A/N: *peeks in* Heheh. I'm a bit late, aren't I? I'll just leave this longer chapter here with you, while I dodge the incoming rotten fruit that's being thrown at my head. xP
Chapter 9
Upon entering the small house, Iroh was met with three sets of gazes; two suspicious, one excited. Sighing, he made his way over to the table situated in the middle of the room and sat down next to Lee, across from Gansu and Sela.
"I promised I would explain," Iroh started, "and I will do my best to answer your questions, though some things are not my place to say."
Gansu nodded, understanding. "Then, first I want to know what that thing is and where it came from."
Sadly, the general answered, "He is a dragon...and he is my nephew". He received strange looks at this, but he continued regardless. "As for where he is from, he -we- come from a village far West of here."
"What do you mean, he's your nephew?" Sela asked, confusion evident in her voice.
Remembering to use Zuko's alias, Iroh told them, "Li used to be as human as you and I, but unfortunately, his desire to please is father angered the Spirits. They sent their wrath down upon him, and as a result, he was given the form you now see."
Lee broke the silence then. "Why would they get mad at him for that? I thought pleasing your dad was a good thing."
Iroh smiled at the pure innocence radiating off of the boy. Zuko used to be just like him. Back when things were much simpler. "In order to understand Li's situation, you must know that he is a complicated person, with an even more complicated past."
"What do you mean?" Gansu asked, barely hiding the suspicion creeping into his tone.
The old man sighed. "Li's father, my younger brother, is not a good man. When our father passed away, my brother gained his position; I was overlooked because I had lost my son in the war. After my sister-in-law...left five years ago, he became extremely cold, especially to Li. I've no doubt he was abused, though no one has ever confirmed it. Still, my nephew yearned to please him; to do whatever he could to just get his attention. Then one day, Li blew it."
"How'd he blow it?" Lee asked. It was obvious he had never even considered the fact that there were parents out there who didn't care for or look after their children.
"He spoke when he was not supposed to," Iroh replied, regret written all over his face. "I allowed him to join me in a very important meeting, and Li spoke out against a plan to try to overthrow our neighboring village." A pause. He had to choose his words carefully. "As a result, my nephew was injured and then banished because he begged for mercy, which my brother saw as a sign of weakness."
Sela gasped and whispered a quiet, "How horrible".
Gansu spoke up then. "That still doesn't answer the question of how he ended up like that. Exactly what did he do to anger the Spirits?"
"He was given a task by his father; in order to come home, he had to complete it successfully. For three years he has worked hard, but I am afraid that it was all for nothing. In order to return to his original form, my nephew must correct the mistakes he has made and bring balance back to our village, and the villages North, East, and South of us as well." Iroh glanced over at Lee. The boy's eyes were wide, and his mouth hung agape.
"Wow," he breathed. "He must be like...really important then!"
The general chuckled. "He is to me. But I suppose the Spirits think so as well."
"What was his task?" Gansu asked.
Iroh tensed, though not visibly, and replied, "That, I am afraid, I am not at liberty to say".
A long silence followed, in which the farmer looked to his wife and son, who both gave a smile and a nod. "All right," he said at last. "Even though you've only been with us for a week, we trust you, Mushi. You're a good man, and you've given us no reason not to believe you. You and your nephew can stay here as long as you like."
A smile broke out across the old general's face as he bowed deeply. "Thank you very much for your generosity. We are in your debt."
Gansu returned the bow, but then a thought occurred to him. "Uh, about food though..."
Laughing, Iroh answered, "Do not worry, my nephew can hunt up in the mountains for his meals. I am sure there are plenty of mountain goat-llamas to feed on up there."
"Eww, he eats 'em raw?" Lee blanched.
"He is still not too fond of the thought of it either," chuckled the old general.
~~~ oOo ~~~
Lee couldn't hold himself back anymore. All day he had been curious about Mushi's nephew, and all day his parents told him to stay away, lest he wake the sleeping dragon. Even when he finally got up to go get some food, Lee was kept away from him. Especially after Mushi explained that Li was an emotional person with a bit of a short fuse. This made them slightly worried, but the old man assured them that his nephew was a good person.
He also had explained that Li could talk, but only people with a connection to the Spirit World could hear him, which brought up more questions about how Mushi could communicate with him.
The man's tale had been interesting to say the least, but Lee's curiosity kept pulling him toward the barn where, every now an then, he would catch a glimpse of the red dragon fast asleep in the straw. He was never allowed to go near him, as Mushi had told them Li was a bit jumpy from the years spent working on his task, but now everyone else was asleep themselves and the boy knew it was the perfect time for a little exploring.
As quietly as possible, Lee made his way over to the barn. Peeking his head around the large entryway, he saw what he was looking for (though it was pretty hard to miss, the idea of searching for his prize on his grand adventure appealed to the young boy). The dragon lay curled up against the back wall, wings tucked in, head on its paws, and tail wrapped around its long body. He could see the patch of hair at the end of Li's tail move back and forth as he breathed.
Lee couldn't even begin to fathom why Mushi's nephew would even want to go back to being a human. Other than benders (which as far as Lee knew, he wasn't blessed with that gift), humans were boring. Why any normal person wouldn't want to be a powerful creature that struck fear into those lousy excuses for soldiers was beyond him.
Being able to fly was pretty cool too.
Inching forward on his tip toes, Lee crept up beside the dragon, taking in every detail.
That's when he noticed the saddle resting on Li's back. Glancing towards the teen's face, then over his shoulder at the doorway, he quietly reached into the saddle bags, searching for something, anything cool enough to take to his friends to show. His hand bumped into something long and slender and he gently lifted the item out of the bag to reveal a dagger. Lee's eyes widened at the expensive looking weapon. It was clearly made with a lot of talent and care. The design was simple, yet gorgeous.
Sliding the blade out a few inches, an idea struck him. He put the blade back in the sheath and quietly made his way out of the barn.
Lee didn't turn around to see a large eye open up and watch him leave.
~~~ oOo ~~~
Zuko quietly made his way to the sunflower field out past the Earth Kingdom family's house. Normally he would be upset that this peasant boy robbed him (of his treasured dagger, no less) but strangely, instead of anger, he felt amusement. He still didn't understand why he hadn't made any sort of movement to stop the child from taking his most precious belonging. Not even his own family was allowed to even look at it, other than Uncle, so why was Lee any different?
The prince still had no answer to this as he arrived at his destination. Staying low to the ground, hidden by the tall flowers, Zuko watched as the young boy swung the dagger from side to side before thrusting it forward with a, "hiya!". He then took a step back, clutching his chest and moaning as if in pain and fell back into the bed of sunflowers, apparently defeated by his invisible foe.
Feeling a sudden burst of nostalgia, Zuko remembered doing the exact same thing with the dagger when he was around Lee's age. He also remembered his sister's cruel words after his own imaginary enemy beat him.
"You waste your time playing with knives," an eight year old Azula sneered. "You're not even any good."
Temper flaring, Zuko blushed a bright red. Fist held in front of him, he retorted, "put an apple on your head, and we'll find out how good I am."
Ignoring her brother's statement, Azula hopped out of her chair and said, "by the way, Uncle's coming home".
"Does that mean...we won the war?" Zuko asked as she stopped in front of him.
"No. It means Uncle's a quitter and a loser." She walked off toward a large column that decorated the interior of the room they were in.
"What are you talking about? Uncle's not a quitter."
Trailing her hand along the column as she spun around it, Azula replied, "oh yes he is. He found out his son died, and he just fell apart. A real general would stay and burn Ba Sing Se to the ground. Not lose the battle and come home crying." She said this last part with a smirk sent towards her brother.
"How do you know what he should do?" Zuko asked. Then in a quieter tone, "he's probably just sad his only kid is gone...forever."
Their oncoming argument was cut short when their mother, Princess Ursa appeared in the doorway, announcing that Ozai had requested an audience with Firelord Azulon, Zuko and Azula's grandfather. As Zuko left the room to change into his best clothes, he heard his little sister ask why they even bothered calling the man "Firelord", since he wasn't the strong ruler he used to be and someone would probably take his place soon. The young prince didn't stick around to hear his mother's reply, though he was quite positive Azula would get in trouble, and this made Zuko smile.
He was thankful he had his mother to stick up for him and punish Azula. He shuddered at the thought of what life would be like if something ever happened to her. Though only a tender age of ten, Zuko was no fool. He knew his father was disappointed because he was so weak. All his life, Prince Ozai had told him that his sister was born lucky, while he was lucky to be born. Once Zuko had asked Ursa what that meant, but she merely told him not to believe that statement; that he was the luckiest boy on Earth. He had family that loved him, was born into power, didn't want for anything, and lived in the strongest country in the world.
Zuko hadn't realized at the time how easily all that could be taken away. That night was one of the worst nights of his life. Granted, the young man had had many horrible days in his short life, but this one was up on the top of his list of "Worst Days in Prince Zuko's Life". Princess Ursa had disappeared that night, never to be heard from since. He remembered Azula saying something about Father planning on killing him, and his chant of, "Azula always lies", then everything after that was a blur.
The teen was brought out of his depressing revery when a squeak and thump sounded in the field in front of him. Shaking his head to clear the remnants of lingering memories, Zuko lifted his head to see the embarrassed, if not slightly fearful gaze of Lee. Apparently the boy had been so startled by the dragon's presence, he had tripped over his own feet, yelping on the way down.
Cover blown, Zuko stood up and walked over to the child still sitting on the ground. Lee bashfully got to his feet and, sheathing the dagger, offered it back to its owner. If the teen's mouth was capable of smirking, he would have done so. Lee looked like a child caught stealing fruit tarts before dinner, waiting to be reprimanded by his angry mother.
The boy flinched as the dragon extended a large foot toward him. He let out a sigh of relief as the massive paw stopped short and, instead of striking him, moved to the ground in front of his feet where a sharp claw began to scratch characters into the dirt.
"...Movements must flow?" Lee asked, repeating the dragon's words with a bit of difficulty as he arched his neck to read it.
Zuko nodded.
"You mean the whole, 'make the blade a part of yourself' thing?"
Shaking his head, the prince stamped his paw over his words, effectively erasing them, then wrote, "not part of you, extension of you".
Lee's eyes seemed to brighten as he finally understood the older boy's meaning. "Oh, I see!"
Again, Zuko wished he could smile. All that time refusing to smile, and now when he really wanted to, he wasn't able to do much more with his mouth than eat, roar, and spit massive amounts of fire. The spirits just love karma, don't they? Using his snout, he pushed the dagger back toward the boy.
"...I can try it?" Lee asked, hoping he was getting the right message from the mute dragon.
Another nod.
A huge smile spread across the Earth Kingdom boy's face as he excitedly headed back to his original spot and began his imaginary battle once more. Zuko had to admit, his movements had improved a great deal just from that little bit of advice. If he kept practicing and found a master to learn from, the prince had no doubt the boy would make an excellent swordsman someday.
Lee looked to the teen and beamed when Zuko gave a nod of approval. Ecstatic, he slashed the blade through the air a few more times before returning to the dragon's side, apparently ready to call it a night. After placing the dagger carefully into its place in the saddle, the two headed back to the house.
"Ya know," Lee started, rounding to Zuko's front, careful to stay a distance ahead as to not be stepped on. "I think you'd really like my big brother, Sensu. He used to teach me stuff like this all the time."
Then I pray for your sake, this war ends soon so he doesn't end up like my big brother, Zuko thought sadly, thinking of his cousin, Lu Ten.
~~~ oOo ~~~
The next morning couldn't come soon enough. For the rest of the night, Zuko had tossed and turned, his uncle's words and his time spent with Lee mulling over relentlessly in his mind. The moment he heard the front door to the house open up, the prince immediately made his way out of the barn. He was disappointed to see that it wasn't Iroh, but the farmer, heading off to begin his daily chores. The man jumped slightly at the sight of the large red dragon closing in on him, but relaxed when Li settled down in the open space between the buildings.
Coughing, Gansu asked, "are you...waiting for Mushi?"
Remembering his uncle's alias, Zuko nodded.
The farmer went inside for a moment, then returned just as quickly. "He's coming."
The teen dipped his head and let a low rumble escape his throat, hoping Gansu would take it as a "thank you" and not a threat.
The man seemed to catch on, despite Zuko's slight fears, and returned the bow before heading off to his pastures.
Iroh appeared moments later, apparently taking the time to fix himself up a bit and grab a small loaf of bread before exiting the house. "You called, nephew?" the old general asked, walking up to the dragon.
Uncle, Zuko started. He still wasn't sure how to say what was on his mind, let alone whether he was making the right decision or not, but he tried nonetheless. I've...thought about what you said and...well, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'll...I'll try helping the Avatar, he said awkwardly, not making eye contact. But I...I need you there to help me. I doubt they would just let me join -even if I was in my normal body- so I'm gonna need you to help me explain myself, and... He deflated, knowing he was simply rambling now. Glancing at his uncle, the prince saw the exact reason he hadn't been looking the retired general in the eyes.
The man was beaming with a smile from ear to ear. "Oh, nephew! I am so proud of you! I knew you would make the right choice." After a quick hug, Iroh asked him, "when do you wish to leave, my nephew?"
If we're going to catch up to them, we need to head out immediately, Zuko answered without hesitation. You know how fast the Avatar moves.
Iroh seemed to stop and think this over for a moment, then replied, "very well. I will inform Gansu and Sela that we will be leaving". With that, the man headed back into the house.
He returned several minutes later with a pack slung over his shoulder and a sad-looking Lee trailing behind him. Sela followed shortly after, holding a small package in her hand. Noticing something going on, Gansu approached to stand by his family.
"Here, this ought to get you through a few meals," the woman said, handing the box to Iroh, who thanked her.
"Do you really have to go?" Lee asked sadly.
The old man ruffled his hair and answered, "I am afraid so, Lee. My nephew and I must go seek out help if he is ever to return to normal again, and unfortunately for us, this help does not like to stay in one place for long". The boy simply nodded and back up toward his parents, his mother placing an arm around his small shoulders.
After goodbyes were made, Iroh quickly made his way into Zuko's saddle, securing his pack to the back. As the old general fastened the straps around his legs, the prince heard what sounded like thunder and spotted a dust cloud speeding their way. The source soon revealed itself to be the soldiers from the day before, all on ostrich-horses.
The farmer stepped forward. "What do you think they want?"
Trouble, Zuko answered. Iroh nodded his head in agreement, repeating his nephew's statement for the others to hear.
Within minutes, the group pulled to a stop in front of the small family, sending wary glances to the beast beside them.
"What do you want, Gow?" Gansu asked, allowing as much venom in his voice as possible.
Sneering, the man answered, "Just thought someone ought to tell you, you're son's battalion got captured".
Sela released a gasp as her grip on her other son tightened.
Looking at the soldier to his right, Gow asked, "you boys hear what the Fire Nation did with their last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?"
"Dressed 'em up in Fire Nation uniforms and put them on the front lines. Unarmed, way I heard it," the man answered, clearly finding humor in this. He then snorted and spit off to his side, keeping a wicked smile on his face the whole time. "Then they just watched."
That did it. Pointing a finger at the solider, Gansu growled out, "you watch your mouth!"
Gow frowned at the farmer and spurred his ostrich-horse forward at the man back-talking him.
Before he could even get close to him however, a large red face showing dangerous looking fangs blocked his path. The creature growled at the soldiers, daring the men to even think about messing with the family behind him. Panicked, the beasts of burden took several steps back, sensing the blood lust in the frightening predator before them.
"Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs?" Gow asked, trying to mask the fear on his face with hatred. With that, the group of men turned and fled back to town, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.
As Gansu comforted Sela in her grief, a shocked Lee asked, "what's gonna happen to my brother?"
Pulling away from his wife's embrace, the farmer stated, "I'm going to the front. I'm going to find Sensu, and bring him back". The woman began to cry as her husband escorted her to their house.
Lee ran up to Zuko and Iroh, pain written all over his young face. "...When my dad goes, will you stay?" The boy's voice quivered as if he were on the verge of tears.
After a short pause, Zuko answered, no. We need to move on. A teary-eyed Iroh relayed the message, only more gently than his nephew had said it.
Lee watched as Mushi looked at his nephew, eyes widening at something the teen said, then whispered, "Are you sure, nephew?" Li nodded. "Very well." With that, the old man reached into the saddlebags and pulled out a very familiar dagger. The boy was shocked when he extended it out for him to take. "Here. He wants you to have this. Li would like you to read the inscription."
Lee's eyes brightened as he took the knife and pulled the blade out. "...Made in Earth Kingdom..."
Iroh chuckled. "The other one."
"Never give up without a fight."
Zuko seemed to take that as his cue as he moved forward, away from the boy, then launched himself into the air, leaving a surprised Lee and a squealing deer-pig behind.
~~~ oOo ~~~
Iroh and Zuko decided to stop and rest up a bit more along the side of the road before they headed off. The general, of course, was off gathering leaves for tea while the prince relaxed in the grass by the stream.
Caught up in memories of the night his mother disappeared, Zuko mumbled a quiet, Azula always lies... So distracted was he, that he almost didn't notice the cart quickly racing up the road toward him.
Glancing up, he saw it was Sela. "You have to help!" She yelled as she pulled the reigns to halt the pair of ostrich-horses. He noticed the one Uncle had received from Song was amongst the pair. Jumping out of the cart, she continued. "It's Lee. The thugs from town came back as soon as Gansu left. When they ordered us to give them food, Lee pulled a knife on them. I don't even know where he got a knife!" A pause. "Then they...took him away. They said if he's old enough to fight, he's old enough to join the army. I know we barely know you, but..." She trailed off as she was overcome by sobs.
Zuko quickly stood up, startling the bawling woman. I'll get your son back. Without waiting for her reply (nor for Iroh to return) he took to the skies, headed towards town.
~~~ oOo ~~~
The sun was already beginning to set as Zuko walked into town. He was originally planning on just flying in and grabbing the boy, but without knowing the situation first, he couldn't be sure that they would not hurt Lee if he startled them like that.
Said boy noticed the large figure of his friend immediately. Jerking his head up, he hollered, "Hey! There he is! I told you he'd come!"
At that, all the soldiers stood and stepped forward, spears in hand. Gow stepped out of the shadows of a building as Zuko finally stopped, his scales glistening in the sunlight, shining red rays of light upon the surrounding area. The prince growled, showing his teeth, as he said, Let the kid go.
The Earth Kingdom captain laughed, then just as quickly as it came, his humor left. "Who do you think you are, baring your fangs at us? Oh, that boy told us what you are. You're nothing but a kid who's been cursed by the Spirits. I'm sure the Earth King would pay a hefty price for a prize like you."
Memories of his last trip home flooded the prince's mind, causing his anger to escalate. Head lowered, he growled louder, wishing he could give these men a peace of his mind. Thankfully, a voice spoke up, granting him that wish.
"Nephew, what are you doing?"
Tell them what I say, Uncle.
"What?"
Just do it.
Clearing his throat, Iroh spoke to the soldiers. "My nephew has asked me to relay his comments to you." At the questioning gazes, the general once again had to give his explanation.
"Fine then," Gow replied skeptically. "What's he saying?"
"...He says, who he is does not matter...but he knows who you are...He says you are not soldiers, you are bullies...freeloaders, abusing your power...mostly over women and children...He also says you do not want Lee in your army...and that you are sick cowards, messing with a family who has already lost one son to the war..." Iroh really hoped his nephew had a plan, and wasn't just saying all of these things to make the men angry.
Seeing the oncoming fight, Iroh stepped away from the prince and made his way over towards the buildings. He knew Zuko did not want him interfering, so the general respected his decision. Although, if things got out of hand, he would protect his nephew. Even if the boy would be angry at him later.
Looking to one of his fellow soldiers, Gow asked, "are you just gonna stand there and let these strangers stand there and insult you like this?"
Taking a hint, the man readied his spear and charged. However, Zuko was ready for him. Using his front legs to propel him, he quickly spun and sent his tail smashing into the man's gut, sending him skidding down the dirt road. Giving up, the man crawled away on his hands and knees.
Another soldier watched as his friend ran away and, shaking his head to prepare himself, charged at the dragon as well. Backing up slightly as the man neared, Zuko reared up on his hind legs, grabbed the man's head in his left paw, and knocked him over backwards as the prince came back down on his right foreleg. He made sure he put no pressure on his left as he landed, lest he smash the man's skull. Convinced he got his point across, Zuko released the soldier, allowing him to to follow the man before him out of sight.
The teen barely had time to recover as a third soldier came at him. Getting irritated, Zuko reached out with his massive jaws and in one swift movement, snapped the man's spear in half. Disarmed, he threw down the remaining half of the spear and fled past Lee, who gave an excited cheer.
The last man standing, Gow pulled out two hammers and prepared himself for a fight. Zuko crouched low, fangs bared and claws digging into the Earth below. With a grunt, Gow slammed a hammer into the ground, causing Earth to rise, waiting to be hit by the other weapon. Once the hammer made impact, it flew at the young dragon. Zuko caught the rock in his teeth and bit hard, crushing it into pieces. The dust cleared away to reveal a menacing scowl on the teen's face.
Jumping up, the Earth Kingdom captain spun, then brought both hammers down to raise multiple stones at once, which he quickly sent Zuko's way. The prince managed to destroy the first within his jaws, and the second with a swipe of his paw, but the third smashed into his chest, knocking the air out of him. Quickly recovering, Zuko straightened a readied himself for the next onslaught of attacks. Without warning, he lunged for the captain.
Somewhere off in the distance, he heard an old man yelling, "give 'em a left! A left!"
An equally elderly woman pointed out, "it's not a fist fight".
"He's gotta left foot, don't he?"
All other conversations were lost to him as Gow sent several rocks flying toward him. Zuko blocked as many as he could until one finally it its mark. Twisted slightly from a rather wide swipe of his paw, a rock crashed into his still healing arrow wound on his leg, causing him to lose his balance. Rolling, the prince jumped to his feet, ignoring the searing pain shooting throw his leg.
Gow smirked as he saw his opening.
Zuko heard several shouts of, "look out!" "behind you!" and "nephew!" along with many others. He turned just in time to see the captain sending boulder-sized rocks his way. The prince tried his best to block them, but Gow was relentless in his attacks. The boulders getting bigger, Zuko knew he wouldn't be able to hold him off forever. The man pounded a hammer into the ground with all his might, sending a wave of Earth hurtling toward the dragon. Still disoriented from the last boulder, the wave slammed into the prince, hitting him in his soft underbelly. Air rushed out of his lungs as he flew backwards, skidding on his side until his head finally landed on the ground with a loud crash.
As he clenched his eyes shut, those accursed memories came back.
A hand grabbed his shoulder and shook it lightly. Groggily, the young prince looked up. Seeing who it was, he asked, "mom?"
Ursa sat the half-asleep boy up as she told him, "Zuko, my love, please listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you." She gave her only son a tight hug. Pulling away, she continued. "Remember this, Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are."
Releasing her child, Ursa backed away, pulling a hood over her long raven-colored hair.
Gow moved forward, ready to get a better view of his victim. He could hear that little brat utter a quiet, "get up," but he knew that wasn't going to happen. He would make sure of it. The captain raised his hammers, ready to deal the finishing blow, when those large golden eyes snapped open. Claws digging into the dirt, the dragon swiftly stood, a jet of fire accompanied by a loud roar streaming out of its mouth as it rounded on the man. The force of the blast sent him flying backwards.
The dragon looked like some sort of malicious spirit as it slowly stood its full height, surrounded by golden flames.
Lee stared in shock. Surely that fire hadn't come from Li. That would mean he was a Firebender... Suddenly it all made sense. Why else would the Spirits turn him into the national animal of the Fire Nation if he wasn't Fire Nation himself?
Gow quickly got back to his feet, preparing himself once more, but the many blasts of fire the teen threw at him forced him to go on the defensive. He brought up a wall to protect himself as another fireball was sent his way. Unfortunately, it was too strong, blasting right through his last line of defense and sending him flying, only to smash into a building.
Smoke rolled out of the creature's mouth as Gow looked up in terror. "Who...who are you?"
The dragon looked over at the man that claimed to be his uncle, who quickly ran over to translate. The old man sighed, then stated with more authority than the man's appearance suggested he held, stated, "His name is Zuko. Son of Ursa and Firelord Ozai. Prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne".
A long silence ensued where only the murmurs of the townspeople could be heard. It was broken rather abruptly as the elderly man from before hollered out, "liar! I heard of you. You're not a prince, you're an outcast. His own father burned and disowned him!"
Iroh looked at Zuko. He could tell that had been a low blow to the boy. As his nephew moved towards Gow, grabbing the dagger from the man's pocket in his claws, the general sent the old man a death glare. Zuko had enough hardship in his life without dealing with it from complete strangers that he helped out of the kindness of his heart. After he was satisfied that the man was now officially terrified of him, Iroh moved his gaze back to his nephew.
He was walking toward Lee and Sela, limping as he was carrying the dagger in his right paw. Walking on it would only make it hurt worse anyway. As Zuko neared the pair, Sela moved in front of her now freed son, saying, "not a step closer".
Kneeling in front of them, Zuko place the knife on the ground, inching it forward with his snout. It's yours. You should have it.
Seeing what Li was trying to say, the boy mustered up all the courage he could to tell the teen, "no! I hate you!" Then he and his mother left without another word, leaving a stunned dragon behind.
Silently, Zuko picked up his dagger and made his way over to his uncle. He felt as if he had just been slapped in the face. None of the bruises he received from Gow measured up to the pain of that small boy's verbal blow.
"...Zuko," Iroh started tentatively. "Are you all right?"
Let's just go, Uncle. The sooner we leave, the better chance we have of catching the Avatar.
The retired general felt a bit of panic over this until Zuko continued.
Maybe...maybe if we end this war...I could someday make it up to him...
A sad smile graced Iroh's features as he climbed into the saddle. "I am sure that once the world is in balance again, they would be honored to meet the real you, Prince Zuko."
The prince didn't respond as he leaped into the air, praying they would find the Avatar soon. He didn't know how much longer he could take being a dragon. Please, Agni. Help us find him.
A/N: At last! The flashbacks are now officially over, and we can get back to the GAang. :D As for this chapter, a lot of cannon stuff happened. I of course twisted it all to fit my own story. Also, about Lee taking the dagger instead of the Dao Swords, well, before you ask about that, I will remind you that Zuko never went to that town and watched the man force Iroh to dance, so he never got angry at him, and he never stole his swords. So, Lee had to take the next best thing. ;D
Oh! And please review. Reviews really make me want to write more and faster, and since I didn't get a lot of reviews with the last chapter, I was feeling kinda sad, and it made me not want to write. ): So, more reviews get faster updates, because they boost my self-confidence in my writing. xP
I own nothing!