Quick updates! This chapter was already half written when I uploaded the previous chapter, so it was really not that big of a deal finishing this. Zuko's investigation continues and you start getting a picture of what and why of the story. Presenting the longest chapter of the story.

As usual, read and review. Reviews make me a happy bunny.

*BG stands for Before Genocide (The Airbender Genocide). Much like the BC era of the Gregorian calendar, BG goes in reverse.


Chapter 11

2687 BG*

Mayung is born to Zhu Mai and Weng, a rich merchant family from Tetsu.

2683 BG

Mayung is identified as the Avatar.

2682 BG

Mayung is informed of his Avatar status. Bending masters are arranged by his parents.

2677 BG

Mayung destroys a grain silo in an Earthbending accident.

2675 BG

Mayung is accused by a couple of children of starting a fire deliberately. He claims it as a Firebending accident.

2674 BG

Mayung and a few friends are caught by the villagers terrorizing the animals in a farm. Weng pays for the damages.

2673 BG

Mayung is declared an Earthbending Master.

2671 BG

Mayung is declared a Waterbending and Airbending Master.

2670 BG

Mayung is declared a Firebending Master. He almost drowns his betrothed, Ferien, claims it was a Waterbending accident.

2669 BG

Mayung is married to Ferien. He masters the Avatar state.

2668 BG

Mayung's daughter is born with severe birth defects and dies two hours after birth.

2667 BG

A local fisherman accuses Mayung of raping his daughter. The fisherman's house burns down shortly afterward, killing the entire family. Mayung's son is born at the end of the year.

2665 BG

Mayung's son, Temin, a firebender, dies in a firebending accident.

2664 BG

Ferien dies after jumping off a cliff.

2663 BG

Prophecy of Mayung's death is made.

2662 BG

Mayung is captured by bandits. Has a narrow escape. Is severely wounded.

2661 BG

Mayung is unable to reach the Avatar state. Healers attribute it to wounds sustained during his abduction.

2660 BG

Mayung dies of alcohol poisoning.

Zuko frowned. He had read through the scrolls twice and yet he had no idea what he was looking for. Other than being one of his previous lives, what was Mayung's connection with Aang? There had to be something that Uncle wanted him to see. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

From what he saw, he could make a few guesses. Born and brought up in a rich, influential family, Mayung let his power go to his head. He bullied and terrorized, but it was always brushed under the carpet by either labeling it a bending accident or his father's money. Zuko had known people like that all his life. He had no trouble identifying the patterns. But then, he went on to become a fully realized Avatar at the age of eighteen. But from here on, thing got murkier, Zuko realized that he would have to read between the lines, quite literally.

Given what he gleaned off Mayung's personality, he had little to no doubt that he abused Ferien. But, back in those days, women were often, treated as the second-class citizen. Hence, his abuse of Ferien would not be considered out of the norm in that day and age. Battered and bruised by her husband, unable to deal with the deaths of her children, the poor woman committed suicide. The whole incident with the fisherman's daughter must have only made matters worse for her.

The last three years seem almost anticlimactic to Zuko. How could an Avatar, the most powerful bender of their era, be wounded by mere bandits? He recalled when Aang had been unable to reach the Avatar state after being struck by Azula's lightning.

"But that was Azula," he muttered under his breath. "And Aang hadn't reached Avatar state by then."

He bit his lower lip. He had a feeling that the answer was dancing just out of reach. He read through the last few lines again, his eyes zeroing in on one sentence.

"Ryu," he called the Fire Sage.

A faint rustle of cloaks and the old sage was in front of him, bowing, "Milord?"

"Do we have the copy of the prophecy that was made about Avatar Mayung's death?"

"We do not keep a copy of the prophecies here, Milord."

"Oh!"

"But I do know of it, in a manner of speaking."

Zuko looked up, feeling hope surge through him. "What did it say?"

Ryu bowed his head a bit before saying, "While I do not know the exact wordings, milord, I did hear of it. We Fire Sages have always worshiped the Fire Avatars. An Avatar is a bridge between the world of mortals and the spirit world. It is believed that if an Avatar strays from the righteous path, the spirits' punishment is swift. That body is considered defiled and unworthy of the Avatar spirit. That body is disposed off and the spirit then moves on to a new, pure body. The prophecy said that the Avatar spirit would be purged of Mayung's stain."

Zuko steepled his fingers, chewing the inside of his cheeks. "So Mayung defiled his body?"

"Most certainly, Milord. If the Avatar is true to their cause, the Spirits do not let them die. Take Avatar Aang for example. He stayed frozen in an iceberg for a century. The spirits did not let him die because he was true to his cause."

Was he, though? Why did the spirits not prevent his untimely death twelve years later, then? Zuko thought. Aloud he said, "Him not being able to reach the Avatar State… do you think it could be because the spirits were angry with him?"

"It is definitely considered a possibility, milord. In the Fire Sages training sessions, this is a hotly contested debate," the man said with a smile.

Zuko nodded, "What is your opinion about it?"

Ryu rubbed a hand over his beard, clearly flustered at being asked his opinion. He opened and closed his mouth several times before saying, "Personally, I believe that's what happened. The Avatar State is a spiritual state. The Avatar Spirit is the only spirit that comes to live in the mortal realm. But it is a spirit, nevertheless. Thus, when the human host of the spirit defiles its body, the spirit cuts itself from the vessel so that the vessel can be destroyed, and the spirit can get reincarnated."

Zuko sighed, "Thank you, Ryu. You were most helpful. I trust you will keep this visit and conversation to yourself."

"I'm your humble servant, milord. I would not breath a word of this conversation to anyone."

Zuko nodded, dropped two gold coins in the Sage's hand as a further insurance and retraced his steps back to the banquet hall. As he had suspected, hardly anyone had noticed his absence. Or so he thought. He should have known that one person would know. She always knew.

No sooner he sat down than the Earthbender sauntered over, a shrewd grin on her face.

"That was one long loo break, Sparky," she whispered, settling on the chair next to him.

Zuko opened his mouth to tell her that it wasn't a loo break when he realized that Toph always knew. She would know the answer to at least one of the thousand questions that were burning inside his mind at that moment. He leaned closer so that he could whisper into her ear and said, "Toph, can I ask you something?"

The smile dropped from her face. "You're tensed. What happened?"

Zuko looked around to make sure no one was paying them any heed before he whispered, "Just before he died, did Aang have trouble getting into the Avatar state?"

Toph fixed him with a look that would have unnerved the most hardened criminal. This petite woman was the embodiment of her element, strong, study, and terrifying. Zuko realized that he did not appreciate this genius enough. Her next words were almost hissed through her teeth, "How did you know that? It wasn't public knowledge. I doubt Katara said anything."

"He did, didn't he?"

"Yes," she conceded in a whisper. "Technically, I am not supposed to know it. Only Aang and Katara. Even the Air Acolytes were not told about it."

"How did you come to know about it then?"

"Have you met me?" Toph asked, snickering. "I sorta… overheard."

In other circumstances, Zuko would have laughed, but at that moment, bile rose up his throat at the realization of what this possibly meant. Did history truly repeat itself? Did Aang choose to emulate the worst of his past selves? That was not possible, was it? He swallowed the bitter taste and said, "Any idea why he couldn't do it?"

Toph shook her head, "I don't know. Sugarqueen might be the better person to answer that question."

"I see. Can you tell me exactly when and what you overheard?"

"Can we go somewhere more private? Too many eyes and ears."

Zuko nodded and realized that she couldn't see it. "Yes, come with me."

He caught his uncle's eye and jerked his head towards Toph. Iroh, being the incredibly smart man that he was, understood his wordless message. That done, Zuko led her to an adjacent room, which was meant for the Fire Lord and his private guests only. He was certain no one would disrupt them here. Once Toph was certain they were alone, the Earthbender crossed her arms and frowned, "Why this interrogation, Zuko? What's going on?"

"Answers, please, Toph. What did you hear and when?"

For a moment, it looked like she would refuse, but then she said, "It was Kya's second birthday and I had gone to the Western Air Temple to visit them. The tension I had sensed during Kya's birth, I sensed it then too. Then, one day, I heard them arguing. Now they were keeping their voices low, but it's me."

"What were they saying?"

"I wouldn't tell this to anyone else…. But you're married to Katara now. Guess you have the right to know. Sugarqueen tried to tell Aang to meditate harder. Focus on his chi. She even offered to look into his chi paths to see what was causing the problems. But Aang wouldn't have any of it. He said it was her fault that he couldn't get into the Avatar State. Her shame was besmirching him."

A vein in his head was throbbing and Zuko found himself wishing he knew what he could do. "Why would he say something like that?"

"I don't know, but those words made her cry hard. She begged him to stop and said that she's told him a hundred times that it's not like that."

Zuko kneaded his temples, feeling anger pulsating inside him. "Anything else you overheard that might be pertinent?"

"What is this about, Sparky? I can feel scorching heat radiating off you. What's going on?"

He closed his eyes and consciously lowered his body temperature. "Just answer the damn question, Toph."

"I know Aang wasn't very happy that his kids weren't Airbenders," she said, thoughtfully. "Don't tell Sugarqueen, but once, I heard him tell someone that he didn't think…"

"He didn't think… what?" he prompted.

"It was the most terrible thing, Zuko," she whispered. Her calling him by his name only added fuel to the pit of anxiety that was forming in his stomach. "I heard him say to an Air Acolyte that he didn't think Bumi was his child."

"What?" Anger rose within him, black and ugly. "Why? Why would he say something like that? Bumi's eyes look exactly like his."

"I wouldn't know that, would I?"

"Why didn't you say something to anyone?"

"I confronted him," Toph said, looking both brazen and uncomfortable at the same time. "I beat the shit out of him. Apparently, his argument was that… how can an Avatar's child be a non-bender?"

"What rubbish?" Zuko roared, sparks flying from his mouth. "Bending doesn't work that way! Roku's daughter, my grandmother, was a non-bender. Izumi is a non-bender."

"That's exactly what I said. After I knocked the stuffing out of him, that is. I even reminded him that both my parents are non-benders and yet, here I am. You know how he could get sometimes. Completely unreasonable. Took an ass whooping to think straight. He seemed to have accepted his mistake and apologized. He told me that he was being stupid. He even apologized to the Acolyte."

"Then?"

"He seemed okay after that. I thought it was done. I didn't tell anyone anything because I didn't want Katara to know her husband had even briefly entertained the idea. But why are you asking me all this now?"

Zuko ran a hand over his face, wondering how much of his doubts he could share. He knew Toph could keep a secret. That was not something he worried about. But this was the Avatar he was talking about. The dead husband of his current wife. That made this personal. He could not say things based on just hunches. For all he knew, this was a different matter and had nothing to do with Katara's general distrust and skittishness. Every couple had their fights. Maybe that's all there was to it. Even as he tried to give that reason to himself, a part of him disagreed. "I don't know, Toph. Some things aren't adding up. Do me a favor, keep all this to yourself. I have a hunch that there is a lot going on here that we don't know."

"Hmm. Okay. I'm sure you can connect the dots," she said with a smile. "After all, when you want something, you are like a Pantherdog with a bone."


Katara looked up at the waxing gibbous moon and breathed in. She was now married, both as per Water Tribe's rituals and by Fire Nation's customs. Bearing the spirits as witness, she had pledged herself to a new man. The last man she had pledged herself to had… No. Katara hugged herself and shook her head. She was not going to think about that. She was not going to go down that lane. Bumi and Kya were safe. They would have their mother with them. And a good father in Zuko. She was now going to let bygones be bygones.

She looked up at the moon, hoping to draw strength from the source of her bending. A deep breath filled her with power, but the knot of cold dread in her stomach stubbornly stayed where it was.

"Yue… am I doing the right thing?"

No answer came from the moon spirit. What did come, though, was a knock on her door. Knowing who it was, a shiver ran up and down her spine. But then, Gran Gran's words from when she was departing from North Pole came back to her.

Zuko is not Aang. You will do well to remember that.

Swallowing the pit of fear in her throat, she said, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal her new husband. Like he had done on her first night here, he walked in with a couple of glasses of wine. He came to stand next to her by the window and offered her a drink. She accepted the glass from him with a small smile. He had done away with his crown and top knot, allowing his hair to descend down to his back. He had also shed his royal regalia, favoring a red and gold tunic and a pair of black pants, much like he did back when they camped.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" He said, keeping his eyes fixed on the moon.

There was a rigidity about his shoulders that Katara had not seen since the war. "You disappeared in the middle of the banquet for a while. Is everything okay?"

The corner of Zuko's lips twitched in a smirk, "Apparently my absence was not as inconspicuous as I thought."

Katara snorted, "If you were trying to be inconspicuous, your own wedding banquet might not be the ideal occasion for it."

"Point taken," he said. "Something had come up and it needed my immediate attention."

Katara nodded, sipping the wine, "Perks of being a Fire Lord, huh?"

The two of them stood in silence, the wind billowing their hair gently. Absently, Katara realized that she had always been able to share silences with Zuko. Not something she had done with Aang or Sokka, both of them needing to fill the silence with chatter.

"You're wearing mother's bracelet," he said suddenly.

With a smile, she lowered the wine glass on the window ledge and held out her hand for him to examine the bracelet. "Yes. Azula gave this to me."

His brow rose up, "She did? Huh."

They lapsed into companionable silence once again. Katara allowed the wine to soothe her frayed nerves, enjoying this uncomplicated moment. Much as she had liked the wedding Furisode,she was glad to be out of it. The blue silk robe she had on now was perfect for the heat and comfortable enough to sleep in. Snatches of the ongoing celebrations in the streets of Caldera City floated to her.

"I miss her, you know?" Zuko said after a while.

"Your mother?"

"No. I mean… yes, I miss her, but I was not talking about her right now," he clarified. "I was talking about Mai."

Katara nodded, "Naturally. You love her. You don't stop loving someone just because they are no longer with us."

"You would understand that, wouldn't you? I'm sure you miss Aang too."

The wine in her hand turned to ice as Katara swallowed the bitter words coming to her mouth. She breathed out and thawed the wine, hoping he had not noticed her slip. He had not given any indication or surprise, his eyes still on the night outside. She made a noncommittal sound and changed the subject, "I loved the performances today."

Zuko sipped the wine and for a brief moment, Katara thought she saw smoke coming through his nostrils, but before she could be certain, he turned to her with a bright smile, "Bumi talked to me today, you know?"

Katara's eyes widened in genuine amazement, "He did? What did he say?"

"Just 'thank you' but I count that as a win. What he thanked me for, I don't know. He ran away before I could ask."

"He does that," Katara replied, nodding slightly. "He runs away when he is shy. On the plus side, he will come back to you when his embarrassment clears up."

"I look forward to it. I always wanted a son, you know. Not that I have a problem with daughters," he hurried to explain, "It's just that… when Ozai treated me like an afterthought, I would often lay awake at nights, wondering what I would do with my son. That's when I decided I wanted a son, if only to snub it on Ozai's face as to how to treat one. And now… I have one. Let's hope I can do justice to that little boy."

Zuko is not Aang. You will do well to remember that.

Katara licked her lips and leaned against the wall, her face turned to the moon, "You will be a great father, Zuko. You already are."

"Thank you," he sipped his wine and then scrunched his face, "Can't believe I almost forgot."

"What?"

He dipped his hand into his pant pocket, pulled out something and held it out to her. Confused, she put her palm out and he dropped something in it. Lying curled in her palm was a betrothal necklace, the pendant hanging from the blue ribbon Zuko had tied on her neck in the Northern Water Tribe. Carved on the stone was a three-pronged fire symbol, surrounded by the waves of water.

"Zuko… this is beautiful."

He smiled, his cheeks taking a faint color and for one moment, Katara saw the boy she had once known. The confused, unsure, hot-headed, adorable boy who had become one of her closest friends. The boy with whom she had once fallen in love.