A/N: Hey all! I thought I'd bring another fic to the world. :D It's BFF!Ozai/EarthKing too. Original no. xD I may or may-not continue this. Depends if inspirations comes. xD
DISCALIMER: I own nothing. Deal with it.
Summary: Earth King Kuei wants to find a frined, but what happens when his choice is Ozai? BFF!Ozai/EarthKing! Not slash.
He had no idea why he said it. Why did he just say it? Sokka was looking at him with a quizzical expression on his face, if it could be called that. A better way to say it was that it was one of those 'You've got to be kidding me, are you stupid?' and 'Why did you even think of dragging me into this!' looks.
"You want to see the Loser Lord because?" Sokka asked, motioning for the Earth King to give a reason behind his new found insanity.
"Well… I thought that if I could see him…" The Earth King paused, than continued to speak. "That maybe I would become a better ruler and get some advice?" He did a nervous laugh, and failed to convince the warrior standing across from him.
Sokka raised an eyebrow, not buying into this story at all. "So let me get this strait," he stuck up a finger. "You want to see the Loser Lord? The Loser Lord who, of which I may kindly add, waged war against your country for a hundred years?" Sokka stuck up another finger and started to imitate the Earth King. "So you thought; 'Oh hey I'll just get advice from the guy who thought he'd burn everything down and take it over for fun.' What are ya, stupid?"
The Earth King flinched once Sokka was done speaking. "Ok so the advice thing was a lie, but I just wanted to see how he was like, you know?" He muttered.
Sokka sighed. "Ok, if I take you too see Ozai, for whatever reason you may want too, will you promise to keep your mouth shut? I don't want Zuko freaking out after his stupid all day meeting thing. He'd kill us."
Kuei's face lit up. "Oh thank you! I'll just get Bosco then…" He was interrupted by Sokka.
"Oh no you don't. I don't know about you, but I don't want to explain to Zuko and to half the city why you have a bear, and then explain what the bear is. Just grab a cloak and c'mon!" Sokka exclaimed.
He nodded and rushed to his rooms in the palace and grabbed a maroon cloak and draped it over his shoulders. He also grabbed a small painting of Bosco to show, and a small bag of rock candy to munch on. He made his way to the door to open it and he saw Sokka standing there in Fire Nation clothes.
"Well we don't have all day, even if that's how long Zuko's gonna be in his stupid meeting thing, but you're the king and people will freak if your gone for more then a few hours. Also if anyone asks, before or after, I'm just showing you the sites." Sokka explained. A grin made its way across his face. "Well, c'mon!" Sokka then grabbed Kuei and started to run through the palace to find an exit.
Kuei didn't have enough time to even look at all the paintings and murals that the Fire Palace had to offer, because Sokka was running so fast. Soon they we're outside and on the grounds. Kuei could see the gate and its walls surrounding the palace. Sokka led him to a servant's door and dragged him out, he then rushed to get into the busy streets of the capital so they wouldn't get noticed.
"Our stop is up there." Sokka said while pointing to the rim of the dormant volcano. Kuei could barely make out a building among all the rock.
They soon made their way through the capital and up to the Prison Tower. Sokka had to sit down to catch his breath, Kuei slumped down next to him soon after. He looked to the tower that was almost next to them. The good thing about it was that it provided shade from the noon sun.
Kuei didn't know how Sokka talked the guard into letting them into the prison, but he did. He followed Sokka who apparently knew the way to where Ozai was located, or was really convincing that he knew the way. He looked around, and concluded that this wasn't the best place to be, no matter who you are. They soon came up to a door with a guard stationed by it.
"Hey Chang," Sokka greeted. Apparently he knew the guard well. "His Royal Earthy-ness wants to see the Loser Lord." Sokka stuck out his thumb, pointing to Kuei behind him.
"What are you, stupid?" Was all the guard could say.
Kuei's shoulder's drooped a bit at the comment. Sokka grabbed the keys from Chang and started to make small talk.
"Well Mr. Earth King I have the keys and just call when you're done. Don't worry the Loser Lord can't firebend… Just be sure not to give him anything sharp and pointy… Just incase." Sokka said as he opened the door.
Kuei walked into the room, and Sokka shoved him a bit further in then slammed the door shut. He jumped at the sound of the loud bang that it made. He blinked until his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. The only thing there was a single chair and what appeared to be some form of a cage or a cell. He made out a figure in the corner of the cell of which he assumed was Ozai.
"Hello!" Kuei stuttered as he waved and smiled, trying to be civil.
Ozai didn't respond but stared at what he thought was the stupidest looking man in existence. He watched as his guest took off the maroon cloak to reveal the greens of his clothing. Ozai simply raised an eyebrow.
"So…" Kuei couldn't think of anything say so he thought that he would start with a very open ended statement. "How's life?"
"You are asking me how my life is. You must be stupider then you look. Now if you would excuse me, I'm very busy." Ozai replied, his voiced seeping with sarcasm as he motioned with his arm, the small uneventful cell.
Kuei's shoulders drooped once again. "I'm Kuei. Earth King Kuei or just The Earth King… But you can just call me Kuei." He said with a smile.
"Do you really think I care who you are?" Ozai raised his eyebrow in a questioning matter.
"Uh… I guess not. So, have you ever been to the Earth Kingdom?" Kuei asked. He realized the stupidity in his question and braced himself for another insult.
Ozai did nothing but roll his eyes.
Kuei waited until Ozai would speak, and when that didn't happen he just studied his bleak surroundings. The walls were bare, the floor didn't have a rug, and the chair looked hard and uncomfortable. He sighed and grabbed the char and sat in it, directly in front of the cell.
He then began to study Ozai. He really didn't look like a Fire Lord, or even like nobility. He looked more like one of the people you would see begging for spare change in the Lower Ring, or like a prisoner. Kuei noticed how his eyes seemed to have a bioluminescent quality to them in the light. All he knew is that it scared him. He noticed that Ozai was studying him as well, but with a more bored expression on his face.
Kuei's stomach growled and he remembered the rock candy he brought. He dug it out and grabbed a piece. "Want one, its rock candy and really good. It's an Earth Kingdom specialty."
He got up and stuck the bag and his arm through the bars to try and hand it to Ozai, who just stared. After a few minutes of struggling, and looking like an idiot, he through the bag and made it land next to the other man.
Ozai stared at the bag as it landed next to him then up to Kuei. "You really are stupid. Who knows? I could have grabbed your arm and broken it." Ozai looked at the bag again with a slight sadistic grin on his face.
Kuei gulped then regained his composure and grabbed the bars of the cell. "Well I thought that if I did something nice for you, you'd do something nice for me." He smiled at Ozai.
Ozai was silent for a while then another sadistic grin made its way across his face. "Why don't you ask Zuko how your idea worked out for him? It's all over his face." Ozai chuckled as he fingered the bag of candy.
Kuei said nothing on the subject of Zuko. He thought it'd be best to have Sokka help him figure it out.
"Is that how all Earth Kingdom people look when they try to think? Or is it just you mulling over such an obvious statement." Ozai said.
"The Earth Kingdom offers some of the best universities in the world, so… Uh… Be nice?" Kuei's attempt at a comeback failed utterly and completely.
"Why are you really here? I know the reason isn't to have an intellectual conversation." Ozai said bluntly.
"Well… I wanted to know more about you, and I guess that maybe we could be… Uh, you know, friends?" Kuei stammered.
Ozai chuckled. "Friends, you think that I, Phoenix King Ozai, would want to be your friend? Ha, and I thought you couldn't get more ridiculous. Enlighten me, oh simple one, why would you want to be my friend? Have you been locked away from the war in that palace of yours?"
"Firstly yes, the war has been a secret from me until the Avatar and his friends came and informed me. You see my adviser…" Kuei was cut off by Ozai's growing laughter.
"You didn't know about the war until after the Avatar came? Ha!" Ozai exclaimed while still laughing. Eventually his laughter stopped.
"Well as I was saying, secondly it must get really lonely in here by yourself and sense I'm going to be here for a while, I thought that I'd stop by and make a friend." Kuei said with a smile on his face. "You see I'd be so sad and lonely if I didn't have Bosco…" He was interrupted again.
"Bosco, and who may that be?" Ozai asked sarcastically but with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Kuei smiled. "Bosco is my pet bear!" He exclaimed proudly.
"Pet bear, surely you mean platypus-bear?"
"Nope, he's my pet bear."
"You mean pet skunk-bear?"
"Nope, Bosco is a bear."
"Gopher-Bear?"
"Nope!"
"Horse-Bear, pig-bear, bull-bear?" Ozai started to name off all the bear subspecies he could think of.
"Nope, Bosco is just a regular old bear." Kuei said with a smile. "I have a painting of him if you want to see it." He dug out the painting and showed it to Ozai.
Ozai studied the picture with a confused expression on his face. "The Earth Kingdom… The Earth Kingdom is weird."
"Well here the cows have wings and eat meat! Now that's weird." Kuei said.
"Here, that's perfectly normal. Your bear on the other hand…"
"Bosco is quite rare, thank you."
"Rare and weird."
"Not as weird as your meat cows."
"Like I said."
The conversation went on like this for several more minutes. Both of the people didn't know, or care how much time has passed while discussing the weirdness of animals.
"So… Are we friends yet?" Kuei asked. "Buddy."
"Buddy? Friends? We'll leave it has friendly acquaintances at that." Ozai said as he blew some hair out of his face. "I guess you're amusing to be around."
Kuei smiled. "Well sense we're friendly acquaintances, what do you want to do first?" Kuei asked.
"What is there to do, if we're lucky a rat will scurry across the floor, and that hardly ever happens surprisingly." Ozai stated.
"You want a rat to run across the floor? That's revolting!" Kuei exclaimed.
'Is it sad that a rat running across the room is possibly the most enjoyable highlight of my day?" Ozai paused. "Don't answer that."
Kuei started to laugh at Ozai's comment. A somewhat friendly smile made its way across Ozai's face.
"I got you to smile a nice smile. I believe I've accomplished something monumental." Kuei stated proudly.
Ozai tried to stop from smiling even though he didn't get far. He stood up due to being sick of sitting and leaned against the wall.
"Wow you're taller then I thought." Kuei said. Ozai was easily a half a head taller.
"Um, thanks? I guess." Ozai said, while tossing the bag of rock candy back to Kuei.
"Not a problem, friend." Kuei said with a smile while he picked up the bag.
"I thought I told you…" Ozai was the one to be interrupted.
The door to the room swung open revealing a laughing Sokka. "Hey buddy, I have no idea what you are talking about, but we've been here for like two hours. People are gonna freak out and my feet hurt. So make it quick." Sokka turned to Ozai. "Nice seeing ya again Loser Lord. Don't worry I have a lot more names for ya!" Sokka laughed. Ozai responded with, what sounded like a growl. Sokka quickly closed the door while Kuei jumped.
"I hate him, stupid peasant." Ozai growled.
Kuei said nothing for a while and thought that all his kindness was killed by Sokka. "Apparently you two don't get along…"
"No, really?"
Kuei looked over to Ozai and held out his hand through the cell bars.
"What are you doing?" Ozai asked.
"It's a handshake, Earth Kingdom thing." He said with a smile.
"I don't like touching people."
Kuei took his arm out of the cell and smiled. "So I'll see ya around friend." He started to walk towards the door.
Ozai sighed. "If I say we're friends," He paused and stepped to the bars of the cell. "Will you not go telling everyone? It'll ruin what reputation that I already have."
Kuei turned back to look at Ozai. He ran up to the cell and hugged Ozai through the bars. 'Oh thank you friend! Thank you!"
Ozai rolled his eyes and awkwardly patted Kuei's back. "Alright fine, just get off before that Water Tribe idiot sees." Ozai said while pushing Kuei away.
"Your secret's safe with me!" Kuei proudly exclaimed while he rushed out the door with a wave.
Ozai wished that he didn't look so happy while rushing out. He sighed and sat down in his corner watching the floor in front of him. Hopefully a rat will run across it.
Kuei was now outside the cell as Chang locked the door. He tried to hide his smile, hoping that no one would notice. He took a deep breath and tried to look as normal as possible.
Sokka grabbed the Earth King and started to run, and said his thanks to Chang. "Ok we are really dead if we don't get to the palace, like now. Apparently Zuko's meeting is gonna end way sooner then we thought, and if he finds out we were here, he'd fry us alive, and by us I mean me, and I like not getting fried, thank you."
Soon the duo was outside of the Prison Tower and started to make way towards the palace before Zuko's meeting ended. All Kuei could think about his new found friend and began to smile again. He couldn't stop the rest of the day. He wondered if Ozai was doing the same.