Chapter 4: Broken Children

"I walk a lonely road. The only one I've ever known. Don't know where it goes but it's home to me and I walk alone."

from the Song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day

"What are you doing here? Where have you been? Why didn't you ever visit again? Why are you with the Avatar!? What..."

Mari slapped a hand over Zuko's mouth. "Hush up already, your gonna wake everyone up!' She whispered.

Zuko cringed a bit at the sudden loss of control but what could one expect given the situation. "I thought you were dead." He whispered back. "I had heard that your were charged with treason and killed."

Mari snorted. "Figures, they could've at least told the truth."

"What is the truth?"

Mari's face had once been expressive. Now it was blank but Zuko could see pain and rage in her eyes. Only two things brought that reaction. "Your father?"

Mari winced. While Ozai had not been kind to Zuko, Mari's made him look like Father of the Year. Zuko had never met the man but knew he was an officer in the army. He didn't know a day Mari hadn't had a fresh bruise when her father was in town. He didn't even know why her father hated her so. Mari had only told him once that it had to do with bending. He had assumed it was because she had no bending abilities at the time.

"My father killed my mother Zuko." Mari answered finally. "He... he was demanding she tell him everything. Accusing her of treason." She shifted uneasily. "My mother was appaulled and...then he threatened me. She finally stood up to him." Tears streaked down her face.

"I'm sorry."

Mari shook her head. "It's ok. I just...Zuko my father was asking about your mom."

Mari and Zuko's mothers were the main reason the two had met in the first place. Mari's had been a handmaiden to Zuko's and the two children along with Azula had constantly been set to play together.

Zuko sighed. "You know my mother disappeared right. Many say she killed Fire Lord Azulon..." Both knew the rest of the rumor. Tha Ozai had been forced to quietly execute his wife.

Mari said something under her breathe that was quite rude. "Do you think she did it?"

Zuko simply looked away. That particular day and night in his life was confusing. Could his mother have done it? Yes. Did she was a completely different question. He sighed, "I don't know."

Mari sat silent for a minute. She'd known Zuko had changed, even beyond the nasty scar on his face. She had expected him to jump to his mother's defense still though. Mari knew Zuko's family fairly well and could guess how his life went after his mother's disappearence while Iroh was so far away. She knew the pain of waking up everyday without someone there to greet you and be happy you were there.

"So why are you out here?" Zuko asked.

"My father didn't have anyone to stop him from throwing me to the dogs." Mari said flatly and stating plainly she didn't want to talk about it. "So why are you out here?"

Zuko went silent. He never talked about his Agni Kai. He'd always thought no one would understand him. Mari however, was one of the few people who'd probably understand it all to well.

Mari sat waiting. She could see Zuko arguing the discussion over with himself. She was almost tempted to tell him she had some ideas of why he was out here. It had been big news when Iroh had been captured in Ba Sing Se and the wanted posters from earlier put him and Zuko together. Granted it also helped that she was awake the whole time he and Katara were talking and sneering at each other. She wanted to know everything though, after all she hadn't seen her friend in years.

"Start at the beginning..." She told him with a smile.

Zuko grinned a bit. Mari had always said that when they were kids and he'd been figuring out some thorny childhood problem. "And take it one step at a time." He finished for her. Then he started talking, beginning with the meeting in the war room.

It was almost as if he was a child again. Mari was second only to his mother for listening to him. Although Iroh had tried to fill that hole himself Zuko had always wished Mari or his mother were with him still. He told her everything and even though he didn't talk of his feelings he knew she'd guess them. He did however leave out the kissing Katara part. For some reason he felt that was something to think about privately.

When he was finished Mari looked thoughtful and stayed quiet for a few minutes.

"You know..." She said finally. "Honor is an interesting thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well. Everyone has their own kind of honor code really. Take the Air Nomads. They think it's an honorable thing to avoid fights while the nobles of our people think it's a cowardly thing. I even know people in the Fire Nation who think what you did in that war room was honorable. I bet those soldiers you were trying to save did before they deserted."

Zuko blinked in surprise. "Those soldiers deserted?"

Mari grinned. "Yep, if the story is true they yelled that there was no honor in dying like that and just up and left. No idea where they're at now."

Zuko simply sat staring in space trying to process this information. Not everyone sees me as dishonored?

"It doesn't matter though because you see yourself as honorless." Mari said guessing Zuko's train of thought correctly. "Even if everyone else thinks you have already, you have to restore your own honor."

Zuko's eyes widened as he turned to stare at Mari. "What did you say?"

Mari wondered if she'd said something wrong. "I said you have to restore your own honor."

Today, you restored your own honor.

"Kan..." Zuko whispered.

"Who?"

"Nevermind. I need to get out of here. I have to figure out a way to save Uncle without Azula catching me."

"Or catching you out this late and wondering what you've been doing." Mari added. "Here I'll get the ropes."

As Mari untied him Zuko frowned. "If I'm found out Azula will get the throne." He whispered.

"Unlikely." Mari stated. "If she gets it there will probably be a revolt. The nobles and such might be all happy about a war and iron fist rulers but the general populus is not happy. The only reason they haven't revolted yet is cause your around."

Zuko shook his head. This night was just full of revelations.

"Here," Mari said as the ropes fell around him. "Give me those notes you have about the situation your Uncle's in."

Zuko looked at the others. "I don't think they'll do it."

"If they won't then I'll just go get him myself." Mari stated in a matter of fact tone.

Zuko thought to tell her she'd only get herself caught but he could see that stubborn look in her eye. Even as kids he'd never won an argument against her. "Alright." He grumbled as he handed the notes over. They were wet from all the water he'd been hit with but would be readable after they dried.

"Now get going." Mari told him as she shook the notes and started laying them out to dry.

He simply nodded and started walking away. He looked at each sleeping figure making sure none of them stirred. When he looked at Aang though he stopped, staring at the boy's airbending tatoos. Another thing Kan had said came to mind suddenly.

"Mari?"

"Yeah?" She said looking up from her task.

"The rumors..." Zuko started. This was the second area Mari hated discussing. "...about your bending..."

The reaction was instant. Mari's normally open and happy face twisted in pain before it became blank and unreadable. She didn't say anything but he knew the rumors were true from her reaction.

"I think, he'd like to know about you." Zuko stated nodding towards Aang.

Mari said nothing as he walked off into the woods.

When Aang woke up first in the morning like he always did and saw Zuko gone he made enough noise to wake everyone else up.

"Who was watching him!? How did he untie my knots!?" Sokka roared, furious more about the untied knots then Zuko getting away.

Mari sat up yawning. "That would be me and me."

"You!?" Aang snapped. "You were planning this the whole time!?"

"No." Mari answered calmly in the face of the two boys fury. "I decided it after I talked to him. He wasn't here to attack, he was here to help."

"HELP!?" Sokka yelled. "He's Fire Nation! They don't help the Avatar!"

Mari's eyes narrowed. "I seem to recall getting you guys food. Iroh, the Dragon of the West, helped Katara and Aang escape from Azula and the Dai Li. He also helped at the North Pole..."

"Zuko doesn't help us." Sokka retorted quickly.

"Actually...he has. Twice." Mari answered and looked at Aang. "Did you want to tell them or should I?"

Everyone turned and stared at Aang with wide eyes. He thought to lie for just a second before realizing Toph at least would pick up on it. "He helped me escape from Zhao once..." He told them grudgeingly. "But he was probably intending to capture me himself anyways!"

"More then likely." Mari said with a nod. "Same thing for when he released Appa from the Dai Li. Even now there's technically something in it for him." She gave the boys a glare, "It will however help us alot."

"Zuko isn't worth the air he's breathing," Sokka snarled.

"Enough!" Mari snapped and stood up. Her temper finally getting the better of her at the water warrior's constant insulting of her friend. A friend she felt had taken enough from the universe in general. "I'll have you know Sokka, Zuko risked alot to bring us this information. He's been through alot more then the lot of you put together. If the Fire Lord wasn't such a...a...a hogmonkey's rear Zuko wouldn't even be after you guys! All he wants to do really is go HOME! All he gets is people like his psycho of a sister or his father, who tried to burn his face off! All he gets for trying to help people IS JERKS LIKE YOU!"

In the face of Mari's rage Sokka backed down. The air itself seemed to be lashing at him at that moment. He swore for a second the air in his lungs has been sucked out.

"Ok everyone calm down." Katara said quickly getting between Sokka and Mari. "Why don't we eat some breakfast then we'll discuss everything."

"I'm not sharing a meal with HER!" Sokka sneered and stomped to the other side of the camp.

Mari simply stuck her tongue out after him. "SPINELESS WUSS!" She yelled after him which earned her a glare from Toph.

After everyone had settled for breakfast (with Sokka staying as far away from Mari as he could) Aang finally asked the question that had been running around in his mind since Mari's outburst. "What did you mean all Zuko wants is to go home?"

Mari swallowed her oatmeal and frowned. She cursed her temper that had a habit of loosening her tongue. Though perhaps if the group knew more about Zuko they would be more likely to listen to his idea of getting Iroh. "His father exiled him. He's not allowed in the Fire Nation unless he brings the Avatar with him. He's been hunting for you at least 2 years before he actually found you. With everyone thinking you were dead, I'm sure you can imagine the shock of suddenly finding you alive and a kid no less."

Aang grinned a bit thinking of Zuko's reaction when they first met. Though he technically no longer had a home he certainly could understand not being able to go back to it.

"Did his father really give him that scar?" Katara asked. While she had an idea of how Zuko saw his scar she had never known where he'd gotten it.

"Yes and not for a good reason to my mind."

Katara was about to ask why when Toph interrupted her. "I wanna know who you are Mari. You knew Zuko and are from the Fire Nation but we know nothing else about you." Her tone stated that Mari had fallen a number of notches in her book of people to like.

Mari sighed. This was the part she had been dreading. "Alright, ask away."

"How do you know Zuko?" Sokka asked immediately.

"Our mothers had been friends before we were born. Naturally we became friends too. I hadn't seen him in six years. Since my mother died and his disappeared."

"Why is the Fire Nation after you?" Aang asked.

Mari twitched a moment. She really didn't want to tell them exactly why she was being hunted. Even if they did understand she didn't want to talk about it like they would want to. She glanced at Toph a moment before answering. "I'm not technically a wanted criminal. My father is hunting me quietly. He doesn't want people knowing I'm alive still."

"Do you have a problem with your dad?" Toph asked. She could certainly understand having issues with parents.

"You could say that..." Mari said, a look of pain crossing her face.

Katara openned her mouth to say something comforting when Mari shook her head. "I don't want to talk about that. How about we discuss the idea of breaking Iroh out?"

"Your kidding right?" Sokka asked.

Mari grinned. "Nope. That's why Zuko was out here. He isn't in a position to help his uncle. We are."

"Why would we need to help Iroh? Isn't he in Ba Sing Se?" Aang said.

"No, he was loaded onto a ship for the Fire Nation a bit ago." She shuffled through the notes Zuko had given her. "If it's one thing Zuko knows it's ship routes and how the Navy works. He's given us everything we could need. The question is if you guys are willing to risk it."

"Are you kidding!?" Toph said. "I'm ready to go right now!"

"We do owe Iroh for helping us get out of the city." Katara added.

Sokka stayed sitting. "What about all the soldiers on those ships?"

"Most I bet are more loyal to Iroh then their commanders." Mari said. "The few that aren't...we'll just have to knock around a bit." She added popping her knuckles.

"...Ok then." Sokka said casually as he stood up, "Count me in."

Mari looked at Aang who looked worried. "Can we really trust Zuko's information?"

Mari sighed. Of everyone she figured Sokka would be the hardest to pull along but obviously there was something between Zuko and Aang that Zuko hadn't clued her in on. When Aang's eyes shifted to Katara for the barest second Mari mentally groaned as she suddenly realized the problem. Great...guys fighting over a girl...

"Look at it this way Aang." Mari said hoping whatever she said would convince him. "Zuko is just like the rest of us. He's broken. We're all broken children trying to get through this war and put the world back together again. Zuko just hasn't realized that in order to put the world in order he has to first put himself in order first."

Aang seemed to think a moment before finally nodding and giving Mari a smile. "Let's go get my firebending master!"

Despite his hope that she would still be asleep. Azula was waiting for Zuko when he reached the ship.

"Where have you been?" She demanded.

Zuko glared. He was too tired to worry about saying something wrong. "I've been out hunting down the Avatar like you ordered all the troops to do."

"They were back hours ago. What happened to you?" Azula studied him. He still had some cuts and bruises from when he'd fought Katara. "Fall down a cliff?" She asked with a superior smirk.

Zuko almost snapped back when the cry of the lookout drew everyone's eyes skyward. There was the famous Appa was flying northwest. The direction Iroh's prison ship was Zuko noted with relief. Mari must have talked everyone into going along with the idea.

"Set a course! After them!" Azula yelled to be heard over the ruckus the spotting of the bison had caused.

Zuko quietly sneaked away. Azula probably wouldn't think about him being late now. He didn't see his sister glare after him suspiciously as he hummed the song Katara had sung. He simply walked off to his room to get some much needed sleep.