Hello. Zutara-forever17 here. So hi. I'm back. It's been like two years and I'm here with new ideas and content.
This is the first chapter of a new story I'm starting. Few disclaimers: I do not own any part of Avatar: The Last Airbender whatsoever. I wish I did, but I don't. However I do own the ideas that blossom in my head. So I'm publishing them, cause I really miss writing on this site and people to seem to actually like what I write. But I'm not continuing old stories. Repeat: I'm not continuing old stories.
But yeah. Here's a new story for y'all. My writing is MUCH better. So I hope the people who fanned me years ago still get updates/e-mails and enjoy my new stuff! And maybe I'll attract new fans? Who knows.
Some notes on this story: It's 3rd person limited omniscient, liming to the mind of Zuko. It's literally the last minute or two of the Southern Raiders. There's some same lines/scenes from the show, but not a lot. More like based around it, with other ideas/concepts intertwined. That's the best I can explain. (Italicized font are flashbacks). Enough about me babbling on and on, go ahead and read!
While Katara hugged Zuko as a sign of her trust, he savored the feeling of her compassionate touch. Letting him hold her by the waist allowed Zuko to enjoy the feeling of what he considered to be a real hug from a woman. As she broke away, she looked up at the fire bender. With a smile, she walked past him down the boardwalk, feeling his golden eyes follow her.
Zuko's smile slowly faded as he spoke to Aang, keeping his eyes on Katara, "You were right about what Katara needed. Violence wasn't the answer."
Aang softly smiled at the fire bender's acknowledgment to his previous wise words, "It never is."
Turning towards Aang, Zuko's voice suddenly grew dark, "Then I have a question for you: What are you going to do when you face my father?"
Aang's face was struck worried. He looked down at the boards that held them above the water, avoiding Zuko's gaze. The air bender thought for a moment, as Zuko waited for an answer.
Finally, Aang spoke, "I…don't know."
Zuko's voice rose slightly, "What do you mean you don't know?"
"I'm not sure," Aang said worriedly, avoiding eye contact with the fire bender at all costs. Zuko, however, stared down at the young boy, clenching his jaw in annoyance. The thought of Aang not having a plan, days before Sozin's Comet, made him feel many mixed emotions, mostly anger, fear, and annoyance .
After a tense silence, Aang cautiously spoke, "I actually had an idea—"
"What is it?" Zuko demanded, cutting him off.
"Well," Aang reached up to rub his neck as he glanced at the water around them, "I think I'm going to wait until after Sozin's Comet to fight the Fire Lord."
Zuko's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, intending to lash on the air bender with harsh words, but was interrupted by the loud call of a small blind girl, "Hurry up and come fly this furry beast, Twinkle Toes!"
"Whoops! We gotta go! Talk later?" Aang spoke quickly, running past the fire bender, silently thanking the spirits for allowing him to escape this discussion with Zuko. The fire bender squeezed his eyes shut, jaw clenched. He took a deep breath, relaxing himself as he exhaled. He turned towards the group of teens, loading up the bison.
Zuko advanced toward them, helping with the process. He continually cursed under his breath, trying to help get his anger out, without disturbing the others. He would hold things with too much force, and clench his free fists. As much as he tried, the thought of Sozin's Comet never escaped Zuko's mind
The Prince proudly entered the all too familiar War Room.
It had been over three years since he last sat in this room. Vivid memories flooded his mind as he heard his father speak, "Welcome Prince Zuko. We waited for you."
The young Prince walked past the high ranking Fire Nation generals and admirals, making his way to the stairs that led to his seat. It had been perfectly placed at the Fire Lord's right side. It was symbolic. Iconic. To be at the Fire Lord's right hand, this finally gave The Prince the sense of redemption he had always wanted from his father. Although something felt off about it.
The Prince suddenly felt very aware of the scar on his left eye. He felt a burning sensation, with his left side being closest to the Fire Lord. The memory ripped through his mind and he resisted reaching up to touch the burned skin. Instead, he simply blocked out the sounds of one of the generals relaying his report and merely spaced out.
However, he was suddenly called to attention by his father: "Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Do you think that adding more troops will stop these rebellions?"
The Prince thought carefully before he answered his father. The last time he had spoken during a war meeting, he had been burned for his words, by his own father, the Fire Lord. The chain of events had been so horrid, and yet they led him back to a similar position. Finally, The Prince replied in a manner most careful and thoughtful, being sure to keep truth within his statement, "The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything as long as they have hope."
The Fire Lord began to smile; a villainous plan began to formulate in his mind, "Yes, you're right," then his voice grew dark, "We need to destroy their hope."
The Prince's heart lurched. He suddenly felt a sense of protection for the Earth Kingdom, and its people. He spoke before thinking, "Well, that's not exactly what I—"however he was cut off before anyone would realize what he had been thinking.
The Princess spoke, with much confidence, "I think you should take their precious hope, and the rest of their land, and burn it all to the ground." The Prince then realized she had potentially just saved him. Whether it was on purpose, or accident, he was not sure. Had he finished his thought, he could have easily earned himself a second scar. He wasn't sure what he would have said, but he knew it was in the direction of helping the Earth Kingdom, and hindering the Fire Nation. The Princess may have purposely interrupted, or she may have simply wanted her father to hear her instead. Perhaps she just didn't want her brother to speak, because she didn't really like him. Whatever it had been, The Prince silently thanked her.
The Fire Lord smirked as he glanced at his daughter, "Yes, yes you're right Azula. Sozin's Comet is almost upon us." The great leader stood, making his way down the steps, "On that day will endow us with the strength of a hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us."
"What are you suggesting, sir?" A general asked.
"When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom…permanently." Fire Lord Ozai made his way onto the table map of the Earth Kingdom, "From our air ships, we will rain fire over the lands. A fire that will destroy everything, and out of the ashes, a new world will be born. A world in which all the lands are Fire Nation and I am the supreme ruler of everything!"
The great lord threw his arms up in triumph. The generals and admirals applauded the man's genius plan. The Princess, with a smirk, crossed her arms, knowing she would get to take responsibility for this plan. The Prince merely closed his eyes in shame.
He wanted to speak out against this awful plan, and was ashamed to say he didn't.
Appa roared as the gang sailed off in the twilight air. Aang sat on the bison's head to guide the great beast; Sokka and Suki cuddled in the back of the saddle, while Toph, Zuko, and Katara sat scattered about.
Zuko stared down as the world grew further away. He was dreading their destination: Ember Island. To be more specific: his old summer vacation house. He informed Aang about its desertion, indicating it will be a good hiding spot to prepare for Sozin's Comet. However this was before Aang had his own information to share: the fact that he wanted to wait until after Sozin's Comet to fight the Fire Lord. Aang's telling of that caused Zuko to remember that memory: the memory of his last war meeting, just a day before he decided to join this group. This odd, yet captivating group.
He could not deny the talent among the young benders. They had eluded him many times. Two very particular memories came to him at the thought of that: The North Pole, and Ba Sing Se. Both incidences were very critical times in the young fire bender's life. He leaned against the edge of the saddle, closing his eyes, remembering the cold tundra during the blizzard. One of the closest, and yet furthest chances he had to deliver Aang to the Fire Lord. Since joining the group, he thanked the spirits every day from preventing him to do so. He now realized that had he done that, they would not be in the position they were today.
The former Prince then remembered that night in Ba Sing Se, beneath the city in the Crystal Catacombs. That long talk he had with Katara, which eventually led to her mentioning the spirit water. He still wondered to this day why on earth she would offer to heal his ugly scar. He was very happy she hadn't; Aang would have died had he not interrupted the two just before she was going to use it.
He opened his eyes again. They were now above the clouds, putting the earth out of sight. Zuko leaned away from the edge of the saddle, turning to look at the rest of the group. Suki had now settled into Sokka's chest, and both were asleep. Toph faced away from the rest of the group, gripping onto the saddle for dear life, and Katara was organizing the things in her bag. Zuko smiled slightly, shifting his gaze to Aang, who had now leaned against the bison's back, his knees pulled into his chest. The small smile disappeared, as the fire bender scooted towards the young air bender.
"Aang—"He began.
"Zuko, please, I'm in no mood to get yelled at." Aang looked over his shoulder a bit, his face clearly indicating he really was in no mood.
"I wasn't going to yell at you," the fire bender muttered, annoyed.
"Can we just talk about this later?" Aang snapped.
Zuko sighed. He wanted to shout, but made sure to speak softly, "I just think you should be prepared as soon as possible."
"I just don't want to talk right now! Okay?" Aang spoke a bit too loudly, catching the attention of Katara. She quickly took the empty space besides Zuko, "What's going on?" she demanded.
"Nothing," Aang responded quickly. Katara gave him a look. She knew he was lying. She didn't need Toph's magic lie detecting powers to know that. She then, in turn, directed her attention to Zuko, knowing he wouldn't lie to her (if he knew what was good for him).
"I found out that Aang is going to wait until after the comet to fight the Fire Lord."
Katara's expression softened, "Oh, that…yeah. He is. I guess we should have told you…" her voice trailed off. Her eyes adverted to her knees, avoiding Zuko's hardening expression. He opened his mouth to speak but was without words.
After gathering his thoughts, he spoke quietly, but in a harsh tone, "What made you think you could just put off telling me this? I was the Fire Nation Prince! Did you ever consider asking me about my father's plans? I—"
"Did you ever consider telling us them anyway?" Katara snapped.
"Well you don't tell me anything! Why should I tell you anything?" his voice grew very loud. His eyes pierced angrily into Katara's. Finally, Toph had enough, "Will you two old ladies stop bickering and just tell each other all this secret information?" Both Zuko and Katara snapped their heads in Toph's direction, even though in the back of their minds, they knew she couldn't see the annoyed expressions painted on their faces.
Katara took a deep breath, calming herself. Through gritted teeth, she spoke, "I'm sorry we didn't brief you on our plans Zuko. Could you care to brief me on your father's?"
"You mean us." Aang said quietly.
"What?" Katara said, as both she and Zuko turned their full attention on Aang.
"He should tell us his dad's plans. I mean, Zuko is not just talking to you…" his voice trailed off; he regretted even pointing out this petty pronoun mistake in the first place.
"Um…yeah…" Katara said slowly, her eyes sliding back to Zuko, "Could you care to brief us on your father's plans?"
Zuko straightened himself, "Yes, I will brief both of you on my father's plans." Aang felt as if he was being made fun of, but forced the thought away, making sure to pay attention to Zuko's words.
"The day before the eclipse, my father asked me to attend an important war meeting. It was what I dreamed about and wanted for so many years. My father had finally accepted me back—"
"We don't need your life story, Sparky!" Toph shouted. Her loud, rowdy voice awakened the couple in the back. Sokka quickly pulled his boomerang out of its sheath on his back, "What? What's going on?" he said tiredly.
"Zuko is informing us on his father's plans," Katara answered. Suki carefully removed the boomerang from Sokka's hand and up it back in its sheath. She repeated what Katara said to him, and he suddenly felt very awake, "Ooh! Well tell us!" he shouted.
Zuko rolled his eyes as he looked down at his legs, which had been folded Indian-style. He took a deep breath and began his story again, taking out the part in which he was apparently telling his life story: "The day before the eclipse, my father had asked me to attend an important war meeting. After one of the generals began relaying his report about troops in Ba Sing Se, my father asked me how to stop Earth Bender rebellions. I told him that Earth Benders were strong and proud, and could never be knocked down as long as they had hope—"
"I wouldn't say hope exactly. We just don't like being knocked down." Toph cut him off. Zuko considered it, but thought that Toph had a lot of hope; she was just too tough to admit it. He then continued, "Yes, well, Azula suggested that we…that they burn everything to the ground. My father said specifically said they would rain fire down over the Earth Kingdom, completely destroying everything. Just…burning the world to the ground."
Katara gasped, "You're exaggerating, right?"
Zuko's voice became very grim, "I wish I was. But I'm not." He turned to Aang, looking him directly in the eye, "If you wait to save the world until after the comet comes, there won't be a world to save."
Aang's expression grew more and more terrified with each word Zuko spoke. He fell back onto Appa's head, placing his hand on his forehead. Katara covered her mouth in shock. Sokka held Suki closer to him, speechless. Even Toph had fallen back into the saddle, releasing her death grip on the edge. She frowned, wishing she could knock the head off of the Fire Lord, right here and now. Zuko scowled, "I should have said something, during the war meeting, but I'm ashamed to say I didn't."
"Yeah, why didn't you?" Toph demanded. Zuko stared at her. He hadn't thought about the fact that no one in the gang knew how he had gotten his scar, much less that Toph even knew he had one. He thought about how he got it every day, without fail, but he never considered that while he knew all too well what happened, no one else actually knew how he got his scar.
Suddenly everyone's eyes were on him. He needed to explain fast, "I…It just…"
"It's okay, you don't need to explain," Katara said softly. She avoided Zuko's shocked expression. However it quickly disappeared. He was just glad that no one was demanding an answer regardless of what Katara had said, though he noticed Toph's deep scowl from being deprived of the information.
After several minutes of silent, Aang finally spoke, "What am I going to do?"
Katara thought for a moment, and then smiled, speaking confidently, "You're going to face the Fire Lord...with us!"
"What?" Zuko and Aang said in unison.
"We can work together!" She explained.
"Yeah!" Sokka agreed, "Team Avatar will show that Jerk Lord whose boss!"
"But, Aang's destiny…"Zuko began.
"…May be to defeat the Fire Lord, but who says we all can't help him?" Katara finished.
"I guess…" Zuko said slowly.
"No, I can't ask any of you do this." Aang spoke with conviction.
"Come on Twinkletoes—"Toph said, but was cut off.
"No! I refuse to put any of you in danger! The Fire Lord is my fight. I won't let you do this." Aang's voice was breaking. Katara moved close to him, placing her hand on his shoulder, forcing the conversation to become personal: between her and Aang only. She looked him in his big gray eyes.
"Aang, I know that this is your destiny, but we need you, and you need us. If we fight together, then there's no chance he can win, right?"
Aang smiled a little, "I guess."
"Let us help you, and we'll show that Fire Lord what real bending is like. I'll personally water whip that Fire Nation grin off his smug face." She gave him a devious grin. The young air bender, in turn, smiled wider. But it disappeared, speaking in a very serious tone, "Fighting the Fire Lord is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done…" his voice lightened, "But I wouldn't want it any other way."
Katara hugged him, immediately attracting the rest of the group, except Zuko, to join in the on the hug. As they embraced, Katara noticed Zuko's absence. She extended one free arm, "Come on Zuko, being a part of the group means being a part of group hugs, too."
Her warm smile and gesture made Zuko's cheeks turned bright pink. He thanked the spirits that the darkening sky hid his blush. He scooted towards his new group of friends, placing an arm around Suki's shoulders—and the other arm around Katara's waist. The fire bender did not consciously do this, yet the water bender he held did not fail to notice. Just then, the group simultaneously broke a part, shifting back to their spots on the saddle.
As Zuko turned he caught a glimpse of a blush upon Katara's cheeks, meaning it must have been deep or he shouldn't have been able to see it with the darkness taking over.
Zuko leaned over the edge of the saddle, locking his gaze on the darkened clouds below, not moving a muscle until his furious blush faded away.
The gang arrived at Ember Island at dawn. Katara helped bend the cloud cover around Appa, moving in like a crisp, early morning fog.
Although the sun had hardly risen, Zuko could feel his body heating quickly, soaking in the soft rays of sun. He breathed deeply, feeling his energy restore, even though he didn't really sleep on their journey there.
The island grew larger and larger as they approached it. Zuko directed Aang to his summer home, which hadn't taken long to locate. A long path that went uphill, led to a beautiful home, built into a slanted rock face. The roof was crimson red, with golden trimmings. The walls were made of stone, with wooden pillars supporting the roof, creating a porch in the front, which led to large wooden front doors.
While the house was indeed beautiful, it was now littered with green moss and elongated grass. Though, the surrounding palm trees and natural rock, along with a wonderful overview of the beach, still held the beautiful view. Katara and Suki were now leaned far over the bison's saddle, smiling brightly at the wonderful view.
Appa landed in the center court yard, behind the house. The rock face penned it in, forming a perfect square with the other three sides of the house. As they exited the bison's back, Katara and Suki marveled in the elegant architecture.
"Wow! This is beautiful!" Suki exclaimed.
"It's run down," Zuko replied, while helping unload. Toph jumped onto the stone ground, making feet prints in the earth during the process, "It's kind of empty."
"Empty?" Katara questioned, "This is the Fire Lord's summer home. It's probably full of beautiful furniture! And comfy beds!"
"Agh! A bed! Finally!" Sokka rejoiced, not failing to give Suki a special glance. Zuko rolled his eyes at the two, carrying some of the bags towards a hall that lined the courtyard. He noticed vines that were now coiling around the wooden pillars, and the grass poking through the tiles of stone. He walked up the few steps that led to an open hallway. Turning on his heel to the left, he quickly strode down the hall, through a large arch into the house. He winced at the memories flooding through his mind. He stopped for moment, deeply breathing to clear his mind, and continuing into the house.
The young fire bender followed the familiar walls, knowing exactly where he was headed. He entered a bedroom: the arch which led into the room was made of the same stone as the exterior. Ripped red curtains hung only about a foot down the eight foot tall arch. Zuko remembered Azula tearing them down while searching for things to burn in their beach fire. Only now, in the light, did he realize what room she had gotten it from: their mother's.
Zuko frowned, stepping into the room. It was rather small; one carved out stone window, with a queen size bed nearby. The blankets were wrinkled and a dusty red. The bed was slightly elevated, for the floor had one six inch step, about halfway in. A dresser sat against the right wall, a mirror attached. The wood that boarded the mirror, and made up the dresser, had carvings of majestic dragons. Zuko crossed to the dresser, wiping off some of the dust on top. He placed a bag on top of it, his bag, and looked up into the mirror.
His heart pounded, as he allowed the memories to flood through.
"Mommy! Azula is being mean!" the young toddler shouted, running as fast as his little legs could carry him. He pushed aside the red curtains into his mother's room. She had been sitting upon her bed, arms outstretched, waiting for her crying son to run into her arms. He fell into them, sobbing.
"What's the matter, Zuko?" she asked softly, stroking her son's hair.
"Azula fire bended at me! She burned me!" he outstretched his little hand, exposing a light burn mark. It wasn't much, yet the pain was still very true. The mother gasped, gently taking hold of his hand. His lip quivered as the tears rolled.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I was playing with Azula on the beach with daddy," the mother frowned," and she fire bent at me! I tried to stop it but it burned me! She's so mean!"
"Zuko," she cooed, "Your sister is just over two years of age! She couldn't help it." His mother explained, but she even didn't believe her words. A child that young already learning of a power such as that was rare, and frightening to her. Even Zuko had just barely learned of his ability.
"No! She did it on purpose!" he yelled. She picked up the toddler, cuddling him.
"It's going to be okay, Zuko, I promise." She stroked his hair again. She took his hand again and examined the burn, "Why don't we go tell daddy so he can have someone fix you up?" she asked cheerfully.
The toddler smiled through his tears. He sniffled, "Okay."
His mother stood and adjusted his position in her arms. She pushed the red curtains aside and headed down the hall. Out through an arch, she came into the courtyard. Her husband sat near a fountain, cradling his daughter in his arms. As she approached him, he looked back smiling, and yet at the sight of his crying son, he frowned.
"Ozai, why didn't you do anything when Azula burned Zuko?" she asked sternly.
He chuckled, "What do you mean? He wanted to run crying to you. I let him. Meanwhile, our two year old daughter is already bending! It's marvelous!" he held his daughter closer. Her tiny hands grabbed at his long goatee.
"That may be, but your son is hurt! Can you call a healer here?"
He sighed, "Is that what you want me to do?"
She frowned, "You should do it without you wanting me to!" her voice rose. Her son began squirming in her arms. She ignored him as he began demanding to be let down.
"He's a coward! The boy needs to learn how to be strong! How will he ever be a good Fire Lord?" Ozai's voice began rising as well.
"He's only four!" She shouted.
"Mommy let me down!" Her son pleaded.
"There have been Fire Lords who had to take control at the age of five!" He argued.
"That's absurd! Zuko will never have to take the throne! Azulon is still alive and healthy! And Iroh is next in line to be Fire Lord. Not you!" The mother was shouting. Her son fell out of her arms, landing on his elbows. He screamed at the pain. She gasped, crouching to his side, "Zuko I—"he cried and ran out of the courtyard. Yet, what the mother hadn't realized was that her son hid behind a wooden pillar, listening to the rest of the conversation.
She looked up at Ozai. His eyes were wide with anger. He closed them, set his daughter beside him, and stood.
Fists clenched, he breathed steam out through his nostrils, and spoke quickly and quietly, "I'll call in a privet healer. You will forget any of this happened, if you know what's good for you."
"You can't keep scaring me into doing things. I didn't even want thi—"
"You will forget this ever happened, if you know what's good for you." He began to walk away. As he brushed past her he added, "Or him."
She turned defiantly as he passed her, "You bas—"
He turned and slapped her, "Silence! You will learn to respect your husband. Or else suffering will be your teacher."
He continued walking towards the courtyard hallway. The young toddler saw his father coming and ran, ran quickly, straight into his mother's room. The only place on Ember Island that he ever truly felt comfort, and safety.
Zuko sighed heavily.
"Who is—was—him?" he asked quietly to himself.
"Zuko? What are you talking about?" he jerked around suddenly to see Katara and the archway.
Welp, that's it for the first chapter. It's a bit shorter than I had hoped, but I hope it hooks a few readers. And I do hope a review here and there will encourage it to continue!
I really want to make a good comeback with real stories and real lengths. My old stories were like five pages or less in length. Pfft. This one is ten, but I could do better.
So yeah, Hello again Fanfiction! I'm happy to be back! :D
P.S. I hope no one is out of character :x