Title: Little Red String
Rating: R
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Warnings: Psychological abuse, almost-rape, physical abuse, Azula (she's scary enough that she needs a warning), sexual situations and activities (homo- and heterosexual), almost-rape, explicit language (mostly from Jet and Zuko), POV switches (when in Jet's POV, Iroh and Zuko will be Lee and Mushi during the bits leading up to what would canonically be season 3, then Iroh and Zuko from then on; when in Zuko's POV, Iroh and Zuko's will be Iroh/Uncle and Zuko)
Pairing(s): JetZuko, implied ZukoMai, hints of Kataang
Summary: When you meet someone, an invisible red string is tied around your pinky fingers that links you together. The thicker the string is between people, the stronger their bond is.
Sometimes, you find allies in the strangest of places. Like Zuko - he found Jet and the Freedom Fighters on a boat to Ba Sing Se. But Zuko didn't expect Jet to be as charismatic as he was. So he left behind everything to start over with Jet and begin anew in Ba Sing Se. But some parts of his past are harder to let go of, or won't let go. Like his crazy sister. And the fact that he's Fire Nation, which Jet doesn't actually know. Will Zuko's life catch up with him? Can Jet and Zuko stand against the evils of the Fire Nation and still be together?
Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any part of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Chapter XII
The extended aftermath of the battle in the crystal catacombs was something of a blur to Zuko.
Prince Zuko was a mess. He wanted so badly to talk to Jet and Uncle Iroh, to tell them how sorry he was that he had betrayed them, to tell Jet that he still loved him, to apologize for lying about being a Firebender and the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and all of that, to say something, but neither of them would listen to him. And that was very disconcerting. As a result, he now spent most of his time moping about the Earth King's – now Azula's – palace and thinking of things to say that would get them to talk to him.
At last, it was time for Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, and the prisoners to return to the Fire Nation. Zuko had decided to stay, although Azula really wanted him to come home to the Fire Nation. Nonetheless, he decided to stay and watch over Ba Sing Se.
One night, Zuko got a message from Azula saying that some famous Fire Nation general was in town and wanted to have dinner with them. As it turned out, Mai got the same message. They were escorted to dinner, during which they quickly figured out that they had been set up by Azula and Ty Lee to go on a date. They then ditched the palace and went off to explore the city, during which they accidentally ran into Jin, the girl from the tea shop who once asked him out on a date, and they also kissed.
Now, Zuko was not the type to go around kissing people willy-nilly. But Mai had sort of been his first crush as a child. And, if Azula was to be believed, she had had a rather large crush on him for a while now. Maybe it was for sentimentality's sake, maybe it was the need to be touched, maybe he was just tired of being alone, but Zuko and Mai kissed for a long while that night. They then returned to his rooms and Mai spent the night there, although they didn't do anything in the bed that two hormonal teenagers were capable of doing.
The following morning, as Azula had probably planned, Zuko accompanied Mai back to the Fire Nation. That, and he worried about Jet and Uncle Iroh's welfare. He didn't want them to suffer, and if he gave the word, they would be treated properly while on the boat, despite their prisoner status.
During the time it took to get to the Fire Nation, Zuko tried a number of times to get Uncle and Jet to talk to him, but to no avail. It was like they wanted nothing to do with him. So instead, he settled for hanging out with Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula on the ship, doing whatever the hell they wanted while there.
When they got home, there were grand welcoming ceremonies for Zuko and Azula, and he was allowed to speak with the Fire Lord, but all he could think about was Jet. He still loved him, even though Jet would probably love a platypus-bear more than Zuko right now. And it was hard to forget that, even though he did love Mai too.
Regarding Mai, the love he felt for her was somewhere between sisterly and romantic love. He wasn't quite sure which. He was pretty sure that he would enjoy sexual activities with her, but it would still feel kind of odd to be doing it with this girl he had known for most of his life. Then again, she was a pretty great kisser. And she listened to him when he wanted to talk, unlike Jet. And although they had had quite a spat on Ember Island when they went on vacation there, he was still as conflicted as ever.
One night, they actually decided to try having sex. And even though everything worked out fine and he had a pretty good orgasm, it still felt weird. The post-sex snuggling felt wrong to him, partially because he was used to being the one cradled in a strong pair of arms. Although he didn't mind holding Mai and being with her, it just felt strange to be in the position he was in.
He wasn't sure if he wanted to continue on with this relationship in a romantic way, due to the weird familial feelings that were also associated with it, and told Mai so. At first, she was unsure of what to say, but after a while, and seeing that Zuko really needed the companionship, she became somewhat okay with it. She didn't really care if he loved her or not in a romantic way; just that he loved her at all was enough, she said. She would still love him, but not in the way he loved her.
When Zuko found the scroll telling him to research his great-grandfather Sozin, he was surprised, to say the least. And when he actually read the scroll, he was aggravated to find that he hadn't learned anything new. So he went and talked to the person whom he assumed had pointed him to the information in the first place: Uncle Iroh.
After proceeding to yell at Iroh for not being helpful in this situation, the old man told him why he had so many issues in life. It was because not only was he descended from Fire Lord Sozin on his father's side, but he was also descended from Avatar Roku on his mother's side, and, as everyone knew, Sozin and Roku did not get along in their later years, resulting in a number of conflicts between the two and Sozin's search to destroy the Avatar among the Air Nomads and, by extension, Zuko's hunt for the Avatar.
So he was such a mess because he was descended from the Avatar AND Sozin. His soul was in conflict because of his mixed heritage.
Oh, joy.
And of course, Jet still wasn't talking to him. That just made him even angrier. So he stormed out of the prison and proceeded to set fire to everything in his room that he felt like destroying at the time. This was restricted to the bedding, largely because that could be replaced without too much effort; he would probably get into a certain amount of trouble if he set fire to his clothes, which cost quite a bit to make and repair, not to mention the fact that he would be left with nothing to wear if he did that, and a Fire Nation prince does not walk around naked.
So, confused and feeling very much alone in the world, Zuko spent much of his time in his room or training. When he wasn't doing that, he was in the company of Mai and, when they decided to join them, Ty Lee and Azula, taking trips around the Fire Nation or just lounging around the palace and doing things that teenagers did. Well, royal teenagers at any rate.
At last, he got what he had wanted for so long: the apparent respect of his father, Fire Lord Ozai. He was invited to attend a war meeting the day before the solar eclipse (Azula had discovered the Avatar's plan to invade the Fire Nation on the day of the eclipse, and she had told the Fire Lord of this plan immediately after their return to the Fire Nation, and he had made plans for everyone in the city to go into hiding and send out a massive force of the army to defeat the ragtag group of non-Firebenders). Azula was already there when Zuko arrived (big surprise, since she was quite clearly still the favored child of the two of them), along with a number of generals and the like. Nonetheless, the prince was invited to sit at his father's right hand, the thing he had wanted for years.
One of the generals – Shinu, Zuko thought it was – was discussing plans for what was to happen after the solar eclipse. He was going on about how Ba Sing Se was still under their control, but various Earthbender rebels were preventing them from gaining complete victory in the Earth Kingdom. He suggested a transfer of more domestic forces after the eclipse was over. All of which was rather boring to Zuko.
Ozai noticed this lack of interest in his son, and said, "Prince Zuko, you've been in the Earth Kingdom. Do you think adding more troops will stop these rebellions?"
Zuko considered this. There was only so much that brute force could do, but on the other hand, Ba Sing Se had been taken, which was the last stronghold of the Earth Kingdom and a former symbol of hope for many people. "The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything as long as they have hope," he finished.
His father nodded. "You're right. We need to destroy their hope."
Zuko started, "Well that's not exactly what I meant, but –"
"I think you should take their precious hope," Azula interrupted, "and the rest of their land, and burn it all to the ground." She smirked.
That suggestion got Ozai excited. "Yes, yes, you're right, Azula." He walked towards the table where the generals were seated. "Sozin's Comet is almost upon us, and on that day it will endow us with the strength and power of a hundred Suns. No bender will stand a chance against us."
"What are you suggesting, sir?" asked General Shinu.
"When the comet last came," Ozai continued, "my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom. Permanently." He grinned wickedly, and began talking with the generals and Azula about how to accomplish this plan and how once it was it was complete, he would be, in his words, the "supreme ruler of everything." Zuko watched, horrified, as the generals applauded the Fire Lord.
Once the meeting was over, Zuko met up with Mai and told her about the new plan. She was, as per usual, unenthused, but so was he. He bid her good night and retreated to his apartments.
Fuck. If Ozai's plan worked, the world would be essentially destroyed. There would be no more Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe. There would only be the Fire Nation, and, as appealing as that might sound to Azula or his father, Zuko was not too pleased with the idea. What Ozai was planning was the total annihilation of a proud race of people and their homeland. And although Zuko cared for his homeland, his travels in the Earth Kingdom and the people he met there had changed him. He was not the same Zuko who had been banished three years ago, the arrogant little prince who would do anything and everything to get what he wanted. He had learned to be humble, to listen to people, to wait to strike at the opportune moment. And he would be damned if he let his father destroy the land and the people that had taught him all of that.
So Zuko resolved to do what was right, and join the Avatar's group. Sure, he would probably have to struggle to get there and work to earn the respect of their group - especially for Katara's respect, because she would likely skin him alive if he tried to hurt the Avatar in any way - but it was the right thing to do. Besides, the Avatar still needed someone to teach him Firebending, and who better than Zuko to do it?
