A/N: All to say is: hold on to your socks, cuz they will be knocked off.
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.
O0o0O
The gAang walked into a seedy old building in the Earth Kingdom, filled with criminals and drunks...mainly drunks.
Unfortunately, not everyone in the group was present. Aang was nowhere to be found.
Zuko had told the gAang they can't change their plans. Ozai was going to use the power of Sozin's comet to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground. So after a motivational speech from Sokka (I know, suprising, right?!) they were all ready to prepare for the final battle to end the century-long war!
But after "Fire Nation Attack Practice," Aang couldn't even damage a statue of the Fire Lord. While his friends broke stone soldiers and dodged flaming rocks (courtesy of Toph, aka "Melon Lord," you know, they shouldnt've given her actual fire to use) Aang resisted.
That night during dinner, Aang raged on how none of them understand. He can't take a life. Being an airbending monk, he was taught that all life is precious, down to the delicate spider-fly. After that, he disappeared overnight.
Zuko, who everyone said had expirience with finding the Avatar, led all of them to the awful bar to seek help by one person-
"June."
They found her drinking tea while fighting off men. Literally. She put a man in a headlock with her legs! Without spilling a drop of her tea!
"Hey, I remember her!" Sokka exclaimed, "she helped you attack us!"
"Yup, those were the good days," Zuko smirked, walking over to her.
"How is she going to help us exactly?" Suki whispered to Zuko.
"She had a shirshu, a creature that can track down Aang," he replied.
Despite his new hairstyle, June reconized Zuko immediately. "Well well, if it isn't Prince Pouty," her voice scratched, "where's your creepy grandpa?"
"He's my uncle, and he's not here," he replied, a tiny bit of regret in his tone. June looked over to his left side and saw a girl walked up and stand next to him. June smirked, reconizing her.
"I see you worked things out with your girlfriend,"
Both Zuko and Katara blushed a deep crimson and protested simultaniously, and June just laughed, claiming she was teasing, and cut straight to buisness, asking what they wanted.
"I need your help finding the Avatar, June," Zuko said annoyed.
"Huh, again? Doesn't sound like fun," June said in a monotone voice.
Zuko slapped his hands on the table in front of her, but she didn't even flinch. "DOES THE END OF THE WORLD SOUND MORE FUN?!"
June smirked at his temper and held up her hand, "back up Princey. I don't want your girlfriend to get jealous."
o0O0o
"Nyla..."
June waved a thick slice of meat at her shirshu. The eyeless creature sniffed the air and ran over to June, swallowing the meat whole. June rubbed the top of the animal's head lovingly, patting her softly. That is until Nyla shot out her poisonous, paralyzing tongue out, barely missing June, who snapped Nyla's mouth shut.
"Careful there! Okay, whose got something with the Avatar's scent on it?" She gestured towards the group.
"I have Aang's staff," Katara jumped from Appa's saddle with the staff in her hand. June took it and gave it to Nyla. After a few moments of sniffing around, Nyla rubbed her nose uncomfortably.
"What does that mean?" Zuko asked.
"You're friend's gone."
"We know he's gone. That why we came to you, lady!" Toph retorted.
If anyone knew June, they knew she wasn't going to take that like nothing, but for some reason, June didn't snap back. Instead, she patted the shirshu's head carefully, "No, I mean he's really gone. He doesn't exist."
Oo0oO
The gAang rested in front of the destroyed walls of Ba Sing Se. June wasn't able to find Aang, but she was able to find Zuko's uncle Iroh, the other person who can possibly defeat Ozai. The night was deep and late, so they decided to stay outside the walls instead of going in at night like a bunch of bandits.
"Hey...Zuko..."
Zuko lifted his head to see Katara looking at him from the other side of the bison they were lying on. "Yeah...?" he replied groggily.
"Why...Why did June think we were together?"
Zuko blushed slightly, "Oh, uh, when I had your necklace, I had her help in finding you with it. I guess when she saw you, she mistook you for my girlfriend."
"Oh...where did you keep my necklace?"
"On my wrist. I never took it off."
"Oh. Thanks for keeping it safe," she finished.
"No problem,"he replied.
He turned over, facing away from her, his blush slowly melting away, but returning as she planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
He slept much better that night.
0oOo0
Toph had just barely gotten her rock tent down when the gAang was surrounded by flames. Everyone awoke at once as four figures stood at the top of the Great Rubble of Na Sing Se (what Sokka nicknamed it before Katara waterbended a snowball to his forehead). King Bumi, Master Pakku, Master Piandao, and Master Jeong Jeong stood before them.
"Well look whose here!" Bumi laughed, snorting a few times. Sokka and Katara smiled to each other in relief and excitement as the rest of the gAang gave them puzzled looks.
o0O0o
Meanwhile, on a remote island, Aang was meditating on a strange type of Earth. He could bend the other elements, so he wasn't in the Spirit World, but for some reason, his earthbending was useless on this ground. He sat with his legs crossed and his tattoos glowing. In front of him, he seeked guidance from Avatar Roku, Avatar Kyoshi, and Avatar Kuruk. He needed their help because everyone was expecting to kill the Fire Lord when the Comet comes, but the monks taught him that all life is precious, and the teachings is all Aang has left of the monks, he didn't want to disrespect them. Especially what Monk Gyatso told him.
But his past lives were no help. They each say an Avatar has to do what s/he is needed to do. Finally, Aang decided to contact the air Avatar before him, Avatar Yangchen.
After "glowing-it-up," the last air Avatar appeared before Aang.
"I am Avatar Yangchen, young airbender," she introduced.
"Avatar Yangchen, the monks always taught me that all life is sacred," Aang began, "Even the life of the tiniest spider-fly caught in its own web!"
Yangchen nods in agreement, "Yes, all life is sacred."
"I know, I'm even a vegetarian," Aang replied proudly, "I've always tried to solve my problems by being quick or clever and I've only had to use violence for necessary defence and I've certainly never used it to take a life."
"Avatar Aang, I know that you're a gentle spirit and the monks have taught you well. But this isn't about you, this is about the World.
Aang protested almost angrily, "But the monks taught me that I had to detach myself from the World so my spirit could be free!"
Avatar Yangchen shook her head to explain something to the young, confused Avatar, "Many great and wise air nomads have detached themselves and achieved spiritual enlightenment but the Avatar can never do it because your sole duty is to the World. Here is my wisdom for you, selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs and do whatever it takes to protect the World."
Avatar Yangchen disappears in a puff of smoke. Aang rubs his forehead in calm fustration as Momo came to his comfort.
"I guess I have no choice Momo," Aang told his small friend, "I have to kill the Fire Lord."
o0O0o
"Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay. My uncle hates me and I know it!"
Zuko and his friends made it past the "Great Rubble of Na Sing Se" to the White Lotus camp. Appearently, Iroh is in charge of the whole thing and is safely here in camp. Zuko wanted nothing more than to see his beloved uncle at once, but nervousness stopped him in front of the retired general's tent.
Instead of going inside, Zuko sat a safe distance outside his tent, and that's when Katara went to check if he was fine. As he spoke, he couldn't look at her as she sat beside him.
"He loved me and supported me in every way he could and I still turned against him," he said, his voice struggled to stay steady, "How can I even face him?"
"Zuko...you're sorry for what you did, right?"
"More sorry than I've ever been in my entire life."
"Then he'll forgive you, he will," she told him. He looked at her, still a tiny bit unsure, but thanks to her support, he got up, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and entered his uncle's tent.
"Uncle..." he started, but was interrupted with a loud snore. His eyes opened and he saw his lazy uncle lying on a mat. Lazy, heh. Zuko cracked a tiny smile and sat down, prepared to wait for him to wake up.
0OoO0
Aang woke up on the non-earthy ground with tiny Momo looking adorable in his sleep (A/N: I seriously think he did). Aang pushed himself off the ground and yawned. He noticed something in the distance of the horizon. Mountains, it seemed. And they were...moving?! No...the mountains weren't moving. Aang's island was!
Aang jumped, skipped and ran to the coast of the island and gasped as he saw a giant shadpw below him. He jumped into the water to investigate. The pressure of the water took it's toll when his ears uncomfortably popped, but he kept going. Suddenly, he felt the water move slightly and heard swishes underwater, like as if a rock is being pushed at full speed toward him. A unmistakinably reptillian claw appeared in Aang's blurry view. He nearly gasped, but didn't, remembering his position. He pushed upward to the surface and found Momo sitting patiently on a tree branch.
"It's amazing, Momo! The biggest animal in the world! I gotta swim around and find its face!"
Aang began paddling towards the direction the island was moving. He had to move up and catch his breath a couple of times, but he finally made it. He looked directly into the eye of the creature, which was about as big as Aang himself. The claw he saw earlier had appeared below him and pushed him up to reveal the creature'd actual face.
Aang reconized this creature from a book he read in Wan Shi Tong's Library. The oldest living animal in the world. He bowed respectfully to the great animal.
"A lion turtle."
Oo0oO
Iroh woke up and yawned. He noticed his nephew behind him, but didn't look at him. Zuko turned his head shamefully before he began. "Uncle...I know you must have mixed feelings about seeing me, but I want you to know..." his voice cracked, reminding him of the year he was banished, he was still a young boy when that happened, and his uncle still stood by him, "I'm so, so sorry uncle...I'm so sorry and ashamed of what I did," tears ran down both of his cheeks and he shook his head in self anger, "I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you uncle, but I-"
He was cut off but his uncle pulling him into a warm hug, his shirt already getting a bit damp from his uncle's tears. "How could you forgive me so quickly?!" he asked, bewildered, "I thought you would be furious with me!"
"I was never angry with you," Iroh admitted, holding his nephew tighter, "I was sad because I was afraid you lost your way."
"I did loose my way," Zuko's voice strained as he admitted his mistake.
"But you found it!" Iroh stated proudly, pulling away from the embrace to look at his scarred nephew, "I am so happy you found your way here."
Iroh pulled Zuko into another embrace, "It wasn't that hard uncle, you have a really strong scent," he joked.
0OoO0
A/N: God I'm a week late. This is Part I of III. Sozin's Comet holds so many Zutara secrets and I'm willing to find them all. For starters, The connection outside the tent, I still fangirl over that.
And seriously, who doesn't get a little emotional at Zuko and Iroh's reunion? A heartless non-avatard, that's who.
Part II is in the shops, and It will show my perspective of the Agni Kai, which always makes me cry. Seriously, I watched Sozin's Comet at my cousin's house and they called me out on the spot! I still cried!
I will update as soon as I can.
LOVE YOU FIRE LILIES!
-zutarianbelieber