Chapter 3

A/N: A somewhat short part 3 of the series. Thanks again to Rosey for the corrections.

Disclaimer: Story and characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Shadow Puppets

The impact against the forest beneath wasn't deadly for Zuko, but it did knock him out unconscious for some time. His mind already working overtime before the crash, ideas and hallucinations took control of it for the time being.

The things he had been unable to understand before seemed to come together as pieces of a puzzle. For a long time he had not understood why Uncle Iroh had joined him in exile. Now his mind told him that Iroh felt as out of place as he did. Maybe his uncle felt exiled ever since the events in Ba Sing Se and the death of his only son.

Maybe the old Dragon of the West was tired of the Fire Nation and what was happening in there. And maybe Iroh saw in Zuko parts of his lost son and didn't want the Crown Prince to go through the same events that led to Lu Ten's death.

That explained why Uncle Iroh had accompanied him in exile. Doubt number one had been explained. Uncle Iroh felt a connection with him, and could probably connect with Zuko's plight. Uncle Iroh felt he had failed his country and was stripped of his birthright; Zuko felt he had failed his father and was also stripped of his birthright and exiled.

Uncle Iroh loved him. Zuko could accept that now that he was unconscious. It was something that he hadn't felt worthy of for a long time. He was still very ashamed of several things he'd done, but he felt he was doing what he could to deal with those feelings and go ahead with his life.

The first part of the puzzle in his mind finally formed and the image of his Uncle appeared in the blank void his mind had provided.

Zuko's next source of confusion was his ex-girlfriend, Mai. For so long, he could only remember her as the sulky friend of Azula. There had been something between the two of them since they were children, and Azula had preyed on that. He remembered several humiliating situations where Azula had used the nascent crush between him and Mai to torment them.

Pieces that were becoming Mai's puzzle stopped when other pieces appeared. Zuko's mind knew those pieces would become Azula, but he still wasn't ready for that. He focused back on Mai.

Questions ran unfocused all over the blank space that had formed to accommodate the puzzles. Why did she love him? What part of him did she like?

Running a quick inner scrutiny he found several things he didn't like about himself, and truly wondered what it was about him that she was attracted to.

Could it be that she found a kindred spirit in him? That he was scarred on the outside and she was scarred on the inside? His mind paused for a moment and predicted she had to be a bit of a psychopath if she was one of Azula's closest friends.

Maybe that was it. He represented what she felt inside. He was physically scarred, easily provoked, followed his instincts and was tempered by his passion. He was the complete opposite of the physically beautiful, extremely cool and quiet Mai. It seemed that the only time she had followed her instincts he had left her behind to face Azula's wrath.

That was it. She also loved him and had also become another traitor in order to help him. The pieces came together and the image of Mai appeared.

There they stood, Iroh and Mai, two people he was now sure loved him. That took the number of people who loved him to an astonishing three.

The third one was easy for his mind to piece together. The image of Fire Lady Ursa appeared almost effortlessly. It was a bit blurry because it had been so long since the last time he had seen his mother. He wasn't sure if she was still alive, and his father's taunts had only poured salt on a wound he thought was closed.

More doubts began to surface. Why had his mother left? And why had she left the night his grandfather had died?

With no distractions, and nowhere to run, his mind quickly came up with explanations. Maybe Azula's taunts had beenreal and his grandfather had demanded his life because of Ozai's lack of respect. Maybe his mother had come up with a plan to spare Zuko's life and guard his future. With Azulon dead, Iroh disgraced and on the other side of the world, Ozai would become Fire Lord without a doubt.

And that meant Zuko would become Crown Prince and heir to the throne. He would in time become Fire Lord, the position that was meant for Lu Ten.

It clicked. His mother probably had assisted his father in getting rid of Fire Lord Azulon, saving his life in the process, and providing him with a great future.

Three people who loved him had sacrificed something dear for him. Iroh sacrificed his time and liberty for him. Mai sacrificed her privileged status and freedom for him. His mother had taken a life and sacrificed her freedom and her identity for him.

Self-sacrifice, the thing that bid those three people together made him think of his father and his sister. Self sacrifice was the clue that had eluded him for so long. It was what was expected of him, and he understood it clearly then.

Zuko opened his eyes, and realized he was now conscious, because he ached all over. He didn't remember the crash, but he did remember the process of thought he had undergone while unconscious, and it all seemed clear now.

His bones hurting and his muscles protesting, he slowly stood up. Looking around, he figured out he had gained at least one day; should the Avatar and his friends give chase to him.
He glanced at the flying device and knew it was totaled. Perhaps it was for the best; it was hard to lay low using that flamboyant machine.

Shaking his head, he sighed. He now knew what he had to do, and whom he needed to make it happen.

It was all about sacrifices. Three had been done already in his name. Gathering his scattered belongings, he began walking without direction, but with a firm purpose. Looking up he made a quick mental calculation and figured he had about three or four months, at the most, to get it done. What had begun as an idea, was slowly becoming a plan. Zuko smiled as the gears in his head began to slowly place the pieces in order once again.

He sighed, already having figured out what he was supposed to do in the end. Yet, he couldn't do it alone; and he couldn't ask the Avatar and his still innocent friends to help him. He guessed he had joined them in time to realize what the entire Fire Nation had not been able to. The Avatar was not the all powerful force of nature they all feared. He was just a simple boy who wished nothing but peace and enjoyment. And in a way it was fair. From what he'd heard, all avatars before him had their inheritance revealed well into their teens; and Aang was just a boy.

It would be hard to ask a boy – a carefree boy- to murder a man in cold blood to stop a war. And after asking that boy to murder a man, place the burden on him to maintain the fragile peace that would spawn from the murder.

Zuko rubbed his eyes. He had really screwed up in Ba Sing Se and, later on, when leaving the Fire Nation. He could have aided the children then and taken down Azula. He could have at least injured his father the last time they faced each other. He had confused his duty, and he had confused the source of his power. Coldness and cruelness fueled Azula's and his father's powers. Control and passion fueled his uncle's. He was still in time to learn which side he'd choose to improve his own power.

Because he needed that raw power; he wanted that power; to finally contribute something to the endless war his family had started.

It was time for him to do his share.

End of Chapter.