Hello, everyone!

This chapter is a bit more depressing than I originally planned... whoops. Oh well.

Enjoy Chapter 7!

Five Years Later

The war has been over for nearly a year, but you wouldn't know that from the ground.

The Earth Kingdom Navy had cut a swath through the Fire Nation after years of planning and subterfuge. Firelord Ozai had been killed in battle. His daughter and heir, Princess Azula, had been tried for crimes against humanity. This ended in her eventual conviction and execution. The Earth Kingdom had placed a puppet ruler in the Fire Nation to rule in place of the Earth Kingdom government. From all accounts, the Fire Nation was a disaster zone. Rebellions and civil unrest plagued the archipelago, the Earth Kingdom doing little to nothing to try and bring it back to stability. The Earth Kingdom army simply occupied the islands, claiming them as new Earth Kingdom territories.

They didn't seem to realize that they had replaced the Fire Nation as the world's new conquerors.

Within the Earth Kingdom itself, Fire Nation citizens were subject to terror and prosecution. The fact that they had lived amongst Earth Kingdom citizens for years, if not decades, meant nothing. The fact that many of them were integrated within Earth Kingdom families meant nothing.

It was the new world order.

Chizu lived in a small village of integrated families. While she was a non-bender, her mother had been a firebender and her father an earthbender. Her husband, Chen, was a firebender. Their village had avoided the prosecution of Earth Kingdom soldiers that were sweeping through the former colonies.

Until now.

It was the early morning. The soldiers came without warning and had ripped everyone from their beds. Now they all stood in a long line, shivering and undressed, as the soldiers examined each of them carefully. Chizu had heard about this, but had hoped they were just rumors.

"You!" One of the soldiers pulled her neighbor out of the line. The soldier earthbent a boulder out of the ground and held it over the poor man's head. "Those are some pretty little eyes you've got there… Tell me: any Fire Nation blood in your history?"

"M-my grandfather… b-b-but I'm an earthbender! See?" The man picked up a stone and made it float in his palm.

The soldier smirked. "Well… I suppose that's alright then. After all, you can't help who your parents are…" He placed the bounder back into the earth. The man smiled nervously in relief.

Chizu tightened her grip on her husband's arm. The rumors were true. And if they found out that her husband was a firebender…

The soldiers worked their way down the line. Chizu's grip became tighter and tighter as they got closer. Her husband tried to calm her down, but it wasn't working.

One of the villagers panicked and tried to firebend in defense. It didn't last long. His head was now splattered across the road.

This can't be happening, this can't be happening…

The soldier stopped in front of her, examining her carefully. She looked away from his piercing gaze, leaning into Chen's side.

The soldier looked from Chizu to Chen, his eyes narrowing. He stepped in front of her husband, gripping the man's chin. "Dark hair, pale skin, amber eyes… Is there even an ounce of Earth Kingdom in you?"

When Chen didn't respond, the soldier pulled him forward onto the ground, ripping him from Chizu's grasp. Without even a moment's pause, the soldier slammed his fist against Chen's face.

"No! Please!" Chizu begged as the soldier continued to pummel her husband's face. Another soldier grabbed her to keep her from running forward to his aid. "He's lived here his whole life! He's never hurt anybody! Please! PLEASE!"

A blast of air cut through between the soldier and her husband. The soldier turned in the direction the wind had come from only to be met with another slice of air that sent him flying backward. Chizu looked up and saw that the air was coming from a woman with dark hair.

An airbender!

One of the other soldiers stomped on the ground, a mound of earth erupting towards the ground towards the woman. She easily dodged it, jumping into the air. When she landed back down, she spun her staff and launched a cyclone back.

Another gust of air came from the opposite direction, knocking away the soldier that was holding Chizu. Unheeding of the fight that was breaking out around her, she ran to Chen's side. "Are you alright?"

Chen nodded shakily, his face a bloody mess. "I'll be fine…"

"Chizu! Chen!"

Chizu looked up just in time to see one of the soldiers launch a boulder at them. She wrapped her arms around her husband and screwed her eyes shut, bracing for impact.

There was the sound of shattering rock, and several seconds passed without anything hitting them. She cautiously opened her eyes to see a young man standing with his back to them, wielding a pair of dao blades.

The soldier tried to launch more stones at them, probably hoping he could just knock their defender down with sheer force. However, the swordsman swung at each of them, shattering them all midair.

Before the soldier had time to switch strategies, another younger airbender came swooping in from the top of one of the houses. He thrust the man back with his airbending and knocking him out cold.

The fighting didn't last long. The airbenders quickly overwhelmed the Earth Kingdom soldiers. After decades of fighting the Fire Nation, none of the soldiers were equipped to handle the completely disparate bending style. Once all the soldiers were either unconscious or gone, the swordsman turned to check on the couple. "Are you okay?"

Chizu looked up and was about to thank the stranger when her words got caught in her throat. The man's face was completely covered in scars. Several deep laceration scars stretched from his forehead to his chin on one side, his eye was set in a permanent glare from a massive burn scar on the other side. There were even numerous amounts of smaller scars decorating what skin was left.

Finally finding her voice, she nearly yelled, "W-what happened to your face?!"

The swordsman's eyes darkened in response, and Chizu cowered away in fear. This man was terrifying.

"Hey!"

The other airbenders... a man, a woman, and a teenager... were standing at the edge of their village. The young teen was beckoning for the swordsman to join them. "We need to get moving!" he said.

The swordsman gave one last look at Chizu and Chen before running to join with the other airbenders. He was fast, and a moment later, they had all disappeared into the forest.

It was only after they were gone that Chizu realized that she had forgotten to thank the swordsman.

Zenji sat on a thick tree branch, her back leaning against the trunk. A few feet away, in a neighboring tree, Zuko was sitting similarly. They were watching the entrance to the underground rabbaroo nest, hoping that they'd be able to snag one before the end of the day. A rabbaroo would be able the feed the four of them for the next few days if they supplemented it with whatever berries they could find.

Zenji watched Zuko as he kept his gaze on the hole. She was always impressed with his ability to focus on a task, even if the task was mind-numbingly boring. It was something she was never able to do, which is part of the reason she brought Zuko with her to hunt. He was able to notice even the smallest of details.

This meant that while he was keeping an eye on the nest, Zenji was able to fully observe Zuko without worrying about losing their mark. It wouldn't seem like there would be much to observe from an outsider's point of view, but what most people didn't know was that he could be read like an open book if you tried hard enough.

Today, she could tell that Zuko was upset, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Zenji had heard the woman from the village yell at Zuko in fear. It wasn't exactly her fault; her husband was obviously badly injured and she had already been terrified from the soldiers. Zuko's face could be a… shock to those who weren't expecting it.

However, that didn't make it less hurtful for Zuko.

"You shouldn't let it bother you," Zenji said.

Startled by the break in silence, Zuko looked at her with a small frown. "What?"

"What that woman said earlier… she was just scared, you know."

"Oh. That." He looked back down at the nest. "It doesn't bother me."

"Yes, it does. Don't lie."

He didn't say anything at first, his gaze unwavering. Then he let out a small sigh. "I should expect it," he said quietly. "To most people, I look like something from a horror story."

"No you don't."

Zuko gave her a look.

"Well… yes, I suppose you do. But who cares?"

The obvious answer was that he cared, but of course he didn't say so. Instead, he replied, "Most people with a healthy sense of self-preservation."

Zenji rolled her eyes. "There are plenty of victims from the war who suffer from scars such as yours. If people automatically think these people must be dangerous, then they're idiots."

Zuko simply shrugged. She could already tell that he was starting to think down on himself and was determined to put a stop to it. "You know, Zuko, you're actually quite handsome."

Zuko's head snapped up, giving Zenji a look of incredulity. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not joking… You're an incredibly attractive man. I can tell that if you had never been kidnapped, girls would have been all over you. It's a shame most people can't see past the scars."

Zuko shook his head. "You're insane, Zenji."

"I'm serious, Zuko. I'm not just saying it to make you feel better. You know I don't do that."

He just shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter, since they can't see past the scars." His voice lowered. "I gave up on being desirable a long time ago."

Zenji sighed. She should know better. There was no reasoning with Zuko when he was in a self-deprecating mood. Which, unfortunately, was most of the time.

It's been five years since they left the enclave. Incidentally, that was also how long Zuko had spent imprisoned by Fong. He had come a long way from that terrified child who felt the need to apologize for every little thing. Now, if it ever came to it, Zuko was fully capable of surviving on his own. However, it was clear that five years wasn't enough to heal him of all the damage Fong had inflicted. Realistically, he would probably never be completely free of it.

But that wouldn't keep Zenji from trying everything in her power to make him as stable as possible.

Zuko gave a small chuckle, continuing off his previous thought. "Besides… You're a bit old for me."

Zenji chucked an acorn at him. "Smartass."

His clothes cleaned and drying on low hanging branches, Zuko started to scrub himself down in the nearby creek. It was a usually a fairly methodical process, requiring little to no thought. However, today he found himself hyper-aware of his body.

His fingers lingered longer than necessary over the unnaturally bumpy surface of his skin. His wrists and ankles were rough and misshapen from years of wearing manacles. His upper arms and entire back, from his ankles to his neck, were just a solid mass of uncountable, crisscrossing scars from the countless times he had been beaten with the cat-o-nines. His chest was similarly covered in brands and cuts. However, if one looked closely enough, you could see that they were characters, names of the soldiers who tormented him for years.

Zuko never looked closely enough. He had no memory of any of their names besides Fong, and he liked to keep it that way. Though he still remembered all their faces with disturbingly vivid detail.

He dunked his head in the water, scrubbing the soap out of his hair. He tried to let the frigid water clear his mind, but it didn't seem to be working.

Squeezing the excess water out, he looked down at his reflection in the water. In a way, he was hardly able to see the scars. The scars were just an integral part of his face. He didn't remember what he looked like before the scars. Sometimes he would try to, but all he would recall is emptiness. His life before Fong was like a faded dream. You know it happened, but you can't recall any of the images or details. All that's left was the knowledge of its existence.

He tried to focus harder on his face, tried to imagine what he would look like without the scars. However, with the majority of his face being nothing but scars, there wasn't much to work from. He closed his eyes with a sigh and the shake of his head. He had no idea where Zenji was getting her ridiculous ideas. On the surface, he looked like a freak. Looked like a monster. But even if he didn't have all these scars, that wouldn't change the fact that he was a monster.

Zenji, Anil… Aang. They all tried to tell him otherwise. Every time Zuko even hinted at the fact, they would all rush to refute him. He wished he could believe them. It would make life so much simpler. So much better. Instead, he had learned to just never say it aloud.

He knew what he was. He was the son of murderers. He was firebender. Though he hadn't firebent since the day he burnt Aang.

Aang…

Zuko saw desire in his reflection and quickly batted the image away, looking up at the sky. He wasn't just a monster. He was also a fucking pervert.

It started a few months ago. His eyes would linger as Aang got dressed or bathed, he would unconsciously stand a little closer to feel the heat radiating from the young airbender, and so on. He didn't fully realize what was going on until he started having dreams. Really nice dreams, that filled him with dread and disgust upon regaining consciousness. Now he very deliberately averted his eyes and stood away from the young airbender. Not so much that it was noticeable. Just enough to help mitigate the desire he couldn't help but feel.

The desire stubbornly remained and the dreams didn't stop. However, now they were sprinkled with new nightmares. Images of his family glaring at him in revulsion, his ever present fear of abandonment playing out over and over in his head...

He wished he could just reach into his mind and pull out all parts responsible for these feelings. Or better yet, wished Aang could just cease being so damn perfect.

Aang wasn't a little kid anymore. In fact, Aang was nearly Zuko's height at this point. He was skinny, but slowly developing muscle and filling in. His boyish features were rapidly melting away, leaving behind a more well-defined face. While a bit grating at times, Aang's seemingly constant good mood tended to be infectious. He was incredibly intelligent, constantly reading and learning at an alarming rate. He was also a skilled bender, having completed all the forms long before even leaving the enclave. Always wanting to help other people, he tended to go out of his way to make sure everyone (including Zuko) was happy.

With a dejected sigh, Zuko walked back on shore and started to dry himself. Even if it wasn't wrong and disgusting… Even if by some miracle Anil would be okay with it…

Why would Aang ever want him?

They all sat around the fire, chowing down on their rabbaroo meat and berries. Except for Aang, who was currently arguing with his father. "But it's part of our traditions! It's who we are!"

"We're not defined solely by our traditions. And we're not the same Air Nomads as the ones before the war… traditions change. Now eat your dinner."

"I don't see what the harm is…" Aang mumbled. "It's not like the world will end if I become a vegetarian…"

"The world is getting less stable by the day. The last thing I want is for you to forsake an entire food group and make yourself sick."

"By eating just berries?!"

"Yes, by eating just berries! Berries don't have all the nutrients you need to be healthy!"

"Well, Zuko practically only eats meat!" Aang pointed out. "Are you telling me that's enough to be healthy?"

Zuko paused in his chewing. "Don't drag me into this…"

"Zuko probably should eat more fruit than he does… which is my point! You need a balanced diet!"

Aang waved his book in the air. "It's not like the Air Nomads were plagued with disease and poor health!"

"Which brings me back to my original point, which is that we don't live in a stable world like they did. We don't have access to the same resources."

Zenji was probably enjoying Anil's frustration a little too much. It wasn't often that he got frustrated, but Aang's recent attempts to revive the old traditions seemed to be doing the trick. However, it was getting to the point where it looked like they were about to bite each other's head off, so she piped up. "Anil, give it a rest. Let Aang try and be a vegetarian. After a couple days of horrific stomach cramps and persistent weakness, he'll come around."

Aang huffed at Zenji's assumption, and Anil just sighed. "Fine."

"Besides…" she continued, "We have more pressing issues. Such as, where are we going?"

Silence fell around the fire. Their lives had actually been quite simple before the war ended. They moved around, stayed in hiding to protect Zuko, but as long as they stayed in areas that were definitively either Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom, their lives were mostly peaceful.

Since the Earth Kingdom victory, it seems like more and more villages and towns were becoming war zones. The army seemed determined to wipe out every drop of Fire Nation blood they could find. Even territories that had not been occupied by the Fire Nation were becoming overwhelmed by soldiers who were participating in dubiously legal land grab as part of their compensation for serving the military.

Zenji and Anil started to discuss possible ideas when Aang slid over so to where Zuko was sitting. "You want my share of rabbaroo?"

Zuko looked down at Aang's plate and gave a small shrug, wordlessly grabbing the meat and putting it on his own plate. If Aang's sudden attempt at vegetarianism meant he would get more food, he certainly wasn't going to complain.

Aang kept looking at Zuko with a slight expression of worry. Zuko noticed, but tried to ignore it. Then, Aang leaned his head against Zuko's shoulder.

Zuko stiffened. It wasn't exactly unusual for Aang to do this, but with his recent feelings, it just made him feel extremely uncomfortable. He wanted to shove Aang off, say that he was too old to be doing such things. But at the same time, he was enjoying the feeling of warmth the proximity was bringing.

Hating himself just a little more, Zuko wrapped an arm around Aang, giving him a slight squeeze. Aang smiled, and Zuko couldn't help but smile in return.

Then someone sneered into his ear. "Why would we want to taint ourselves by fucking it?"

Zuko jumped and turned around. He swiveled his head back and forth, looking for the source of the voice.

Aang sat up and looked at Zuko with a frown. "You alright?"

When Zuko snapped his head back to look at Aang, he saw that the young airbender was looking at him with a concerned look "Did you hear that?" Zuko asked.

Aang's frown deepened. "Hear what...?"

That certainly didn't make Zuko feel better. He tried to find the source again when he realized that he had recognized that voice. It was Fong.

Or rather, had been Fong.

It was just a memory, Zuko thought to himself, trying to calm his hammering heart. It just seemed real…

Aang touched Zuko's arm lightly. "Zuko…?"

Zuko flinched, pulling his arm away. "I'm fine," he said quickly, rubbing one of his temples. "I'm just tired… It's making me hear things." When Aang's look of concern didn't go away, Zuko forced a smile. "Really. Don't worry. I just need to get some sleep."

Aang smiled back, but didn't seem convinced.

"What do you boys think?" Zenji asked.

They both turned to Zenji and Anil. "Think of what?" Aang asked.

"I said that we should head towards Ba Sing Se," Anil said slowly. "I've heard that it's more stable closer to the city. Of course, there's no guarantee that's true, but it would at least give us a heading."

"I'm good with anything," Aang said. Zuko simply shrugged.

"Then it's decided," Zenji said. She lifted her arms in the air and stretched, her back audibly cracking. "Let's clean up and head to bed. I'm beat."

Zuko shoved the rest of his dinner into his mouth and started gathering all the plates and utensils. It's been a rough day. You just need some sleep. You just need some sleep…

"Are you boys ready?" Fong asked, his arm raised in the air.

Zuko stood, trembling and naked in the middle of the deck. His wrists were chained to the railing on either side. The chains were loose enough that Zuko could move around, but not enough to get far.

Five soldiers stomped the deck and raised small rocks with their earthbending. They were all grinning in anticipation. Men were standing to the sides, watching the spectacle as they would watch a play or musical performance.

Fong brought his arm downward, "FIRE!"

The soldiers thrust their arms forward, launching their rocks at Zuko. He tried to run and avoid the missiles, but when he one of chains suddenly became taut, he fell to the ground with a strangled yelp. When he tried to get back up, one of the rocks hit his face, splitting his lip open and knocking him back down. The soldiers kept up their assault, even when Zuko simple curled up on the deck, crying out as the stones hit their mark. He could hear the men on the sidelines laughing, taunting him, calling him pathetic.

Zuko didn't even realize the barrage had ended until someone grabbed his hair and pulled him up. He let out a gasp as Fong pulled his head back. "What do you think?" he asked patronizingly. "Do you think their aim needs some work?"

His body covered in bruises and cuts, Zuko quickly shook his head. "Please, no more…" he begged.

Instead of responding, Fong merely dragged Zuko back to the center of the deck. "Stay standing, you vermin."

He tried, but between his shaking and the pain, he unwillingly fell to his knees. He wrapped his arms around himself, bracing for a blow, but Fong didn't correct him. He merely sneered in disgust before walking back to his original position.

Zuko's frightened eyes followed him, and he realized that there was a new group of soldiers, a fresh pile of rocks in front of each of them

Fong raised his arm. "Ready?"

Aang woke up, barely even aware that he was conscious. He looked up to see that it was still the middle of the night. With an annoyed sigh, he was about to roll over to go back asleep when he realized what had pulled him out of his slumber in the first place.

Zuko, who was sleeping just a few feet away, was tossing and turning. Sitting up, Aang could see a thin sheen of sweat decorating his skin in the moonlight. His breaths were quick and desperate, the occasional whimper slipping out. He was having a nightmare.

Groggily kicking his blanket off, Aang stumbled to Zuko's sleeping bag. He gently pulled Zuko's blanket back, crawled under, and flung an arm over Zuko's waist.

The firebender immediately stiffened at the contact but then slowly rolled over and wrapped his arms around Aang, squeezing him tightly and burying his face into Aang's hair. Zuko was trembling so hard it almost made Aang's teeth chatter. As best he could in his semi-compromising position, Aang squeezed back, pressing himself against Zuko as hard as he could to silently tell Zuko that he was here for him. "It's just a dream…" Aang said quietly. "It's over now."

Zuko's body shook and tensed as if his nightmare was manifesting itself. His eyes were wide and staring into the night, seeing nothing but soldiers aiming at him with devilish grins. The echos of their sordid laughter resonating cruelly in his head.

He squeezed Aang tighter, gripping him like a lifeline. He was ashamed to use Aang as his anchor, grasping him tightly, breathing desperately into his hair. He knew that this would probably only reinforce his inappropriate feelings. But in this very moment, if he let go, he was certain that he'd fall so deep into the past he'd never find his way out.

He hated himself. He hated everything about himself to the very core of his being. He wish he could just rip himself apart and completely erase his existence.

But he was a selfish coward. He genuinely enjoyed the small moments... when Zenji made him laugh, when Anil smiled at him, when Aang wrapped his arms around him...

Small, shameful moments like this made him want to bash his skull in.

But he didn't.

He just kept hanging on, relishing the warmth of his little wayward family.

But maybe… maybe someday… he would be brave enough to let go.

Okay, so only a little depressing...

So what do you think? Review and let me know!