Chapter 6: The Enemy of My Enemy
"What do you want?"
Sokka wanted to smack his forehead. Really, Aang? You can't tell?
The girl in front smiled razor-sharp, eerie blue sparks curling up her fingers and dancing along her sleeves. "I want you, Avatar," she said, almost conversationally, but there was a terrifying edge to her voice that sent chills up and down Sokka's spine. "You're tired, and you have no place to go. Your friends can't hope to hold us off. It's over."
Aang brought his staff to a ready position. "It's not over," he said, with more resolve than Sokka had heard in a long time. "As long as I'm standing, it's not over."
The princess's lips curved up in a twisted mockery of a smile. "Then let's see how long you can stand," she said, and blue fire blazed.
;=;=;=;=;
Toph scowled at the earth as she walked. Part of her was yelling at herself for leaving like she did. You just left your family, you idiot! Go get them! Move! The other part snarled every time she thought about Aang or Katara. How could they be so incredibly sludgeheaded?
She wasn't sure where she was going. Her earthsense wasn't totally up to par, with how tired she was, but she could feel that the mountains sloped down to a flatter plain not too far away. Maybe once she got out there, the others would find her. Then again, if she stayed in the mountains, she might have a better chance of running across them. Assuming they hadn't just flown off without her.
They need me, she told herself. But was it worth it to them if she clashed with them so much?
Now you're just being stupid. There's no way that Zhi and Jiao would let them leave without you. She forged determinedly on, jaw set.
Toph was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the person crouched behind a rock until she was almost level with them. She whirled, cursing her inattentiveness, and shot a foot out. "Who's there?" she yelled, as earth tossed them away from the rock. Their landing gave Toph a better picture of them: not large, but rather round; probably old, from they way they slowly creaked up. "Ow," a deep voice said. "That really hurt my tailbone."
Toph came warily around the rock, as the man stood up. He didn't feel too much taller than Toph herself. "Who are you?" she demanded. "And why are you lurking around rocks?"
He chuckled. It was a warm, rolling sound that Toph couldn't help but like. "My name is Mushi." Lie. "And I was not sure who might be coming up the trail, so I wasn't going to take chances." True. "But now I find myself in the company of a rather interesting individual, as well as sore bones. It seems like the ideal time for a cup of tea. Would you care to join me?"
Toph blinked. "Um… tea?" She wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. Why was this random old guy offering her tea, especially after she dumped him painfully on his rear?
Well, life never failed to be interesting. "Sure, I guess." It might distract her for a bit. He sounded interesting enough, and she kind of wanted to know why he was hiding who he really was.
He sat down and started pulling things out of a sack, then arranged wood on the ground and clicked spark rocks together to light it. Toph felt his movements, and frowned.
Her upbringing had involved plenty of tea. Although she had never been allowed to pour the tea because of her blindness, she had sat in on plenty of Meimei's lessons, and felt the maids pour. There was a specific way to do it, a particular way of moving and sequence of motions. Despite the rough surroundings, Mushi – or whatever his name really was - prepared the tea with all the grace and ceremony of a noble. Interesting.
After a few quiet minutes, Mushi poured tea into two cups, making Toph scowl. Traditionally, unless the host was much inferior to their guest, they would allow the guest to pour for themselves. She didn't think the old man thought she was greatly superior, though. He just didn't think a little blind girl could pour tea. You'd be surprised.
"Here is your tea," Mushi said cheerfully, handing one cup to Toph. It felt like cheap tin, which indicated that he wasn't very well off. "You seem a little too young to be traveling on your own."
"You seem a little too old," Toph said, irritated, but also curious as to how he would react. He just laughed, though, and his heartbeat didn't seem angry at all. She sipped her tea, and raised her eyebrows. It was the best jasmine she'd ever had. Who was this guy, who prepared tea like a noble, better than any professional teamaker, and only had flimsy tin cups?
"Perhaps I am," Mushi said, still chuckling.
Toph took another sip of her tea. "I know what you're thinking. I look like I can't handle being by myself." Well, no one ever accused her of undue dancing around the point.
"I wasn't thinking that." Puzzlingly, he wasn't lying.
"You wouldn't even let me pour my own cup of tea!" Toph pressed.
"I poured your tea because I wanted to, and for no other reason," Mushi said, and he still wasn't lying.
Toph frowned in surprise. "People see me and think I'm weak. They want to take care of me, but I can take care of myself, by myself! Even my brother tries to take care of me, when he knows that I can do fine on my own!" She hadn't meant to get so heated, but it didn't seem to faze Mushi.
"You sound like my nephew," he said thoughtfully. "Always thinking you need to do everything on your own without anyone's support. There is nothing wrong with letting the people who love you, help you. Ah, not that I love you, I just met you," he added, and Toph laughed. "But it sounds like your brother loves you. Have you ever considered that maybe it makes him happy to take care of you?"
Toph took another sip of her tea – really, where did he learn to make such good tea, and could she steal him away? - and thought. "He does love me, a lot," she finally said. "And I guess… well, it doesn't hurt to let him help me. But sometimes there's something I need to do myself, or something that will make me stronger, and he doesn't want to let me do it."
"It can be hard, when your loved ones try to keep you from doing something you need to do," Mushi said understandingly. "It is difficult to let someone you care about do something that is painful, and because your brother cares, he wants to spare you. Sometimes all you can do is make the jump anyway, and trust that he understands what is important for you to do."
Toph sighed. "I guess." She changed the subject, uncomfortable with talking about sensitive topics for long. "So where is your nephew, anyway?"
"I have been tracking him, actually."
"Is he lost?" Toph asked, frowning. That would make two of us.
"Yes, a little bit," Mushi said, sadness creeping in around his voice. "His life has… recently changed, and he is going through some very difficult times. He is trying to figure out who he really is, defined by his character and not the things that surround him. So… he went away."
"That sounds familiar," Toph mumbled. "So now you're following him," she said more loudly.
"I know he doesn't want me around right now, but if he needs me, I will be there," Mushi said.
Toph swallowed. They don't want me around right now, but if they need me… when they need me, will I be there? "Your nephew is very lucky, even if he doesn't know it," Toph said, her throat thick. "I… my friends aren't as lucky."
"But they can be," Mushi said gently. "Everyone struggles, and every relationship has troubled moments, but they will blow over. It's important to be with those you care about, to support each other."
"Yeah," Toph said quietly. "Thank you."
"My pleasure," Mushi said warmly. "Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights."
Toph couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "No, thanks for what you said. It… it helped me."
"I'm glad," Mushi said. Truth.
Toph stood up. "About your nephew… maybe you should tell him that you need him, too."
Mushi gathered up the cups and the teakettle, packing them back into his bag. "More than he could know," the old man murmured.
Toph fidgeted for a moment, until Mushi rose, hoisting his own bag. "Did you need something more?" he inquired.
"I… well, I'm lost," Toph admitted. "I have no idea where I'm going, and I think my friends may have left without me. If I could just… you know…"
"Would you like to travel with me?" Mushi asked, and Toph nodded gratefully.
"Who knows," she said. "Maybe I'll find my friends when you find your nephew."
Iroh chuckled. "Likely not."
;=;=;=;=;
Aang yelped as sharp metal flew past his face. He swayed forward again, and had to swing his staff to deflect another volley with a sharp burst of air. How did she have so many sharp throwy things? It wasn't fair!
Then there was no time to think about the knife girl's endless supply of sharp throwy things because Azula was bearing down on him, blasting Sokka away with an explosion of blue. Aang yelped again and bolted up a set of stairs, clawing onto the roof of a dilapidated building. A moment later half the building was immolated, and he was running again.
He caught a glimpse of Katara, desperately facing the pink-clad girl (and wasn't that terrifying, someone who could just whisk your bending away with a few jabs?), water slashing around her. Sokka was getting off the ground, boomerang flying toward the knife girl. Aang landed on the street, running toward the edge of town until he realized he was running toward Appa and that was not good. He flipped around and nearly ran Azula over, leaping over the startled princess with a burst of air.
He landed and whipped around to face her again. There was a tense pause, both of them waiting, staring at each other. Their concentration was broken when an ostrich horse galloped up, and the figure that vaulted off was none other than Zuko, who was apparently not dead, which made Aang breath a sigh of relief because no matter how much Zuko had chased them Aang didn't really want him dead, but right now he wasn't really a good thing, but he seemed to be staring at Azula just as angrily as he was at Aang so maybe it was all right? Then Aang had to think back over that last sentence because it didn't make much sense, and he almost missed Azula talking.
"I wondered when you would show up, Zuzu," the princess said casually.
Aang snorted, because he couldn't help himself. "Zuzu?" he repeated.
"Back off, Azula!" Zuko snarled. "The Avatar is mine!"
"Not anymore, Zuzu," Azula said. "You're behind the times. The Avatar is my job, and you are conveniently here as well." She smirked, cruel and cutting. "Won't Father be pleased when I deliver both of you to him."
Zuko snarled terrifyingly (seriously, Aang had heard less scary platypus-bears) and lunged at Azula, red fire exploding against her shield of blue. Aang leaped away while they were distracted, but they must not have been that distracted because both of them immediately chased him.
Monkeyfeathers.
;=;=;=;=;
Katara didn't have enough water.
She had made an unexpected and extremely appreciated discovery when she found that the well in the middle of the town wasn't quite dry. But fire evaporated water, and she was down to less than a waterskin's worth. Everything was just so dry, and there wasn't any water to pull up from puddles or cooking bowls or anything. This battle was lasting far too long.
Blue exploded around her, and she barely managed to block it. Azula's face was twisted with fury, and she blasted again, aimed slightly to the left, where someone else was standing with not enough time to turn around. Katara tackled them to the ground as fire scorched overhead, and crouched for a moment, panting, as they hastily dispersed the next wave of flames-
-wait, what?
Katara barely had time to realize that it was Zuko whom she had just saved, and who had just saved her, before more blue fire seared their way. She was on her feet, water lashing out in offense as Zuko deflected the blaze, and ice daggers slashed down that Azula had to flip back to avoid.
The two of them went on the offensive, fire and water, and maybe if Katara had more time she would have marveled at how well they worked together, but right now all she could think about was the fight. Bring water around, aimed for Azula's head. Step to the side as Azula attacked, force the princess to defend herself so Zuko's flames could drive in.
Then Aang appeared for a moment, fleeing the acrobat, and Azula abruptly was gone. Katara and Zuko stared at each other for a shocked moment, before the prince bared his teeth and chased after the fleeing Avatar.
;=;=;=;=;
Aang's eyes widened as he realized that there were three people chasing after him. He spread his glider and summoned a gust of wind to propel up to the second story of a house, darting inside. The floor was rotted away and mostly missing, but he used an airbending-assisted blast to leap over to the other side. He paused, breathing hard, and a moment later Azula rushed in.
She stopped just before the edge, arms windmilling hilariously and a look of panic on her face, before regaining her balance. Zuko ran in right after and dashed straight off the edge. Aang winced – that had to have hurt.
The chi-blocking girl ran through a moment later, and she didn't stop, just launched herself off the edge and somersaulted through the air, and Aang barely managed to avoid her jabs as she landed next to him.
Suddenly azure flames rushed towards them. "Look out!" Aang yelled, yanking the girl down by her arm and gusting the flames away with a desperate blast of air. She gave him a shocked look, gray eyes wide, before smiling and saying, "Thanks!"
"You're welcome," Aang said cheerfully, and then she chi-blocked his arm and he had to stumble back and dive out a window before she chi-blocked the rest of him, too.
He paused, waiting for Azula to come out the door. Instead, the side of the house exploded outward and Azula shot out of the flames and debris, murder in her face.
Aang gave a very girly shriek and ran.
;=;=;=;=;
"Mushi?"
Iroh looked down at the diminutive powerhouse at his side. "Yes?" She was truly a fascinating puzzle. The way she walked and held herself unmistakably marked her as an earthbender. She was blind, but needed no help walking or avoiding objects. She carried herself with a confidence that Iroh had rarely seen in grown men.
Her head was cocked to the side. "Um… I hear something. Sounds like combat."
Iroh frowned, tilting his head as well. Despite his advancing age, his senses weren't too shabby, but he couldn't hear what she'd picked up on. "Which direction?"
She scowled in concentration, and then stomped the ground several times. "That way," she said, pointing over the gentle rise to the northwest. "It's definitely fighting. I can't tell who or what, though."
"Ah. Likely my nephew," Iroh said, picking the pace up. She kept up easily. "He has an extraordinary propensity for getting into sticky situations in the most innocuous places."
She grinned. "Sounds like we'd better fish his butt out before it gets roasted off, huh?"
"Roasted off?"
"Yeah. Sounds like a lot of firetossing going on. Oh joy, I think it's the crazy ladies again. And… hey, guess what? It is my friends!"
"Crazy ladies?" Iroh wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"Yeah. Three lightning-blasting loonies in a tank that chased us all over. Guess they finally caught up."
Iroh's eyes widened. Azula.
He broke into a sprint, and they crested the dusty hill. The Southern Plains spread out before them, vast and bleak. Near the foothills of the mountains was a small, derelict, probably abandoned town, and Iroh could see curling blue and gold fire gouting up above the ruined rooftops.
"Oh, Agni," Iroh cursed, however unwise it was to mark himself as Fire Nation, and ran down the hill as fast as his old bones would take him.
The young earthbender ran alongside, subtly boosting her strides with pushes of earth. Cheater.
;=;=;=;=;
Zuko was pretty sure he was dead, or well-done at the least. Azula's wave of blue fire bore down on him, lying on the ground, and there was no waterbender to push him out of the way this time. He was pinning one arm under him, and his other arm didn't feel like it was going to be moving anytime soon, and he was so exhausted that he couldn't even bring his legs up to defend himself.
But then someone jumped in front of him, and the azure flames deflected to either side, streaming past. The figure turned, dropping to shake Zuko's shoulder. "Zuko!"
"Uncle?" he mumbled. Where did Uncle come from?
Uncle tugged on Zuko. "Get up, Zuko! You must fight!"
Zuko summoned a well of strength from somewhere he didn't know he had, and staggered to his feet with Uncle's help. "The Avatar," he whispered.
Uncle's face didn't twitch. "First, we must worry about the more dangerous threat."
Zuko dragged in a breath and nodded, moving forward. Azula had to be around here somewhere-
-Or Ty Lee, he thought as he blasted fire at the cartwheeling girl in pink that dropped down next to him. Ty Lee worked, too. Just had to have something to fight.
She ducked under his right hand and got a jab in before his left hand caught her in the ribs and threw her back. She turned it into a roll and sprang back at him, those dangerous fists coming at him again.
Suddenly there was another person there, tall and wielding a shining jian with a decent amount of competence. He thrust at Ty Lee, forcing her to retreat, and ducked to the side as Zuko blasted flame. A pitiful amount of flame, really. But it was enough to make the girl dart back, giving them a little breathing room.
They were moving out onto the main street, driving Azula back. Zuko waited until Ty Lee was being held off by the other boy, then grabbed his own swords.
They were inferior weapons. Firebenders shouldn't lower themselves to using steel like a commoner. But they boosted his bending, and were sharp to boot. At this point Azula couldn't really make any more fun of him than she already had, anyway.
He took a breath, and willed the flames to come. They cloaked the metal and danced off the edges, wild and strong. Zuko moved past the other boy and slashed at Ty Lee, driving her back again. She tried to jump over him and hit him from behind, but he sliced fire at her and she had to dive to the side.
He was vaguely aware of other people approaching. Uncle was fending off Azula, which explained why Zuko had to handle Ty Lee on his own. There were flashes of blue and green and orange and red and black, vibrant against the dusty sameness of the land around them.
They were forming a rough semicircle. The Avatar and the Water Tribe siblings. Two kids in green. Uncle. All facing three girls, backed against a wall.
Three girls.
Zuko knew who the one on the right was, even before he actually looked at her. Her amber eyes met his, fierce and questioning. People had always said that Mai was dull and boring. It seemed that no one ever looked in her eyes, because they had never been dull for as long as Zuko knew her, and they still weren't.
For some reason, he was far more bothered by Mai's presence than the fact that his little sister was actively trying to kill him.
"Well, look at this." Azula's voice was scornful. "Enemies and traitors, all working together. How nice." She raised her hands into the air, smirking slightly. "I know when we're beaten. You have us." Her eyes cut to Uncle. "Royalty should surrender with honor, don't you agree?"
Zuko glanced back at Mai, swallowing.
He almost missed Azula's lightning-fast movement.
Zuko turned in time to see the fire snap from her fingers, a bolt of deadly blue. Managed to move out of the way enough to have it hit him in the shoulder instead of square in the chest. But it still hit him.
Agony exploded through his body, and he fell to the sound of Iroh's cry. The last thing he remembered was the same burning pain, but on his face, and the sound of his father's snarling voice.
;=;=;=;=;
Katara gasped as Azula turned, and blasted her own brother back. Zuko toppled into the street, dust poofing around his prone body in a manner far too innocuous for what just happened. The heartbreaking sound of Iroh's anguished cry echoed in Katara's ears.
She turned, a snarl carving her face, and sent all the water she had left flying at Azula and her minions, desperate to get at them. Fire, air, and earth blasted forward as well, meeting a massive explosion of blue flames.
When the smoke and dust cleared, Katara squinted at the site of the blast.
It was empty.
She had no time to dwell on it, because her attention was wrenched away by Iroh's cry. "Zuko!" The man dropped to his knees by his nephew, reaching for him.
Katara wavered for a moment that seemed to stretch for years. That was Zuko, who had chased them since the South Pole. Zuko, who profaned the spiritual center of the North with his presence. Zuko, the Prince of the Fire Nation.
Zuko, who looked to be just as much on the run as they were. Zuko, who had fought at her side against Azula.
In the end, it boiled down to one thing. He was hurt, and needed help.
She didn't have any water left, but she could feel some in the skin at Iroh's side. As the others gathered around, faces strained and pale, she dropped to her knees by Iroh, grabbing his waterskin and drawing the water out without even asking.
Iroh threw her a single glance, heartbreakingly thankful, before Katara let the water envelop her hands and lowered then to the burn spreading across Zuko's shoulder.
It was pretty nasty. Not as bad as the one on his face, but few burns sustained by living people were. She let the glowing water spread across the whole thing, and went to work on the worst of it.
Katara had treated a lot of burns, during and after the Siege of the North. She was a warrior and a fighter, a master of combat. But she could heal, too, and that skill became invaluable when the healing huts were packed full and there were still men waiting outside. The enemy wasn't always soldiers. Sometimes the enemy was burns and slices, torn muscles and broken bones. And Katara learned how to fight those, too.
Now she blew out a breath and reached for Zuko's chi, to coax it into the correct patterns, and guide the energy to where it was needed. His chi was different than she was used to, stronger in different places, and harder to guide. She briefly wondered if it was a firebender thing, or unique to Zuko, before focusing on the healing again.
Katara finally sat back, drawing the water off and studying the burn. It was smaller, since she'd been able to completely heal the less burned edges, and it looked older. She looked over at Zhi, who had been talking quietly with Toph (and thank goodness the girl was all right, no matter how infuriating she was). "Can you find the burn ointment in the healer's bag? It should be next to mine." Sometimes the simple cures helped as much as glowing hands and tweaking chi.
Zhi nodded and jogged off.
She looked up at Iroh, who hadn't moved from Zuko's side the entire time. "He's going to be okay," she said, and Iroh sagged in relief. "It's scabbed over now, so it probably won't get infected, which is really the biggest danger with burns like this. There will probably be scarring, unless he has several healing sessions with me, which probably won't happen," she said wryly. "It shouldn't be bad, though, and he will likely regain full movement of the arm and shoulder within one to two weeks. It should probably be bandaged to minimize the risk of infection-"
"What are you doing?" Sokka squawked. "Don't help the crazy firethrowing royals!"
"We are no longer royals," Iroh said gravely, smoothing dust off of Zuko's face. "We are refugees, fleeing the wrath of the Fire Nation just like so many others."
"Royals?" Toph said, confusion on her face. "You… oh, sludge. Sludge. That's Prince Zuko."
"He is," Iroh confirmed, a touch warily.
"And… that makes you… the Dragon of the West."
"I am."
Toph's eyes looked like they were going to fall out of her face. "You… I… I – you didn't- never – Mushi?!" she finally spluttered.
He chuckled. "I assure you, that was not my name choice. I suppose it is my fault, though. I started it."
"You're the Dragon of the West?" Toph repeated, slightly hysterical.
"What's the big deal?" Katara said. He was just a short old man, after all. Did the title have some significance?
"The big deal? He's the first person to break through the Wall of Ba Sing Se in thousands of years! He personally decimated the rebels of Taku! His firebending is more than legendary! I had tea with you!" Toph yelled at him. "I sat and had tea and talked with the Dragon of the West!"
"Please," Iroh said, holding his hands up. "I am no longer that person. I have changed a great deal, and I mean you no harm. I simply wish to help my nephew, and see that he recovers and finds his path."
"You – you -" Toph seemed speechless.
"Wait," Sokka said, holding his hands up. He sounded much more serious than before. "The Breach at Ba Sing Se… that was you?"
"It was," Iroh confirmed. "But please believe me when I tell you that I no longer seek to aid the Fire Nation in their conquest. I seek balance now-"
"To Koh with balance!" Toph yelled. "I need your autograph and your life story, pronto!"
Everyone stared at her.
"What?" she asked, evidently aware of the attention on her. "This guy is the greatest bender and military mind of his time. I wanna pick his brains!"
Stepping back, Katara palmed her forehead as the girl grabbed Iroh's arm. So much for the girl being anti-firebender.
"Hey," Zhi said from behind Katara, Jiao in tow. His hands were empty.
"Where's the ointment?"
He gave her an exasperated look. "We both forgot all our stuff is back with Appa's saddle in the woods."
Katara's eyes widened, and she slapped her forehead again. "La's frozen fins," she said in disbelief. "We did. I'm an idiot." Well, there went the easy way. She'd have to see if there was any way to get her hands on some herbs for a poultice. Except that nothing grew in this awful place. Ugh.
"What's with the old guy and Toph?" Zhi asked, peering over at Iroh and Toph. Iroh was sitting next to Zuko, carefully starting to bandage the prince's burn, and Toph had plopped next to him. The two were talking, with Toph more animated than Katara had seen her before (except when Toph was chewing her out, anyway).
"She's just excited," Katara said distractedly, scanning the dead landscape around them. "Something about meeting the Dragon of the West."
If Zhi's jaw hung any lower, he'd trip on it when he walked. "The… what in Oma's blessed name is he… it can't be. It can't – wait, that's Prince Zuko – the Dragon of the West -" He trailed off into an incoherent litany of muttered curses and disbelieving denials. "I – I have to…" He headed off towards Toph. "Toph, what are you doing-!"
"The Dragon of the West?" Jiao said, still standing by Katara. "Isn't that a bad guy?"
"I don't know," Katara said wearily, rubbing her temples. "I don't know. It's… complicated."
"Who is that?" Jiao wanted to know, pointing to Zuko's prone form. The prince looked almost peaceful, with his good side facing Katara and his face relaxed with unconsciousness.
"That's Prince Zuko. His crazy sister burned him. I helped heal him." She noticed that Aang was chatting happily with Toph and Iroh. At least the two kids were getting along for the moment. Zhi had stalked off and seemed to be beating his head against the wooden doorpost of a nearby house.
"So is he a good guy?"
Katara briefly closed her eyes, the sunlight still too bright even through her lids. "I don't know. Everything's muddled up now. I don't trust them, but… they're on the run from the Fire Nation, too."
"Leopoardseals don't change their spots," Sokka said, ambling up next to them. "And I'll bet that Nationals don't either."
Jiao peered down at Zuko. "They don't have spots."
"Not the point, little buddy."
;=;=;=;=;
Aang liked Iroh a lot. They hadn't really had a lot of opportunity to interact before without being in the middle of a battle, so he'd never really gotten to know the guy. But after the North Pole, where Iroh had stood against Zhao with them, and tried to protect Tui, Aang trusted him a lot more.
Sokka always said that Aang was far too trusting. But sometimes, not trusting was much more damaging, wasn't it?
Wasn't it?
"It's a matter of thinking ahead," Iroh was telling Toph gravely. "Pai Sho has a great deal in common with life, and strategy. Any battle, any tactic, any decision, can be planned out. And the better you get at predicting your opponent, the better you can think ahead." He gently tied off the bandages wrapping Zuko's shoulder. "So, sometimes being unpredictable is a sound strategy."
Airbenders were about unpredictability. They went wherever the wind blew, wherever their fancy took them. Aang nodded his agreement. "Just don't get so unpredictable that you aren't sure what you're doing," he offered. "Trust me. I'm good at doing that."
"No kidding, Twinkletoes," Toph said, but she didn't sound mad at him, so life was good.
Iroh smiled, though it looked a little strained, and rocked back onto his heels, done at last with his task. He was surprisingly flexible for an old man. "You and yours should probably depart, Avatar. It would not do for Princess Azula and her friends to return and find you. And it would not do for you to be here when my nephew awakens."
Aang frowned. "But we can't leave you like… this!" He gestured vaguely at the two ex-royals. "Why don't you come with us?"
Iroh winced. "That would not be a good idea," he said. "Zuko is not yet ready for that. He needs more time to... find himself."
"But I need a firebending teacher," Aang said hopefully. "Can't you…" He trailed off at the look on Iroh's face.
"You must first master earth and water," Iroh said quietly. "You have no need of a firebending teacher at the present time. And Zuko's path is no less important than yours. Go your way, Avatar. We shall meet again."
Aang swallowed and stood, bowing in the Fire Nation style. "May the spirits show your path, and the light of knowledge guide your steps," he said formally.
Iroh's eyebrows rose, but he gave no other sign of surprise, just stood and returned the bow. "And may you find the refreshing spring of wisdom at the end of your journey," he returned.
Aang turned to Toph, who looked put out. "Come on, Toph," he said. "Let's go."
She rose, grouchily, and made her way to Aang. "Bye, Mushi," she said. "Take care of yourself."
"Of course, Miss Toph," he said warmly, and Aang and Toph headed back to Katara, Sokka, and Jiao.
"So what's up?" Sokka asked.
"Iroh wants us to leave," Aang said, a little despondently. "He doesn't want us to be here when Zuko wakes up, and he doesn't want Azula to come back and find us."
"Gotta say, I agree with him," Sokka said. "I don't want to be here when the angry jerk wakes up, either. Let's go get our stuff."
Katara sighed. "I guess." She tossed a glance back at Zuko and Iroh. "I just don't feel right about leaving him hurt like that."
"You helped him as much as you could," Aang pointed out. "Now we need to honor Iroh's wishes."
Zhi appeared next to Toph, scowling and muttering something about dragons. "Yes, let's go," he interrupted himself long enough to say.
Toph hung back as the others moved toward Appa, catching Aang's arm. "Okay, what was up with the whole "bowing and mysterious code phrases" thing?"
Aang shrugged. "Just a memory."
"Memory of what?"
"I… just something that my teacher Gyatso told me. He said that I could often find a friend in those who follow the ancient ways, and taught me a few things to say… He promised he'd explain when I was older, but that didn't work out very well." Aang sighed and looked ahead, fighting down the sadness he felt every time he thought of Gyatso.
"Huh," Toph said. "Weird."
"Come on, guys!" Sokka hollered from where he was perched on Appa's broad back. "Let's go! All our food is in our packs, and I'm starving!"
;=;=;=;=;
"Zuzu!"
"I'm right here, Lali," Zuko says, poking his head around the corner.
Azula's round face is scrunched up in tears. "I couldn't find you!" she wails. "Why you go?"
"You're supposed to be finding me!"
"But I couldn't!"
Zuko sighs, and emerges fully. "Fine. You hide, and I'll look for you."
He counts to ten, and looks around the room. Three-year-old Azula is under a chair upholstered in ugly, stiff maroon velvet. "Got you!" he shouts, and she shrieks with laughter, her tears forgotten.
"I'll always find you, Lali," he says impulsively, and she wriggles out from under the chair and gives him a brief hug around the waist.
"I always find you too," she says.
He hurt all over.
That wasn't anything new. He'd been aching up one side and down the other, ever since… ever since the pirates blew up his ship. There hadn't been any opportunity for rest since then. Just running, and more running. Fighting, for food, for shelter, for survival itself.
But his shoulder in particular hurt far more than it should have. Had he been attacked by something? Fallen? He couldn't remember. The last day was a blur.
Zuko cracked one eyelid, and immediately closed it again. Too bright, too painful.
He lay, and tried to remember what had happened. Where was he? Why did he hurt so much, and was so tired?
He'd been riding. Hadn't really recovered from that fight with the earthbender, in Lee's little town. Still sore and exhausted… but not too much to notice and recognize the white fur on the ground. And worse, the tracks of the tank following it.
The Avatar.
He'd found the Avatar. And his sister.
Zuko bit back a moan as the events of the fight crashed back into his head. Fighting, losing, falling and getting back up. And then Azula's fire hitting him, and throwing him into agony and darkness-
"Zuko?"
Uncle's gentle, worried voice broke into Zuko's consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes again, to see Uncle Iroh leaned over him, concern plain in his eyes, though it lessened upon seeing Zuko awake. "Uncle?" he whispered.
"Nephew." Uncle's smile was warm and grateful. "How do you feel?"
Zuko tried to raise one hand, and winced. "Like… like I was just trampled by a festival parade fleeing from a tigerwasp," he rasped.
Uncle chuckled. "Here." He helped Zuko into a sitting position. Zuko gritted his teeth as pain spiked in his shoulder, but it lessened as he settled again.
They were in an old, dilapidated shell of a hut, sun shining through a hole in the roof and wall. It didn't look like they had left the town, which made sense. If Zuko was wounded, Uncle wouldn't have wanted to move him unless he absolutely had to.
Looking down, he noticed the bandages wrapped around his shoulder. He also noticed that the pain didn't seem as bad as it should have. Maybe the wound just hadn't been as bad as he'd thought.
"Here." Uncle pressed a cup into his hand. "A special blend, for strength and recovery."
Zuko tipped it back without protest. It was some sort of slightly bitter tea with a weird aftertaste. It did clear a little of the fuzziness out of his head, though, so he wasn't going to complain. "What… what happened?"
Uncle wrapped his hands around his own cup of tea. Zuko could smell the jasmine from here. "After Azula attacked you, the Avatar and his friends combined their strengths with mine and drove Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee away. Master Katara then healed your wound a great deal before they departed."
"She… healed me?" Zuko reached up to his shoulder, where he knew from agonizing experience there should be nothing but white-hot, blinding pain. Instead there was just a throbbing pain, like an older burn that had had some time to heal. "Why did she do that?"
Uncle sighed softly. "Because she has a good heart, I think. Despite the difficult history we all share, she could not see you in pain and not offer to help."
"And you… let her?"
"Zuko." That was Uncle's pained voice, a little tight and pinched, like he'd sounded after Auntie Shan's death, and Lu Ten's, and those first few weeks on the ship. "If she could not bear to see you in pain, how much more would I give to help you? I understand that you have a troubled mind about the Avatar's friends and companions, but I would sooner give myself up to my brother than see you grievously wounded and do nothing when something could be done." His voice dropped. "It was a terrible burn, Zuko. Without Master Katara's aid, there is a good chance that you would have died, from shock, or infection."
Zuko stared into the dregs of his tea. It was easier than looking at Uncle. "I…" He didn't know what to say. His own sister had tried to kill him, had nearly succeeded. He was alive only because one of his fiercest enemies had taken pity on him. It went against everything Zuko believed in, everything he knew. Family was supposed to be loyal, to trust with their lives. Enemies were enemies, and weren't supposed to offer quarter or aid. But his simple world had shattered into a million pieces when Mother disappeared, and he was still struggling to piece the puzzle back together.
"I just want what's best for you, my nephew," Uncle whispered. "If I could have taken the blow instead, I would have gladly."
Zuko swallowed hard, struggling with the emotion and sincerity in Uncle's voice. He didn't know how to respond, how to express that Uncle mattered to him more than anything, that he was glad that he was hit and not Uncle – Uncle wasn't young anymore, and what might have killed Zuko was far more dangerous to an old man – he was family – but family couldn't be trusted – he was all Zuko had left -
"I need to know more," Zuko blurted, trying to make sense of his stumbling, disjointed thoughts. "Azula… I'm going to need to be better to fight her." And the Avatar… but he didn't really matter anymore. Even bringing the Avatar back to the Fire Lord probably wouldn't be enough to redeem Zuko now, and didn't that sting like salt in an open wound. "I'll… I can't defeat her now. I need more advanced firebending techniques." He squeezed the cup so tightly that one of the tin sides gave way slightly, turning it from a circle to a slightly squashed bean shape. "But she's my sister… how can I fight her? How can I fight my own family, when family – I mean, it's what you depend on, is family, but I can't, it's all wrong -"
Uncle gently interrupted Zuko's flow of words. "I know, Zuko," he said. "And I understand. It shouldn't be this way. But we cannot weep for what could have been. We must think of what is, and how to best handle it." He set a hand on Zuko's knee. "Azula is your sister, true enough. But she is corrupted by my brother, twisted from the young woman she should be, into a puppet as monstrous as he. She's crazy, Zuko. Who wouldn't be, after three years with only Ozai to look up to?"
"But…" Zuko didn't know how to finish. Uncle was right. But it was so wrong, so fundamentally wrong…
"She's crazy, Zuko," Uncle repeated quietly, calmly. "Perhaps she can be helped. Perhaps not. But she needs to go down, before she brings the world down with her." He sighed. "Family is precious, Zuko. I was reminded of that when you were hurt. My brother is lost, no hope for him. Azula, though… there might be a chance. If only I had cared more." He looked up, seeming to pull out of his own thoughts. "But for now, you are correct. You do need to learn more. I have neglected your training, to my shame."
"When do we start?"
"When you are more healed," Iroh said sternly. "You must recover before pushing your body more. Sleep for now, nephew."
Zuko was exhausted, although he wanted to deny it. "I… suppose," he managed, black already creeping into his vision. He was aware of Iroh helping him to lay down again, and laying a blanket over his shoulders, and then the world faded into a restless sleep, disturbed by dreams he didn't understand.
This chapter didn't quite go the direction I thought it was going to go, regarding Iroh's conversation with Zuko about Azula. In canon, and in my outline, Iroh just says that she's crazy and she needs to go down. I planned to highlight that rift and have Zuko pulled between Iroh and Azula throughout the story, with Iroh clearly favoring Zuko and believing Azula was a hopeless monster, while Zuko believed she wasn't completely lost. But I went to write this, and instead of Iroh being all callous about Azula and the need to take her down, he started gently defending her. I kept trying to get it to turn out how I originally intended, and Iroh kept on going "but she's only fourteen, after all, and it isn't her fault" and so it turned into this. Darn you, Uncle.