*The story you're about to read takes place 2 years post war, loosely based on the comics and the animated show. Credit to Mike and Bryan for creating Avatar: The Last Airbender and shaping the love of art and storytelling I have today. This fiction is also rated M, expect foul language and sexual themes.*
Broken Clocks - Chapter One
"Truth is more valuable if it takes a few years to find it."
Given the choice in the realm of possibilities, if he could go back in time to avoid the outcome that this journey would entail, Zuko would not. Yes, the heartache was awful, but all the events, both the good and bad, weaved the threads of his destiny in such a way that Zuko couldn't articulate. Which was how he felt presently, standing on the platform in front of thousands of citizens much like his coronation two years ago. Except, the atmosphere felt different. This time around, the air is polluted with fear and Zuko isn't sure how it came to be, only that an aged sheet of paper with his name on it changed the course of his life forever.
His heart nearly burst from it's scar when the crowd erupted in defiance to the council's decision. Zuko is not the legitimate son of Ozai, therefore protocol states that he needs to step down from his throne. The letter rumored to have been written by Ursa in regards to her past lover. Aside from the fact that his sister is currently admitted in a mental institution, his father is in prison, Zuko had no idea what his next move is to salvage the situation.
All he could do is put faith in his bald friend to swoop in from the sky and wisk Zuko away from certain death...which should be any minute now.
"Any last words?" Zuko zoned back in, registering the voice that echoed in his troubled mind. His eyes shifted to the cloaked man's face and that's when he noticed the certain cerulean glint in the guards eyes. Zuko held back a smile, Sokka is in disguise and had been standing by him the entire time.
Zuko looked back out to the crowd with his good eye and observed the sea of people surrounding him. If Sokka is here in plain sight, then where is the rest of the crew?
"I said- Any last words?" Zuko glanced back to Sokka and realized that it he isn't exactly talking to him- more towards the air, the question is the signal. But Zuko decided that he needed to help improvise so the plan doesn't foil.
Sokka gritted his words between his teeth repeating the same phrase. Zuko nodded, acknowledging the request.
He sucked in a breath, "I do not have any last words" Zuko paused, effectively capturing the audience and finally locking his eyes with a pair of familiar arctic ones in the crowd, "because this will not be the end." Undeniably this isn't the time or place, but Zuko couldn't help the grin that stubbornly crept on his face when the lips that belonged to owner of the arctic eyes sweetly smiled back at him.
Sokka ignored the gesture Zuko made to his sister and continued his acting. Just as planned, Sokka stalled so the other guard wouldn't light the platform on fire which gave Aang leeway to appear. What worried Zuko is why Aang is taking so long.
Just as Sokka made another unnecessary proclamation that irritated the guard he partnered with, the crowd became restless when a shadow of the flying creature appeared, blocking out the sun from above. Both men sighed in relief upon hearing Appa's alto groan.
"What is the Avatar doing here?" A general overseeing the event from his balcony questioned and fire nation soldiers picked up their stance ready to retaliate.
Appa dived downward as Aang instructed to collect Zuko and Sokka from the platform and from the distance they could see puffs of smoke, flames, droplets of water and Earth littering the main streets of Caldera.
"Sorry I took so long! It was hard getting into the city undetected." Aang made space for the men on Appa's saddle. Zuko didn't find it was appropriate to comment on the amount of junk collected on the surface at a time like this so he just settled for thanking them.
"Well better late than never, now let's hurry up the girls can't hold them off much longer!" Aang bounced back into action with Sokka's exclamation, and Zuko still couldn't get the metal cuff off his appendages thus left alone to sit uncomfortably on Appa as they ran into the fray.
"Ugh. Of course." Zuko scrambled for something to break the the cuffs off his hands in the pile of luggage. Large chunks of stone went flying overhead and a pained 'oof' echoed below him. Zuko craned his neck over to find Sokka knocked out in a pile of rubble.
"You had one job, snoozles, one job!"
"Oh my god, Sokka, baby are you alright?!"
Suki and Toph trampled over the debris to the water tribesmen, not without the earthbender hurling a few more stones in the direction of fire. Zuko tried to maneuver himself to the railing of the saddle but Suki caught him in time before he tumbled off .
"And where do you think you're going mister?"
"Well...uh, I need to get these cuffs off my hands and feet and Sokka is out of commission...but mostly these cuffs…" Zuko paled; boy if looks could kill. Suki cut her glare short and focused on hauling her boyfriend up, struggling to gain balance between her own petite frame and Sokka's bulky physique.
"Can't you just burn off the cuffs and free yourself?"
Zuko grumbled, "Do you honestly believe I didn't try before? These cuffs are impermeable to fire!"
Suki pursed her lips, "Don't sass me firepants!" Firepants? Zuko shook his head, where his friends got these adjectives is beyond him.
Heaving another tired breath, the kyoshi warrior slumped against the bison's leg. Normally situations such as this didn't seem dire but in her unannounced circumstance, Suki gave in to not strain herself.
"You're just gonna have to stay put until Aang and Katara come back- Toph help me get Sokka back on the saddle!"
Toph grunted with the impact of debris, "I'M A LITTLE PREOCCUPIED HERE!"
Zuko huffed a plume of smoke from his nostrils, his impatience getting the better of him. They were supposed to have a steady escape plan but that dampered by the riot taking place. In the distance, fire nation soldiers washed up in the square and froze to the ground from the sewer water found in the manhole courtesy of Katara. Aang combated defensively with his glider while Toph held her own creating a barrier high enough to stall more of the men from hurting Appa and the rest of the crew. Regardless of the skill, they were running out of time and the bison got restless with the raucous without his master.
"C'mon there has to be something in here that I can use!" scrambling to look for a solution, the firebender accidentally knocked over a navy canvas shoulder bag and out spilled a canister of hair pins, watertribe scrolls, and bundles of clothes wrapped in string. Zuko tried not to notice the lacey sky blue and lilac fabrics that he could only assume belonged to a certain someone in the group and snapped his attention to what could be useful- the pins.
Fumbling with his fingers in close proximity, Zuko picked up the canister and spilled the contents out onto the saddle then readjusted his fingers to pick up one of the pins, then dropped it due his hands becoming clammy. Zuko threw himself back and groaned, sparks of fire licking his lips in frustration.
Luckily for them, Katara and Aang finally caught up which meant they could finally flee the scene.
"Spirits! What happened to Sokka? And where's Zuko?" Katara bent over to examine her brother who is still out cold and injured, the swelling on his forehead looking ferocious.
" Zuko's held up with cuffs and Sokka got hit with the debris, just help me haul him up on the saddle!"
Katara obliged, lifting her brother with Suki while Aang went to calm his bison to prepare for their take off.
"Guys wait for me!" Toph launched herself off the ground with a swift movement on her feet and flew blindly, nearly missing her projection of where she thought Appa was. Aang managed to catch her mid air to bring her down safely. When Toph situated herself to the railing of the saddle, Aang turned back to do a headcount.
"Is everyone on board?" With strong affirmation, everyone braced themselves for the lift off and with a jerk of the bison, the crew took off, nearly getting hit with a plume of fire catapulted from below.
Sweat coated her skin in a thick sheen but that didn't deter her from the euphoria given generously by the man tasting her. Kei Lo lapped every bit of Mai, suctioning his lips around the bundle of nerves he knew would make her squirm.
"U-ugh shit!" Mai's breath hitched when she felt another burst of pleasure tingling the length of her spine.
Kei Lo retreated, her legs still dangling over his tanned shoulders. He drank the sight of Mai unraveling. Her sleek black hair currently in a state of disarray spread on the pillows in a tangled mess along with their clothes tossed on the futon they laid in; Pink nipples stained in his cum from the last round where he jerked on her chest for fun. When his hazel eyes glazed back up to her deep brown ones, half lidded with the spell of lust he couldn't help but blush. Kei Lo, however, sported a trail of saliva connecting from his chin to her eaten pussy and Mai couldn't love the sight of him more.
"Looks like we made a mess." Kei wiped the trail from his chin and leaned his head gently on the inside of her thigh.
Mai smiled, something Kei Lo gotten used to seeing more often in their appointments, "We could make it messier."
Before they could begin another round, the door knob jingled aggressively followed with rapping of fists pounding the door.
"KEI LO, KEI OPEN UP!"
Mai cupped her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from yelping out and darted her eyes between Kei Lo and the door. The teen stumbled around his room and tossed Mai her clothes before retrieving his trousers and fastening his robe inside out. Mai skipped her undergarments and pulled over her dress in haste. Whatever's going on, she didn't want to be caught dead with her titties out.
"KEI LO! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE, WE NEED TO GO!"
Kei Lo cleared his throat, finally gathering his words and answered back. Through the shuffling in the hall of the apartment, they heard a third voice, one too familiar for them to mistake.
"Kei that's my father!" Mai hissed, panic rising. Kei Lo turned and opened one of the wooden panels of the closet door and ushered Mai inside.
Mai stared defeated, her shoulders falling.
"That's so obvious, I'd rather jump out the window!"
Kei Lo grumbled, "Well do as you please, but you need to get out of here!"
"KEI OPEN UP!"
Motioning his arms to her options, Mai finally made a move to his closet and squeezed herself in the claustrophobic space, nearly tripping in the process. From the crack of the wooden panels, Mai silently observed with her hand cupping her mouth.
Kei Lo opened the door to his apartment and men of varying ages filed into his studio space- one of which is unmistakably her father wearing a matching fabric mask to cover his profile from the nose down.
"Geez Kei, it's musty in here."
"Ohh, what's this!" one of the boys clad in black bent over to pick up a saree left by the edge of the bed and Mai nearly swallowed her tongue.
Kei yanked the fabric from the boy, "Okay, I know you didn't just barge into my home and look at underskirts. What do you guys want?"
Unako weaved his way through the group of men and Mai's heart dropped to her stomach upon hearing the reason of the intrusion.
"Caldera is on fire, the time for the new society is ours."
Kei Lo's jaw clenched, "Z..Zuko's dead?"
Mai's eyes watered and her breath hitched. Her mind started reeling and drawing multiple conclusions, possibly too late. It was always too late with Mai.
Unako, however, indirectly stilled her mind.
"No, unfortunately his friends scooped him up from death...literally. But that's no matter. With no lord reigning on the throne, this gives us a chance to make the fire nation great again!"
The men cheered in response, all but Kei Lo, who struggled to digest the newfound information. His eyes wandered from the boys to his closet, sensing a wave of negative energy that was undeniably Mai.
All he could ask himself is what would that mean for the country now, much less...himself?
The shadows shifted to the west as the sun dipped below the horizon line for the evening, Katara guessed that they traveled for at least three hours before Aang decided on an inconspicuous plot of land. During the trip, she purposefully ignored any attempts that Aang made to start conversations with her and instead focused all her attention to healing her brother. It didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the conscious group, but no one dared to utter a thing about it. Instead, Katara fussed over the swelling on Sokka's forehead that decreased in size with remedial sessions. Which was great. But Katara couldn't help but feel worried. Since they loaded on Appa and fled Caldera, the fire nation capital, Sokka did not show any signs of consciousness. Tucking the remaining water back in her waterskin, Katara sat back on her knees and settled next to Zuko.
Suki dutifully kept the wet rag over his forehead and watched over him for the rest of the trip, equally as concerned. Katara couldn't help but notice the way that Suki absentmindedly rested her free hand on her lower abdomen, hoping that her assumptions were just that and not really what she concluded.
Before she could succumb to overthinking, a warm hand gently settled on her shoulder.
"He'll be alright. Sokka always bounces back, he just needs some more rest." Zuko's raspy voice sent shivers down her spine in a comforting manner, something she dearly missed. It's been a year and a half since they last saw each other and so much has changed.
The remnants of Zuko's teenage years is nearly gone and it's evident just looking at his face. His hair grew just past his shoulders which he kept in a half ponytail now. His face held more prominent angles, Katara didn't overlook his chiseled jawline or the sprouts of facial hair he neglected due to his sentence. But one thing didn't seem to change, and that's his eyes. Even when they first encountered each other at her hometown in the South Pole, the golden honey pots warmed her in a way a campfire could only hope to achieve. Before Katara could tick off more noticable differences in her head, she snapped back to the conversation in time when Aang announced that they were landing to rest for the night.
Katara kept her silence however, and that intrigued Zuko more than it should. For the moment, he busied himself with helping Katara gather their things to set up camp.
Suki took her time to slide off the side of the saddle, as Aang scooped Sokka around his shoulder and leaped off with ease to settle him in his sleeping sack by her side. Toph eagerly padded her bare feet on the soft patch of grass before deciding where to make her makeshift earth pyramid tent to retire for the evening.
Zuko gathered a pile of wood and plopped it in the center of their camp before lighting it with a swift flick of his wrist. Looking around the surrounding area, he guessed they were on an unoccupied coast of the fire nation judging by the clarity of the night sky and the cliffside that overlooked the vast sea below. Zuko inhaled a deep breath and released it after a few seconds before plopping down infront of the fire. After being comfortable in the palace for the past couple of years, he found it ironic that he missed camping. In his musings, he didn't notice the crunching of feet behind him.
"I liked your speech earlier." Katara settled next to him on the soft grass by the fire, a bit closer than he expected. Zuko nearly jumped, inwardly cursing himself for being scary.
"Oh! uh, I was just helping Sokka. I'm actually horrible at improvising- he's usually better at that than I am." Katara couldn't help but chuckle at his modesty. She missed this.
The time spent apart from her best friend was only remedied in letters but as much as they both secretly loved receiving letters from each other, it paled in comparison to the physical presence. Since he took the position as Firelord and the world needed a major clean up, Zuko remained in the palace while she got to venture around the globe aiding the unfortunate with Aang. The time apart came the distance and seeing each other outside of a political setting for the first time in a long time is... well, refreshing.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it wasn't inspiring." she smiled. Katara played with the grass, finding a particularly wide blade.
Zuko shook his head, "I guess...but I don't actually know what to do now. The fire nation without a sovereign leader is going to end up in anarchy and agni knows what could come of that."
Katara nodded, considered his concerns. If Zuko isn't reigning, then who could? His father is in prison, his sister in a hospital, and his mother is missing. Right now, Zuko is considered a peasant- just like her. And knowing Zuko, all his work to start the process of restoring the honor of his country is now down the drain.
"Do you know who posted the letter?"
Zuko shook his head, his lips forming a fine line. "I wasn't even aware that letter even existed. There's so many things about my family that just doesn't make sense to me and my father did a great job to keep certain things away from me as leverage to keep him alive."
"Do you believe interrogating your father might help- considering that the country is going into anarchy?"
Katara cringed when the firebender laughed cynically, "Oh yeah, he'd be a great help besides if I were caught, they'd kill me on the spot."
"Iroh?"
"Now there's an idea. Although, I don't know how much he would know about the letter, but it's worth a shot. We should probably talk about this more in the morning when everyone else is awake, it's been a long day." Zuko massaged the bruises of the cuffs he wore earlier. With Toph's expertise, she bended the metal off him but that wasn't without bruising him in the process.
Katara brought him out of his musings when the most obnoxious 'nyoot nyoot' interrupted his thoughts. She couldn't hide the grin that graced her face, especially at Zuko's facial expression.
"The fuck?" Zuko chuckled, prying her hands away from her face to view the cause of the disturbance. She giggled uncontrollably, clamping her hand shut but failing due to Zuko forcing her hand open to reveal the crumpled blade of grass.
"This is what made that sound?"
"Yeah, you never whistled with grass before?"
"I'm afraid I never had the luxury." Zuko stated firmly. There were many things he missed out in his childhood due to his upbringing, and he did not feel up to listing them all tonight.
"Well i'll teach you. First you find a blade of grass, preferably one with a wide shape." Katara plucked another fresh blade.
"Then you put this in between your thumbs like so…" She gestured, angling her hand to give him a clear view. Zuko became intrigued as he watched with childlike wonder, something that Katara found endearing.
"And now you just blow." Katara brought her lips to the blade and sure enough the same derpy whistle pierced Zuko's ears and the girl sitting beside him couldn't contain her laughter and he couldn't help but join her.
"That is the worst instrument i've ever heard, who taught you that?"
Katara calmed herself to keep a level voice. She could sense the others shifting in their sleep.
"My mom actually. In the summer time, the ice melted just enough so that some of the grass in the valley could grow. It was just something to do to pass the time. Sokka always hated when I did that."
Zuko nodded in acknowledgement, "I'd probably get irritated too if my sister felt the urge to blow on some grass. Actually I take that back, I prefer this than her pranks."
Katara chuckled at the thought, trying to imagine Azula and Zuko as small children before they were involved in politics.
"What was...Azula like when you guys were small?" Katara hoped she didn't pry too much in his business but she didn't kid herself. Past the intimidating exterior that the firebender practiced, Katara found a soft spot that Zuko kept hidden from everyone else and she felt a little special that he only showed her. She guessed that's why they were so close.
Zuko kept his gaze on the dancing embers of the fire, "I know you might not believe me but...she actually was nothing like how she is now. I mean, we bickered a lot but it was over petty things like who got the last piece of candy or who got to choose the next play to see. My father, or uh, Ozai is the reason she turned out the way she did."
Katara could tell that the memories Zuko held in his heart conflicted his views. Unlike her, Zuko didn't get the chance to grow up in a home where love felt unconditional. Things seemed to start off okay, but greed, power, and politics took his mother away, burned his face, and made his sister crazy.
Gingerly Katara held his free hand in hers, silently showing support. It's a simple gesture but they remained that way for a hot minute lingering in each other's presence. Katara nearly forgotten how coarse the firebenders hands felt under her smoothed palms. Traces of raised scars from his master element riddled his fingers while hers kept smooth due to her own healing abilities.
"What're you guys still doing up?"It sounded more like an accusation than a question, but it made both young adults jump from surprise, yanking their hands back to themselves.
Katara whirled her head around to see Aang shuffling towards them and all the good feelings she felt in the moment drained from her heart. Zuko noticed the thick density of the air yet didn't quite understand why it was there. He had a feeling it was something that happened recently- then again Katara is known to hold grudges which he witnessed first hand years ago.
"Actually we were just heading to bed, right Zuko?" The salt in her tone is strong and Zuko darted his good eye between the waterbender and the avatar. Common sense told him to stay out of whatever lovers spat they are in but seeing how he just held hands with Katara, Zuko doubted he could completely isolate himself.
"Didn't seem that way to me. " Aang grumbled. Clearly becoming annoyed with them, Aang glared at his firebending master and as reflex, Zuko held his guard back up.
"Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but whatever it is, you guys need to sort that out yourselves and don't put me in the middle of your drama. I have enough of my own, so good night!"
With that said, Zuko grunted a stream of smoke out his nose and turned sharply on his heel to his tent, leaving a disheartened Katara and a fuming prodigy behind for the remainder of the evening.
Thank you for reading until next chapter!
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