A/N: Wow, I've been gone from this site and fandom for awhile! Welcome to my newest one-shot, United. This a post-war fic where I extrapolated some of the details from this story from the barest scraps of information that we know about the new series, Avatar: Legend of Korra. This fic takes places several years into the future, when Aang and his friends are fully adults. I was rewatching the series finale this morning, and this idea wouldn't leave me alone. I hope you like it! Enjoy!
Summary: An incident during Zuko's reign, featuring some of our favorite characters, as seen through the eyes of a child. One-shot.
Disclaimer: The characters seen below, with the exception of Haya, are not mine. The series and universe belongs to Mike and Bryan; I just enjoy playing there sometimes.
United
Oh, Daddy would be angry, and Mama would worry, but Haya wouldn't have budged from her spot behind the boulder for all the sweets in the town of Republic.
The little girl had finally stumbled across something exciting—and secret, by the looks of it. She shifted on her feet, seeking a better position as her legs began to cramp. She had been here for almost an hour, and not much had happened. However, even the dullness of this meeting of strangers was better than the endless chores waiting for her at home.
Brushing her dark hair out of her face, Haya frowned as a dark-haired man turned to gaze up at the skies. Why was he here? What was he waiting for? The dark reds and gold design of his outfit suggested someone of wealth, possibly richer than anyone in town, but if he was rich, where were his guards? No one was foolish enough to come to the raw town of Republic without protection.
Maybe…Haya crouched down behind her boulder, darting out of sight. Maybe he was a bender, and that's why he didn't need protection! Shivering in horror, Haya closed her eyes, unable to keep the horror stories Daddy had told her about evil benders at bay. Daddy didn't like benders—he claimed that they used their power to hurt people. That's why they were living in Republic—Daddy's sister had been killed by a firebender, and Daddy had moved the entire family here, where he said benders weren't allowed, and Firelord Zuko's reign would be stopped.
Haya peeked above the edge of the boulder at the strange man again. He didn't look like a bender—Daddy said benders looked mean, and could kill you just by looking at you, but this man just looked like any other stranger who came to town, except for his fancy clothes and the large scar that dominated the upper left side of his face.
The scar was scary, but the man wasn't doing anything—he was just standing on the outskirts of town, waiting for someone. Haya shook her head—he couldn't be a bender.
Soon, he was joined by a woman with hair the color of ink, and she wore red as well. "Are they here yet?" Haya heard her ask, her voice flat and disinterested.
However, the man beside her seemed to find her boredom amusing, for a slight grin lifted his lips and made his face less foreboding. "Not yet," he answered, craning his neck to once again peer up at the clouds, as if one would come if he called.
"What's taking so long?" The woman asked, an impatient edge creeping into her monotone. "Did they get lost?"
Chuckling, the man curled his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "They'll be here, Mai." The woman sighed, but said nothing more, pillowing her head on the man's shoulder.
Haya wrinkled her nose and glanced away. Why did grown-ups always do yucky things? Her parents did it, too. It was boring. Ready to leave, she started to creep away from the boulder, until a nearby bellow arrested her where she crouched.
Freezing, Haya glanced around frantically. She had never heard a noise like that before in her life, and had no idea what sort of animal would make such a sound. Flattening herself against the boulder, the girl glanced up, her brown eyes widening in shock.
Was one of those clouds….moving? It was! It was descending towards her and…no, Haya decided, squinting up at the moving white mass, it wasn't a cloud. It had to be an animal, but was like no animal she had ever seen.
The white shape resolved itself when it landed—rather gracefully for such a large beast—yards away from where she sat, frozen in terror. The wind it created mussed the woman's hair and the man's clothes, but they seemed rather unfazed by the six-legged creature that stood before them, blinking large brown eyes and bellowing a welcome as it attempted to lick them with a large pink tongue.
Haya stared, remembering just in time to keep herself hidden. Now, here was something exciting! A beast she had never seen, and mysterious strangers that rode it! Her friends would never believe her about the creature, whatever it was, but they would all be jealous that she had seen a secret meeting among wealthy strangers!
"Aang!" The scarred man called as another man hopped gracefully down from the beast's back, dressed in the yellow robes of a monk, grasping a long staff, and grinning in welcome.
"Zuko!" Haya watched as the bald man—were those blue tattoos on his head?—strode forward to greet the scarred man with a hug, his gray eyes alight with a happiness that made her think of her baby brother, Kuyen.
"Mai, what are you doing here?" The bald man asked politely as he took the pale woman's hand and bowed over it.
The scarred man's lips quirked into a larger smile than before. "I tried to convince her that staying home would be best for her and the baby, but she never listens to me."
The dark-haired woman shot him a deadly look, but strangely, Haya could sense the affection behind it. "No one tells me what to do when it comes to a fight, Zuko," Mai retorted coolly, her dark eyes meeting his golden ones in exasperated affection, "baby or not."
"Is it safe for her to be here?" A new voice joined the conversation, and Haya looked up in surprise to find that a man wearing strange blue armor and a wolf's head helmet accompanied by a woman in white face paint and a strange green dress had joined the three standing nearby. The man continued, "I mean, Katara wanted to come, but Aang convinced her to stay home because he wasn't sure if there would be a fight, and he didn't want to put her or the baby in danger."
The pale woman surveyed the new man with a straight face as the bald man rubbed the back of his neck and blushed. "My choices are my own, Sokka. Zuko is well-aware that I don't need protection." A faint smile traced the corners of her mouth as she placed a hand on her still-flat stomach. "I can protect my child in a fight."
"If it does come to a fight," the lady in the green dress interjected, "I'm sure Zuko would not want you to get hurt, Mai. After all, you are carrying the heir to the Fire Nation."
Haya clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp of surprise. The scarred man and the pale woman were Firelord Zuko and Fire Lady Mai? What were they doing here, and why did the others seem so comfortable with them? Daddy blamed Firelord Zuko for all their problems, and now he was here? Why?
The blue-eyed man's dark face grew serious, and he nodded. "Suki's right. If there's a fight, Mai, you shouldn't be here."
There was a faint click, and suddenly three knives appeared between the Fire Lady's slender fingers, and she dropped into a fighting stance. "I can take care of myself."
"Enough." The bald man stepped forward, his brow furrowed and his gray eyes shadowed. "Sokka, it's Mai's choice to be here." The pale woman relaxed, and just as quickly, her knives disappeared. "Besides," the tall man continued, his fingers flexing against his staff, "who says there's going to be a fight? The whole idea behind us coming with Zuko to this town without an army or any guards is so that we could talk to the town leaders, and see if they can be persuaded."
"Aang has a point." The Firelord stepped forward, his voice taking on a more authoritative tone as he addressed his friends. "We are here to talk. I won't solve every problem that comes to me by fighting. I will not allow the war to begin again."
The man wearing the wolf's head helmet nodded in agreement, and glanced towards the small town. "So, how are we going in?"
Before anyone could answer, the earth began to rumble. Haya, forgetting to keep herself hidden, clutched the boulder in terror, wondering what could be happening. It didn't feel like an earthquake—it was far too concentrated, targeting the area just beyond her, where the strangers were grouped.
A yawning hole opened in the earth, and before Haya's astonished eyes, a woman popped out, followed by two of the biggest badgermoles the little girl had ever seen. She had spotted smaller ones on their journey here, but these were almost the same size as the flying beast!
The group of strangers seemed flummoxed her appearance, but no one seemed to share Haya's terror at the sight of two large badgermoles looming over them.
"Toph!" The tattooed man was the first to greet the earthbender, who stood blowing dust off her hair, having covered the holes as easily as she had flown out of them. "What are you doing here?"
Tugging on her tunic, the dark-haired woman turned milky green eyes to the left of the man approaching her, but she had no problem walking into his brief embrace.
"I was at your house, Twinkletoes," she answered in a gruff voice, several strands of hair swinging in front her face, "and Katara told me where you were and what you planning. I figured you could use my help."
Gesturing to the badgermoles on either side of her, she continued, "I found these two carving tunnels on my way from Ba Sing Se. I figured it couldn't hurt to have some extra help, and I asked them to come along. I didn't know what kind of fight we were facing."
Firelord Zuko clenched his jaw, the way Daddy did when he was about to start yelling at her. Haya watched in fascination as he closed his eyes, breathing deeply, and his shoulders relaxed, the anger draining from him. Golden eyes fixed on the slight woman who had just appeared, he informed her, "Toph, this is a diplomatic talk. There have been rumors for weeks that this town is banning benders from living here, and I need to see if that's true. People should be allowed to live where they like."
The woman stared past them all, considering his words, and then sighed. She flicked her hands, and the badgermoles turned and disappeared into the earth as swiftly as they had come, making the ground quiver and shake as they did so.
"Fine, no fighting," the woman sighed, sounding like a child deprived of a chance to play outside. The blue-eyed man rolled his eyes, and even the bald man's lips twitched upwards in his attempt to keep from laughing at her blatant disappointment.
"If there's no fighting," Toph demanded, "then why is Sokka all dressed up in his armor?"
The dark-skinned man straightened up proudly and stepped forward, preening under the obvious attention. He was stopped when the woman in the strange green dress elbow him in the stomach, grinning.
"They're here as part of the diplomatic party," the scarred man explained, glancing back over his shoulder at the town. "Aang is the Avatar, and he can help me explain to these people that benders should be allowed within the walls. Sokka is not a bender, but he and Suki are here to show that both benders and non-benders can coexist peacefully."
At the end of his explanation, the woman snorted, her chin set stubbornly in what could have been a childish pout. "Why talk? Remember the good old days when we used to show the people what kind of benders we were? What happened to those days?"
"Peace is the key these days, Toph," Aang interjected. "You can come, but you have to promise that you won't earthbend unless we are attacked."
Haya watched the woman scuff her bare feet in the dirt while the bald man spoke, and she watched the odd woman grin at the mention of an attack.
"If you say so, Twinkletoes," she shrugged.
"Now, how do we approach the town?" Sokka asked, his blue eyes alight with another idea. "How about a parade?"
This suggestion was met with silence and incredulous looks from the rest of his party, and the man shrugged. "It was an idea."
Haya stiffened as the strange woman lifted her head, her sightless green eyes gazing just to the right of the boulder the girl was currently sheltered behind. "Why don't you ask the little girl who's been hiding behind that rock since I got here?"
Before she could run, before she could find another place to hide, the boulder was shoved away, even though no one had touched it. Haya would have gaped at the open display of bending, awed by the power, but she realized that she was surrounded by powerful benders, as well as the Avatar.
They were going to kill her.
Curling up into a ball, Haya tried not to whimper in fear, closing her eyes and wishing that she just run home when she first saw the strange man.
Nothing happened.
After a few moments, Haya tentatively opened her eyes, wondering why she hadn't been attacked yet. Looking up, she squeaked in terror and clamped her eyes shut again, horrified by the six pairs of eyes gazing down at her with a mixture of hostility and curiosity.
"You okay?"
The soft, gentle voice surprised her, and Haya looked up to see the bald man kneeling next to her, the blue arrow tattoo on his forehead brighter at the closer proximity. His gray eyes were soft with concern, the same look Kuyen gave her when he found her crying after Daddy had yelled at her again.
"Aren't you going to kill me?" Haya rasped out the question, and in response, the man rocked back on his heels, glancing towards his companions as his eyes widened in surprise.
"Why would we kill you?" He asked, reaching out a hand towards her shoulder. With a yelp, Haya scooted away from him, wishing she had enough courage and strength to her legs that she could jump up and run for home. If she was running, she would be a more difficult target.
Giving the man a strange look, she glanced up towards Firelord Zuko, finding that he did glare down at her, but merely gazed at her, puzzled by her sudden appearance.
Taking a deep breath, and hoping they would spare her, she mumbled, "Daddy says that benders are mean, and will kill you as soon as they see you. That's why he says they're not allowed in the town."
She watched as the Avatar and the Firelord exchanged a long look, and then the gray-eyed man got to his feet, reaching a hand down to help her up as well. Ignoring his hand, Haya scrambled to her feet, brushing off the dirt and wondering if it was too late to run.
"Who are you?" The question came from the man in the blue armor, and his blue eyes glinted with suspicion. "Are you a spy? Did you-"
"Sokka!" The woman in the green dress cut across his interrogation, and she gazed down at Haya, a smile tugging at her lips. Although the red and white face paint was startling, her blue-green eyes matched the warmth of her smile. "She's a child. She doesn't know who we are."
"You're benders!" Haya burst out. "You're the reason we had to leave, and why my uncle is so sad! It's all your fault!"
This last accusation was accompanied by a shaking finger pointed in Zuko's direction, and beside him, the pale woman tensed, one hand stealing towards the opposite sleeve.
Laying a hand on his wife's arm to stay the movement, Zuko knelt down and looked Haya in the eye. The girl flinched away, sure that he was going to kill her now, but she glanced back a few moments later when nothing happened.
She gazed into his eyes, finding that the sadness there echoed the look in her uncle's eyes when anyone mentioned her aunt. Haya bit her lip, suddenly unsure. Surely anyone who had felt pain similar to her family's experiences couldn't be bad, right?
Slowly, the scarred man before her nodded. "I know some people can do bad things," he told her, his voice deep and holding traces of pain that would always haunt him. "Just because one bender wronged your family doesn't mean that all are bad."
"Look at us," Aang interjected, kneeling easily beside Zuko. "You asked if we were going to kill you." Haya nodded, still wondering if they would, and Aang smiled, his gray eyes earnest.
"If we wanted to kill you," he told her softly, "we would have already."
Haya nodded dubiously, still unsure if these strangers were good or bad. The strange woman standing off to the side seemed to sense her hesitation, and she turned towards Haya, her milky green eyes seeming to pierce through the child.
"Look, kid," she told the girl bluntly, "you can trust these two. I can tell when someone's lying, and I don't like being around people who do. If they were lying, I wouldn't be here."
Something about the woman's deliver soothed some of Haya's fears, and she bowed to the slight woman, eliciting a grin from the rest of the party.
A hand settled on her shoulder, and Haya jumped. Tilting her head back, she gazed up into the golden eyes of Firelord Zuko.
"Would you lead us into your town?" He asked quietly. "We'd like to speak to your father."
For a moment, Haya deliberated, biting her lip and shifting from one foot to the other. Finally, she nodded, brown eyes solemn.
As they neared the road that led into town, Haya broke into a run, leaving the strangers behind, a brilliant smile curving her lips, excitement granting her speed.
Just wait until her friends heard about this!
A/N: Well, that's the end! I apologize if the characters are a little OOC; as I said, it's been awhile. What did you think? Reviews are appreciated!