A/N: I want to thank Cb3bx, doctor anthony, Rohain Tahquil, nephertiri, Larissa, a513y 101, J for their reviews. They've been awesome, and I hope this chapter inspires you to write MORE awesome reviews. By the way, I did a tally, and noticed that the previous chapter got the highest reviews per chapter! Wohoo!!! Story is growing popularity!!! (at least I hope it is) Anyway, here's chapter 13
Chapter 13 – Windows To the Past
Aang was hit with a sense of déjà vu as he landed Appa on Kyoshi Island, a small crowd could already be seen approaching them, this time, instead of standing up to greet them, Aang held on to Appa's reins ready to pull out if the crowd got too raucous. Fortunately, Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors were on the move, running towards the large white bison at a pace that outmatched the civilians. By the time the gang had descended from the bison, the warriors had already surrounded them with Suki at the lead. Aang glanced around at the eager crowd before turning to Suki.
"Thanks for reacting so quickly, Suki" he said.
A sly smile crossed her lips.
"You need to give us a warning before you drop in" she said.
"We'd use Momo, but he's easily distracted"
"SUKI!"
Suki's face split into a huge grin as she saw who it was.
"KATARA!"
Aang gasped in pain as he was literally elbowed out of the way by Katara, who ran and embraced the Warrior. Aang dusted himself off, muttering darkly as he did so. The talk he had with Katara was fresh in his mind, just thinking about it made him grouchy.
Stupid Zuko he cursed.
"Jeez, what's with you? I can feel storm clouds gathering over your head, and I can't even see clouds"
Aang sighed and rubbed his temple. "Not now, Toph" he said. "I have a lot on my mind"
"If it's the conversation you and Katara had the other day, I can see why"
Aang yelped in surprise as he turned around.
"You were listening?" he said, half raising his voice.
Toph grinned in a mischievous manner that was both roughish and charming, there was a time when Aang actually found the grin rather cute but he was just too irritated with her at the moment, to care.
"Hell yeah! You obviously don't know me if you think I'm gonna miss out on a scandalous conversation like that!"
Aang was so speechless that he could only stare.
"There wasn't anything scandalous about that conversation!" he said, loudly.
"Maybe not" said Toph. "But it had scandal written all over it"
Aang raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
Toph raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know, do you?" she said.
Aang shook her head.
Toph sighed. "It's really not a surprise" she said, more to herself than Aang. "You were too busy running around the palace while they were going at it"
Aang narrowed his eyes. "What are you-"
"Aang"
The Avatar turned around to see Suki looking at him, her cheerful demeanour had somewhat diminished.
"The others are going to have some lunch. You want to join us?"
Aang sighed and rubbed his temple, yes he would like to have some lunch, but he needed to get something of his chest.
"Leave some food ready for me, Suki" he said. "But I need to go to Kyoshi's shrine for a few minutes" Suki nodded. "Sounds good" Without saying a word to anyone else, Aang unfurled his air glider and took off in the direction of Avatar Kyoshi's shrine, ignoring the woeful looks of a certain waterbender.
The sounds of steel being sharpened grated on his ears as it echoed across the cave. Zuko grimaced as Sui smirked, deliberately drawing the sharpening stone across the surface of her broadsword in long, slow strokes to torture her prisoner, the prince resisted the urge to grimace, knowing that his captor got some sort of twisted enjoyment from torturing him this way. Zuko also knew that beneath the torturing was a subtle message, it was the woman's way telling him that they were preparing to attack his regiment. Zuko needed a distraction, or rather; he needed to distract her from sharpening her sword.
"What I don't understand" he said. "Is what you said to me the other day"
His words did the trick; Sui stopped what she was doing and glared at him with the same ferocity as a jaguar-bear.
"What" she snapped.
"According to you, The Tien'Ti hate me because what I did to them" said Zuko. "But what have I done wrong? As far as I know, the only unpopular thing I did was end the Hundred Year War"
"I told you" interrupted Sui. "The Tien'Ti has no interest in the Hundred Year War"
"Then why do this?" said Zuko, his voice growing louder. "Why attack the people of Sozin? Why destroy their homes and terrorize them? And why you are so intent on destroying me and my regiment?"
Sui sighed, as if Zuko was nothing more than an infant throwing a tantrum.
"I have no reason to tell you the history between the Tien'Ti and your ancestors" she said.
History? thought Zuko.
"Yes" said Sui. "All I can say is that I have no sympathy for those who serve you and your fat uncle"
Zuko ignored the jest at his uncle as he glared at the woman.
"There's no need to make people suffer" he hissed. "You've got me, I'm your prisoner, let it be the end of that"
Sui raised an eyebrow. "Catching you is only half of it" she said.
Zuko waited for her to continue but was only greeted with silence. The prince gritted his teeth, this woman was dressed in ordinary brown clothes, and she could have easily blended in with the ragtag crowd of Sozin.
"How can you do this?" he hissed. "How can you just standby and watch people suffer?"
Sui glared at the prince with eyes that glowered in the darkness.
"Because I too have suffered," she said. "Suffered because of your insane father!"
The prince was stunned out of all the possible reasons this woman could hate him, Zuko had never considered the possibility that a grudge against his father could be the reason. For a moment, Zuko was shocked but the shock quickly gave way to a mellow feeling that one would akin to understanding, Zuko had experienced firsthand how cruel his father could be, it came as no surprise that Ozai was cruel to others. The prince chose to say nothing for he was at a loss of words. Zuko was promptly startled when she spoke again.
"My father was a captain in the navy" said Sui. "He was a good man who rose to the rank because of his sense of propriety and honour"
Zuko couldn't help but listen in surprise, Sui had transformed into a completely different person, gone was the fierce captor he had known all this time, instead, a more gentle, softer woman had replaced the angry warrior, her voice laced with affection as she spoke.
"His subordinates thought highly of him because he was good to all those who served him, but the admirals and commanders… well that was a different story"
"How so?" asked Zuko, he was now interested in this story.
"They didn't like him because he was a good person" she said. "Apparently, he lacked what it took to be a man of the navy. So one day, Ozai decided to test him"
Zuko felt a chill sliver through his spine, his father loved to devise tests laced with cruelty.
"One day, my father was brought before Ozai" continued Sui, her eyes glassy with memory. "And was issued a challenge. Kill his commander and he will get the position"
Zuko resisted the urge to sigh, he could already tell what had happened.
"My father refused to do that, because it was a commander he served under and respected. Ozai declared that he didn't have what it took to serve under him and had him executed"
Sui's fists curled in anger as she recalled that horrifying day.
"He didn't have a chance to defend himself, he couldn't even protest, the Imperial Firebenders struck him down without mercy, and that wasn't the worst of it"
She paused and Zuko waited, though he dreaded what she would say.
"Ozai ordered our house to be raided, everything was burnt to the ground while me and my mother were thrown to the streets"
Sui closed her eyes; Zuko could see tears seeping through the tightly shut eyelids.
"In one day I lost everything my father, my pride, my house… me and my mother had to struggle for so long"
Sui opened her tear stricken eyes and glared at the prince.
"I will never forget how much me and my mother suffered" she hissed. "And I will never forgive you and your accursed family"
With those harsh words, Sui got to her feet and left the dungeon, leaving the prince alone with his thoughts.
Whenever Katara thought about returning to Kyoshi Island she would always picture a trip filled with fun fare and laughter and perhaps, trying to avoid Sokka and Suki whenever possible. What she did not expect was a moody and depressed Sokka, a visibly hurt Suki, an unusually silent Toph and Aang who kept himself shut in Avatar Kyoshi's shrine. Katara could not understand what had happened to cause everyone's change in behaviour, most of all Aang's. Ever since their brief discussion that night, the two of them had hardly spoken because the Avatar had been uncharacteristically silent and distant. Katara never thought that she would miss the Aang who would follow her around like a lost puppy, but at the moment she preferred lost puppy Aang to this moody manifestation currently locked up in the Shrine.
"In any case" murmured Katara, as she approached the cluster of trees where Appa was. "We won't be staying here for long"
Katara only hoped that whatever was going on in the Fire Nation would be enough to snap the gang out of their unusual state. They would be spending the night on the island to give Appa time to rest. It would take them just five days to reach the Fire Nation if Appa flew without stopping, Katara didn't like the idea of forcing Appa to fly over such a long period of time without a break but unless they could find some small islands where he could rest they had no choice.
Which was why Katara was carrying a large sack of hay for her large, furry friend.
The waterbender let out a frustrated grunt as the sack slipped from her fingers for the umpteenth time as she clambered up hill to reach her destination.
"Hey there, Sugar Queen"
Toph was lying on the ground with her arms around her head, one leg propped on her knee while the other was crossed over in a relaxed posture, she was chewing on a grass stalk effecting the way she enunciated her words. Two years ago, Katara would have reprimanded Toph for not being more helpful, but she had come to realize that Toph would be Toph and no one could change that.
"Wanna lie down? You could use a break. I could hear you grunting and swearing down there"
Katara huffed as she dropped the sack and went to join Toph.
"I was not grunting and swearing" she said, as she sat down next to Toph.
"What are you carrying? Sounds pretty heavy"
"Hay, for Appa"
Toph opened one pale eye. "You're kidding me right? You were grunting and swearing all the way up the hill… over a pile of hay?"
"You clearly haven't carried a huge pile clumped together" snapped Katara. "Besides the sack was not made for carrying, it kept slipping through my fingers"
"Why don't you just get Aang to give it to Appa? He can certainly airbend that huge pile uphill"
Katara did not want to talk about Aang at the moment, so she changed the topic.
"What are you doing lying down here?"
Toph gave a knowing smile, as if she knew what Katara was trying to do.
"Communing with nature," she said. "Since we'll be up in the air for a while, I thought I might spend these few hours communicating with the earth" Katara smiled to herself.
"The way you talk about earth" murmured Katara. "You might as well just go ahead and admit that you're in love"
Toph shook her head. "Sweetness, we all know that snide remarks aren't your forte, leave the sarcastic comments to me and speaking of love"
She continued. "Looking forward to seeing your old boyfriend again?"
For a moment, Katara was not aware of the question and responded on impulse.
"Of course I'm looking forward to seeing-"
She trailed off uncomfortably as the full implication of the question just hit her.
"Looking forward to seeing who?" said Toph, in a deceivingly innocent manner.
"I don't know who you're talking about" said Katara, hastily. "I don't have an ex-boyfriend, unless you're implying that me and Aang have broken up which we haven't"
"Sweetness, cut the crap I know you and Zuko used to get down and dirty after the war ended"
Katara froze, unable to believe what she had just heard.
"Hmm" said Toph, placing a hand on the ground, "I can feel your heartbeat increasing, so it is true"
"How-how did you know?"
"Puhllease!, I could feel your vibrations all over the palace, I was surprised that you guys didn't bring the place down"
Katara paused as she contemplated her words, trying her best to process the fact that her relationship with Zuko was not as a clandestine as she once thought it was.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised" she murmured after a while.
"Damn right you shouldn't be" said Toph. "It would be an insult to my prodigious skills"
Katara suddenly burst into a fit of giggles.
"What?" said Toph, surprised by this change in attitude.
"I never thought that you would use such big words, Toph" she teased.
"Big words for you" bit back Toph. "Anyway, you've got to give me the dirt"
Katara turned to her with a frown on her face.
"What dirt?"
"The dirt on you and Zuko" said Toph. "One minute you're shagging Mr. Hotpants the next you're with airhead. What happened?"
"I was not shagging anyone, and his name is Zuko not Mr. Hotpants" hissed Katara, angrily. "And it's well… complicated"
"Spill, we've got all the time in the world" said Toph. "And I see that you didn't defend Aang when I called him an airhead…interesting"
"Aang is not an airhead" said Katara, recalling the last few words he had said. "And besides, whatever was between me and Zuko is over"
"Why? Did he dump you?"
"Yes, I mean no, I mean"
Katara sighed and fell back on to the ground.
"It's messed up"
"You don't say" said Toph. "Go back to the beginning, to the very start"
Katara sighed as she allowed her mind to drift down memory lane.
"It was during Sozin's Comet, you went with Sokka and Suki to stop the air fleet while me and Zuko went to the Imperial City to make sure that Azula didn't take the crown in their father's absence. We arrived in the nick of time, Azula was just seconds away from being crowned the new Fire Lord. Zuko and I challenged her, she knew she couldn't take us both so she challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai"
"What difference does that make?" said Toph.
"It means the fight was to be a one-on-one duel" explained Katara. "In other words, Zuko would have to fight Azula alone"
"And he accepted the challenge?" said Toph, surprised. "No wonder he got toasted"
"It wasn't like that" said Katara, little angry. "Azula issued a challenge because she knew she couldn't beat both of us, but Zuko accepted the challenge because he knew could beat her"
"How so?"
"Apparently, she was losing her mind, I didn't see any difference but Zuko said that she was 'slipping' when the fight began, I didn't know what to feel"
"What do you mean?"
"I was feeling so many different things at the same time. I was itching to help Zuko but I was also glad to be in the sidelines because all that fire was so intimidating, I thought he was incredibly stupid to be fighting such a powerful bender alone, the fate of the world was in his hands just as much as it was in Aang's but I was also happy to see him fighting on equal footing with that witch"
"Wow" said Toph. "Sounds like the climax of an epic tale of sibling hatred, all we needed was Zuko's uncle to strike up a few tunes on sunghi horn and everything would have been perfect"
"Anyway" said Katara. "Zuko was clearly at an advantage, and that was when Azula decided to resort to her lightening, that was when things went wrong"
"Why?" said Toph. "I thought Hotpants could redirect lightening"
"Well, he could, but I couldn't"
Toph's eyes snapped open as the implication of Katara's words dawned on her.
"No way..." she whispered.
"Yes, she threw the lightening at me, Zuko came in the way to protect me but he wasn't quick enough to redirect the lightening and it hit him in the chest, and…."
Katara's voice faded as she contemplated the past, Toph opened an eye as the silence grew.
"And?"
"Have you ever been in a situation where you realize how you truly feel about someone, only after they are in a life and death situation?"
Toph gave a nonchalant shrug.
"When I saw Zuko on the ground dying because of what he had done… it was like my heart was being wrenched out of my chest, nobody had ever made such a huge sacrifice for me, it shook me to my core and moved me to my soul I could have cried if Azula weren't there"
Toph remained silent, it was a mark of just how fascinated by Katara's words.
"But I was also angry at him, mad because he shouldn't have done that, furious because I'm not worth the life of anyone especially Zuko's, when I came to him he was barely breathing, had I been even a second late he would have died, and that just made me even more angry cause I could have lost him… it was at that moment did I realize how I truly felt about him"
"I'll say" whispered Toph. "It's not every day somebody sacrifices themselves so that you could be safe"
"We kissed under the comet and it was well… magical, there's no other word to describe it. Nothing on earth could have prepared me for what I felt when he kissed me, he had just recovered from death, we had just defeated the craziest witch of the century and we were drunk on adrenaline all these things just made our kiss more intense"
"Yeah, I'll bet" said Toph.
"We spent the months that followed with each other. It was before Zuko renounced the throne and he had a lot of work to do but whatever free time he had we spent it together. Sometimes we would just go the crater of the dead volcano and stare down at the Imperial City, it felt so good staying in his warm embrace, we didn't talk much but we didn't have to, it was like we were communicating without speaking, other times we would do something fun like go ice surfing or he would show me firebending moves or I would show him some waterbending moves or we would just laugh run around like a bunch of kids"
Katara sighed and looked up at the sky with a downcast expression.
"It was just one of those moments where he wasn't the Firelord to lead his country into a new era, and I wasn't the waterbender who helped the Avatar bring world peace. We were just too ordinary teenagers having a good time in each other's company" Katara sighed wistfully, "I was so happy"
"So why'd you guys break up?"
"Things were hard on Zuko, he needed to consolidate his position because the nobles were hesitant in supporting a sixteen-year-old who had ended a hundred year tradition and spending time with a Water Tribe girl wasn't the way to do it, he told me about a conversation that he once had with his advisors, who floated the idea of a marrying one of their daughters to consolidate his bond"
"Mai…" whispered Toph.
"Well I guess she would have been the logical choice. Zuko kept telling me how difficult it was at meetings and stuff, he felt like he was fighting a one man battle, I told him to call Uncle Iroh to help him out"
"So that's why he renounced the throne!" cried Toph. "I always wondered why he did that, now I know it's because of you"
"I didn't tell him to give the throne to Uncle Iroh" said Katara, defensively. "I just said get someone who he knows he can trust and who was experienced when it came to dealing with politics"
"Yeah, but you planted the idea in his head" smirked Toph. "He's making huge, country-changing decisions because of you. Looks like you were more than Mr. Hotpant's side dish"
Katara simply ignored the comment; she was not in a mood to rise to Toph's bait.
"Zuko started dropping all these hints that he wanted to end it, he kept telling me how difficult it was for him, he said that he may not have time to meet me and in any case, seeing me too frequently wouldn't help him stabilise his position, so the day we went to visit Iroh in Ba Sing Se, you remember that day?"
"Yeah, two years ago, it was just before we split up"
"On that day I took him aside and told him that it simply wasn't working and that we're too different to ever make this work into something worthwhile"
"So that's it?"
"That's it"
"What did he say?"
"Nothing, he just nodded and walked away without saying a word" Katara paused. "That angered me more than it should have, because he should have said something, it was as if really didn't care or it was something he was expecting to happen, like he wasn't surprised that we broke up. That just confirmed the notion in my mind that he wanted to break up but didn't have the courage to say anything"
"How do you know that he really wanted to break up?"
Katara looked at Toph surprised.
"I told you, it was in the hints he gave me and besides even while we were together we sort of knew that this won't last"
"Maybe you just misinterpreted these hints" said Toph, casually. "Sparky is not the type to beat around the bush, if he wanted to end it, he would have said something, you should know this better anyone else"
"But-"
"Listen Sweetness, and take it from someone who has no vested interest in this dilemma of yours "
Katara failed to notice the faint brush that creased Toph's pale cheeks.
"I think you're making a big mistake, leading Aang on and denying your feelings for Zuko"
"I don't have feelings for Zuko"
"Yeah, and that's why your heartbeat isn't going faster than a lion-cheetah"
Katara sighed in defeat.
"It was just hard on me" she said. "He kept raving on about the possibility of an arranged marriage when I didn't even want to even consider the possibility of him being someone else. What was I suppose to do Toph? Just say 'Hey that sounds like a good idea, why don't you get married and I'll be your mistress'"
Katara couldn't believe that she was asking for advice from a fourteen year old with no prior experience in such matters, but Toph was the only person Katara would trust with such information.
"I'm not defending Hotpants either" said Toph. "I'm saying that you guys are both stupid for acting on vague clues and not solving each other's problems"
Katara knew that Toph had a point, she was wrong for not having the proper talk with Zuko but she also knew that the prince had done wrong as well.
"One thing is for sure" said Toph, getting to her feet and stretching. "You'll have to sort out what's in your head and fast. We'll be dealing with some pretty dangerous stuff in the Fire Nation, the last thing we need is Aang and Zuko fighting over you"
Zac Fou stayed where he was glaring at the brown skinned lieutenant who had the nerve to interfere in local affairs. The old man was angered at how the Dragon Regiment had come out of nowhere and disrupted their gradual progress into rebuilding. It would have been difficult to rebuild with whoever attacked them lurking in the environment but now the military had come and made the situation even worse, they had come without any relief units nor supplies meaning that whoever was in charge now had to feed the people and the military.
Zac Fou's glare did not waver as the Lieutenant sipped from his cup of warm water (which was the best substitute for tea) It was Lee who opened the potentially awkward conversation.
"You know why I asked you to come?" he said.
Zac Fou glanced around the lieutenant's tent with disdain before replying.
"I have an idea"
Lee sighed and massaged his temple with his fore finger, Zac Fou couldn't help but smirk at this subtle sign of agitation.
"Zac Fou, I have asked you here to request your corporation" said Lee. "Both of us are in a difficult situation, and this attitude of yours will only serve to exacerbate our problems"
Zac Fou feigned an ignorant look. "Attitude? Whatever do you mean?"
Lee closed his eyes for a few minutes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened his eyes Zac Fou could see a look of pure anger in Lee's eyes. The old man was suddenly hit with a strong sense of déjà vu as he recalled who had last given him that same look. A feeling of shock coursed through him like lightening.
No! He thought to himself. Impossible, unless…
He pretended to listen to Lee's words, as he carefully scrutinised the man's features.
"We cannot get the cooperation of the people without your consent and we need their help for what is to come…"
"Yes, yes" he murmured, vaguely.
Zac Fou's cold grey eyes lingered over Lee's nose, jaw and chin.
Yes he thought to himself. The resemblance is undeniable. How I've never noticed until now
Lee' was taken aback by the intense scrutiny.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" he said.
Zac Fou snapped out his trance and did the most unexpected thing. He smiled. Lee was startled at the abrupt show of teeth, which he noticed was yellowing.
"A Lieutenant" said Zac Fou, stroking his grey beard while staring at Lee with a contemplative look. "That's a very impressive rank for one as young as you. Tell me how you are able to attain such a position?"
Lee was surprised not by the question, but by the tone that accompanied it, the old man's manner had abruptly changed from hostile to friendly. Lee was unnerved by this abrupt change but realized that cheerful demeanour was the opening he needed to get on Zac Fou's good side.
"Like everyone else" he replied. "I applied for the post"
"And the Crown Prince just gave you the job?"
Lee frowned in suspicion. "No, it was the Firelord"
Zac Fou raised an eyebrow. "The Firlord hired you?"
Did Iroh know about Xiu Lee?
Lee opened his mouth to ask a question when suddenly a large blow horn echoed through the air. People's cries of shock and fear were muffled by the oppressive sound that drilled into their eardrums, Zac Fou reacted quickly, by covering his ears but he could still feel it vibrating when the sound passed. Zac Fou glared at Lieutenant.
"What is the meaning of this?" he snapped. "Scaring the people out of their wits?"
"Sorry" said Lee, as if nothing had happened.
"Sorry, my foot!" snarled Zac Fou. "What was that horrible sound? It sounded like a ship"
Lee carefully sipped his cup of warm water before replying.
"Good guess, old man. It is a ship. A military ship to be more precise"
Zac Fou's jaw fell open. "What?"
"A military ship" said Lee. "You know, those large grey ships that-"
"I know what a military ship is, boy" snapped Zac Fou. "What is it doing here?"
Lee raised an eyebrow as if to say. 'You did not just ask that question'
"That ship" said Lee. "Is carrying our salvation"
Zac Fou narrowed his lieutenant sighed and got to his feet.
"I have a lot of work to do, Zac Fou" said Lee, he held the tent flap open and gestured to the old man.
"If you please" Zac Fou sighed before getting to his feet, he stretched his old limbs before making his way towards the exit.
The old man was hit with a breath of fresh air as he stepped outside and surveyed the ocean, he could see a large grey ship approaching the bay, the ship seemed to loom over them as it got closer, churning thick smoke from it's chimney.
"I must go to the ship" said Lee, standing next to him.
"I must go to the people" said Zac Fou. "They will be in a state of panic as the ship approaches"
An awkward pause followed before Zac Fou made his decision.
"From now on, you and the military will have full cooperation of the people"
Lee looked at him in surprise before nodding.
"That's good" he said. "I'm glad"
With those words, the lieutenant turned around and made his way towards the bay. Zac Fou stood as he was, his grey hair fluttering in the wind, as he stared after the young lieutenant.
"I never thought" he murmured, softly. "That after all these years you would still be alive"
A/N: Please review, thanks!