Title: Beneath It All
Author: FactVsFiction
Pairing: None
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
A/N: Just a little Aang/Zuko friendship piece. The plot has been bouncing around in my head a while now...
"There's something different this time you know." Said Sokka. The others looked up as Sokka finally broached the topic that had been on their minds since Zuko had joined their group.
"Excuse me?" Said Zuko in confusion.
"Aang." Said Katara by way of explanation.
"Aang what?!" Said Zuko, becoming exasperated by lack of information.
"He was so nervous. Nervous about studying fire-bending." Said Sokka. Suki nodded in agreement.
"He said he was worried about hurting people . About hurting me..." Said Katara
"He's a monk. Aggression isn't in his nature." Said Zuko. "Whats the problem?"
"He took to it." Toph finally spoke up.
"Would you people please be more specific!" Zuko burst.
"What Toph means is Aang really took to fire-bending." Katara explained, attempting to diffuse the fire prince's anger.
"He's the Avatar. He was born to do this."
"No. Zuko you don't get it. He's connecting with fire. Aang never connected with water and earth." Said Katara.
"What Sugar Queen means is that Aang studied Water and Earth, sure... But he never understood on the level of a true bender. Don't get us wrong Twinkle Toes is extremely powerful in both elements but it's all manipulation. I always put it down to his Air-bending 'cause that's what he was born to bend. But now he's connected with flame... It's just weird. That's all."
"It took him months to understand water bending and it took even longer with earth! Three lessons with fire and WHAM! he's an expert." Said Sokka.
"Sokkas' right." Said Toph. "He's already more powerful in fire than earth."
"Water too." Katara agreed.
Silence fell in the small group as they all contemplated the mystery that was Aang, a 12 year old boy.
"You know thats not all..." Said Suki slowly. Everyone turned to look at her. "I think he's keeping something from us."
"I'm with the Fan Lady" Toph spoke up. "Twinkles has tonnes of secrets but this one.. I think it's suddenly gotten harder to keep for some reason."
"I guess all we can do is... wait it out." Said Katara finally.
Everyone around her nodded, rising to turn in for the night.
OoOoOoOoOo
"You're still up." Said a voice causing the Air-bender to turn around. His fire-bending master joined him by the rivers edge."
"Yep." Said Aang quietly. "Finished discussing me, are you?"
"Katara and Suki are very worried."
"I'm fine. They shouldn't worry."
"I doubt that would stop them."
"Probably not." Said Aang, managing a small smile.
"You want to talk about it?"
"You want to tell me whats been wrong with you all day?" Aang countered.
"It was my Mother's birthday."
"Do you know if she's alive?" Asked Aang softly.
"No. My Father took her away... because she wouldn't allow him kill me. He didn't want a weak son."
"I'm sorry." Said Aang. "What was she like?"
Zuko smiled in remembrance. " I was always my Mother's child, if that makes sense? She was kind and soft spoken. My Father's opposite really. I look more like Mum than Azula does. Mum used to be a fantastic singer. She taught me too. She was a fire-bender but not a particularly strong one. Father married her for her name. A Belfonte. They're one of the most important families in the Fire nation. Funny family really. The tradition is that the children of the family take the Belfonte name from their mothers. A lot of the time the Father wasn't ever in the picture so my family was a strange one in that sense... I was 7 when she was taken away.. I guess what i'll always remember is her hugs... And her voice. She always spoke-" Zuko cut off.
"Go on." Said Aang.
"No. It's really stupid."
"Try me."
"Well she always spoke kind of like you..." Said the Fire prince looking horribly embarrassed.
"I guess that's all that's been bothering me."
Your turn.
"Nobody has ever asked about my family." Said Aang with a small smile. "I mean I know your Father is mad and your Mother was taken. I know Toph's parents are overprotective. Sokka and Katara's Father is a warrior and their Mother was taken. Everyone knows I lived with the Monks but nobody has ever questioned why... Where were my parents?"
Zuko froze. Floored by how obvious a mistake it was. Of course there had to be a reason Aang was raised a monk. But nobody had ever asked? It was terrible. Considering how much family meant their small group...
"You remember your Mother's hugs. Her voice, The good times... My Mother never hugged me. All I remember of her voice is shouting and crying. We didn't have good times. She couldn't even look me in the eye."
Zuko swallowed thickly. "Your Father?"
"I never met him." Said Aang with a mocking laugh. "I'm a product of Rape. My Mother was 14 when I was born. Her own Mother disowned her. Mum hated me... and I can't say I blame her. I could never blame her. She was a child and she tried her best with me."
Aang shrugged and gave another hollow laugh.
"I was never allowed to complain. I guess that's why I'm such a private person now. Physical contact was minimal. Most of it was violent." Aang pointed at a scar on his shoulder blades Zuko had never noticed. "Eventually she just couldn't do it anymore. I have my Father's eyes... I ended up on the streets. I was 3 at the time. I was 4 and a half when I was finally caught. Everyone knew about the child air-bending prodigy on the streets. Both the monks and the fire nation authorities did their best but they couldn't catch me. It was Geatso who finally got me. I was taken in by the monks."
"You said Fire nation athuorities."
"I'll get to that. The fun didn't end there. I flummoxed the monks... They just couldn't figure out where I got such talent. I scared the other children and most of the grown Monks. I lashed out at everybody. Geatso was the only one who dared deal with me and it wasn't until I was there 3 months that he finally got insight to who I was. Before my Mother left she burned my name into my skin with ink. She may not have been able to care for me properly but I wasn't allowed forget who I am."
Zuko held his breath. He had never even dreamed that the polite, lighthearted Avatar could possibly have a story like this behind his existence.
"Do you know what happened to your Mother?" He asked carefully. It wouldn't do to have this boy close up on him now.
"She moved on. Faced her demons. Married and had 5 children. She was pretty important politically too."
Aang smiled. It was almost a smirk. Zuko noticed. Aang was going to drop a bomb and he knew it.
"The guys are all worried about how easily I took to fire-bending. Aren't they?"
All Zuko could do was nod.
"My Mother was a fire-bender. Zuko."
The fire prince gasped. He had seen it coming but was still shocked to hear it from the Avatar himself.
"She wasn't just any fire-bender though." Aang continued and Zuko once more held his breath.
Aang moved his robe to make the inky mark on his hip clear. Written in elegant script across his hip was Aang Belfonte.
Zuko felt like he'd been punched in the gut. His breath left him and his mouth opened slightly. They were related.
"W-who was your Mother?" He whispered.
"Admiral Kimm Belfonte."
"She was incharge of the entire fire nation army! She stepped down-"
"Just before the war began." Aang finished for him. "I like to think she knew what I was. That she might have done it for me. But that's just speculation."
"She was the most powerful firebender in the world at the time."
"I know." Said Aang simply.
"You're a fire prodigy because it's in your blood." Zuko breathed.
Aang nodded silently.
Zuko frowned. "What does that make you to me?"
"Your great gran-uncle."
Aang couldn't help but laugh at the horrified look on Zuko's face.
"My Mother's youngest daughter is your great grandmother."
"Okay. Having you related to me. That's weird. But this is just plain creepy."
"You have no idea how creepy my connection to your family gets Prince Zuko. But that's for another day." Said Aang with a grin.
"I don't think I want to know."
"Probably not." Aang agreed. "So to answer your question learning fire-bending has just been dragging up bad memories for me. But I'm fine. Now, I'm going to bed."
Zuko nodded and watched his Great Gran-uncle? walk back towards camp.
"Aang!" He called after him.
The Avatar turned around and for the first time Zuko appreciated how much Aang actually did resemble his Mother, how many of the Belfonte traits had survived in the Mother Zuko had had stolen from him.
"Yeah." Aang called.
"How does brother sound instead?"
Aang grinned.
"Pretty good actually."
A/N: Thats it! Hope you enjoyed it!. Theres room for a companion piece for this story but I'm only going to write it if people want to read it so please review!!
Becca