling to himself, acting as if he found the love of his life. 'Finally,' he thought, 'I found a heavy hitter.'
*So this was the first chapter and my first story on the website. You all know where the review button is and if you guys can give me any positive feedback that would be great. This will be a Zutara and Taang story, but I need to dive deeper into the sibling relationship between Toph and Zuko first in order to get that to happen. Toph and Zuko will push the other to be in a relationship, and are both very essential characters to the story, so the story will mostly be focused on these two.
This story will have three main areas: the tea shop, the boxing gym, and the school, and sometimes the characters houses. The other characters won't appear for a while, so that might have to wait awhile before we see them.
