A/N: Hey everyone, here's another chapter that's long overdue. Hopefully I'll be able to get another one out before the new year (fingers crossed!).

Enjoy!

20. Fireworks

Zuko reclined on the couch with a bowl of fruit in his lap, facing the large windows of his bedchamber where the evening sky was in view. Colorful fireworks were soaring into the air, tracing brilliant trails of light before exploding into sparks. It had scarcely been a month since the new year, but now a new holiday had been added to the calendar – his birthday. And once again he had to roll out the festivities: street performers, parades, and of course a day off for all the average citizens. They were filling the streets of the capital now, the chorus of their shouts and laughter so loud that Zuko could sometimes hear it in the stillness between blasts. The air outside smelled of smoke; the fireworks were coming from the Imperial Firebenders just beyond the palace walls, though if Zuko peered into the distance he could see the ones from the harbor as well. Truly peace on all horizons.

Zuko adjusted the pillows, himself perfectly content in his moment of solitude. After some time he picked up the scroll that lay beside him, which a hawk had delivered earlier that day.

Zuko,

An uncle's love and best blessings for your seventeenth year.

A tea master's regrets that he cannot be here!

Still I vow we will meet again soon.

Perhaps even before the end of fourth moon.

– Iroh

Attached, his uncle had clipped a news leaflet from Ba Sing Se where a prominent tea shop critic offered unabashed praise for the Jasmine Dragon. It had been pronounced the finest tea shop in the upper ring and had scores of customers old and new coming in on a daily basis. Zuko read over the excerpt again, smiling.

He hadn't seen his uncle since the beginning of his reign, when he had his friends had managed to squeeze in a visit to the shop's grand reopening. Zuko had known his uncle wouldn't be able to stay with him for along; for all intents and purposes, Iroh had settled in the Earth Kingdom for good. But even so, Zuko missed him. He often caught himself daydreaming over his heaps of papers and wondering what sort of sagacious remark his uncle would offer him about his actions that day, or what sort of jokes he would crack about the nobles after a stressful meeting. Yet Zuko knew he no longer had the freedom to leave the Fire Nation on a whim to visit him. So their only means of contact was correspondence, though even that had grown sparse towards the new year. Seeing his new letter now filled Zuko with warmth and relief. Perhaps Iroh really would be able to come.

A sudden streak of white flashed in his vision and Zuko's gaze darted to the windows. A large dot was floating erratically in the air. With each firework that exploded in the sky, the dot maneuvered away, tracing an awkward trajectory towards Zuko's balcony.

Zuko sprang up and ran outside, while the dot continued to approach. It wasn't a dot at all, of course – and when Zuko gripped the railing moments later, the sky was filled with the unmistakable roar of a sky bison.

"HEEEEY!"

Aang's head appeared from Appa's saddle, along with a waving arm. It followed by a flash of a long brown braid and someone's boomerang.

"Aang!" Zuko called.

"ZUKO!" Aang replied. His voice faded in and out as Appa circled restlessly back and forth. "WE – ACCIDENTALLY – KNOCKED OVER – A PIECE OF THE – BIG TOWER THING BY THE HARBOR – WE'RE SORRY!"

"These fireworks people are crazy!" Sokka's voice piped up. "They're just shooting these things wherever they want!"

"That's why we should have told them we were here instead of just flying over!" came Katara's.

Suki's voice cut in. "Guys, this is seriously making me nauseous! Can we go down?"

Zuko cupped his hands around his mouth and called out in return. "Hey, stop flying around already! Come down to the front entrance, I'll meet you guys there!"

"ALL RIGHTY!" Aang called back. "Appa, yip-yip!" He flicked the reins and Appa dove down out of view.

Zuko spun around on his heel and rushed out of the chamber. Ignoring all Fire Lord protocol, he darted down the staircase and ran though the wings like a kid in a relay race. At last, he emerged onto the vast expanse of paved stone before the palace where Appa had landed. Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Suki were all dismounting. The only one missing was Toph – still likely in her hometown. She had wanted to start a metalbending school, to show people the true soul of earthbending rather than the joke of a martial art the regular teachers and fighters made it out to be. Everyone else in their group had heard the call of their destinies, she had said, and this was hers. The last thing she had told Zuko before they parted was that she'd do it even if she'd have to walk the road alone. Zuko hadn't got the chance to ask her what she had meant.

One by one, his friends finished rolling up their saddlebags and rushed over. Sokka reached him first and hugged an arm around him.

"Good to see ya, buddy!" Sokka blared into his ear. Zuko winced in pain as the boy's other fist promptly dug down into his hair and gave him a noogie. Sokka's other arm remained latched around his neck. "The place just wasn't the same without us, eh? All those diplomatic nobles are probably driving you crazy!"

Zuko wheezed in a breath. "Hagh… A little… Argh!"

Sokka swiveled aside to survey the palace, dragging Zuko along with him. "You know, I always wondered what it's like from the top of that tower. Can you actually go to the top? Is that where the Fire Lord's rooms are?"

By now Zuko felt realistically close to having his airway blocked. He struggled free of Sokka's grip and grasped the boy by the shoulders to keep him from moving. "You must've been hauling a heck of a lot of ice blocks!" Zuko said.

Sokka shrugged with a bragging smile and flexed an arm. "I've hauled my share or two."

"Well, I've been hauling teacups and books for all these months, so take it easy on me."

Katara was the next to approach. She was dressed in her old clothes, though she wore a heavier overcoat and stockings that told of a chilly flight. She reached into an inner pocket and produced a package wrapped in leather. "Happy birthday, Zuko! From everyone in our tribe."

Zuko accepted the pouch and opened it. Inside was a smooth ivory slab etched with hand-carved characters: HE IS CHIEF WHO LISTENS TO THE WAVES AND HEARS HIS PEOPLE SPEAK BACK.

Zuko was speechless.

"Gran-Gran and Pakku made it," Katara said. "It's a saying they had in the South, but they wrote it in a Northern calligraphy style. They wanted it to have a bit of both tribes."

Zuko shook his head in awe. "This is incredible, Katara. Thank you."

Katara shrugged. "It's the only way we could think of to say thank you for everything you've done."

"So I take it the restoration's going well?"

"So far so good! We've finished building houses for everyone and put up a healing hut and a storage center. Your ships have been a really big help. But Dad and the others think it's time we connected with the North Pole again. We can't use your stuff forever, and maybe if some of their waterbenders and hunters came to settle down with us, we could really get life going again."

A smile formed on Zuko's face. "That's great to hear. But how are you going to go to the North Pole? If you still need some of my ships for the journey, you can use them. It's no problem."

Katara rocked back and forth on her heels. "Well... Dad and Bato were talking about making it more traditional. Just going in with their hunting ships to show them that we're their brothers. Our tribes haven't had contact since the war began. So for some people, it'll be like seeing us for the first time."

"But what about when they finally do decide to give you help?" Zuko said. "How are they gonna transport all their resources? You need bigger ships, Katara. Use mine."

"Well, I know we might have to use them eventually, but maybe just for the first time..."

"Stow your dad's fleet on the Fire Nation ships then have them ride out to the Northern Tribe when you get close enough. Then you'll have it both ways," Zuko suggested.

Katara paused in her response, eyebrows perked. "Huh. Well, that's a good idea." A smile tugged up her mouth and she looked over to Sokka. "Look at this guy. He's a strategist already!"

Sokka crossed his arms. "Well, he learned it from the best."

Zuko had to laugh.

Suki and Aang came over at that point, each proffering gifts of their own. Suki had gotten him a pair of Kyoshi fans on behalf of herself and the other girls, and Aang had given him a scroll.

"Here. It's some airbending wisdom for your library," Aang said. "I know you're working with the Fire Sages, so maybe they'll want to make copies."

"That's a great idea! This means so much to me, Aang. Thanks."

Aang whipped out another scroll from behind his back. "And now, check this out!"

He thrust it into Zuko's hands and began to bounce on his tiptoes in eagerness. Zuko unrolled the paper and saw it was a drawing. It was a copy of his official Fire Lord portrait made out of noodles.

"Uh… thanks, Aang!"

"No problem! You could put it up in your office!"

Zuko responded to Aang's grin with a sheepish thumbs-up.

Momo was next, depositing a large red berry into Zuko's palm. Zuko chuckled and rubbed the lemur between his ears.

He transferred all the gifts to one arm and beckoned with the other. "All right guys, let's go! I gave everyone a day off, so it's just us. There's room for Appa too."

Sokka pumped a fist in the air. "All right! Paaartyyyy!"

The five of them stormed into the palace, Appa and Momo following behind. Instantly, the empty, glittering halls began to echo with their whoops and hollers. Zuko hadn't let everyone off that day, of course – the servants were still there, as well as the cooks – and as promised, there was a small buffet of treats waiting for them in the private gathering chamber.

Mai and Ty-Lee were already there, the former lounging in a sofa seat and the latter hanging upside-down from the rafters. She sprang down with a midair flip and landed on her feet. "Hey everyone!" She practically jumped at them, enclosing them all in a bear hug.

"She ate all the cream cakes already," Mai drawled.

Zuko laughed. "No problem, I'll just call for more." He extended a hand and helped Mai to her feet. They met in an embrace.

The others began to disperse around the room, plopping onto the pillows and admiring all the royal regalia. Aang disappeared into the adjacent kitchen with a rolled-up bag of supplies while he prepared the signature dish of the evening.

Suki and Katara brought out a Pai Sho board, and Zuko and the others came to sit nearby. While the two of them played, he looked over to Sokka. "So you'll be going to the North Pole too?"

Sokka, who had begun munching on a fish roll, responded with a shrug. "Nah. Not much to do there. I'd rather stay in the South. Be the man of the village again." He grinned.

Zuko surmised this had something to do with Yue, Sokka's first-girlfriend-turned-Moon-Spirit. He refrained from commenting.

The Pai Sho tournament went through several rounds, highlighted in a tense match between Sokka and Zuko himself, then with a comical game between Momo and Ty-Lee. Half an hour later, Aang emerged from the kitchen with a wooden platter. On it was a large, flat jelly pastry. Everyone's heads went up, and they all followed Aang to the table.

"Okay. I haven't done this in over a hundred years, so I might be a little rusty. But tell me how it tastes!" He motioned his hand over the cake, making it rise and puff out into a pyramid. He cut it into sections with a few deft air slices and lifted the first piece onto a plate for Zuko. The rest he distributed in a similar fashion, the plates all hovering towards their recipients.

Zuko lifted the cake with his hands and took a bite. The dough was permeated with a medley of sensations – sweet, creamy, fruity – and gooey in the center. His eyes widened. "Whoa. Aang, this is amazing!"

Aang smiled sheepishly. "I used to bake with Monk Gyatso all the time. It's his personal recipe. So I guess you should thank him!"

"This is amazing!" Ty-Lee exclaimed. She began to dance around on her tiptoes, twirling around with her plate in hand.

Suki examined her piece and looked up with arched eyebrows. "Guys, if this is an Air Nomad recipe, then no one's had something like this in over a century."

A silence settled over the room, and everyone's gaze went to Aang. The boy chuckled. "Well, then I guess I better start writing a cookbook."

Katara wrapped an arm around his neck. "It'll sell out in days."

Zuko laughed. He finished his slice in a matter of a few bites and went for seconds. The Pai Sho board was quickly forgotten, and everyone crowded around the table while the light shows continued over the city outside.

…

The Fire Lord's birthday was a national holiday, so Dr. Low stuck to tradition and gave everyone in the building a day off. The ship he had sailed back on had lingered in the harbor and the crew was blasting off fireworks into the darkening sky.

Azula had finished dinner and was bent over the stretcher of the healing dummy, which she had placed in the corner of her bedroom. An acupuncture book lay open on a stool beside her. She placed in needles in the way she had been practicing, looking at the diagrams for reference.

Nearby in the other corner were Mira, and Kira, having tea at her wooden table in aloof coexistence. Azula focused mostly on her work, but occasionally a starry explosion would distract her, the colors scattering over the moonlit sea. Some of the other staff members were strolling outside, chatting and wetting their feet in the waves.

"No idea how someone can be that full of themselves," Mira was mumbling. She ran her fingers through her hair as she took a sip of tea. "It's like every time he starts talking, he's about to go off on a whole sermon."

"Guess he must be a good lecturer," Nira responded in a sleepy tone.

"I mean, what do I care what stupid advanced firebending forms I haven't tried?" Mira continued. "We're not his freaking research assistants! I didn't spend twelve years studying medicine so that some old guy could come in here and reprimand me for not knowing about my 'firebending heritage'." She made air quotes with her fingers.

Kira sighed. "It'll be all right, girls. Look – he listened to us when we told him about the lockdown curfew, didn't he?"

Nira nodded. "Yeah. There's that."

"He's obviously not deaf," Kira said. "And I told him he's getting a bit too nosy in everything, so I'm sure he'll listen."

Mira rolled her eyes. "You really need to stop being a doormat to people, Kira. We need to come to him, as a team, and tell him that he can either stop prying into our private lives or leave."

Annoyance glinted in Kira's eyes. "It's called being diplomatic, Mira. Did I ever say I was in love with this whole idea? No. Do I think Dr. Low could have planned it out better? Yes. But that's no excuse to make a person feel like he's not welcome. Especially if he's here to do something none of us can."

Mira sipped her tea in response and draped a lazy arm around the back of her chair. "Don't know how Isla can handle being his next-door neighbor. I heard him chant once in the middle of the night."

Nira winced. "Really?"

"Yeah. I was going to the bathroom, and when I passed by his door I heard him mumbling 'na-ma-fu-shi' and all this really weird stuff."

Nira dug her fist into her chin. "Man, I'd hate that… Isla was probably too nice to tell him to stop."

"If I were her I'd kick his door down," Mira said. "This ain't his home and this ain't some guru's temple."

"Or maybe it just doesn't annoy her," Nira mused. "I mean, he never seems to annoy her... She just acts like he's a regular staff member."

"And she's absolutely right about that," Kira cut in. "Isla's being professional and making an effort to get along with everyone. Not turning this into a game of all-against-one."

Mira shrugged it off. She took another sip of tea and swept her gaze around the room. The new furniture Dr. Low had brought in made the place look cozy, and now it consisted more of wood than metal. The bleak white of the walls and counter was dimmed down by a crimson Fire Nation tapestry and a rug. "Least this place looks normal again. Maybe once we get the new bunks up we can get more people to sleep in our lounge."

"We should offer Isla to sleep there too!" Nira said. "It's not fair that she and Dee are stuck having to listen to him all the time."

"I did offer her!" Mira replied. "Isla said she didn't care, she didn't want to keep having to run back and forth to brew her mixtures!"

"We should at least ask if she has earplugs or something!"

"Isla and Dee have earplugs," Kira said. "And unlike other people, they also try to get along with their neighbors and get things done. Just like you should be doing!"

At that point, the door opened and Dr. Low stepped inside. He had his notebook tucked under his arm, and went over to the stretcher to examine Azula's work. "How's it coming along?"

"Better," Azula said.

Dr. Low glanced over to the nurses, who had begun to eye them in interest. "She's learning acupuncture."

"Cool," Mira remarked.

"That's a great skill to have!" Kira said.

Several rounds of fireworks exploded in succession from outside, creating a bright flare that made the window glow white for a moment.

Nira clapped. "Wow, that was a good one!"

"I guess we should say something, girls, shouldn't we?" Kira said. "It's a royal birthday and all. And the Fire Lord was the one who brought us all together here."

Mira let out a breath, but smiled. "Yep. Can't imagine what my life would be like without all my fantastic coworkers."

Nira lifted the small liquor glass beside her. "To the Fire Lord!"

"To the Fire Lord," the other two nurses echoed, and drank.

Azula merely grumbled, running her hand over the dummy to check the flow of heat. Dr. Low stepped closer, placing his notebook aside. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," she said. "Everything's about Zuko now. It's always been about Zuko. I mean, I don't care. I don't want attention. But every time it was his birthday, our mom would dote on him all day and bake him cakes and they'd just have the best time. She used to do that for me too, but then she stopped. I guess that was after I made it clear to her that I'd caught on to what she thought about me." She furiously stuck in a few needles. "Zuko loved to act like he was the unlucky one, but really, he had everything. I was the one who had nothing."

Dr. Low gently moved her hand aside. "Well, with a plunge force like that, your poor patient is going to start oozing blood." He removed the needles. "You felt like your mother didn't pay enough attention to you, particularly after you overheard her that day at school. Is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah. I mean, it didn't happen right away – I started distancing myself from her slowly. But she didn't even try to get me back. So I guess that proved everything."

"What about your father?"

"What about him?"

"How did he act towards you and Zuko?"

Azula shrugged a shoulder. "Normal, I guess. He just never really liked sappy stuff or talking about feelings like Mom did. And I guess Zuko didn't like that, but I didn't mind. I understood him."

"You told me you later felt like you were his servant rather than his daughter."

"Yeah, he started using me."

"When?"

"I guess after my fire turned blue. He started getting all obsessed with my training and started saying I should get into the military and start getting ready to rule. I mean, I liked it at the time. It was what I always wanted, to be a leader and have people respect me. I don't think Zuko wanted it as much as I did. He wanted people to like him without having to put any effort into it. And I thought Dad chose me because he saw I had the right work ethic. But then I realized he never really cared about me. He'd just give me the job and leave me to my own devices."

"When did you realize that?"

"Right before Sozin's Comet. He made me Fire Lord and he just… left me." Azula clenched a hand around the edge of the stretcher.

"What do you mean, he left you?"

"He left on the airships. To burn the Earth Kingdom. I thought I'd be coming with him, but he made me stay in the capital. And he didn't even tell me until right when he was about to leave."

"How did it feel when he did?"

"Well..." Azula paused. "I really liked it at the time. I thought… I thought that it would still mean that he'd… you know, come back. But then I got into the palace and it was just so… empty. And I started getting the feeling that he'd never come back."

Dr. Low gave a curious frown. "Why did you get that feeling?"

Azula winced, closing her eyes as she scanned through the memories. "I don't know… Maybe something in the way he said it… I don't know."

Dr. Low seemed to sense her reaction and put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to talk about it right now if you don't want to."

Azula released her grip on the stretcher, gradually relaxing.

"Now, you mentioned that there were times when you felt like your family life was normal," Dr. Low said.

"Yeah."

"Were those just the times you went to Ember Island?"

"Mostly. We were all right in the palace too sometimes, but whenever we went to Ember Island, things always felt better for some reason."

"Was there something particular about the island that you liked?"

"Well, the nature was pretty. It had a lot of caves and little forests where we could explore."

Dr. Low smiled. Then a moment later a chuckle escaped him. "So did you and Zuko ever try to go looking for Mt. Ember?"

"Huh?"

"Mt. Ember," Dr. Low repeated. Azula's gaze remained blank so he continued. "It's the remnants of a volcano that existed on the island thousands of years ago. Legend has it that the spirits dug a portal to the other side of the world, but then a great supernatural disturbance caused it to collapse, and the mountain with it. But the tunnel's still there."

Azula cocked her head to the side as her thoughts scrambled. "But… that's impossible. You can't dig a tunnel to the other side of the world. The water pressure from the ocean would crush it!"

Dr. Low burst out laughing. "That didn't stop two of my sons and my older daughter from vanishing for three days on a quest for it!" He wiped tears from his eyes. "Mind you, our vacation started out completely normally – we got to the beach, then my wife and I saw them go off to play with some other kids, then an hour later they come back with this enraptured look in their eyes and say they're going to look for the 'secret tunnel'." He made air quotes and shook his head. "I don't even know how those kinds of rumors get started. It must be ages old. Surely it can't be a publicity stunt on the part of the residents."

Azula tapped a finger against her chin. "That's weird. I never heard of that."

"Well, maybe that's a good thing," Dr. Low said. "Put fifty or so kids on a single beach and watch the eighth wonder of the world play out before your very eyes…"

Azula cast down her gaze. "Well, I wouldn't know. Zuko and I never really played with any of the other kids on the island when we were younger. We always just stuck to our parents."

Dr. Low frowned in interest. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Was it a rule your parents had?"

"Not really. I guess we just stuck to them because we wanted to." She paused. "But we did get to hang out with some people the last time we went. It was this past summer. Dad didn't go with us, so it was just me, him, Mai and Ty-Lee."

"And how did that go?"

"It was fun. We played volleyball with a bunch of people and got invited to a party in the evening. Then Zuko started getting all depressed. He got into a fight with Mai, and I found him sitting on the steps by our old beach house."

"What did you think was wrong?"

"The same thing that's always wrong with him. He said he didn't know the difference between right and wrong anymore. It's so pathetic."

"Why pathetic?"

"Because he takes one little thing and blows it completely out of proportion. I took him back home because I wanted him back. And Dad showed him that he'd rather have had him back as a hero than in a cell. So it's a win-win situation, right? But no, Zuko couldn't handle one little white lie about him slaying the Avatar. Suddenly he didn't know what side was right to take. And now suddenly he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong anymore!"

"Zuko probably had good reasons to think deeply about those things."

"But he doesn't get how stupid it is!" Azula protested. "He ruined everything! We were on the verge of getting our family back together, and our uncle was the one who would've torn it apart. But Zuko chose him over me. Over us!"

"Perhaps Zuko didn't feel like it was the right way to be back together."

Azula huffed out an angered breath. "Well, then there's obviously no way. And I don't care anymore. I'm not going to bother doing it again." She stuck another needle into the dummy with finality.

"Too deep," Dr. Low said.

Azula's hand flew to her face. "Urgh!"

She took out the needle and aimed it at the chi point once more.

…

Another firework exploded over Capital City, and Zuko's gaze was pulled towards the flare. He watched as the sparks showered down, their sounds hissing and vanishing.

With their bellies full, everyone had relaxed and dispersed throughout the room. Mai was on the couch talking to Sokka, and Aang was goofing off with Suki. Katara was watching them with a drink in hand, smiling. The fireworks had clearly become background noise to them, but for some reason Zuko's mind still registered every echo.

Another round exploded with a resounding boom. This one was bright blue – it showered the black sky in sparks that looked like ice, white-hot and cold at the same time.

Zuko's eyes flickered to Katara again. After a moment of thought, he felt himself rise from where he was sitting. He approached her. "Hey. Could I talk to you about something?"

Katara turned to him. "Sure. What's up?"

"The Water Tribe people worship the Moon and Ocean, right? Tui and La?" Zuko glanced over to Sokka, making sure he was still out of earshot.

Katara pursed her lips in thought. "Well, it's not really worship… At least not in the South. The North considers them their guardians, but the South just sees them as patrons that guide waterbending and keep the world in balance. That's what I know from Mom and Gran-Gran."

"Do you know anything about a spirit named Lia?" Zuko asked.

"Lia?"

"The Moon and Ocean's daughter."

Surprise flitted across Katara's expression. "They have a daughter?"

"Yeah. She's the guardian of this thing called the rift. It's the boundary between the material world and the spirit world."

"Huh... That's really interesting, I never knew that."

Zuko blinked, his own surprise mirroring Katara's. "So, nobody from your village or the North Pole ever mentioned her or anything? I mean, I know it was the Moon and Ocean everyone was worried about when we were there, but... maybe if she's a part of the culture, wouldn't there be carvings or temples for her or something?"

Katara shrugged. "I'm sorry, Zuko, I really don't know anything about her. But that doesn't have to mean much. It's just that my family never talked about spirits a lot. Maybe it's just us, or because our village had grown so small already..." She turned out her hands. "I wish I could help."

Zuko nodded. "It's fine, Katara. Thanks."

But Katara's gaze lingered on him, now a bit worried. "Why, is something the matter?"

Zuko started to reply, but right then a gloved hand lowered itself onto his shoulder. Mai's voice simpered from behind. "Could I steal him from you?"

Katara smiled. "Of course."

Mai kept a calm grip on Zuko as she steered him towards the couch. Sokka had left, and she sat Zuko down in his place. She rubbed her hands up and down his shoulders. "Zuko, calm down. Stop talking about spirits, stop talking about work. Talk to me."

Zuko rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry, Mai. I just can't stop thinking about it. This could be the next world crisis, and it just… it feels so wrong that I hardly know anything about what's going on."

"All right, look, whoever this Lyla spirit is –"

"Lia," he corrected automatically.

"Lia, whatever." Mai drew her eyebrows together in a playful frown and jabbed a finger into his chest. "Whoever she is, you better get over her, otherwise you'll have a spirit called Mai to deal with. And believe me, she's much worse."

An unbidden laugh escaped Zuko. He settled into Mai's embrace and they reclined on the couch together. A few minutes passed in quiet contentment, then the doors to the room burst open. A servant entered with a bow. "My lord! The grand secretary is here, as promised."

Mai's eyebrows climbed. She and Zuko both looked to the door as Ukano stepped in.

"Dad?"

Mai's tone of surprise caught Zuko off-guard.

"Hello, Mai," Ukano replied. He bowed. "Fire Lord Zuko. My best wishes for your seventeenth year."

"Thank you, Ukano," said Zuko. He turned to Mai. "He just came to say happy birthday."

"Oh." Mai kept staring at Ukano. "I thought you were with Mom and Tom-Tom."

Ukano's expression became streaked with discomfort. "Mai, my dear, you know it would have been rude of me not to visit the Fire Lord in person. Especially given all that he's done for us."

Mai did not respond. She turned her head away, so Zuko couldn't see her face, but the clipped tone of her voice gave him pause. "I understand." There was something beneath her customary flat intonation that wasn't normal. A dejection, a disappointment.

Ukano either didn't notice it or decided to brush it off. He turned back to Zuko and bowed his head again. "My lord, I thank you for the leave you've given me tonight, but I hope you won't mind if I stay a bit longer to show my assistant around my office. I've appointed him to be my substitute on days like this."

"Oh, not at all, that's fine," Zuko said. "Do I know him?"

"Possibly not, my lord. He is Governor Ruon of South Chung-Ling. Nominally, at least. He took administrative leave during the interrogations and now wishes to find a position here."

Zuko recalled hearing the name a few times but couldn't put a face to it. "Is he here now?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Well, bring him up. I'd be happy to meet him."

Zuko's servant bowed. "I'll fetch him at once, my lord."

Mai placed a hand on Zuko's arm, and Zuko turned to her. "This won't take long," he murmured. "I promise. I have to get this over with."

"I know, Zuko. It's just..."

"What?"

Mai fell silent in deliberation. Then she shook her head. "Nothing." Her hand slipped away, though the motion seemed halfhearted.

Zuko led Ukano to the empty back kitchen and sat down at the table. A minute later the servant returned, this time with a second man following behind. He was dressed like a regular noble, hair in a neat topknot, and despite the age evident in his graying hair and wrinkled eyes, he stood with his back straight, expression alert. But there was also something else about his presence, a strange gravity and regalness that Zuko immediately recognized but couldn't pinpoint why. It was like looking at someone distantly kin.

The man approached Zuko and bowed. "Fire Lord Zuko. It is an honor. My best wishes and blessings for your seventeenth year." He spoke in a measured, articulate voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Governor Ruon," Zuko replied. "And thank you."

"I should be thanking Your Majesty," Ruon said. "I was shown great clemency in being reinstated after the interrogations, and I'm endlessly grateful for it."

The man's eyes were gray, Zuko noticed. Not a common color in the Fire Nation, but there was no mistaking the look of a firebender in them. They had a gleam in them that was stern and volatile, yet also calm and experienced.

The servants brought them tea and Zuko phased his attention towards the company of the two men. Though from the room behind them he could still hear the noises of the party, muffled but distinct. He breathed a sad sigh.

Truly, the fun was over. The world hadn't been the only thing that changed the day he'd been crowned. Their tight-knit group – Team Avatar, as Sokka called it – was slowly being scattered to the wind. By all accounts, Zuko should have seen it coming, but that didn't change how hollow it made him feel. He had just tasted togetherness, what it felt like to have a real friendship, only to have it taken away. Duty called louder now. And that meant starting down a path he'd have to pave for himself.

Toph had made the right decision, he mused. What was the point in inventing a new technique, in starting a new tradition, if that tradition died with you? She needed students, disciples who would approach her craft with an open mind and hear out what she had to say. It was the same thing Aang was doing – desperately trying to keep the memory of his culture alive. And it was what Sokka and Katara were doing, trying to keep theirs from being extinguished. In Zuko's case, he'd have to dig up something from his culture that had been lost. He'd have to erase a century of fear and war to start anew. And he couldn't do it alone. He needed advisers. Ministers. Councilmen. He needed someone who could be at his side, know things he didn't, and pass judgments Zuko could trust. Someone who could keep tabs on Zuko's pressing affairs without constantly having to return to other routine duties, like Captain Lang or Sage Khufu.

He needed a right-hand man.

Zuko sat there with the thought, staring at the blank wall. He knew there was no clear-cut recipe for how to find one. He'd have to wait, watch, and test people. Interrogate them. Like testing the waters before letting a ship set sail.

He is the chief who listens to the waves and hears his people speak back, the carving had read. But what were the waves? How could he listen to them?

Meanwhile, Ukano and Ruon had begun to talk. The noblemen were chuckling and drinking their tea like good friends, not noticing Zuko's lapse in attention. Zuko could do little but smile and listen. He had never seen Ruon before and knew nothing about him. He hadn't even known he was the South Chung-Ling governor until he had come up on one of Captain Lang's interrogation rosters.

But by now, Zuko knew the plan of action. He inserted comments, asked Ruon about his professional and personal life. The nobleman responded politely and pleasantly. His family were descendants of the Ro, another royal dynasty which had been powerful several centuries past. (Zuko knew that name, at least). He had lost his first wife to sickness, then had four children from his second. The family now lived in the Governor's Villa in South Chung-Ling. A sentimental note was reached when Ruon started talking about their yearly trips to Ember Island, to which Zuko readily responded with stories of his own family's vacations, albeit in broad, rose-colored strokes.

Ruon talked about civic duty, how he had served Governor Yang and gotten into all kinds of situations while running the elderly man's errands. The old governor had trusted Ruon enough to name him his successor, and Ruon had proven himself a good governor who understood the mechanics and social intricacies the job required.

"In much the same way I've left the city under the care of my secretary, Kazo," Ruon continued. "He started his work under me just five years ago. He was a bit nervous in the beginning, and he had a tendency to misplace the papers I handed off to him. But he's proven himself quite capable and diligent. I'm preparing him to take my seat one day."

"But you say you wish to work in the palace now?" Zuko asked. "Why the change?"

Ruon's face became grave. "I won't lie to Your Majesty. I was brought up thinking the Fire Nation had the right in the war, and I never saw the need to question the Fire Lord's commands, whoever that Fire Lord was. I told your police the same. But I never wanted to eradicate the other peoples of this world. My wish was for the Fire Nation to share its prosperity with them and free them from the things they suffered from. Your Majesty surely knows them well – poverty, irresponsible leadership, poor technology. And truly, that's what I thought the other Fire Lords had in mind. But when I heard about Ozai's plan, I realized that not a thing had changed since Sozin. And I'm ashamed to say it was my inaction, and the inaction of all the other ministers as a collective, that brought the world so close to devastation. We are all partially to blame. So I've resolved to dedicate the rest of this lifetime to fixing our nation. I believe you are a Fire Lord who will set us on that path. And I will assist you, in whatever capacity I am able."

The man's eyes were steely, earnest. Zuko gave a nod. "I admire your resolve, Governor."

Ukano sipped some of his tea. "Truly, our actions will determine the future for many decades to come. I believe many people are making radical changes to their occupations in order to make the changes they see fit."

A muffled chorus of laughter rose up from the room behind, where his friends still were. Zuko had all but tuned them out. He sighed. "Please, let's not discuss world politics. I'll not have it today."

Ruon inclined his head. "But of course."

"I'll tell it straight to you, Governor," said Zuko. "I admire your tenacity and your exercise of judgment. If you should want to work in the palace, I will be glad to have you. Just as glad as I am to have Ukano."

Ruon's eyebrows perked in surprise. "Really? My lord, that prospect… is almost too remarkable to imagine."

Zuko smirked slyly. "Your ancestors lived in the palace just like mine did. I'm sure it's nothing for you."

The man's gray eyes twinkled with laughter now. "Perhaps. But now is the time for the descendants to take the reins. I do not need the legends of the past to guide me in the decisions of my present. Let us forget the Ros and the Ras – they are not here today. But we are." He rose and gave Zuko a bow. "I would be grateful and honored to serve you, Fire Lord Zuko."

There were a few distant booms from outside, and more cries of awe from his friends who had moved to the balcony.

Zuko lifted his teacup with a wink. "In that case, you've got the job."

…

Another boom rang through the sky. The fireworks fizzled out, their colored sparks raining down over the sky of the Capital City prison.

Kinchil walked into the courtyard with a hot mug of tea and approached the bench where Commander Deng was sitting. Deng had his cape-blanket draped over his shoulders and was hugging his arms to his chest, mustache and beard twisted down into a grouchy expression.

Kinchil thrust forward the mug. "Here. Drink this."

Deng looked up with a scowl. "What do I need tea for? I haven't even eaten dinner yet!"

"Drink it, I said!" Kinchil repeated. "It's cold outside and you're not perceiving the temperature properly."

Deng grumbled, but took the tea and gulped it down. When he was done he hugged his arms around his chest again. After a moment of contemplation he extended two forefingers and made a flame, feeble and red. "I don't understand... What's wrong with my firebending? Could it be because it's midnight?"

Kinchil rubbed his tired eyes. The herbs Poon had requested from the royal apothecary were suppressing Deng's chi as promised, though they couldn't dim down his compulsions to try.

Another explosion set the sky alight, and Commander Deng squinted up at them. "What in the world are they doing now?"

"Casting fireworks," Kinchil replied.

"Imbeciles. Sending pleas for help here is hopeless. We're out in the middle of the ocean…"

Kinchil sighed, his voice a monotone. "Maybe they're just doing it to entertain themselves."

"Wasting supplies is more like it," Deng said. He hopped off the bench and began to pace around, arms crossed. He stopped for a moment to look at the moon, then sighed and looked down at the palm of his hand. "I could be talking to someone right now. Then I'd be entertained too…"

"You're talking to me," Kinchil said.

"All these things that have been happening…" Deng continued, to himself, "could they really be coincidences? Surely not. No, definitely not. There must be something… A harmonic change, perhaps. A slow swerve of the tides into a new course. Yes, that's the only way to explain it. The course of the Fire Nation will definitely change with Prince Iroh on the throne…"

Kinchil lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

Deng looked askance at him. "Prince Iroh." Kinchil remained unresponsive, and a beat later, Deng slapped his face. "Oh, blast it. I almost forgot none of you know yet. Apparently Fire Lord Azulon passed away earlier this month. General Po told me." He swiveled around on his heel. "I would have been able to talk to him too, if he hadn't been 'gone', whatever that meant. Gone-gone, more accurately, according to how the Dragon-bird put it."

"Oh." Kinchil twirled his staff dully.

Deng came to an abrupt stop and whirled back around to him. "Don't you dare tell anyone I said that! I won't have everyone moping about and losing their morale! You hear?"

"Yes. I promise."

"I want an oath, deckhand!"

Kinchil breathed a sigh and rose to his feet. Setting his spear aside, he pressed a palm to his fist and bowed. "I swear before all my ancestors and before the face of the Fire Lord that I shall not break my promise to you, Commander Deng."

"Good. And if you break it, you're going overboard!"

Kinchil saluted. "I'll walk the plank myself, sir."

Deng nodded with curt finality and turned away. Kinchil sat back down, and his gaze caught a couple of sentry guards who were watching them from above, snickering. He grumbled and looked away.

Deng continued to pace and mumble, and Kinchil began to study him again – the ratty clothes, the messy hair. He hung in deep thought, then when Deng turned to face him again, Kinchil leaned forward. "What's the last thing you remember happening to you before we left on this voyage?"

Deng cocked an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean, the last thing I remember? We set off from Port Hakura, as always. Strange way of putting a question."

"I mean, what was happening in the military? Did Azulon give any special kinds of orders regarding you?"

"No."

"Nothing with the Royal Police? Or the naval rebellion by Gar Sai?"

Deng's expression became quizzical. "Eh? What rebellion?"

Kinchil kept his mouth closed.

"The last I heard, we took Gar Sai, though His Eminence General Po insisted on doing it in the exact opposite way he should have. At least the Imperial Fleet is still good for something. The only rebellion perhaps was in the Fire Lord's war room where His Sagacious Majesty insisted that he would be able to bend the stars... But what's done is done. Listen less to rumors and more to original sources." Deng turned away.

Kinchil took his spear again and leaned his head against it, casting his gaze up to the sky. Another firework shot upwards, a brilliant comet over the dreary crater.

…

Boom! Crash!

Fisssss.

Bursts of red and orange light lit up the walls of the prison cell. Through the tiny window, Ozai glimpsed the few final sparks raining down from the sky, the color illuminating his pallid face. In the stillness that followed came another chorus of cheers and whoops rising up from Capital City, which he imagined was lit with lanterns, bustling with performers and drunken civilians.

He had been hearing their sounds for almost the entire day. Both the upper and lower city were in a festive fervor, one that was so potent that even the prison guards had been infected by it. They walked around the halls with a spring in their step, undertones of that insufferable, merry air glimmering out in the pats of camaraderie they gave each other, chiming up from the mundane routine commands they called out.

But the fireworks were the straw that broke his patience. Each glowing flare seared like fire at his dark-adjusted eyes, and each boom struck like a metal gong in his head. It was the boy's birthday – he had gotten the message. He was certain that the entire world had gotten the message. Though in all likelihood the rest of the world was celebrating right along with them, one large synchronous wave of joy.

Another burst of fireworks exploded in the sky, and a similarly-timed burst of pain flared up in his head. Ozai did all he could do – rubbed his temples, muttered in anger, and shifted his position. He looked at the dinner tray he had finished minutes before, reaffirming that it was empty. Then he pushed it farther away from the bars.

His breakfast that day had been brought in by the snide Shen, who had swaggered in with a tray filled with lavish food – seasoned chicken, curry, and fresh vegetables. He had placed it down before the bars and daintily added an apple.

"Congratulations, Your Phoenix Majesty! We thought we'd give you a special treat today. It's not every day your son turns seventeen, after all. Would you like to send him a birthday wish?"

Ozai had merely stared at the floor.

"Still won't talk, huh? Oh well. Guess he wouldn't really care what you'd say anyway." Shen turned to leave.

At that point, Ozai's hand inched towards the apple and decisively closed around it. Once the guard's back was turned, he promptly grabbed it and flung it at his head.

That had earned him stale rice for the remainder of the day.

When he had been Fire Lord, things were at least more reasonable. He had celebrated his birthdays with the right combination of pomp and discipline. In the palace, there were marches and theatrical shows. But not fireworks, for the heavens' sake. But of course, Zuko would throw a bigger party than that. And of course, the people would rejoice all the more, since he was the first friendly Fire Lord in over a century. An imaginative part of him entertained the thought that Zuko was doing it to torment him as well.

But that would have been hoping for too much.

Ozai watched wearily as the light-shows continued. He spent the remainder of the hour slumped against the wall, his thoughts fluctuating between morose to angry to tired. Then, the door to his cell swung open and a guard entered to take his dinner tray away.

"… can't imagine falling asleep in this. For once, I wish I had the night shift." Ming picked up the tray and turned to leave the room, where her companion was waiting with the food cart.

"Are you kidding?" Mo replied. "You'll get to be in the city! You'll see all those shows and the food and the games. And at midnight, I think, the Imperial Firebenders are going to perform."

Ozai's eyes widened in horror.

"Really?" asked Ming.

"Yeah. And they're planning something big — I heard they're going to make a huge fire-dragon that's going to fly around the city. It's going to roar, and move, and everything."

"Huh. That's really something else. I've never heard of a Fire Lord doing that before."

Ozai let his head sink against the wall. He gazed up at the window with a dead, exhausted stare, already feeling the migraine coming on.

The cell door fell closed and the cart rolled away.

"Yep. And I'll be here, with these poor saps," Mo continued. "Though I guess it's not as bad as what Kinchil has to do. Guy took a blow for all of us."

"Yeah, he did…" Ming sighed. "But you know, I think it would be a great idea to have a little get-together. When we're all off at the same time, you know? My parents love guests. We could cook something up."

"That'd be great," Mo replied. "It would definitely beat going to another family reunion in the summer."

"What are those like?"

Mo gave a laugh. "I don't really know what to call it when you've got your parents, siblings, four aunts, five uncles, and ten cousins in one house."

"Whoa."

"But yeah, we should totally do it. Just let me know when, and my mom will probably bake up ten cakes."

Their voices faded and disappeared. Left alone, Ozai crawled over to his mat and lay down, turning towards the wall and pulling the blanket over his head. The booms were still audible, though muffled now. And with the cloth shielding his eyes, it was just dark enough to fall asleep. Maybe he'd even manage to fall asleep before that blasted performance. He had always been good at adapting to changing circumstances…

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Zuko, show Uncle how a dragon roars!'

The baby in Iroh's arms gave a one-toothed grin. "Rrrrarrrrrr!"

"Hey, Dad, he's getting good! He might be ready to breathe fire."

"He's not big enough yet. He has to learn how to control his breath first. And you still have a lot of practicing to do yourself, Lu Ten!"

The young boy in the sand looked up in dismay from his castle. "But I need a guard for my sand fortress! Look, I built it up so that it's the most secure structure in the world. It's guarded by teams of elite Imperial Firebenders, and they have ten years more training than regular Imperial Firebenders. And they guard me, Prince Re the Righteous, son of the Dragon Emperor!"

Ozai listened to the distant exchange, himself reclining on a patch of warm sand farther in and staring at the waves. In the other direction sat Ursa with a baby Azula in her arms, smiling and playing with her.

Ozai considered going over to them, but decided against it. Ursa always devoted her attention to the kids when they were young, and they both looked so peaceful he didn't want to disturb them. Instead his gaze flickered back to Iroh, who was now running around with Zuko and playfully dunking him in the water.

His brother made it look so easy. Fun, games. Lu Ten was of the same breed, and from the way Zuko was shrieking and laughing it seemed like he was enjoying their company a lot more. In the previous hour that the boy had been by Ozai's side, Ozai had simply watched as he dug around in the sand and drew things, expression focused and tongue between his new front teeth. He figured it was proper to let a child do what it wanted.

At one point Zuko had begun to dig a hole, and it grew so deep that the boy plopped in hands-first. He began to fidget, unable to get out. Ozai had taken the boy under the arms and hoisted him out. Zuko met Ozai's gaze and made an expression of pleading dissatisfaction, reaching out towards the bottom of the hole.

Ozai had peered in and reached down. His fingers touched the point of something solid, and he dug out an orange conch shell, fully intact. He dusted off the sand and handed it to the boy. Zuko's eyes widened in wonder. He took the shell into his hands, then immediately put it into his mouth and began to chew on it. Ozai had chuckled.

But now Zuko seemed to be enjoying himself a lot more. Indeed, Zuko's demeanor around him was different even in normal circumstances. The boy grew quieter, more reserved, an imitation of him. But he never shrieked with laughter. Never ran around giddily. And here, for some reason, it bothered him.

After a few minutes, Iroh finished dunking Zuko and set him back on solid ground.

"Here, go back to your father."

But Zuko ran over to Lu Ten's castle.

"Look, see, he wants to me one of my guards!" Lu Ten said.

Ozai scowled.

He had leaned his head back and done nothing.

.

.

.

Do nothing… he repeated hazily now, drifting on the verge of unconsciousness. Simply watch life play out and everything would fall into place.

As it had...