AN: This is for you, Alyss! Merry Christmas!
Years have passed since the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai over Wu Long Forest. The legendary group of kids known as Team Avatar have since worked to bring order to the war scarred world they call home. The biggest tolls are on Zuko and Aang, respectively.
Every day, Zuko sits in his throne room, listening to a council meeting regarding… something. He never really pays attention to any meetings. As a consequence, he never understands what happens during the meetings. After the meetings end, Zuko always leaves the throne room and goes to a private study where he reads and signs documents. This has been going on for the past twenty years, and has put a great amount of stress on the ruler. Even though he is thirty six, he looks like he could be in his upper fifties due to the stress.
His friends have noticed the pressure of Zuko's shoulders. The only person on the planet that deals with more stress than him is the Avatar himself. One day, Mai approaches him in his private study.
"What are you doing here?" He demands. "This is my private study."
"Zuko," Mai says, approaching him. "I know this is your private study. And it needs to change. Every day for the past twenty years you have woken up, attended a meeting, then shut yourself in here until you go to bed. This needs to stop."
"No, Mai. It doesn't." Zuko says, not looking up from his documents. "One hundred and twenty years ago, my great-grandfather Fire Lord Sozin changed the world in a horrible way. I must do everything in my power to fix his mistakes, even if I must devout my entire life to repairing the damages."
"I'm not asking you to stop doing your job, Zuko. I'm asking you to take a break so you can be more relaxed."
Zuko slams a pen against the desk. "Why is this all of a sudden important to you? Why not do something about it years before?"
"Because," May snaps. "I didn't think you intended to do this the rest of your life! You're a human, not a machine. You need breaks." Zuko still doesn't look up from his papers. "Please Zuko," Mai says, tears forming in her eyes. "I love you and can't bear to see you like this."
"Mai, go away. I'm going to fix this even if it kills me. I must restore the honor my family lost three generations ago."
Mai sighs loudly. "So you're just going to do as much as you can until you die?"
"Yes." Zuko answers, not looking at Mai.
"Mhm… well, if you don't take a break, then your stress levels will build up so much, you'll die young and not be able to accomplish much."
Zuko drops his pen. "You're bluffing." He says.
"Nope. Not bluffing. Ask some doctors, they know what they're talking about."
"Okay, I will."
"What Mai says is slightly true," Kudon, one of the most skilled doctors in the world says. "The stress won't kill you by itself, but your levels of stress can cause health problems that could be fatal, or drive you insane. I recommend taking a vacation for a few weeks."
"But… who would run the Fire Nation?' Zuko says.
Mai slaps him in the face. "You idiot! We have a daughter who's dying to prove she can one day rule the nation! Now's her chance! Let her know and pack your bags, you're taking a trip! I don't care where you go, just go! Izumi and I will run the Fire Nation." Mai puts a hand on her husband's shoulder. They look each other in the eyes and Zuko smiles.
"Trust me." Mai says. Zuko nods.
A few days later, Aang arrives on Appa. With him are Sokka, Toph and Azula.
Wait- Azula? Zuko thinks. What's my demonic little sister doing with the Avatar?
"Oh, Zuko!" Azula says. The ex-princess runs up to her brother and tackles him. "Zuko, I missed you so much!" She says, crying into his chest.
"Is she okay?" Zuko asks. "It's not like her to tackle me into a hug and cry."
Aang hops off of Appa and slows his fall with airbending. Sokka and Toph quickly follow. Taking a look at his old friends, he tries to remember what they looked like eighteen years ago. They don't look too different from that time, the best times of his life.
"After Azula took off when we found your mom," Aang says. "She was on her own for sixteen years. I don't know what happened to her during those sixteen years, but she changes over the course. She's not the cold hearted savage you once knew," Aang turns to the girl and says "No offense." Azula just shrugs.
"Anyways, she's not mentally unstable or wicked anymore. She is still very powerful, but I don't think she'll be picking fights anymore."
"Wait a minute," Zuko says. "She ran off eighteen years ago, and you said she was on her own for sixteen… what about the other two years?"
"You mean never read the letters?" Azula says. "You see, we've been in a relationship for about two years now."
"WHAT?" Zuko says. "What about Katara? I thought she was the girl you wanted to spend the rest of your life with!"
"I did," Aang says. "And we had three kids. But one day, she went out and she… never came back."
Zuko bows his head, showing respect. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Aang tries to smile, but it quickly fades. "Let's not talk about it." He says.
" Tsk-Tsk." Azula says. "Maybe if you read the letters your friends sent you for eighteen years, you would've found out much sooner."
"You never read our letters?" Sokka says.
"No, he hasn't." Mai says, appearing from the shadows.
"Mai!" Sokka says, jumping back. "I hate it when you do that. Gives me the heeby-jeebies."
"You know what Zuko has done since he's found his mom?" Mai asks. "He attends meetings, signs documents, then goes to bed. Rinse and repeat for eighteen years, and you're caught up with Zuko."
"Which is why-" Zuko cuts in. "I'm going with you guys on a camping trip."
"Great!" Aang says, a big smile on his face. "It'll be just like old times!" When he says old times, his smile fades again, replaced by a glum look. His head droops.
"Cheer up, Twinkle Toes." Toph says. "You said you've been to the Spirit World and confirmed Katara isn't there, so she's still alive. Maybe we can find her on the trip."
"I don't want to talk about her anymore." Aang says. "Besides, I have Azula."
"Aang, you are so sweet." Azula says. Aang pulls the firebender into a long kiss.
"Uughhh…. oogies!" Sokka says. Zuko laughs as he gets his stuff onto Appa.
"I'll see you in a few weeks!" Mai hollers. As Appa takes off, Zuko can see Izumi run up to Mai and look up at Appa. "BYE DADDY!" She says.
A few days later, Appa lands in a remote part of the Earth Kingdom, with a forest and a river. It reminds Zuko of the time he worked with the pirates to capture Aang. The group dismounts Appa and sets up camp in almost record time.
"Would you slow down, you guys?!" Toph says. "I'm still blind! And it's not like we need to be anywhere. We're not on a quest to save the world or run from Sparky here, let's take our time and enjoy this!" The group agrees to this, and Toph sneers. "Good."
After a few hours, the group has all of their things out: Tents, food and other supplies.
"So, what do you guys want to do?" Azula asks, looking around at her friends.
"Not sure about you guys, but I could go for a nap." Toph says. She stomps the ground and forms a chair made of earth, then falls back in the chair and begins snoring. Azula rummages through the food they brought with them.
"Oh no…" She says. "We forgot to bring nonmeat things for Aangy!"
"Aangy?" Zuko says.
"Blech- oggie nicknames!" Sokka says. "I remember when that little girl called him Aangy!"
"Don't worry my sweet Avatar," Azula says. "I'll get some food for you." Aang thanks his beloved as she races into the trees.
"How can you trust her so easily?' Zuko says. "What if she picks poisoned berries?"
"I told you, she's changed!" Aang says. "Besides, I'm a survival expert. I can tell deadly from delicate."
Zuko sighs. "If you insist." He looks at Toph, then back at the guys. "So, what do you want to do?"
"I came up with a sport a few years ago." Sokka says. "And I brought the stuff for the sport." He walks to their equipment and rummages through it. "It's gotta be in here somewhere… Did I remember it? I swear I did. Oh, where are those blasted things? OW! That's a turtle duck! That's a turtle duck! What idiot packed a turtle duck on a camping trip?" The turtle duck leaps out of the bag and begins chasing Sokka. Aang and Zuko sweatdrop as he's pecked and bitten by the small animal. Sokka then trips over something and yells as he falls. The turtle duck bites him one more time and walks into the river.
"FOUND THE STUFF!" Sokka says. He returns to the benders with three things in his hands.
"What… are they?" Aang asks. They're made of sticks and… string?
"They're fishing poles!" Sokka says.
"Fishing poles?" Zuko says. "What's a fishing pole?"
"It makes fishing a lot easier." Sokka explains.
"Oh no, I am NOT fishing!" Aang says.
"Aang, this is where the sport comes in," Sokka continues. "We catch fish, then we let them go!"
"That doesn't sound like fun." Zuko says. "That's a terrible idea! Why would that be fun?"
"It's a competition to see who's the strongest and who can catch the biggest fishies. Come on, you've never even tried it before!" Sokka pleads.
"Fine. I'll try it. What about you, Aang? Are you comfortable with this?"
Aang looks at Sokka. "We just catch them, then let them go?" Sokka nods. "That's it? Bring them up, then drop them in?" Once again, Sokka nods. "Well if that's all we have to do," Aang takes a pole. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."
"Great!" Sokka says. "Now, I've been here before to test out these poles and let me say, they work wonders. I've also been scouting an area that's a hotspot of fish activity."
"You come out here all the time?" Zuko says.
"To get away from Toph, yes. I love the lady so much, but sometimes I just need a break, know what I mean?"
Zuko's jaw drops. "You're dating TOPH? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I did!" Sokka says. "In the letters you never read!"
"What ever happened to Suki?" Zuko asks. "Is it just like with Aang and Katara,"
"Don't remind me of them." Sokka says.
" Where you planned to be together forever, but something happened? You said you wanted to be with her for the rest of your life."
Sokka turns away for a second, hiding the fact he's crying. "Suki died ten years ago. She was very ill." He turns back to his friends and says, "I'm stopping you before you can say 'I'm sorry.' Don't even bother. It wasn't your fault she died, so you have no reason to apologize." He looks at Toph. "I'm really happy with Toph, and that's what matters now. Dwelling on the past is unhealthy. Now come on, let's go fishing!" Sokka leads his amigos to the ridge where he noticed a spike in the numbers of fish.
"Here's how they work," Sokka explains. "Since Aang's here, we'll be using bait I made myself- artificial!" He pulls out three things from his pocket, what appear to be frogs, with the most ridiculous faces on them. Aang and Zuko have to try their hardest not to laugh as they take the bait from Sokka. "Since it's your first time fishing, I'll put the bait on for you." He does so, then goes back to his instructions. 'Now, you're going to want to pull your arm back like this, then thrust it forward. As you're thrusting it forward, push this little button on the bottom. Time it right for maximum distance." Aang and Zuko follow his instructions, and there's a splash about twelve feet away where the bait landed.
"Hey Sokka," Aang says. "What's that red thing floating in the water?"
"Ah, excellent question my pupil," Sokka says. "That is what I call a bobber, depriving its name from the only thing it does, bob. When a fish bites down on your bait and tries to pull it under, the bobber goes under too, so you know when to bring the fish in."
"And how do we bring it in?" Zuko asks.
"You spin this little thing down here." Sokka says. After a few minutes of waiting, Aang's bobber goes under.
"You got one!" Sokka says. "Now tug on the pole and reel 'er in!" Aang nods and quickly brings in a fish. A very tiny fish that is, no bigger than Sokka's palm.
"Good try, Aang." Sokka says. "Maybe next time."
Zuko keeps his focus on the bobber, when it gets aggressively pulled under. He tries to reel it in like Sokka demonstrated, but has no luck. "Oh man! This thing is huge!" He says. Zuko keeps trying, and the line snaps. The next thing that happens surprises everyone, because Zuko goes flying into the water.
"Hang in their Zuko!" Aang yells. The Avatar leaps into the water and begins swimming towards Zuko, who is struggling to stay afloat.
"Hurry Aang! I can't swim!"
"I'm coming!" Aang then notices something in the water, a giant black fin.
Unagi.
"AANG! HURRY AND GET ZUKO! THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WATER!" Sokka yells. Aang reaches Zuko and grabs onto him as they're flung into the air by the massive aquatic monster. The Unagi rises from the depths and lashes out, content on turning the two firebenders into a snack. Aang lands on the Unagi's back as it twists and turns, trying to throw them off balance.
"Grab onto me!" Aang says. "We're jumping!" Zuko does as he's told and clings onto the airbender. Aang leaps off the Unagi and as he does, he thrusts his hands forward, freezing the Unagi in place. Before the two friends can hit the floor, Aang freezes the surface of the river and runs across, Zuko still piggybacking. When they reach the shore, Aang melts all the water. The guys walk back to their campsite as it gets dark, shaking with fear.
"There you are!" Azula says. "Where were you? What happened?"
"Sokka tried to teach us to fish, and we were attacked by a monster." Zuko says. "And by we I mean I. Luckily, Aang was there and he saved my life."
"You saved my brother's life!" Azula says to Aang. She hugs him and thanks him over and over, then they kiss.
"Can you please not do that in front of me?" Zuko says. "It still creeps me out."
"Right, sorry." Aang says. Turning to Azula he asks, "Did you find some food for me?"
"Mhm. Here they are." She drops them in Aang's hands. The Air Nomad examines the food, then stuffs some of it in his mouth.
"I told you she wouldn't try anything. they're just leeche nuts."
"And for us non vegetarians," Sokka says. "I brought Platypus Bear, fried seal jerky and stuffed sea prunes." Everyone sarcastically cheered when he said stuffed sea prunes. "Firebenders!" Sokka says, pointing to the ground. "Do the thing!" The siblings punch the air, creating a burst of fire that sets the ground on fire in a small area.
"Whoever said we needed firewood?" Azula says, crossing her arms proudly. Everyone gathers around the campfire and sings their campfire song. Their C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G- wait a minute, wrong series *Throws that out of the narration script* The friends gather around the small fire and roast marshmallows (Wait, those don't exist yet. COME ON! GIVE ME SOMETHING TO WORK WITH!) The friends just put their hands by the fire and talk about their separate adventures- Aang of finding new bison, Sokka of being a skilled detective (his true dream) and Toph of being Chief of Police.
As the fire dies, the group of friends look at the cosmos and point out different shapes. Zuko sees the Fire Nation emblem, Aang sees Azula (Aww he thought of me?) ((Wait, how'd you get in my narrative Azula? GET OUT!)) Sokka sees a Giant Friendly mushroom and Toph well, Toph doesn't see. (Why would she need to? She's already bada$$ enough)
After a while of staring at the stars, the friends retire to sleeping bags (or in Toph's case, an earth tent.)
After about a week at the site, the friends pack up and return to the Fire Nation to drop off Zuko. As Appa leaves, Zuko picks up his little girl and hugs Mai.
"How are you feeling?" She asks.
"Much better." Zuko says. "You were right- I just needed a break."
"I'm so glad your back, daddy!" Izumi says.
"Me too princess." Zuko sets her down and walks away.
"Where are you going?" Mai asks.
"To read some letters." Zuko says. "I have eighteen years of my friend's lives to catch up on."
AN: So there's your SSS Alyss! I hope you like it!