AN: Yes, things are going to get crazy. I know some of you wanted to see a nice peaceful adventure…but that's just not happening. Perhaps in another one of my stories? Or I'll make an alternate universe involving the BAOC kids?
Blind Are Our Children
JIE RUBBED HER aching feet. Who would have known that seven months of walking could make one so tired? But she didn't complain, it was kind of her fault the entire thing started anyway. If she had never suggested that they sneak away to visit Zara, the idea of traveling around the world to find Aang would have probably never occurred to anyone.
Or, at least, not as soon as it did. But Jie didn't regret the past ten months of her life. Traveling with her brother, cousins, and best friend was by far one of the most interesting things she'd ever done.
She leaned against her brother, sighing in relief at the comfort his strong shoulder offered. He tugged playfully on her long braid, then patted her head. "Tired?" he inquired gently.
She smiled, nuzzling deeper into Lian's embrace. "Nope." She grinned at her blatant lie.
And he chuckled. "Sure." His attention went from her to the waitress, who brought over plates upon plates of food that they had ordered. This small restaurant in this small town had appeared to offer delicious foods, thus they had stopped to sample it.
Kai rubbed his hands together eagerly ad began to dig in. Lian found himself copying his younger cousin, vacuuming the food down instantly.
Zara and Jie shared glances and laughed. Boys were just incorrigible! Kato blushed in embarrassment and sunk further into his seat. "Could you guys act…human?" he asked exasperatedly.
"No!" Lian and Kai cheerfully replied, continuing their gobbling of food.
Kato sweatdropped and turned to Jie and Zara. "I don't know them, really." He joked.
Zara grinned, patting Kato's head comfortingly. "It's alright, we don't either." Kato smiled at this, and proceeded to eat politely.
"Katara!" a voice suddenly called. Kai and Kato raised their heads, illogically expecting to see their mother somewhere nearby, but instead a strange man rushed to their side, touching Jie's arm.
Jie choked and looked into the man's green eyes. They were filled with excitement and familiarity. "Excuse me?" she managed to croak.
The man's face fell in disappointment. "I'm sorry…I thought you were an old friend of mine." He said apologetically.
Before Jie could open her mouth to reply Kai was standing, facing the stranger. "How do you know my mother?" he demanded coolly.
The man blinked. "You're Katara's son?" he inquired, his eyes wide.
Kai scowled at the strange man. "Yes, I am Prince Kai of the Northern Water Tribe, son to Chief Katara and Lord Kuval." He replied arrogantly. He gestured to his brother. "And this is my younger brother, Prince Kato."
Kato watched this man cautiously, nodding his head in a brief greeting.
The man laughed and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry for startling you, young lady. I am Haru, an old friend of Katara's. You just looked so much like her-"
"That's because she's my cousin." Kai said, stepping protectively in front of Jie. She merely rested her hands on her cousin's shoulders, trusting him to protect her.
Haru blinked. "Sokka actually got married?!" he asked incredulously.
Lian scowled, standing as well. "Hey, that's my dad you're talking about!" he exclaimed.
Haru studied Lian intently. "You do look like him…" he observed. His eyes fell upon Zara, his eyes widening. "You're…related to the Fire Nation royal family, aren't you?"
A collective gasp ran throughout the teens, and Zara felt faint suddenly. "W-what?" she voiced weakly.
Haru cocked his head at her. "Well, aren't you?"
Lian arched a brow. "We don't know what you're talking about, sir." He answered for Zara, sensing her confusion.
Zara, after moments of her heart beating frantically in her chest, finally spoke. "I am Zara Bei Fong." She said slowly.
Haru blinked. "You're Toph's daughter? But you resemble Azula so closely…" This entire situation was both exciting and confusing. To think that his friends had all married off and started families, just as he…
Kai frowned, becoming impatient with this entire charade. "Listen, we don't know who Azula is, but Zara is the daughter of Toph and Zuko. She also has a little brother named Razo. Now if you're going to get crazy here, I'm going to Waterbend you're a-"
Jie frowned and kicked Kai in the shin. "He's not crazy Kai, shut up. He knows things about our parents that even we don't know." She saw it in his eyes that he was harmless and in fact could aid them.
Zara looked at this man in wonderment. The hint of knowledge he possessed made her want to ask him everything, and get answers to questions she'd had for as long as she could remember. "Sir…please, who is it you said I looked like?"
Haru felt sympathy for this young girl; he could sense her desperate confusion. "Please, let me take care of your bill. Come to my home. You can meet my wife, Song, and my kids. They're about your age." He offered.
Lian scowled, cautious of this man. Exactly how did he know their parents? He wasn't certain if following this man to his home would be a good idea. He exchanged a glance with Kai, and decided to risk it. They were all skilled warriors; surely they could handle one crazy man. "Thank you. Yes, we'd be happy to join you." He finally answered.
Haru happily paid for their bill and led them to his cozy home. The walk was brief, and throughout it other villagers called out to Haru in greeting. Nothing much was said between the Avatar teens, except for questioning glances. They followed Haru into his home, cautious and alert.
"Song, I'm home!" Haru called.
His wife, a pretty woman, rushed to greet him. "Oh, Haru, Daichi Earthbended the neighbor's-" she silenced herself, her eyes widening with recognition as they fell upon the five guests in her home. "Oh, spirits…" she murmured, her hands rising to cover her mouth.
Haru nodded understandingly. "I know." He replied to her unspoken realizations.
Kai scowled. "Can you please just explain what's going-" he was interrupted by a teen boy about his age rushing into the room. The boy had green eyes and the same long brown hair as Haru.
"Dad, I didn't mean it, re-"
Haru raised a hand to silence his son who resembled him so. "Daichi, not now." He commanded softly.
Daichi arched a brow at his father's strange behavior and looked towards the guests. "Hey." He greeted them with a lazy grin.
Jie blushed, much to Lian's dismay.
"Hi." He replied to the boy, unconsciously standing in front of his younger sister.
"These are our guests. I'd appreciate if you stayed out for a while." Haru told his son.
"But Dad-" Daichi began to protest.
"Daichi, go find your sister and keep yourselves busy." Haru said sternly.
Daichi spared one last glance at these unexpected and unknown guests, but obeyed his father's order.
Haru smiled weakly. "Sorry about that, my son's rather…" he searched for a word to describe his carefree progeny.
"It's alright. Just, please, tell us all you know." Zara interrupted, taking a seat in the rather welcoming sitting room. Haru's questioning of her heritage had set off a time bomb of questions for her. She didn't want to waste anymore time getting the answers.
Haru signaled for his wife to go make tea and he sat down with the concerned youths. "Well, first and foremost, you're the daughter of Toph and Zuko?" he reiterated.
Everyone nodded slightly.
Haru sighed softly, raking a hand through his long hair. "I'm not sure if I should be the one to tell you all of these things…" he hesitated.
Zara shook her head. "You've already started. Now finish, please." She spoke firmly.
Haru studied this young girl and sighed deeply. "Very well…your father, Zuko, is the exiled Prince of the fire Nation."
Zara went pale, and Lian pressed his hand into hers for support. "My father…?"
Kato began to laugh. "Hey, I was right!"
Jie blinked. "Kato, what are you talking about?" she demanded.
Kato grinned. "Remember when we were speculating on our parent's pasts? I said maybe Zara's dad was a banished Prince…"
Jie frowned. "Not funny Kato."
He blushed. "Sorry."
Zara looked into Haru's green eyes. "My father is an exiled Prince? Why?" She felt as though her head was going to explode. Her father was the Prince of the Fire Nation, the last one too, since the Fire Nation had become an unsuccessful democracy…
Haru bit his lip as Song arrived. He remained silent, waiting for his wife to serve them all tea. She sat demurely beside her husband and merely listened. "We were all born during the Fire War, and Zuko was attending a war meeting…" he quickly and concisely told Zara the story of Zuko's banishment.
Zara's eyes widened with tears. "That's why he never speaks of his scar…" she murmured. She felt her heart bleed for her loving father. For him to endure such abuse from his own father…she couldn't imagine how any father could be so cruel to his own son.
Kai suddenly felt horrible for ever making fun of Zara's father's scar. "So…why would his own father banish him?"
Haru bowed his head slightly. "Zuko's father was born of a long line of conquerors. They felt little sympathy for pain, suffering, or anything remotely resembling love, affection, or anything of the sort." He explained.
"And who is Azula?" Zara asked.
"She is Zuko's younger sister. You resemble her quite a bit. She escaped towards the end of the war, and we haven't seen hide nor hair of her since." Haru said.
"Did…" Zara wasn't even sure if she wanted to know.
"She is an evil woman with ambition and power in spades." Haru informed the young princess.
"So…why didn't Zuko take the throne?" Lian questioned.
"Once the war ended, people were nervous about another Fire Nation monarchy. So they abolished it, and set up a democracy instead. However, it hasn't been working well lately, and the people of the Fire Nation are suffering because of it."
Kai snorted. "They deserve it." The entire war had been their fault, after all.
Zara scowled. "Kai, they're my people." Sometimes he could be just so…caustic.
"And you're a half-breed." Kai retorted. He didn't want Zara favoring an evil Nation simply because she was one of them. Well, half.
Lian couldn't even hold Zara back as she punched Kai straight in the nose with a flaming fist. "I am the daughter of a noble line of Earthbenders and also an exiled Prince! I am just as royal as you!" she cried indignantly.
Kai yelped in pain, clutching his nose. He couldn't even retaliate since Kato grasped his wrists. "Stop it, both of you."
Lian bit his lip, pulling Zara back to his side. "C'mon Zara, you're really going to hurt him someday…" he half heartedly scolded.
Zara scoffed. "He deserved it. I'm the daughter of a Noble Earthbending family and the royal family of the Fire Nation too. I'm no peasant half breed." She shrugged off Lian's touch.
Jie sighed exasperatedly.
Haru could only blink at their antics. He wasn't quite sure how to handle the squabbling teenagers. "So…"
Kai, clutching his bloody and burnt nose, glared daggers at Zara. "Kato, heal me!" he demanded.
Kato sighed and pulled water out of his pouch, pressing his healing fingers to Kai's rather abused face. "Fine, but be nice."
Jie turned her eyes back to Haru. "So…how do you know Aunt Katara?"
Haru smiled tenderly, grasping Song's hand. "She helped to save my village from Fire Nation soldiers who had taken it over. She brought my father back to me, and in return, I fought alongside her and the others in the war." He shared a smile with Song. "That's how I met my wife. She was a healer for our army."
Song smiled. "I actually met your father long before he joined the side of good, Zara. He stole an ostrich-horse from my family while he was in exile." She stifled a laugh.
Zara's eyes widened.
Song smiled. "Your father was a good man. I'm sorry we've lost touch since the war ended."
"So…Zara's dad was the Prince of the Fire Nation and all of our parents saved the world by backing up Avatar Aang?" Jie asked.
Haru smiled sheepishly. "It's really quite a long story, but that's the gist of it."
"Why's the Avatar missing then?" Lian prompted.
Haru blinked. "What do you mean missing?" he arched a brow.
Kai scowled, newly restored. "He's been missing for the past eight years almost. We haven't seen him at all."
Haru blinked. "He lives in the next village over." He said blankly.
They all did a double take. "What?!"
Haru rubbed his head, perplexed. "He lives in the next village over."
Lian blinked. "He used to be good friends with our parents, but as time passed he made himself more and more scarce…until we didn't see him at all…" he tried to explain.
Zara and Jie shared glances. "Is he…" Jie began tentatively.
"Is he what?" Song inquired.
"Married?" Zara finished for Jie.
Song smiled secretively. Haru glanced at his wife. "How about you guys go see for yourselves?" he suggested.
Kai jumped up. "Okay guys, let's go see Uncle Aang!" he announced.
Kato grabbed his brother's wrist, yanking him back down to a sitting position. "Hold on, there's still so much more that Haru has to tell us."
Zara nodded in agreement. "Kato's right."
"Well, we do need to find Aang…that was the whole reason for this journey." Lian argued.
"My son and daughter can guide you to the village tomorrow, if you'd like." Haru suggested.
"Thank would be great, thank you." Jie nodded.
"So…can you…" Zara reluctantly addressed Haru.
Haru smiled knowingly. "Of course, I'll tell you all I know. And answer all of your questions."
Zara smiled, squeezing Lian's hand excitedly.
Kai grumbled but quickly fell silent as the tales of his mother and her friends were told.