Life After

Zuko had been to all manner of odd tea parties over the years thanks to his Uncle's antics, but this one took the fire flakes.

He knelt at a low table overflowing with exotic cakes and finger foods. The china was the finest he had seen, gilt edges gleaming. His napkin was fine crimson silk, so smooth it practically flowed from his fingers when he dabbed delicately at the corner of his mouth. It was an elegant setting to be sure.

The teapot though. The teapot was out of place.

It was an old tin pot, no design or embellishment, no luster. It had dents on one side and black scorch marks flared up from the bottom. The handle was wooden, the grain worn shiny in places where too many fingers had handled it. It looked pitiful amidst the finery.

His Uncle seemed not to notice the incongruence. He smiled casually and lifted the pot to pour Zuko another cup. The tea itself was nothing short of exquisite, which was no less than he would expect of his Uncle, tin pot or otherwise.

Iroh seemed to notice his evaluations as he set the pot down. The man always did have an uncanny ability to know what he was thinking, even when – especially when – he didn't want him to. "Remember what I told you about tea, Nephew? When we were refugees?"

Understanding dawned, and then shame. He remembered. And he remembered his own deeds and betrayals. Decades ago, but still vivid and disgraceful.

One of the guests piped up. "What was that about tea?"

Iroh only smiled at Zuko, a kind, knowing smile. "Nothing. Only that the secret ingredient is love."

The guest seemed appeased and went back to the conversation at the far end of the table.

Oh yes. The guests. The teapot was odd. The guests were otherworldly.

Literally.

All shapes and sizes, all colors and forms. Some resembled animals or plants to a certain extent, or an impossible combination of the two. Others didn't resemble anything at all, they were novel and strange and fascinating.

Zuko had seen spirits of course. Republic City had been rife with them after the portals had been opened. But while he was polite, he never went out of his way to engage them. His Uncle had always taught him that the spirits were not to be trifled with.

And now here he sat with them, enjoying tea and tarts. Life was funny that way.

Life. Or something like it, he supposed. Not quite.

He imagined by now his body had been cremated, his ashes interred. The mourning banners should have been taken down by now, or perhaps they would be soon. Time was funny here. He couldn't be sure.

Zuko sipped his tea and sighed, glancing around at his company and the immediate surroundings. This wasn't so bad. But it wasn't quite what he expected, either.

"Uncle, why aren't there other people here? Where is everyone else?"

"There are others. The spirit world is vast. Some, like me, choose to stay. Others cannot leave. Most only visit."

Leave it to Uncle to be cryptic. "Most only visit? Then where do they go?"

Iroh shrugged his shoulders. "I cannot say. I chose to remain here. I have not seen the other places."

Other places? Were there other planes, perhaps? Or did me mean reincarnation? The answers to these questions were sure to come with time, but one question seemed more pressing than the rest. Hesitantly, he asked, "Will you always be here?"

"Perhaps. I have had my reasons to stay. I have been waiting, you see."

Zuko made a face. "Waiting? For what?"

But Uncle only smiled and refilled his cup. "What will you do, Zuko?"

"I have a choice?" He thought that only Uncle and a few others had that power, given his previous spirit encounters.

"Everyone does. Well, almost everyone. You can stay here, go forward, or go back."

"…Go back?"

His Uncle gave him a look that was both parts sad and encouraging. "Not the way you came. And not as you were."

Reincarnation, then. The idea was not without appeal. Starting over, being someone different. Surely after a lifetime of struggle and hard work the great spirits would be kind and grant him a soft, comfortable new life, right? He almost snorted his tea. No. He had a feeling luck transcended lifetimes, and he had none.

"I see you puzzling it over. Consider your options, but know that the decision will come from your heart, not your head. Or so I am told."

Zuko reached for a fruit tart, decided against it, and selected custard instead. "How long does it take?" The spirit next to him giggled and he resisted the urge to frown.

"You were always impatient, Nephew. Just enjoy your tea. You will know when the decision is made. You will feel it."

Time passed in its own weird way. He learned to make fresh bread and jasmine tea. He learned to host tea parties when his Uncle was away. He learned that the toad wife liked to argue every third day with her husband about the declining quality of the toadstools in their neighborhood. He learned that the carrot spirit preferred just the slightest bit of honey in his ginseng. He learned that the dragon spirits made for good pai sho partners, while the armadillo-ape spirits did not.

At first, he missed things. Not things, people. He heard news from time to time about the mortal world. The Avatar visited, and sometimes she brought friends. They treated him with respect and even sometimes sought his council. But he knew that it was Iroh's tea and wisdom that they craved. He didn't take it personally. He understood.

While the spirits could move freely and the others could visit, the dead couldn't leave. Well, they couldn't return. They could leave the spirit world and go 'somewhere else' apparently, but the portals to the mortal world were always closed to them. He found this out the hard way when he went to the portal in the South Pole. He watched spirits come and go with ease, but when he tried to step through it was like walking into a wall. A seal spirit with great pointed antlers had laughed at him.

He left and sat on the edge of a snow bank. But it wasn't snow. Or maybe it was, but he couldn't feel the cold. He couldn't really feel warmth either. But he remembered it.

He remembered his breath fogging around him in the tundra, the way the frigid air burned his lungs. He remembered his body encased in ice and melting it with just the power of his breath of fire. He remembered dodging ice needles and the bright hot sparks of lightning and the hum of power as he held electricity in his hands.

He missed bending the most.

His memory shifted and he also remembered cool hands and warm healing waters. He remembered the rough edges of a parka and the way fur tickled his nose.

He glanced at the portal before picking himself up and heading back in the direction where he and his Uncle stayed.

Maybe he missed other things a little bit more.

Someone punched him in the arm and he almost spilled his tea.

"Hey there, Sparky! It's been a while!"

"Toph?" He turned and there she was, short and spry and white-haired.

She put her hands on her hips. "Who else? You know any other blind earthbending masters?"

He motioned for her to sit. When she didn't move he vocalized the invitation. "Would you like to sit down?"

For the first time he noticed the mooselion spirit that accompanied her. It gave her shoulder a gentle nudge forward until she felt the cushion at her feet and kneeled down. "This is FooFoo Cuddlypoops. He's helping me out. The spirit world kind of sucks. No bending and all."

Ah. That made sense. A wave of pity rose up within him but he squashed it. He was grateful that Toph couldn't see him; she would have hated him for it. "What are you doing here?"

She felt around on the table, grabbed a roll, and tore off a piece and crammed it in her mouth. She spoke with her mouth half-full. "Same as you. Finally bit the dust. Just got here."

Zuko gave her a skeptical look. "But I thought…"

She swallowed. "What, that you outlived me? Please. I've been living out my years in the swamp. For the most part it was pretty quiet. You, on the other hand, ran a country until you were way past your prime and never knew how to relax. Frankly, I don't know how you lasted as long as you did."

He chuckled. "To be honest, neither do I. Would you like some tea to go with that?"

"Alright, but I can only stay a minute. Just wanted to come by and give my love to Gramps. Catching you was just an unexpected bonus."

"Right." He poured her a cup and handed it to her. "So, how are – were – things back… there?"

She slurped her tea noisily. "Fine. Peaceful. Boring. Republic City's back on its feet, the Avatar restored balance, there's too many airbenders to count… say, have you seen Aang?"

Zuko shook his head. "Uncle says he isn't here. He's tethered to the Avatar Spirit somehow. I don't understand it."

Disappointment flitted across her face and then was gone. "Huh. Too bad. He's got great-grandbabies now, if you can believe it. Three of them, with another on the way. He'd be happy."

Three great-grandchildren? How much time had passed, anyway? He supposed it didn't matter. "Does Katara know?" He hadn't said her name in what felt like ages, but he missed the way it felt in his mouth.

She took another bite of bread. "Probably. She's still stuck in the South Pole though, so she doesn't see 'em much."

"How do you know all of this? Have you talked to her?"

Toph shook her head. "No. I managed to reconcile with the kids. They keep – kept me up to date. Not that I cared or anything." Her shrug was not as nonchalant as she might have liked.

Zuko smiled into his tea cup. "I see."

"Hey, you seen Sokka around anywhere? There's something I've been meaning to tell him."

"No. I haven't seen anyone but Uncle and Korra."

The disappointment lingered this time. "Oh. Okay." She finished her tea and set the cup down. "Well, I'm off to look for him. Tell Gramps I said hey."

Toph punched him in the arm as she got up from the table, but Zuko grabbed her wrist and drew her in for a hug. After a moment's hesitation she hugged him back. Hard.

"I'll miss you, Toph."

She squirmed in his grip. "Hey, you won't get a chance to miss me. I'll be right back." She pulled back and squeezed his shoulders. Her hands were still unnaturally strong. Then she turned on her heels and started to walk away, one hand on the mooselion that trotted beside her. "See you later, Sparky."

"Very funny, Toph."

She kept her pace but waved an arm in farewell. She called over her shoulder. "Thought I got you that time."

"See you later." But he knew he wouldn't.

He was right.

More time passed. More pai sho games and tea and neighborly feuds. Clouds gathered and dispersed; he could not figure out the science of the weather here. But then, science didn't exactly govern this place. He chuckled as he thought of Sokka; it was no wonder they hadn't seen him, he must have decided to leave this place immediately upon arrival.

Not all spirits were friendly, and Zuko learned which paths were safe and which to avoid. He explored the woods and the deserts, walked past deep ravines and canyons shrouded by mist. He thought he heard voices there once, familiar ones. It frightened him and he did not return.

There were vast lakes but no oceans, or at least none that he had seen. The water was always undisturbed, even when touched. No ripples. He soon forgot what was supposed to happen when a leaf fell onto the surface of a pond.

The swamps held his interest for a time, as did the sulfuric volcanic lands that reminded him of home. Too much like home, really, and he found that while he liked to visit he could not stay very long. It made him think of his daughter and how much he missed her. He even thought about Druk. He wondered if he would now find a nest mate. Maybe he had daughters or sons of his own by now.

He traveled the spirit world aimlessly, waiting. He didn't know what he was waiting for or when it would come. Maybe he'd just be here forever with Uncle. That might not be so bad, except for the restlessness he felt building within him.

No matter where his explorations took him, he always returned to the tundra. It was here he waited the most. When Uncle asked him why, he said he didn't know. But he did. And Uncle probably knew it too.

He hoped he didn't have to wait much longer.

The dragon spirit was winning again. He had hoped that by now he might have won at least one game against it, but it was too clever. He was thankful there was no money in the spirit world, as the dragon spirit would have taken all of his by now.

He was pondering his next move when his Uncle's voice carried to him across the plain. "Zuko! Look what I found!"

Another spirit plant to make tea from, no doubt. He looked over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. "Uncle if this is another – "

His words caught in his throat.

His closest friend – his truest friend – was arm in arm with Uncle, causally making her way across the waving field of long blue-green spirit grasses. He clamored to his feet. As he stood there watching them approach, the blades reflected the light and for a moment it looked as though they were wading through a sparkling tide. He blinked and felt a prickling behind his eyes.

When she waved at him from a distance, he snapped out of his trance.

Zuko turned to the dragon spirit and bowed. "Excuse me, old friend. I must forfeit today's game. Though we both know you would have won anyway." The spirit grunted and nodded its head.

Zuko broke into a sprint, the grasses brushing his knees as he raced toward them. Running toward her, seeing her here in front of him, made him feel rejuvenated, like he had woken from a long and restful sleep. Invigorated. Katara detached herself from Uncle and jogged to meet him.

They crashed together, arms tight and fierce. He shouldn't be able to feel the warmth of her – she wasn't warm anymore and neither was he – but he would have sworn that he could. Perhaps it was just the memory of her warmth. If so the memory was powerful and he was glad for it.

He pulled back and cradled her face in his hands. "You're here! I can't believe you're finally…" His hands dropped and his shoulders fell. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so happy about it."

She just laughed and put her hands on his shoulders. "Hey, it's okay. Had to happen sometime. One minute I'm cooing over my fourth great-grandchild, and the next minute I'm here." Her hands trailed down his arms until she found his fingers, hooked her little fingers around his. "I wasn't expecting to see you, though. Iroh, but not you. You've been gone so long, I figured…"

Zuko shrugged, careful not to disturb their linked hands. He liked how they felt. "Uncle says I've been waiting, deciding on what to do next. You know how he is; he never gives a straight answer."

Her eyes are bright and clear and Agni how he had missed them. "Waiting for what?"

"I'm not sure." But looking at her now, he knew.

The three of them settled in for tea as he filled her in with what he knew about the spirt world. She sipped her tea and sighed with pleasure. "Have you seen any of the others?"

Zuko nodded. "Toph. She passed through a while back. She said she was looking for your brother."

Katara smiled knowingly. "Ah. That makes sense."

"No one else though. I had hoped to see Aang, at least."

She lowered her eyes and looked deep into her cup as though there were secrets hidden there. "He explained it to me once, that we wouldn't see each other after… after it was over. Past Avatars go somewhere else, so they can be available to the new one. It hurt to learn that. But that's the price of marrying an Avatar. One of them, anyway." If there was any bitterness in her words she didn't comment further. After a beat she looked up at him and smiled. "But I'm glad we're together."

"I am too." He smiled around the lip of his cup.

Days passed (or was it weeks? months?) and they stayed close to his Uncle's home. They reminisced over cups of tea and he told her about the areas of the spirit world that he had explored. He felt happy, now that she was here. When she arrived he felt like he knew; maybe this was his decision, to stay here forever with her and Uncle. But deep within him there was still a restlessness. He ignored it. Maybe if he focused on his happiness here, he wouldn't have to leave and neither would she. If nothing else, he could enjoy it while it lasted.

The seasons didn't change here. It didn't take him long to realize this. Neither did the weather. Clouds passed, but rain never fell. It was always warm and comfortable.

The fell into a routine, in the mornings they walked in the woods, and in the evenings they shared a meal with Uncle Iroh and one of them would challenge him to a game of pai sho. The afternoons were for the fields of grass, where she taught him how to weave and he taught her how to tie complex sailing knots. On this afternoon, they lay back in the grass and watched the clouds drift by in their impossible way. He pointed to one directly above them.

"That one's a tigerdillo."

She pointed to one floating to the east. "That one's a leopard seal."

"That one's a – oh wait, that's an actual spirit."

She laughed. "That one looks like a pile of snowballs, like the kind Sokka and I used to throw as kids." The wistful tone in her voice made him reach out to her on impulse; his fingers found hers as they kept their eyes trained on the clouds. Touching her was second nature by now. They were both quiet as they watched the sky clear and the light began to fade.

The longing in her voice could not be ignored, and he had avoided asking the important question long enough. He squeezed her hand gently. "What will you do? Do you think you'll stay?"

"I don't know." She squeezed back before letting go so that she could roll over to face him. "I hope so."

He propped himself on one elbow and smiled. "Me too."

She looked back at the sky. The wind caught her hair, highlighting it with the red of the setting sun. Her expression changed, he suddenly remembered her in her youth, that look of determination and willfulness. "There is something that I've been wanting to do though. I've been thinking about it a lot. And I've been hoping you might help me."

He searched her face. "Anything you want."

She looked back and him and met his eyes. They were bright and hopeful. "I want to find my mom. And yours, too."

His heart constricted as if he still had one, and there was a pounding in his ears as though he still had blood.

He blinked and sat up. She followed. "You want to look for our moms?"

The certainty in her face made her all the more beautiful. "Yes. We made a good team before. If we can't do it, who could?"

"We don't even know if they're here. We don't know what choice they made."

She was undeterred. "No, we don't. But what if they're here like us, waiting? What if they're waiting for us?"

Her hope was contagious. It always had been, even if he had never acknowledged it before. He was already convinced, but he wanted to make sure that she was too. "It could be dangerous. You remember what I told you about some areas of the spirit world. There are places I haven't even explored, places I couldn't even go."

"It'll be different this time. We're together."

And he knew it was true. He knew it was right. He felt it, just as strongly as he had when he had embraced her upon her arrival. Looking at her, he knew that she felt it too. He reached for her hands and kissed them.

"Wherever you go, I'll be there with you."

She squeezed his fingers and sighed with a smile. "Thank you, Zuko."

They said goodbye to Uncle, telling him that they would see him again soon. Uncle gave them a sad, proud smile, and Zuko knew it was the same one that he had given Toph not so long ago. Uncle knew. And he blessed their journey all the same.

Zuko took her hand as a new path materialized through the waving fields, one that spread out toward the horizon. The restlessness that he had felt had disappeared, replaced by a sense of purpose and belonging. He had waited all this time, and now, with Katara by his side, he finally had the answer to his question.

What Uncle had told him about tea was true after all.

A/N - Thanks for reading! This one is dedicated to tasarienthewardenofcydonia, who provided the prompts "spirit world" and "immortal beloved". Thank you so much for the inspiration, hope you enjoyed it!

Apologies in advance if my conceptualization of the spirit world is totally off. I've only been a casual Korra watcher.

For others who have provided me with prompts on tumblr or in reviews, never fear! I plan to get to everyone, it just might take a little time.