Haven't written fanfiction in awhile. In fact, I haven't written anything in awhile. So, it may take me some time to get out of my rustiness. XD
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. P
Summary: Zuko needs help. His son has been kidnapped. Mai has been killed. Who's the culprit though? And can Zuko really ask his friends - who have settled down, have kids, or are expecting - to put their most beloved things on the line? Well, there's one person who won't take 'no' for an answer. Toko
Things come back to haunt you. Place, things, people. When you start settling into your life, becoming accustomed to monotony after months of adventures, it strikes. When you're soft, when you're rusty, when you have everything to lose. These were the feelings, and recent experiences, of a man who had just arrived at Ba Sing Se that morning. He sat in the corner of a tea shop with the green hood of an Earth Kingdom style robe pulled over his head.
Alone he sat, listening to the chattering of the people around him. Outside, people bustled by on foot in the warmth of the setting sun and the occasional cart could be heard trundling by. Cricket Mantises chirruped in the potted plants that lined the doorway to the shop; occasionally, one would fly in only to be caught and thrown back outside by a tea making apprentice. The heady scents of tea - jasmine, chamomile, cinnamon - hung in the air like a perfume.
Inside, girls giggled, waiters took orders, and customers consumed their tea with bright smiles and great grins. Yes, this tea shop in the hub of Ba Sing Se had been where they all rejoiced at the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai. After all these years, it hadn't seemed to lose that sort of magic, at least not to the man who sat in the corner.
This had been one of the first places where everyone - Air, Fire, Water, and Earth - had sat and laughed and enjoyed the new era of harmony. That's why he had chosen this place to meet. This place that had once held so many smiles and grins. He wanted that back. That jubilation, that ecstasy.
Yet, he couldn't be any of that. Not yet. Not after what had happened. Zuko couldn't even allow himself to smile after the amount of pain and anguish he now was suff--
"'Zomi! 'Sumi! Put daddy's boomerang down right this instant!"
Well, maybe Zuko could allow himself a quirk of a grin…
The Fire Lord looked up from the tea he had been leering a moment ago before two rambunctious young girls had come running into the tea shop, one waving about a Water Tribe boomerang. A moment later, daddy-dearest came charging into the tea shop, chasing down his daughters as if he was no more than a big kid himself. Zuko calmly took another sip of his tea, watching as the rest of his friends filed in after Sokka's less-than-charming entrance. It was only then that he heard, slightly muffled through the walls, the soft, bray-like growl of the flying bison outside.
"This isn't funny, 'Zomi!" snapped Sokka, diving to grab his daughter - the one dressed in blue, noticed Zuko - who held the weapon in hand. The girl giggled and danced away from her father, before tossing the boomerang to her sister.
"'Sumiiii!" groaned Sokka turning to dive towards the pig-tailed child. Of course, he wasn't about to get his toy back so soon and Zuko watched as the pitiful Sokka became the monkey in the middle. It was a little sad to see two five-year-olds get the better of a twenty-something year old warrior, realized the Fire Lord with a slight grimace.
Of course, the silliness didn't last long. Out of the large group that had just entered, a woman with short brown hair stomped over to the scene. With her hands on her hips, Suki barked out in a motherly, but commanding, tone, "Nozomi, Masumi, front and center!"
In unison, the girls groaned and pouted, but Masumi dropped the weapon and both stood at attention in front of their warrior mother. Sokka snatched his beloved weapon up from the floor and cuddle it to his chest, thanking his 'beautiful, amazing, goddess of a wife' for helping him. Whether the whole "keep away" situation was staged by father and daughters or not, Zuko wasn't sure, since Suki threw him an amused look that no one else could read save for her husband. All Sokka did in return was grin like a maniac and wink at his Kiyoshi warrior.
A small thorn of guilt stabbed at Zuko as he watched the tight-knit family giggle and grin at one another.
"Lord Zuko, what are you doing in the shadows!" laughed Aang, as he finally spotted his fire nation friend. It was hard to see the Fire Lord, for he had dressed in a green and gold that matched the newly painted walls of his uncle's tea shop. Lately, Zuko had taken to clothes that would allow him to blend in, to become invisible. There was less chance of someone noticing you, obviously, when you were simply part of the background.
However, the Avatar was one person that Zuko wanted to be seen by. Flashing Aang a wane smile, the Fire Lord got to his feet and went to greet his old friends. How long had passed since he had been inaugurated? Six, seven years? Zuko glanced at the Warrior Twins, who had been born two years after the world had settled down. Lucky number seven, it seemed, realized Zuko as he used his friends' children as a marker of time. Yet, Nozomi and Masumi just giggled and waved at him, ignoring their mother's lecture on running around with sharp objects. They had heard it so many times, they could've recited it backwards.
Another thorn wedged itself into his chest.
"Hello, Avatar Aang," Zuko mimicked Aang's formality from earlier and simply bowed in greeting toward the monk. The big, grey eyes of Aang shone with amusement as he returned the bow. When upright again, Zuko glanced about finding a couple of the Gaang missing, "Where's Katara and Toph?"
"Oh, they're--"
"Geesh, Sugar Queen, you're getting fat!"
"I AM NOT FAT, YOU BRAT!"
"Erh…coming." finished Aang, his face glowing a pale pink in the lit candles of the tea shop. Zuko cocked an eyebrow at this and glanced to the ruckus where he watched, with widening eyes, as Katara came ambling in with Toph helping. And, indeed, as Toph had yelled out to the whole of Ba Sing Se, Katara was plump. Yet, it wasn't from gorging herself upon food, but upon - ahem - the consummation of love.
In other words, Katara was pregnant with the Avatar's child.
"I thought monks were, er, abstinent." smirked the Fire Lord as he eyed the air bender beside him. Aang flushed a deeper shade of red and simply laughed nervously before bounding over to take over Toph's position. A pregnant woman's patience could only last so long under the Blind Bandit's teasing. Toph didn't mind, however, and ran off to greet the wizened Iroh, who was in the back concocting new brews for tea. Another stab of guilt started to prickle at the back of his neck as he watched Aang inconspicuously caress Katara's round stomach while leaning in to murmur something in the water bender's ear. It didn't matter which way he looked - realized Zuko as his eyes drifted over to Suki, Sokka, and their twins - because no matter what he couldn't ask it of them.
But, he had to. He needed them.
"So, Zuzu, what'd you call us here for?" inquired Sokka as he put his arm around Zuko's shoulders. The twins hid their giggles behind small hands at the pet name while Suki lightly smacked Sokka on the shoulder, telling him not to instigate a fight, especially against the Fire Lord.
"Yeah, Sokka, he might try something crazy, like taking over the world." Katara teased, throwing Zuko a challenging smirk.
The fire bender simply threw all of them a vaguely dirty look, before breaking out into a half-hearted grin himself. In a raspy tone, however, the Fire Lord attempted to sound as menacing as he had eight years ago, when he had been hunting the Avatar down, "Don't mistake me for my father, peasant."
Of course, this earned him a swat on the back of the head from Katara, who lashed out at being called such a thing. Zuko got a good five minute reminder, in the form of a ranting water bender, on why it was wrong to poke fun at pregnant women. He couldn't help but think that Mai had taken the whole pregnancy a lot calmer than the Sugar Queen, however.
"But, Sokka does have a point, Zuko," chirped Aang when Iroh derailed the ranting Katara with a piping hot cup of jasmine tea, "You said it was an urgent matter in the letters."
The Fire Lord stared at the Avatar - who, despite the years, still held the spry nature and energetic personality of his twelve-year-old self - before letting his golden eyes glance about the room. Nozomi and Masumi were now playing with a slightly more grey Momo while the adults spoke of 'boring' things. Every now and then, Sokka or Suki would glance to their beloved children, making sure the little hellions were behaving themselves. Katara, now with a lovely smile painted onto her lips, was holding a conversation between Iroh and Toph at a table not far away. Zuko's eyes lingered on her round tummy, imagining the little child that was curled up in the womb, who had yet to meet the amazing people who were now standing in this room. The child had yet to meet its father, even.
No. He couldn't.
He couldn't ask them to stake their loved ones, their children, themselves, for him.
Especially not after living such a pain himself.
Zuko brought his eyes back to the Avatar, who was now staring at him worriedly. It was hard to hide anything from the intuitive air bender, remembered Zuko. Aang reached up and put a hand on Zuko's shoulder. The warmth of the touch could be felt through the Fire Lord's clothes and he could feel the days of barring himself against his pain were starting to melt. All he had done to seem strong, to not break down, were now disintegrating in the faces of those he called friends.
The fire bender took a deep breath, steadying his emotions, before croaking out, "There was an assassin. I was at a meeting, but Mai was…" Zuko steadied himself, closing his eyes and turning his head away from Aang as he dammed up the tears threatening to spill over his face. He continued on, but his voice cracked under the weight of the pain, "Mai had…is dead."
Silence met the stuttered statement. It was only broken by a clatter from Katara's teacup as it dropped back to its small platter in shock and a gasp from Suki. The overwhelming shock from them for spoiling such a happy reuinion; Zuko felt terrible. All of it caused the pain to intensify. No one knew what to say, but they shouldn't have anything to say, should they? Then, Zuko felt strong arms wrap him up in a hug, then another pair to his left, to his right, from behind, and two sets of small arms, who's owners had squirmed their way through the group, to latch onto his legs.
That was right, thought Zuko as he opened his eyes. He fought the urge to shove them all away. As ridiculous as it felt, group hugs were a tradition in this group, even during hard times.
'You don't feel ridiculous, you idiot,' came a voice from deep down in Zuko's mind, 'Don't lie to yourself, you were looking forward to this.' And, in all retrospect, Zuko supposed he did. He latched onto Aang, bending his head down as the tears rolled down his cheeks.
For the first time outside of the palace, Zuko sobbed heavily.
This is not a one-shot by the way. This will be a multiple chapter story. P If I feel like continuing. XD