This plan wasn't the smartest of plans. Even Sokka thought it was a dumb plan. And that was something that almost made Zuko laugh underneath his mask.
"Wait, we're supposed to do what now?"
Jee sighed as Sokka turned and stared at him with a confused expression on his face. The old man knew that this plan wasn't one that they would all agree too. Hell, even he didn't when Iroh told him that this was the only plan that would truly work to distract the Phoenix King's forces. He turned to Sokka, narrowing his eyes.
"Grand Master Iroh has said that this is exactly what has to happen," Jee explained. "I don't like this plan as much as any of you do."
Zuko snorted under his mask, crossing his arms over his chest. This earned him a glare from Jee, to which Zuko shot one back underneath the mask. All everyone saw was the blue oni mask turning and staring at Jee.
"Well, what makes Iroh thing this will work?" Aang asked. "This seems like a suicide mission to me."
"There is no other way around this," Jee snapped. "This is our plan."
Zuko turned and stared at the map of Ba Sing Se. His eyes moved quickly underneath the mask, scanning everything and trying to find another plan. He quickly played different scenarios in his head. His intelligence and cunning was one of the reasons why Ozai had wanted him to take over when he had passed away. Zuko uncrossed his arms, sighing softly as he looked up at Sokka and Aang.
"Jee is right," Zuko spoke in his disguised voice. "There is no other way."
Zuko shook his head, the memory fading away. He was standing on the roof of their small little hideout, letting the cool breeze of the Middle Ring rush around him. He was on watch, not wanting to sleep or even risk taking off his mask with the people around him. They had been down here for almost a week now, Zuko only letting himself be seen when they had meetings. He ate alone in his room or up on the roof, his face always hidden from everyone.
This was supposed to be his last night here. A truck was supposed to come for him tonight and he would be smuggled back into the Upper Ring. Zuko felt at odds within himself, wanting to do more with his time here. There was a sense of guilt and pain every time he looked at Sokka. Zuko hated keeping the lie that his sister was dead in order to keep everyone aware of their mission and purpose here. He hated that Katara and Iroh did it to him, and he was hating the fact that now he had to do it to one of his best friends.
"I've been looking for you."
And as if on cue, Sokka's voice echoed from behind him.
Zuko lazily turned his masked face towards Sokka, seeing him climb up the ladder and onto the roof of the small little home. He turned away, the sound of Sokka's footsteps coming closer before they stopped next to him. Zuko heard Sokka flop down next to him, and now he felt his personal space being invaded.
"What do you want?" Zuko huffed in his fake voice.
"Relax," Sokka said, raising his arms in defense. "I just wanted to talk."
The blue mask turns to face Sokka now, and Zuko notices the bottle of Fire Vodka in his hands and two glasses. The warrior smirks, popping off the cork and filling the two glasses with the alcohol. He sets the bottle down, extending his hand out towards Zuko.
"What do you want?" Zuko asked again, narrowing his eyes underneath the mask.
"Just take the damn drink, will you?"
Zuko mumbled something that only he could hear, snatching the glass from Sokka. He lifted his mask slightly to expose his mouth, taking the shot before pushing the glass back to Sokka, seeing that he was already pouring himself another glass.
"If you don't tell me what you want, I will toss that bottle off this roof," Zuko warned, his voice growing dark and bitter.
"Do you remember what you told me at the meeting with the Order?" Sokka asked after putting down his shot.
Something inside Zuko snapped, and a pain began to form within him. He let out an inaudible sigh, the blue mask dropping down. Of course he remembered. Hell, Sokka's sister was in the same room.
"No," Zuko lied.
"You said something about Katara," Sokka snapped. "My sister."
"What about it?"
"Tell me what you said," Sokka ordered.
The blue masked shifted up and stared at his girlfriend's older brother. There was a mix of emotions boiling in those blue eyes. Zuko could see anger, rage, sorrow, sadness, and pain. The masked man knew that he was broken, but this was something new. His eyes widened, knowing that Sokka was just as broken as he was, maybe even more. But the one thing that surprised him was the last thing that Zuko expected to see from Sokka.
Guilt.
"I said that you will see your sister again."
"What did you mean by that?" Sokka continued his questioning. "Are you saying that I'm going to die soon?"
"No."
"Then what? Hmm? Because last I checked, my sister is dead. She's nothing but ashes now and there is no way that she's coming back. So unless I'm missing something that I'm not getting, then how the hell am I supposed—"
"—she's alive."
Silence.
Zuko turned his masked face away, cursing under his breath as he could only imagine what was going through Sokka's mind. Slowly, he turned and looked up at Sokka, who was now standing up over Zuko.
"What did you say?" Sokka whispered, barely loud enough for Zuko to hear.
"Your sister, Katara, is alive," Zuko said in his disguised voice.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Sokka roared, reaching down and pulling the Blue Spirit up to his feet. "Because if it is, so help me Agni I will beat you."
"She is alive," Zuko stated. "I know this because I have seen her."
"I don't believe you."
Zuko huffed, slapping away Sokka's hands from his shozoku and dusting himself off.
"I don't care," Zuko snapped. "But she is alive."
"You could be lying, for all I know," Sokka added, not noticing he kicked over the Fire Vodka. "What reason could you have for telling me this?"
Because I love her.
"Because I love her," Zuko declared, not in his disguised voice.
"What did you say?"
With a hesitant sigh, Zuko reached up to his mask, hooking his thumb underneath it. He lifted it up with one hand and pulled down the mask of his shozoku, revealing his scarred face to Sokka, who was now standing wide-eyed.
"Zuko… you're the Blue Spirit…"
"Yes."
"But… Iroh said you died…"
"My uncle is a man of many things… and he hides the truth once in a while," Zuko admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long have you been the Blue Spirit?"
"Since I got back to Ba Sing Se all those years ago," Zuko admitted. "It began just with trying to protect this city, but then it got bigger when I learned about the Phoenix King and what he wanted to do with this city."
"So all those times on the roof it was you?" Sokka asked. "And all those times we chased the Blue Spirit and everything with Azula… it was you…"
Zuko nodded, unsure of what was going to happen next.
But from the corner of his eye, he saw her.
The Painted Lady.
Sokka saw her too, apparently, because he turned his head on the other vigilante.
"Zuko… what did you do?" Katara's voice came from under the veil.
"How do you know his name?" Sokka asked.
And then it hit him. Without a word, he walked over to the Painted Lady, taking her into his arms. Zuko frowned, hearing the warrior choke back sobs as he buried his face into Katara's neck. He watched as Katara let the tears fall, wrapping her arms around her older brother.
"I thought you were dead… just ashes… I'm so sorry…"
"I'm alive, Sokka."
Sokka pulled back, looking from Zuko to Katara. "So, what do they call you?"
"The Painted Lady," Katara said with a bow. "I'm also the figure in red Zuko had you follow around for a while."
"Why doesn't anyone tell me things?" Sokka exclaimed, almost yelling at the top of his lung and flailing his arms around.
"Because of that right there," Zuko snickered.
And now, they were back together.
