Author's Note: A sad little one-shot that I wrote as my first endeavor into the Avatar fandom. It's an AU where what happened in Ba Sing Se stayed in Ba Sing Se. Quite literally.
I hope you enjoy it.
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Tales of Ba Sing Se
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The days lasted forever. The impending heat of summer drained them, so that by the time the cool night fell, they dropped into their beds with limbs of stone. Only Momo managed to stay awake after sunset, and that was because the lemur slept during the daytime.
Katara usually spent her days practicing her waterbending. They had a little fountain at the back of the house, so she would stream the water from it, create elaborate shapes in the air. On particularly warm days, she would raise it into a mist, so that the others could run through it to cool down. In the evenings, she would go down to the market and buy whatever they needed for dinner that night. She was usually one to cook it, but she didn't mind so much.
Sokka, in some mixture of accident and good luck, managed to find a school of poetry. He began wielding words like a sword, mastering prose and poetry alike. There were dates; Sokka's talent with words brought home such a variety of girls that Aang started to wonder whether he should attend class as well. But Sokka insisted that he stay home. "After all, you're the Avatar!" he said. "You don't need poetry; leave some of the girls for the rest of us, eh?"
Toph discovered quickly that, as long as you stayed out of serious trouble, you could get away with almost anything. So she explored, searching every crevice, every crack, every nook and cranny. She felt like she was searching for something, but she didn't know what. Katara wouldn't let her bring the money along, since she had a habit of buying unnecessary items, and they only had so much of it. That was okay, though, since Toph could garner sympathy with her blindness, if she needed any spare change.
Of all of them, Aang seemed to be the only one who had trouble adjusting to life in Ba Sing Se. But he too came around; once Joo Dee showed him around the city, to all the different people that needed help there, and he found peace. He pleaded with the Earth King to create an orphanage, and his request was accepted. And so he spent long days helping out kids that weren't that much younger than him, but kids that couldn't take care of themselves all the same.
Sometimes one of them had a creeping feeling that they had something important to be doing. But that thought never lasted for very long.
In this new life, there was always work to be done, always new things to discover. And for once, they actually felt useful. As though the tasks set before them were not simply impossible. And, at the end of each day, they could sink into their beds with smiles on their faces, completely safe, with nothing in the world that could destroy them.
"I'm starting to kinda like it here," Aang remarked to Toph one day, lazily draping his body over the couch. She didn't reply; she was already asleep.
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Iroh was never more proud of his nephew than when the boy would carry tea to the customers, gently setting trays on tables, pouring hot water over tea leaves, and wishing them a good day with a smile. It was a sight that the old man had never expected to see, but that was no matter. Zuko's metamorphosis had made him a different man.
The Jasmine Dragon was busier than ever, and the pair of them constantly had to clean dishes, wipe down tables, and brew ever more tea. Still, Iroh found the time to converse with each customer, making them feel as welcome as possible. Zuko wasn't nearly as good as his uncle, but he tried his best, and he learned new things every day.
Business was well, and so the Jasmine Dragon moved from the Lower Ring to a wealthier part of the city. Uncle Iroh was practically beaming for days, and even Zuko couldn't bring himself to dampen the old man's spirits.
And, quite frankly, Zuko's spirit was brighter than ever. The girl named Jin kept coming by the restaurant even after the move, and one date turned into two, and three. And before long, he was combing his hair himself for unannounced visits, and he was introducing her to his uncle (even though he already knew who she was). Those were happy days for a while, and for a while Zuko didn't miss the life he had left behind.
…though, there was one thing that bothered the banished prince. Years of habit had branded into his brain that capturing the Avatar was the key to happiness, his only ticket home. And yet, despite all evidence that pointed otherwise, the Avatar wasn't here. So Zuko let it go. He let the uneasy worries slip into the back of his mind, letting his new life consume him.
Besides, why would he need a ticket home if his home was here?
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Midsummer's Day came with surprising speed, and the city celebrated with style. Even though the day was considered a Fire Nation holiday, the refugees throughout Ba Sing Se were more than eager to claim the day for themselves, rather than let the hurts of the past control their destinies. There was no war in Ba Sing Se. They wanted to prove it.
Katara bought costumes for everyone, and together they headed down to the center of the city for the festival. Tall buildings, narrow streets, curved pathways – that was Ba Sing Se, that was the life they lived. Dancers, vendors, clowns and acrobats and any type of performer they could dream. Music of all varieties, a vast blend of cultures that could only be found among such a diverse population.
And, of course, foods – reedy specialties from the Northern Water Tribe; spicy dishes from somewhere in the Earth Kingdom; dry, light dishes in honor of the Air Nomads; sweet, tangy foods from the heart of the Fire Nation. They bought all they could afford, and ate all they bought.
The four of them spent the night in the streets, dancing, drinking, living. With Katara's help, Aang taught a group of young girls some Fire Nation dances, while Sokka and Toph jeered in the background. Not for long, though, since Katara unleashed her own little taste of payback once they were done.
Later, of course, they found Toph surrounded by an enormous, cheering crowd. Shoving his way through, Sokka craned above the bystanders to see Toph hurl a chunk of pavement at a nearby fence, knocking it over. Fabulous display of earthbending. He cheered, but not for long, since law enforcement showed up not long after.
It would have just been Toph they arrested, but Sokka tried to stop them, and Katara tried to stop them from arresting Sokka, and Aang certainly wasn't going to let them take Katara, and so one thing led to another and they all ended up sitting in a jail cell overnight.
By the time morning arrived, they all agreed it was worth it.
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Zuko watched from the window of the tea shop as fireworks lit the night sky. He'd seen them many times before, but something was different. Many things were different.
Specifically, him.
Jin was holding his hand as the bursts of light colored the horizon. "You're safe here," she told him, smiling. To her, she was Li, a non-bending peasant who had been maimed and orphaned in the war. He hasn't told the truth, and he didn't intend to. Not yet, at least.
He bent over, cheek pressed to her forehead. It couldn't last, that he knew well. This relationship had to be long over by the time Azula managed to conquer the city. But for now, he could have this.
"I know."
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In the Fire Nation, all was not well. Azula had failed in her mission to retrieve the Avatar and her brother. And thus, she was shamed.
In the Council meeting, she sat at her father's left-hand. His right side was empty, and everyone present understood why. Ozai would not tolerate the failures of his children. He never had.
"We have an important decision to make today," he stated, the flames around him rising. "Sozin's comet will return by the end of the summer, and we must decide what to use its power for." He hesitated, meeting his generals' eyes. "Suggestions?"
"What about Ba Sing Se, your Majesty?" One of the generals stood to address the Fire Lord. "The city hasn't fallen in centuries. It is doubtful that our troops will conquer its walls before the comet arrives."
Ozai considered. "Yes, an excellent suggestion. Azula? You have traveled through the Earth Kingdom. You have fought its strongest warriors. Will Ba Sing Se be a worthy target for our warriors?"
The Princess closed her eyes; she remembered the look on Suki's face as blue fire surrounded the fighting pair. She remembered the way the Kyoshi warrior had fought back, have fought her to draw without breaking a sweat. How it was only because of Ty Lee that they were able to capture the proud women. Her eyes shot open. "The people of the Earth Kingdom are pathetic. Weak-willed brutes, only fit to toil in the earth. Conquer the city; it's the only thing of worth in the entire kingdom."
Ozai raised his brows but said nothing about his daughter's outburst. "The city it is, then." He laughed sharply. "No doubt the Avatar is long gone; no one has even seen him in months. I would be very surprised if he became a hindrance to our attack."
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When Toph wandered, she sometimes discovered peculiar things. Shops containing curios of the ancient world, street vendors offering trinkets and trifles, artists who would paint you for a silver piece. Restaurants with every kind of cuisine imaginable. Secret passageways between the Outer and Inner Rings.
And one day, she found something even better.
"I'll have a cup of green tea, please," the girl said as she settled into Zuko's favorite chair by the window. Not that she knew that. Iroh set the cup before her and glanced to his nephew, who was washing dishes. Best not to tell him; he didn't need to know that the Avatar was in the city.
The old master groaned as he sat back into a nearby chair and coughed. "So how long have you been in the city, miss?" No reply. He sighed. "I wonder if you know who I am." Toph didn't look up from her tea, but she smiled. She remembered.
"You know who I'm traveling with, right?" Toph sipped at her tea and pressed her foot to the ground. No one was sitting nearby, no one was within hearing distance. Zuko had left the main room to wash dishes.
Iroh nodded. "Though, not much traveling going on these days, is there." He coughed into his hand. "How did you know where to find me?"
"I didn't. Coincidence." She didn't want to tell him that she'd been enjoying many more cups of tea lately, trying to find the wise old man who could help her figure out what was going on. "He won't leave. He says he's happy here… it's like he's forgotten about the war. Like they've all forgotten about the war."
"No one's forgotten the war in the Outer Ring," the old man said sharply. Then he sighed. "Perhaps forgetting the war is not a bad thing."
She stomped; the walls shook. "But what about his earthbending training. What about finding a firebending teacher. It's like they've given up!"
Iroh looked at her with hooded eyelids, shrewd in his wondering. "They will remember. When it is time, they will remember.
She thanked him for the tea and brought out her money to pay, but Iroh waved away the coins. "It's on the house. You are welcome here at the Jasmine Dragon any time!"
Toph was cautious as she left the shop, but even the greatest earthbender in the world is not infallible. They caught her in the alley, trapped her between the wall and a slab of rock. "Perhaps you should take a visit to Lake Laogai, Toph," said the mystery man, and the girl could hear a slight smirk in his voice before everything faded.
Sokka found her asleep on the pavement outside the house. When she woke up, she said she couldn't remember what had happened, where she had gone. But that night, she recited the words "Jasmine Dragon" over and over in her head. When the time came, she would remember. She had to.
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The days became endless. Outside the walls of the city, the leaves on the trees changed from green to yellow, to orange, as autumn approached. But there was no war in Ba Sing Se.
They were happy, for a time.
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