Zuko woke up immediately without the hazy fog that usually marked the transition from sleep to consciousness. He was alert and wary of his surroundings. Something in his gut told him that the day won't be enjoyable at all. A few moments later when, the world came into focus, he amended his situation; it was going to be a really bad day.

He was in the nude as was his usual attire and his fire lord crown was beside the nightstand. And that was as normal as everything went. Looking around further revealed that his chamber's decorations had somehow change. There was a heck of a lot more blue than he remembered and there were even a Water Tribe flag that encompassed one whole wall.

Standing up to his feet, he felt an unusual amount of fur. Expanding his vision, the whole floor was a wash of white pelts. It was like someone pushed Appa in there and shaved, Zuko though with a growing sense of alarm. Whoever's messing with him was doing a wonderful job of it.

Dressing quickly in a simple robe, since it was his off-day, he traversed the path from his chambers to the dining hall for breakfast and, hopefully, some answers. He could've called for servants, but he remembered they were to have a rest day as well. He wasn't an invalid and he always hated being waited on hand and foot. Now he was regretting at that decision as it would've given him someone to drag answers out of. Along his way, he noticed that there were more Water Tribe tapestries strewn about. It made him a bit more peeved. If this was a joke, then it wasn't funny. Not funny at all.

The doors to the dining hall came into view, he the first and only person he wanted to see today; his wife, Fire Lady Mai. Covering the rest of the way, he enveloped her in a hug which he immediately followed with a deer kiss. For a moment, she responded with the touches and drew herself deeper. It didn't last long, though, as she lightly placed her hands on his shoulders to push him away. At first he was confused, and looking at her attire confused him further. She was garbed in her old clothes from yesteryears; the black, maroon and red yukata that she wore when she was traveling with Azula. She also wore it whenever she wants to travel incognito. Does that mean we're going on a trip, he mused. His mind was working on overtime now. Things are not as they seem, and it appears that things were going to get stranger. He was shot out of his thought process when her wife addressed him, with a short cough and a formal greeting, both pals in the form of the standard fire nation salutation.

"Good morning," Mai began as she bent at the waist. "Fire Lord Zuko."

Wait, that's not right, Zuko screamed in his head. Panic was now gnawing at his nerves. She was supposed to say 'My Lord Husband'! And why was she being so formal?! What are they, strangers, to each other? He was about to barrage her with questions, but the dining hall doors opened and a blur of blue tackled him on the waist. It wasn't enough to topple him, though his ears were surely bleeding from the high-pitched squeal.

"Morning, honey! It's good to see you awake!" Katara gushed, acting younger than her age.

Behind her, Aang stepped out of the room. That wouldn't have been weird. What happened next was the thing that went past strange to downright crazy. Katara caught his lips in a mouth-crushing kiss that he was too stunned to resist. When they pulled apart, he caught Aang and Mai wrapped around each other in a gentle lip-lock.

His mind was blank as Katara dragged him into the dining hall, chattering on and on about something he wasn't paying attention to. Behind him, Aang and Mao followed. As the two closed the doors, one thought popped into the forefront of his frazzled: "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?!"

--TBC--