I'm Not Blind, but I truly Did Not See
Zutura, my first one. I was never happy with the ending of pairings in Avatar. I supported Zutara, Tang and even a little of Sokkla. This is entertaining that a little! AU. I don't own Avatar which is very tragic for me because I'd have Zuko all to myself and have tons of fun listening to Sokka!
I stood outside the Fire Palace in the courtyard. Feeding the turtleducks had become my favorite past time as of late while staying in the Fire Nation to negotiate business with Zuko. He had really been putting in an effort to restore each nation to a more stable condition than they had been for a while. He had even begun the construction of the Wall of Ba Sing Se, even if no one believed it was needed anymore, it was a landmark just the same. I was in the Fire Nation to discuss recolonization in the South Pole, but those still loyal to Ozai had been making it hard. All efforts to restore the Air Temples had come to a screeching halt when they began to attack everyone who came near the ruins. They called themselves the Phoenix Fire. Original, right?
"Here's where you've been. This should always be the first place I should look from now on." I turned when I heard that rustic voice. We all had gotten older. Zuko probably aged better than all of us. He had let his hair grow out longer, but only let it fall to his shoulders, then pulling half of it up in a topknot that would support his crown. And much to my relief, he had not favored facial hair like Sokka and Aang had. Both those two had desperately clung to any obvious sign of manhood like Lemurs on melons... Zuko's face was too handsome to be covered in hair anyway... I smiled up at the 20 year old Fire Lord,
"Don't tell me you were about to send out a search party for me." I said, a hint of playfulness in my tone. Zuko rolled his eyes at me,
"Like I'd waste energy on a mere peasant." he teased back, sitting down next to me with his legs crossed. This was normal for us now. Jabbing each other with little things like that. I teased him about being royal, and he teased me about being a peasant. Suki once said that it had to be the weirdest dirty talk she'd ever hear. I grew more serious, but kept my tone light,
"I hope I didn't take you away from anything too important by having you search for me." I said. I knew how important it was that Zuko saw to all his responsibilities in a timely fashion. The young Fire Lord shook his head,
"Nah, just had to sign off on the new prison cell for my sister. She keeps melting hers." he said with a heavy tone. Despite their adversity, Zuko had tried hard to see that his sister was cared for and got help for her mental instability. Azula was still a tyrant and wrecked ever cell Zuko had her placed in, but not once did she ever try to escape... I, personally, thought that Azula only wrecked cells for her brother's attention and found the prison comforting, since she wasn't banished. Zuko had ordered a full psychiatric evaluation on Azula once the war efforts had calmed down, the doctors told him she had been through a mental breakdown and may never recover. Zuko still took care of her, but kept her locked up for her own sake more than his own.
"Did she like her birthday cake?" I asked, I had sent a cake for Azula for her birthday last week. We all signed a card as well. But I figured that had been burnt to ashes. Zuko nodded,
"She actually admitted that lemon cake was her favorite, and she'd like to thank you herself." he said and pulled off a piece of bread I held in my hand and tossed it at a turtleduckling who greedily ate it. I watched it with a smile. It warmed my heart for some reason. Even though I really still didn't care for Azula, she was still Zuko's sister and deserved to be treated with respect. Zuko let out a sigh and laid back on the grass, folding his hands behind his head and staring up into the sky.
"Azula's the least of my worries though. Phoenix Fire raided another construction camp, this time they killed someone." Zuko told me, I frowned, knowing the gravity of that information. Yes, the Phoenix Fire had been very violent, but they had yet to actually kill someone. Things were now escalating and I could see the worry lines forming on Zuko's face. I wanted to help... but I unfortunately had responsibilities that first needed tending to. I had to get my tribe home. But I knew it was now not a good time to talk politics with Zuko. Then, an idea struck me,
"Maybe a little sparring match will help clear your head. But maybe being a pampered Lord made you lose your edge." Zuko looked up at me and smirked,
"You are so going to get it... peasant."
Ahhhh! There it is, be gentle!