Of Turtle-Ducks and Love Stories
By: xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx
Edited By: livingondaydreams
AN: Because we all know that it'd be cute if Bumi had something with Zuko's daughter.
Just a little story about Asami, Iroh, Bumi, and Zuko's daughter—who I have named Ursa. Completely random, but hey, aren't most of my stories that way?
Special thanks to Kelly, my beta reader and good friend! :)
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own LoK/A:TLA.
Asami ran outside before anyone could see her cry.
In the palace's rather large parlor, the members of the Fire Nation Royal Family—save for Iroh—were talking, laughing, and having a music night, as Zuko had called it with a wry smile. She and Iroh had snuck away from his family to have a little alone time—one of the first times since they had arrived in the Fire Nation. Asami normally cherished every private moment with Iroh that she got in times like this, but this particular time was different.
It had started out like usual—Iroh had shyly asked to hold her hand, asking her to walk with him through the palace, and she'd accepted, giggling slightly at her boyfriend's awkward behavior. It was funny, in an endearing way. Things seemed to be all right from there, until Iroh had dropped the bombshell: he was going to be deployed on a year-long voyage around the world.
That was when Asami ran. For a second, she had stood there, absolutely stunned; then, she ripped her hand out of Iroh's and bolted for the nearest exit. Out of the corner of her eye, she had seen his heartbroken expression, but she couldn't be around him. She just couldn't.
The sun had set about an hour or so ago, and lanterns of different shapes and sizes were scattered across the courtyard, giving it a romantic, dim appearance. Asami wiped a tear from her eye, biting her lip as she ran to a familiar pond that Iroh had shown her on their first visit to the Fire Nation, what seemed to be so many years ago, when in reality, it was only just two years ago.
The first thing Asami realized when she reached the pond was that she wasn't alone.
A familiar, wild-haired man sat at the edge of the pond, ripping off pieces of bread and throwing them to the turtle-ducks casually. Next to him lay his red United Forces jacket and a cup of some kind of drink—probably cactus juice, knowing Bumi.
Asami grimaced, and took a step back, not wanting to disturb the madman. Before she could turn and find a different place to sit and speak, Bumi intervened and said, "You can stay."
She froze. "N-no, it's fine," she said quickly. "I'm sorry for disturb—"
Bumi turned to face her, and his bluish-gray eyes met her jade green ones. "Sit," he said in the commanding tone she recognized from Tenzin. Warily, she complied, making sure to keep a little bit of space from the man. It wasn't that she didn't like the Commander—he really was a good man—but Bumi was a little... eccentric, if nothing else. Asami had no doubt in her mind that he wouldn't hurt her—if he actually got the opportunity before she ruined his chances for ever having children.
Bumi said nothing once Asami had situated herself, and for several uncomfortable moments, they sat in silence. The commander continued to throw the pieces of bread to the hungry animals, who ate them thankfully. A pang shot through the girl's heart. Not only had she done the same thing with Iroh at the very location, but when she was a young girl, she used to do the same thing at Republic City Park with her parents.
"You don't seem very happy," Bumi finally said, a hint of dry undertone in his voice.
Asami stared at her reflection as the frown on her face deepened, only to have it dissipate, the water rippling. "I'm not," she admitted.
Another pause. Then, "Well, what's on your mind, kid?"
"It's..." She hesitated, then let out a sigh. "It's Iroh. He told me he was leaving for a year, and I know it's stupid because he's left before, but I... I just can't help but feel upset because... well, because he's never left forthislong—not in the two years we've dated. And I know I'm supposed to expect this because he's a general, but..."
Her voice trailed off, and Asami swallowed the lump in her throat. "I... I just don't know what to do," she finished feebly.
She honestly hated sounding whiny over such a seemingly petty thing, but it had become extremely hard to even think about losing Iroh, even if it was just for a few weeks, while he had a mission. After her mother's death, her father's betrayal, and the whole situation with Mako, Asami couldn't even bear to think of the possibility of anything happening between Iroh and her.. No, she couldn't be alone again.
"Well, I can tell you what not to do," Bumi spoke up after moments of silence between the two. Asami looked at him expectantly, and he simply said, "Let him go."
Asami blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I'm telling you what not to do, and that's let him go," the man repeated with mild exasperation. A look of understanding crossed Asami's face, and Bumi sighed slightly, setting down the piece of bread and taking a quick swig of his drink.
"Asami, let me tell you a story."
As she looked at him curiously, the man took a deep breath. "There was a guy I once knew," he began, "that was crazy in love with this woman. Now, it wasn't just some random fling—no, the two had been childhood best friends. My friend had spent a good part of his childhood falling for this girl, and trying everything in his power to get close to her. It wasn't exactly easy, because they lived miles and miles away. He actually lived in Republic City, while she lived here, in the Fire Nation. But their parents were the best of friends, and they tried to see each other as often as possible."
"As the two grew older, it became more and more obvious to everyone but the girl that this boy had feelings for her. And it was vice-versa, because to the boy's surprise, the girl had liked him for quite some time too. Eventually, they found out about how the other felt, and they started courting each other, much to the girl's father's chagrin." Bumi's face split into a large grin at this.
"The years passed by, and when the boy turned twenty-one, he decided to join the United Forces. You see, he'd spent a large part of his life feeling overshadowed by the rest of his family—they were pretty important people—and he felt like he needed to join to live up to the rest of them. From there... well, you know how difficult it is to have partner that's off and on when it comes to actually being there. Somehow, the couple managed to stay together for several years, and they got engaged."
The man sighed. "That didn't last long, though. The girl's parents were pushing them to get married, but the man just couldn't with his schedule. For a while it seemed that the girl was fine with ignoring her parents and waiting for him, but they began to grow apart. Things got particularly bad when he had to leave for a year—just like Iroh has to now."
"The man stuck through that year by thinking of his lover back home, and because of this, he was rewarded. When he got home, the couple's relationship seemed to blossom better than it ever had. Everyone thought that they were going to get married, which absolutely thrilled the girl's parents."
"Then, the boy had to leave again. Long story short, they had a large argument, which led to him ultimately proving his love to her. They gave themselves to each other the night before he left, and the man promised that, when he came back, they would get married, big, fancy wedding or no."
Asami watched as Bumi adopted a wistful expression, continuing, "Unfortunately, when he got back, things were rather... rocky with his fiancée. They somehow ended up getting into a large argument again, but this time, she called off the engagement. At the time, he had been so angry that he was fine with it, but as the days passed by, he found himself missing her. He tried and tried to reconcile with her, but the girl was stubborn and outright refused. The time came for him to leave again for a couple of months, and when he came back to visit her again, he found that she was not only married to another man, but also a few months pregnant.
"It took a few days of digesting, and the man realized that the months just didn't add up. There was no way that the woman could've gotten pregnant so quickly and the baby be her husband's. With a slight feeling of dread, the man came to conclusion that the baby was his. When he confronted her about it, the woman confirmed it, but made him swore never to tell their child the true identity of his or her father."
Bumi sighed, and Asami noted that the melancholy look didn't suit the commander. "Eventually, she gave birth to his son, and the kid grew up and joined the United Forces. The two became comrades, and the man kept his promise to his ex-lover. Never once did he tell his son who he really was, no matter how much it hurt him. On the more fortunate side, the two acted like father and son, even if the son didn't know how ironic it was."
He finished the story with a forced grin; Asami took a moment to digest the information she had just been given. The way Bumi talked about the man... and his lover... and his son...
"Bumi," the girl's voice was incredibly quiet, "that man... was he... you?"
The commander gulped down the rest of his drink, and let out a deep breath. "Yeah," he muttered. "And the girl was Fire Lord Ursa, and the son was Iroh."
"Bumi, I..."
"Don't let go of him, Asami," Bumi said, deadly serious. "I know Iroh, and he would never turn his back on you, even after months of separation. Don't do the same, and don't make the same mistake Ursa did. It would break his heart."
Asami stared at her reflection in the water, and very slowly, she nodded. "I won't," she promised.
Commander Bumi grinned wildly. "Good, because I think it's against the moral code to harm a lovely young lady like you for breaking my son's heart."
Asami scoffed, a smirk gracing her lips. "Please, like you could even lay a finger on me."
Bumi let out a wild laugh, and Asami couldn't help but chuckle as well. Before either could say anything else, a familiar, boyish voice said, "Am I... interrupting something?"
Asami turned around quickly to face Iroh, who was standing just behind the tree, his arms behind his back. He sent her a small smile as he walked toward them, and Asami flushed, smiling back.
"Nope," Bumi said casually, picking up another piece of bread. "Just talking to your lady friend, Sparky."
A scowl crossed Iroh's face. "How many times have I told you not to call me that, Bumi?" he sighed.
The commander just chuckled. "I dunno... how many times have I called you that?"
Iroh just shook his head, turning his attention to Asami. Quietly, he asked, "Do you mind if we... talk?"
Asami smiled lightly at him and shook her head. "Not at all," she said softly, and Iroh offered his gloved hand to her. She gratefully took it and stood up.
"Thank you, Bumi," she called over her shoulder as her boyfriend led her away. "I promise I won't tell anyone!"
Bumi just laughed his signature cackle. "You had better not, Princess!"
Iroh shook his head, his hand intertwined with Asami. "A bit of a wild man was an understatement," he muttered, and Asami just laughed.
Bumi smiled wistfully at the couple walked away. He felt a pang in his heart; how many years had it been since that was him and Ursa? Too many, he decided.
Behind him, he heard the leaves rustle slightly, and he tensed. "You can come out now, Ursa," he called quietly.
There was sigh, and the Fire Lord appeared from the shadows, taking a seat next to him, her robes sprawled out onto the stone ground. "How'd you know it was me?" she said, disappointed.
Bumi chuckled. "Because, when we were kids, that was where Lin, Kya, and Tenzin would hide when they were trying to spy on us."
Ursa smiled. "I should've known."
There was a silence; then, "How... how long were you listening in, Hot Head?"
The Fire Lord scowled briefly at the nickname, looking awfully like her father. "Long enough," she replied.
"So, you heard me confess everything that's gone on between us to our son's girlfriend."
"Pretty much, yes," answered Ursa.
Bumi let out a cackle. "Well, damn. You weren't supposed to hear that, though, I suppose it's better than Iroh hearing it."
She didn't look amused. "Actually, Bumi..."
"He heard... didn't he?"
"Yes," the Fire Lord said wryly. "He was right next to me, spying on you. I'm surprised you didn't notice, what with your sonar hearing and all."
Bumi just smirked. "Well, it's not like I'm getting any younger." There was a pause, then he added, "How... how'd he react?"
Ursa hesitated. "He was... shocked, to say the very least. I suspect that you're going to have to have a nice, long chat with him after he and Asami work out their problems."
"Great," Bumi muttered sarcastically.
"And when you're done with that, you're to report to me to receive your punishment," the Fire Lord added.
"What? Why?"
"Because you blatantly disobeyed my orders and told our son about what went on between us," Ursa stated.
"I don't answer to you."
"No, but you are a guest at my palace, so therefore, you do." The Firebender smirked.
"Fine," Bumi grumbled. "But it better not be something embarrassing, like what Mom and Dad did to Tenzin whenever they caught him... with Lin."
Ursa shuddered. "Oh, Spirits, no. I'm not that harsh!"
Bumi just laughed. "Good to know."
AN: I wish I could reference where that last part came... I can't even remember, but I saw something on Tumblr about Tenzin getting in trouble, and the punishment was that he had to play Aang in the Ember Island Players' play, 'The Boy in the Iceberg'. *snickers* Imagine that. But, if you guys know what I'm talking about, please tell me so I can give proper credit to the genius who had the idea!