V14.2

Family and Friends

The next week I had a day off again. It was a pretty but slightly overcast day in the Earth Kingdom and many people were out running errands, keeping a hopeful light in their hearts, hoping to find their fortune. Maybe I'd found mine in cooking. I had to go in the back to get more ingredients for my rice cakes again. It had to have been the seventh time that day. I hadn't spent that much time with food in a very long time.

Iroh seemed to have found his fortune as well, but then again, I'd always thought that it had been in tea and not in war. He was pouring tea for a wealthy-looking man, his assistant, and his bodyguards. He gave them what tea they ordered with the last of my last batch of rice cakes and then walked away. Eventually the wealthy man stood up and talked to Iroh in the corner.

I heard something about owning his own tea shop and I dropped the batch of rice in my hands in surprise, making them fall onto the floor, useless. "Damn it," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks heat up as everyone glanced at me. I noticed that the man's assistant took the most interest, his black eyes looking at me curiously. "Sorry." The man was lean and tall, his hands strangely large for a noble, as he seemed to be. His hair was long, almost down to the middle of his back, and was a thin midnight black. His eyes were almost the same color. He looked vaguely familiar, but so did half of the other people I met, so I dismissed it and bent down to pick up my ruined food.

The wealthy man's name turned out to be Quon, I discovered, as he and Pao, the owner of the tea shop, got into an argument over Iroh. I returned to my own reality, still making my batch of rice cakes, though half of it was useless. "Uncle?" I called, looking into the cabinets. "Where are the spark rocks? I need them to start a fire in the oven."

Uncle was practically bouncing up and down in the doorway to the pantry. "There's no use for the spark rocks anymore, Amaterasu. These men offered us a teashop in the upper ring!"

I felt a smile place itself upon my face as I tried to be glad for him. "I'm happy for you, Uncle." Iroh deserved this kind of break. It was only a matter of time, and here it was. But I was still wary of this, of the cons against us. I still couldn't believe it and it seemed to good to be true.

Suddenly the assistant stood up, his hair falling past the middle of his waist. It was almost too pretty to be on a man. "Amaterasu? You said your name was Amaterasu?"

I nodded, wiping my hands on my apron. I didn't want to be cornered in the small pantry so I stepped out. Iroh had moved to talk with Quon about business details. "Yes. I'm Amaterasu. Is there something I can help you with?"

The assistant looked over his shoulder to his boss, who was busy conversing with my Uncle. So apparently he felt the need to move closer. Zuko, behind with Iroh, looked ready to step in if needed. "My name is Ryuu, Miss," he said softly, his black eyes dimming to a simple brown, and I had to blink a few more times, making sure I heard him right.

"Ryuu?" I whispered, looking him up and down. If he was the Ryuu I was thinking he was, then I was staring at my own flesh and blood. We had the same hair, the same stubborn jaw, and there was only one place he could've gotten that nose from, and it wasn't from me or our mother.

"Yes…I'm sorry, but I can't recall ever meeting you. You just seem very, very familiar to me."

"When you were little," I said simply, not able to meet his eyes. "Did you have a little sister? Two?"

"How did you—"

"And did one of them run away?" He nodded, a look of wonderment passed over his eyes, along with a few tears. "I hope you know that she's very, very sorry for hurting you." The next thing I knew, he took me in his arms and hugged me tightly against him. We hadn't seen each other in three long years, and now here I was standing with my older brother, hugging him like we'd been apart for a lifetime.

Zuko started to serve another table distractedly, still glancing over at me and my brother. He stopped when Uncle started talking to him. I saw him glance in my direction and his eyes turn to slits as he observed my brother and I sharing a warm hug. But he didn't have the time to do anything as Uncle started talking. "Did you hear, nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the Upper Ring of the city!"

"That's right young man," Quon said with a large smile, though it didn't look as if he was too happy with Ryuu hugging me, either. "Your life is about to change for the better."

Zuko started to walk away towards the front door, setting down the tray of cups right in front of me with a clatter. "I'll try to contain my joy," he said gravely, and that was before he stepped outside. I felt a pang in my heart; I wanted to follow him but Ryuu's arm was over my shoulder and there was no way I was getting away from him. I just sent my heart after him, hoping that he understood. Our night last night had been wonderful. He'd proven to me how he felt through his actions, even if he refused to tell me through words. But I could live, as long as he showed me through actions. I just hoped that he knew that my heart was with him.

The next thing I knew, when I looked up, the towering figure of Quon was shadowing me. "Who is this?" he asked Ryuu, frowning for some reason. Everyone was frowning at me today and I was getting a little irritated.

Ryuu smiled and hugged me again.. "This," he said with some strange pride in his voice, "is my little sister, Amaterasu."

Quon looked at me strangely but then hugged me in a bear hug. "It's a joy to meet more of my family!"

And this time I think he means it… my brain thought as the oxygen was squeezed out of my lungs. I gasped for air from his embrace. "Your family?" I didn't mention that my stomach was in flames right at that moment from the pressure of his log-like arms. But what was he talking about? "R-Ryuu, I c-can't breathe."

Quon released me and Ryuu laughed. "That's a long story." It made me smile and stick my head in his chest, snuggling there like a newborn cat-weasel to its mother.

When Uncle walked over to me and shook hands with him, Ryuu's eyes widened in horror. "What in Koh's name—?"

I put my hand over my brother's mouth before he could say anything stupid. "Something else that we need to talk about. And don't worry, we will. Just...not here."

oOo

Uncle and I sat inside our old apartment, an awkward silence in between us as we packed up our things. I didn't have many things that belonged to me but I was kind of used to that. I hated that I didn't have my mother's photo anymore. I wondered if I could find an artist in the upper ring who could draw her based on my descriptions...then again, I wasn't quite sure what she looked like anymore. That thought made me even sadder.

Iroh was never so quiet. I wanted to know what was on his mind. "Uncle, did I do something?" I felt like it was my fault, that by finding Ryuu I'd somehow damaged our relationship.

"No, Sunshine." His voice was pleasant, the kind he used to hide what he truely meant. He'd used it on my dad, once.

"There is something," I retorted, glaring at the back of his head. He wouldn't look at me. "Uncle..."

"I'm telling you, Emiko, that there is nothing on my mind but the teashop and our happiness in the Upper Ring."

I didn't believe him and I was about to tell him so but Zuko walked in and slammed the door behind him. His face was dark and furious, nothing like the loving man I'd come to know in the past few weeks. Nothing like the man who'd helped me find my Firebending and saved me from Jet.

Which gave Iroh the opportunity to change the subject. "So, I was thinking about names for my new tea shop," he told us, gaily folding up more clothes. "I'm taking them now if you want to throw them out there!"

I growled and shoved the last of my things into my luggage bag, angrily muttering about men and how none of them ever wanted to talk. I didn't care if I was being a nag. I wanted to talk to my family without being ignored!

"The Avatar's here in Ba Sing Se," Zuko told us, suddenly extending his arm...and in his hand was a small leaflet. "And he's lost his bison."

Gasping, I snatched the leaflet from his hands. Yup, it was definitely the Avatar's bison. There was information about the bison and where you could contact its owners. But the only thing that I could think of through my fog of panic was...how can Zuko do this to me? I forced myself to calm down and tried to make myself see his side of the story. "We have a chance for a new life here, Zuko," I mumbled as he walked to stare out the window. "We...we talked about this. I just want to stop."

"Well then, you do that. I will never stop, not until I have what's rightfully mine."

"You've made such progress, Zuko," I sighed, trying to reach for him. He pulled away. "Don't do this."

"Stop trying to make me into something I'm not, Emiko." I could see the fire and hate and agony in his eyes. "I don't want to settle down in the Earth Kingdom and raise a family and work my way up the social ladder. I want my nation and my throne!"

His words tore at my heart like he'd stabbed me. I felt sick to my stomach. I thought...I thought that maybe he wanted that. With me. How could I love that man? Didn't he know how much his words killed me? I left as Iroh reached for me. I left before Zuko could try to change his words to make me feel better, not that he would see the error of his ways until much later.

oOo

There was a period of time that I didn't know what to do. Missy was with her husband and Zuko and Uncle were I-didn't-care-where, so I was left alone to brood over Zuko's harsh words over and over and over again. I didn't have any friends, I realized. My whole life revolved around Iroh, Zuko, and work. If I counted work, all of my friends were either babies or my boss. Pathetic.

"Yes, Zuko," I growled quietly to myself, walking the streets at midnight. "You want your honor back. I get it. I've heard it enough to know that you don't want just your honor back. You'll walk over anyone to get you there. Even me. Even your uncle."

People who were in front of me moved over, their eyes weary from a day of working. I got a few smiles and waves from people I knew, but those people would be old memories soon. I'd be leaving them, just like I always left people who tried to befriend me. I scolded myself for forgetting all my friends. The Freedom Fighters, Jun, the Pirates—even though they tried to kill me—and so many other wonderful people that I couldn't thank because I'd never see them again.

I looked up and I was suddenly in the little plaza that Zuko had taken me. But I didn't care. My heart was being ripped to shreds inside my chest. I stared up at the sky, wondering exactly what the Spirits wanted from me. "Is this what you want?" I asked softly, wondering if they could hear me. I sure as Koh hoped so. "Do you want me to be miserable? First, you take my mother away from me. And then you take away my friends. Every single one of them. After that, my Firebending. And now you take the man I think I love? You turn him into a crazed Avatar hunter? Well, I hope you know, I will get my Firebending back, and I will become the greatest Sun Spirit there has ever been. You won't break me! Do you hear me? You won't break me!"

I turned around, punching the brick wall next to me, wishing that I could somehow speak to Zuko's heart, not his driven mind. I'd thought that things had been going well, but I guess that I was wrong. I've always been wrong...

Suddenly, I was pulled from my thoughts by running into a brick wall. When my butt hit the floor, I looked up to see a short black-headed girl looking over me. For a moment I was peeved. I was hormonal, angry, and bitter at the world. But then I really looked at her and my heart jumped. The one thing that really made me notice her in the dark were her bright green eyes and the fancy clothing she wore even in the lower ring. She was shorter than I was but thin. Her long black hair was pulled to her head elegantly.

"Can't you watch where you're going?" a deep voice boomed from behind her. All I saw was a large shadow.

The girl sighed and reached a hand down. "Sorry. I was distracted. Leave her alone, Sneers."

As she pulled me up with more force than necessary, I saw the man. He was a hulking figure in the dark, his broad shoulders tattooed. He had his hair up in a topknot, his chest bare. His scowling face was the first thing to show through the shadows. His apparel was strange, because he was wearing the bottom armor of most Earth Kingdom soldiers. He wore no shirt except a bandage around his waist. "Sneers?" I asked incredulously before I realized that he was a Freedom Fighter! An old friend! "Sneers!" I laughed, launching myself from the ground and into his arms.

Before I actually got there, he held out his arm and caught my head in a massive hand. He held me at arm's length as he looked me over, confusion written on his usually sarcastic face. "Who are you?"

I couldn't breathe with his large hand over my face. I had to use both hands to pull it off of my head. "I can't believe you don't remember me!" I cried, throwing down his hand.

Sneers raised an eyebrow in confusion. "There are a billion people in the Earth Kingdom. Sorry if I forgot ya, doll."

Okay, so he really didn't remember me. Oh well. "I can't believe it. You'd forget your own training partner?" He looked confused, his face scrunched up in his infamous sneer. The next thing I knew, I was being tackled from behind into a giant bear hug. I looked at the girl and instantly realized that she was…was… "…Pebble…?"

"Red!" she cried into my back. "Oh Red I thought you were a goner!" I turned around and pulled the fourteen-year-old into a real hug, against my chest in a mother-like way. I felt tears streaming down my face and I couldn't get them to stop. But that was understandable. My best friend was in my arms, when I'd thought that she was dead, but she wasn't. My friend...Pebble, oh, Spirits, where have you been all this time? Are you alright? Did you suffer much?

I heard a sigh from beside us and Sneers was looking down with a glance of sadness. I knew that he had never liked me but then I saw it in his eyes. I didn't care at the moment, though. I only cared that I had Pebble, that she was real, and that I was holding her. "I'm so sorry, Pebble," I mumbled into her hair. It still smelled the same. And even though she was older, she had never gotten much taller. She was still shorter than me at my five foot two-ness and here she was, still the same height as before! It made me smile to see her not changing, but I wondered why she was in such an outfit. A fashionable glove covered her arm, and I touched it gingerly with my fingertips. "So, so sorry…"

She pulled away and smiled at me, wiping a tear from her eyes. "Red, it wasn't your fault. You should know that by now."

I still couldn't forgive myself. I remembered what my father had said to me the day I'd run from the harbor. "It's a shame what happened to your friend..." "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been burned. You were my best friend while we were up there, and then…then I wound up getting you hurt."

She practically growled at me. I knew a lecture was coming but I knew I deserved it. Punching me in the arm, she yelled, "Damn it, Red, I swear that I'm fine!"

When she said that, I couldn't control my temper. I grabbed her fancy glove and pulled it off to reveal a scar that was still red, not having turned pink, that stretched up to her elbow. "How is that fine?" I raged, feeling sick to my stomach at the unhealed flesh. I knew so many people who'd been hurt by fire, but what my spirit was supposed to give as a gift. How is that a gift? All it does is hurt and destroy!

Pebble pulled me into a hug, quieting my cries. I cried for her, for Zuko, for Song. I cried for every friend I'd left and eventually forgotten in my attempt to flee from the Fire Nation. "Get it all out, Red."

"Oh, Agni, Pebble. My life is so fucked up."

Sneers cleared his throat behind us and looked rather awkward standing in the dark alley. "Look, I hate to break up this reunion—"

"No you don't," I scoffed.

He glared. "Seriously, we need to find another place for this. Any Dai Li come along, we'll be in trouble."

"Who now?" I'd seen Sneers in complete Freedom Fighter mode before but it was strange to see him all grown up and leading what I assumed was his own mission. "And wait, hold on. You're obviously here with the double F, but Jet is..."

"Where?" Pebble asked excitedly, grasping my hands. I hadn't seen her in so long that I'd forgotten she'd grown up. There was still a childish light in her eyes that made my chest tighten. "Where is he? We're looking for him!"

"I..." I debated on lying. I didn't want them knowing what I was and blaming me for it like Jet had. But they'd come such a far way to find their leader, I couldn't keep the truth from them. "He was arrested."

"What?!" they both shouted.

I sighed and motioned for them to follow me back into the open pavilion. It was still beautiful but it made me sad to see that the lanterns weren't lit. "He attacked me and my husband." The lie flew easily from my tongue.

"Hold onto that husband thing for another time," Pebble said testily, clenching her fists by her sides, "and tell me why in Koh's name that Jet would attack you."

"Hold onto your knickers," I monotoned. I glanced around the area to see that no one was around before breathing deeply and lighting all of them in a few pointed movements. I didn't want to turn around to see their reactions. "He figured out that I was a Firebender. He thought that my family were Firebenders too. Agni, I've never seen him so furious and blood-thirsty. It hurt that he reacted that way. Towards me."

"He always had a soft spot for you," Sneers sneered, sounding very angry to my ears. "So you lied?"

"I just omitted. There's a difference." The stars and lights glinted beautifully off the fountain. "I understand if you want to leave. Never see me again."

"Shit, Red." Pebble was suddenly in front of me, a finger boop-ing my nose. "You were obviously Fire Nation and a bender. The energy radiating off of you is hilarious. The non-benders might not have noticed but I sure as hell did."

I brought my chin up and stared open-mouthed at the girl. "What the Koh, Pebble? You knew the whole time?"

"I was never against the Fire Nation," Pebble said seriously, more grown up-looking than I'd ever seen her before. "I was just against the rich taking from the poor. I wanted to help those in need, not step on their fingers. Jet had a personal vendetta against the Fire Nation and would do anything in his power to stop them. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him from trying to hurt you, though."

The entire situation was funny to me for some reason. I wasn't sure if it was the exhaustion or the emotional turmoil but I just laughed until tears were running down my face. Pebble tried to comfort me but I shooed her. Sneers just sneered. I understood where that name came from. "No, it's just...damn, this entire time I was so worried about you and didn't even know if you were alive. I didn't even think to send an Agni-damned bird your way. I'm a shitty friend, Peb, don't ever forget that."

"You had your own problems to deal with. I assume that's why you're here?"

The entire story would have been too long to tell. "Well, the initial problem ceased to exist. But that avalanched into its own set of even worse problems. So yeah, my family and I are camping out here. You have a place to stay? We don't have much but you guys could sleep on our futon."

Pebble smiled. "Red, always trying to take care of me. We've got a place. Since Jet's gone, maybe we'll just hang low. There's a lot of corruption here and I think that some Freedom Fighters could help the people."

"Maybe find Longshot and Smellerbee," I offered. "They're still in the city somewhere."

Her face lit up. Sneers stopped making that face, too, showing that he was pleased. "No way! We'll look for them first thing in the morning."

"Well I should be getting home then. I stormed off after an argument with my husband. I'm sure he's worried sick." The two walked me home and I let myself in to a barren house. No one was there. Our belongings were mostly packed up. I wrapped a blanket around myself and sat on the futon, waiting for either Iroh or Zuko to appear. There was a hole where my stomach was supposed to be, filled with nothing but worry.

oOo

When Zuko came through the door, I was instantly awake and on my feet. I'd already been out late when I'd met Pebble and Sneers so it never occurred to me that he would be out until the crack of dawn. The two stumbled in like drunks.

I crossed my arms over my chest and gave them both harsh looks, and Iroh gave me a look back that said, 'Uh oh, I'm gonna get it.'

Yeah he was gonna get it.

"Where—have—you—been?" I asked through clenched teeth, trying to keep my anger under control. "I've been worried sick! I came home, the house was unlocked and all of our things were packed. I didn't know if you'd just left me here for the upper ring or—"

I paused and watched as the ninja-clad Zuko stumbled across the room to the cot. "I don't feel right…"

"What do you mean you don't—" I was interrupted by Zuko who, collapsing unconscious to the floor, breaking the vase that Uncle had bought the first day we got there. But I wasn't worried about the vase. I rushed to the Prince's side. "Zuko?"