Peggy Zu's adventures

It was strange to Zuko that Sokka, the only non-bending member of the Avatar's inner circle, would be the last to die. But it did not surprise him that much. Sokka had learned how not to die a long time ago, and spent years honing the technique. But eventually even legends must die, and the group had gathered to welcome Sokka to the spirit world. The party had lasted a few months- time was fluid in the spirit world at the best of times. As the party was winding down, Zuko called the other four core members of Team Avatar together for a little chat.

Katara and Aang came together- even death had not separated them for long, and Katara had even introduced herself to the next Avatar to follow Aang. They both wore the bodies of adults, but far younger than their death age had been. Toph had reverted to a younger version of herself as well, but she went further back, barely any taller than when Zuko had met her so many years ago, though she had kept some curves that did not match his memory of her at all. He did not comment. Spirit-World Toph could see, though she seldom deigned to. She had been utterly shocked to discover his scar, which had followed him into death along with everything else. Sokka was the only one of them that looked any older than twenty, and his final form had not settled. It shifted between his mid-twenties and how he must have looked when he died, as wrinkled as old Pakku the Water Bender. Zuko knew he looked not a day older than seventeen, his body forever caught in the midst of the growth spurt and brutally scarred even in the after life. The others had wondered about that, but Zuko had not wanted to explain why the transient form of seventeen years old was the most familiar to him.

Now he would.

They gathered around a lovely glowing stone that Toph had found and installed at the Spirit World's version of the Western Air Temple. Aang and Katara, Toph and Sokka. Zuko cleared his throat. "Now that we're all safely here, there are a few lingering things I'd like to clear up before anybody wanders off to reincarnate." Aang coughed. "Anyone else, who can't be in two places at once." the dead fire lord added quickly.

"Alright. What is it?" Aang asked, curious but not apprehensive at all. His manner had not changed much from when they had met.

Zuko smiled, a sense of vindication flowing through him. "Seven times things were different. Seven times things did not end well, and Seven times I returned to fix what had gone wrong. Or I should say, seven times I was returned to the beginning, to try again." He turned to Katara: "I did not betray you at Ba Sing Se." He shifted to Aang, "We became friends after I rescued you from Zhao." To Sokka: "You are way to smart for your own good." and last to Toph, "You are the only reason I kept trying after the third time through."

The reactions were mixed, but not unpredictable. Aang stared in mild confusion, Katara bristled, even after all the years they had lived as friends, Sokka dropped into a thinking expression, and Toph... well, Toph blushed. That was the only reaction Zuko had not expected at all. he had some thought about how to deal with that, but he needed to get something done before surprise was completely gone. He took two steps over to Katara and shoved her off the bench to the ground, smile never faltering.

"What was that for?" Katara rolled up into a defensive stance, though no bending was possible here. "You, you!"

"That was for killing me!" he said, placing the ball of his soft-booted foot right into her solar plexus and knocking her down again. "And that was for listening to Azula! Azula! Who always lies! She half killed me, she did kill Aang, and when you came on us, she convinced you to finish the job of killing me while she watched! And laughed! You crazy, crazy bitch!"

Aang recovered from his confusion and put himself between Zuko and Katara, eyes flaring. Privately Zuko thought it was funny when Aang tried to intimidate him that way- without the avatar state glow, Aang was simply incapable of seriously scaring anyone who knew him. "Katara would never kill anyone, least of all anyone who was helping us."

"I don't... remember... killing you." Katara managed to gasp. "I think... I'd remember... That!"

"I'm sure you'd have liked to." Zuko grinned a little madly. "It would have kept you warm on those cold polar nights. But Azula killed you as soon as you were done desecrating my corpse, and then Toph buried Azula... but the need for another return trip was clear to the Powers that Be, and I didn't get to see what would have happened next."

"Wait." Sokka put in before Aang could lodge another protest. "Are you saying you went back in time? Like, you remembered what had happened before?"

"Yes." Zuko said clearly, stepping away from the fallen Katara. "Seven times I went back, until the Spirits were satisfied." he sat between Toph and Sokka. "You kept figuring that out, and then I would have to start over again."

Sokka leapt to his feet to pace back and forth in front of him. "But why? If I figured it out, I could have helped you. We could have made better plans." he turned a look of appeal on him. "We could have saved Yue, and Jet, and the others than died to young."

Zuko shook his head sadly. "No one can know. That is the rule, though they didn't explain that until the first time you figured it out, confronted me about it, and I found myself back here, getting lectured before my next try. Acting on things before they happened and knowing about things that I had no way of knowing- those were what gave me away. You got me sent back twice that way. " He frowned. "When I joined you early, so I could try to save Princess Yue, well... one of the northern water tribe warriors stuck a knife in my back before I could. The last time I wanted to, but I was unconscious until after the moon was dead. And there was no reset the last time, obviously."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "Another time you got me when I knew too much about Azula in Ba Sing Se. So this last time I had to make sure you had no reason to think I wouldn't know about my father's plan to burn the earth kingdom. I had to hear it for myself to keep you off my back."

"So, your plan to throw me off was to find out about your father's dastardly plan by betraying us to your evil sister, returning home with her, being present when your father comes up with the dastardly plan, then betraying him, coming back to us and telling us about it when the time is right?"

"More or less."

Aang had finally recovered. "You have such a strange sense of humor, Sifu Hotman. That's a pretty good story though. More like something Sokka would dream up than you."

Zuko growled, but Toph's hand on his arm stopped him. "What about me?"

The dead fire lord (though here he still thought of himself as a prince and an exile despite decades ruling alongside Mai before he died) laid his hand on top of Toph's. "You listened. Even when the others wouldn't, you always listened. Even when I did more than just burn your feet. I think you may have figured it out a few times, at least that I knew more than I said, but you never accused me of lying. And on the fourth time through we did have a kick ass field trip like you wanted." Zuko smiled at that memory. It was one of the few times he had hoped the spirits would be satisfied and let him continue living. "Azula had captured the other three and we had to chase her all the way back to the fire nation to rescue them. It was fantastic, but it turns out disposing of Azula and Ozai before freeing the Avatar, then razing the palace to the ground, giving Uncle Iroh what remained of the throne and taking off for a few years to earth bend the world into a more pleasing shape wasn't what the spirits wanted us to be doing after all."

Toph laughed, punching him in the arm. "That does sound good." she raised her arms, her Earth Rumble belt held high like old times. "Did I get Azula, or did I take out the Fire Lord himself?"

"We worked together on Ozai. We back him into a corner and when he threw lightning at us, I deflected it and you buried him while he was recovering. That was what collapsed the east wing of the palace." he made a motioned of collapsing walls with his hands. "Then Azula went nuts and well... I got better at aiming the lightning with practice." He glanced over at Aang and Katara, who were talking quietly together between giving him suspicious looks. "Aang wanted Katara to heal her, but she wouldn't. Pretty much the only time we agreed on anything that run through."

Sokka hmphed his agreement. "And what did I do that time?"

"You got buried in tiles." Sokka looked crestfallen, so Zuko went on. "But after Toph dug you out, you stayed with Uncle Iroh to help him rebuild the fire nation along peaceful lines. You had all these ideas for machines that would be useful in regular life. I think it would have worked, too."

"Why didn't it?" Aang finally asked a question.

"You remember combustion man?" Zuko asked them. A round of emphatic nods. Even decades passing had not dulled the memories of the implacable, silent assassin. "He had been hired by somebody to kill Aang. He did. And then, the next great reset."

"This sounds.. really crazy." Katara said. She sat back down on the other side of the glowing rock. "How did you keep from going as crazy as Azula? If you remembered everything that happened?"

"I learned to appreciate the small ironies of my situation." Zuko dead panned. "Like knowing that Katara had managed to defeat me for all time, but couldn't remember it, and that particular 'all time' turned out to be only a few unsatisfying minutes." He put his arm around Toph's shoulder. "And Toph wanting a field trip." he smiled at her closed eyes. "I wanted to tell her about our life changing field trip, but didn't want to jinx it."

Toph laughed. "I guess I'll forgive you this time, Sparky."

"Thanks."

"So why are you telling us now? It's all over and done with. We were friends anyway." Sokka asked.

"Because I wanted you to understand that I did what I had to do. Because I was angry and frustrated most of the time, but it wasn't just because I was mixed up person who had a hard time doing the right thing. I was a mixed up person who had tried seven times to do the right thing and failed every time. I had a right to be frustrated."

"Ah, you want to apologize for being a jerk bender all those months." Sokka grinned. "That's so sweet."

Zuko reached out to smack him on the arm. "I am not apologizing. I am explaining. And-"

Toph cut him off. "I get it. You wanted us to know the real you."

Aang bounced to his feet and bounded over to their side of the rock, covering the distance so quickly you might be forgiven for thinking he had retained his air bending even in death. The Avatar wrapped himself around Zuko so fast he almost missed it. "I'm glad you kept trying and didn't give up. And I'm glad to meet the real you."

Zuko blinked, but Toph reacted, shoving Aang away so she could get an arm around him too. "Glad to meet you, Sparky."

Sokka smirked. "Group hug for the new old Zuko?" he asked Katara before joining the other two in smothering him.

Katara shook her head in amazement, but walked over to join them. "Welcome to Team Avatar, Real Zuko." she imitated Sokka at his most pompous before switching to a sugary sweet tone that fooled no one. "You're already dead, so no threats this time." Then she smiled and joined them.

Zuko had to smile. Katara was still prickly, but a good friend in the end. They all were. And it had only taken eight tries to get it right in the end. He squeezed them all as best he could, then struggled to free himself. They dispersed back to the their seats, except for Toph, who remained pressed against his side. That was nice.

"So," Sokka spoke for the group. "What happened?"

End formal Story here. what follows is the rough outlines of the eight tries.

first time- unmitigated third season disaster with people dying left and right. Toph dies during the Eclipse invasion, covering Sokka and Katara's flight from Azula and her Dai Li. Katara loses a leg to Azula during the escape and Zuko has to rescue her and Sokka from Ozai. They get away on Appa, but Aang is so demoralized by the loss of Toph that he can't train. the group is ambushed at the northern air temple. Only Zuko and Aang survive the assault. Zuko allows himself to be captured to let Aang escape. Ozai kills Aang when he confronts him during the comet. first reset.

second time- Zuko takes up Aang's offer of friendship during the Blue Spirit episode. He accompanies them to the north pole, where he tries to lay a trap for Zhao at the spirit Oasis. He is killed by Pakku, who believes he will desecrate the spirit oasis.

third time- Sokka finds out, version one. Zuko joined them in early season two after a Siege of the North where he didn't sneak in, Aang beat Zhao down, then froze the fire navy in solid ice, demanding their surrender. Zuko waits for them at the swamp, then helps them find Toph at the earth rumble. Sokka gets suspicious when Zuko says he'll wait outside the library with Toph; because the knowledge spirit probably doesn't like fire benders, and in case something happens. Zuko fights off the sand benders while Toph holds the library up. Sokka confronts him with his fore-knowledge when he suggests they stay away from Ba Sing Se because Azula might be their with a giant drill. confrontation segues directly to reset.

fourth time- awesome adventure with Toph. The Chase ended differently- Toph and Zuko teamed up to rescue Aang, Katara, Sokka and Iroh from Azula and co. They kill Ozai and Azula, but combustion man kills Aang, and the whole thing resets.

fifth time- Much like canon, but Zuko joined them after being thrown together with Katara in Ba Sing Se. Aang is adamant he won't learn fire bending, so they travel the fire nation in disguise until the invasion. During the Day of Black Sun Zuko is able to lead them directly to where Ozai really is, but Aang's attempts at diplomacy eat up the time of the eclipse. Ozai zaps them all. Zuko tries to deflect it but fails. he lives only moments longer than the others, just long enough to hear his father laughing about idealists.

Sixth time- the time Katara killed him. Like 5, but he convinced Aang to train in fire bending. they confront Azula during the eclipse, unable to find Ozai. Zuko charge his swords with chi, giving Azula an idea. Then Azula proves that Lightning isn't exactly Fire bending by throwing it during the black out. She kills Aang outright and wounds Zuko, who was only able to partially deflect it. Katara comes, listens to Azula's lies about Zuko betraying Aang to her. Katara kills Zuko, Azula kills Katara, Toph kills Azula... Ozai kills Toph, the world resets.

seventh time- Sokka finds out again! Zuko joins at Ba Sing Se, trains Aang, convinces them to cut their losses at the eclipse, tells them about the Fire Lord's plan to burn the earth kingdom to the ground using the Comet. they are discussing who should go where when Sokka asks how he knows about Ozai's plans. Zuko's excuse isn't good enough and ta da... reset.

eighth time- Canon.