Chapter 7

A/N: Finally, Kakashi meets some familiar faces. So I decided to try out a different POV at the end. Def a bit out of my comfort zone, but, hey, gotta practice those things somehow. Not that much happening in this chapter but we're getting to the end of Season 2 so things will be amping up soon!

Kakashi steps back onto the street with a full stomach. While it isn't salt-broiled saury and miso soup with eggplant, the place has pretty good beef noodles. The pouch that he won off of the con artist is noticeably lighter.

Kakashi treks back to the inn he's been staying at, face hidden behind his orange book. The innkeeper there allows Kakashi to stay in exchange for small errands like gathering supplies and taking care of the ride animals of the guests staying there. It's a small price to pay for shelter. During the days searching for Appa, Kakashi makes idle conversation with the Middle Ring citizens. Even with Kakashi dropping hints right in front of their noses, the people don't seem to realize that a war has been going on for a hundred years outside of their walls. He starts to realize what kind of bastardized utopia he's stuck in. The protective walls begin to seem more like prison bars.

He learns that he needs a passport to cross between the Rings of Ba Sing Se by riding on the earthbending-propelled trains that run on the long stone pathways. Kakashi can't seem to find a good forger in the Middle Ring.

As Kakashi thinks of a plan to get in contact with the Avatar, a shout brings his attention away. Three men are running down the street towards Kakashi, a box of coins in the middle one's hands.

"Someone, please! Stop them! Thieves!" A voice cries behind them. Another group of three are chasing after them with no success. The man in the center keeps tripping on his long, elegant robe and his attendants are no better.

Kakashi has his face hidden behind the small novel, but his leg sticks out at the perfect time. The three robbers go flying in the air, tumbling down the road. The middle one instinctually throws the box into the air to catch himself. The chest neatly lands in Kakashi's outstretched palm, his other hand still holding the flyer in front of him.

"Hey! Give that back!" one of the thieves shouts at Kakashi.

He doesn't react. It's only after a moment does Kakashi lower the book into his pocket and glances at the three. "Hm, did you say something?"

They growl but get up to run when the three noblemen arrive behind Kakashi. "Someone, please! Call the Dai Li!" one of the attendants wheezes.

At that, the robbers turn pale and move to leave the streets, but two dark-robed figures spring from the earth below and easily secure them in rocks.

As one of the Dai Li agents turns to face him, Kakashi makes sure the rice hat blocks his face and hair from view. "Thanks for the help," he says.

Kakashi only nods in response.

The other agent taps his partner on his shoulder, whispering something in his ear. They narrow their eyes at Kakashi, moving to take a closer look at him.

Before Kakashi can make a quick getaway, the nobleman shakes his empty hand. "Oh, thank you! I am in your debt, kind stranger." He waves the two secret policemen off. "Dai Li, I can take it from here."

They glance at each other, then at Kakashi, and then at the surrounding crowd, before grabbing the three thugs and sinking into the ground once more. Kakashi is allowed to refocus on the man in front of him, still speaking uninterrupted. "—foolish of me to carry such a sum, I know. What's your name, young man?"

"Kakashi."

"Well, Kakashi, I have a business proposition for you if you're interested. My name is Quon." He waits for Kakashi's reaction but deflates when he gets none. "You see, I'm on my way to recruit the best teamaker in all of Ba Sing Se to open up shop in the Upper Ring. And as much as I trust the Dai Li, I think having a personal peacemaker will make the atmosphere there more… peaceful!"

"You want me to bodyguard your new teashop?"

"Yes, exactly!"

Kakashi makes a face like he's contemplating it but already knows he'll say yes. It's an easy way into the Upper Ring where he can meet the Avatar. The only problem is… "What if I've lost my passport?"

Quon waves away Kakashi's concern. "I'll vouch for you and pay for your ticket. The guardsmen won't bother you. In fact, we'll be going to the Lower Ring first to meet this teamaker and really see if he's up to snuff."

Well, that was that. He hadn't left anything in the inn, still having everything on his body in that sack of his. Kakashi really didn't want to go to the Lower Ring and waste time, but if it eventually got him to his destination, he could be patient. "I'm ready to go when you are."

The nobleman easily gets Kakashi onto the man-powered monorail to the Lower Ring even though the guardsman regards him with suspicion. The train cart is crowded, filled to the brim with people of all different classes, judging by their clothes. In such a large city, Kakashi isn't surprised to see such a disparity of wealth. He readily gives up his seat when an old man with a cane walks onto the train at the station, getting a nod in thanks.

While they travel through the Lower Ring, Kakashi observes his surroundings. Instead of the clean white stone that makes up the walls of buildings in the Middle Ring, bricks and dirt build the shacks around him. The people meander from place to place, faces downcast and filled with worry.

Quon and his assistants quickly move to a small building smushed between two taller ones at the end of a street. The only things that makes the short house stand out from the other rundown structures are the two green lanterns and the sign above the door that reads "Pao Family Tea House". Kakashi trails behind the men, allowing them to step into the tea shop first.

As he's about to pass the door, a small piece of paper flutters to the ground in front of Kakashi. As he reaches down to pick it up, more flyers land on the streets catching the citizens' attention. He spots the detailed picture of Appa and reads through it. It seems that the Avatar is in the city looking for his bison. Kakashi reads through the text: a description of Appa and the reward for returning him. Kakashi silently curses when the flyer says to find the Avatar in the Upper Ring or contact a Dai Li agent.

After his encounter with them on his first day here, Kakashi wants nothing to do with them. He's kept himself out of sight well enough.

He stuffs the flyer into his pocket and moves inside. The tea house is quaint, with simple wooden tables and benches with few art pieces lining the walls. Kakashi sits next to Quon while the two attendants sit across from them.

A young man comes over, notepad and apron marking him as a worker here. "May I take your order?" he grits. Kakashi looks up to face the teen. His pale skin is marred by a large burn scar over his left eye. The teen stares back, amber eyes flicking towards Kakashi's own scarred eye. He eye-smiles in response.

"A pot of whatever tea you recommend, my boy," Quon answers enthusiastically.

The teen barely refrains from rolling his eyes but moves back towards the counter. A portly old man attends to the pots around him. "Uncle, a pot of jasmine tea for table seven!" He then attends to cleaning up one of the other tables.

"Of course, nephew," the uncle replies. He grabs one of the ready-made pots from the stove and moves toward their table. Kakashi watches the careful steps of the old man, each one marking him as an old fighter. The tea maker pours the pot carefully into each of their simple porcelain cups, gentle steam rising from the brew. Kakashi nods his head in thanks, to which the old man smiles kindly.

The others take a sip from their cups, allowing Kakashi to drink his tea without allowing any curious glances to see his face. The tea is nice, full of flavor and scent. The others nod to each other and stand up to recruit the old man after just one mouthful. While Quon poaches the old tea maker from Pao to bring to the Upper Ring, Kakashi calmly finishing his cup of jasmine.

After the old man hands over the pot back to the teahouse's owner and accepts Quon's offer, the nobleman waves Kakashi over to join them. He sighs, bringing his cup with him as he joins the conversation. Quon slings an arm over Kakashi's shoulders. "This here is Kakashi, a man who saved my coins today. I heard about some incidents with troublemakers and I won't have my teamaker unprotected, so I've hired him to protect you from here on out. I hope you don't mind the extra company while you pack your things."

The old man smiles kindly, but Kakashi notices it doesn't reach his eyes. "Thank you for your consideration. We won't mind Kakashi's company at all. My name is Mushi."

Kakashi nods his head at the man's generosity. "I'll be sure to stay out of your way."

As the teenager passes by with a tray of cups, the tea maker turns to share the good news. "Did you hear, Lee, this man wants to give us our own tea shop in the Upper Ring of the city!"

"That's right, young man, your life is about to change for the better," Quon can't help but add.

"I'll try to contain my joy." In an obviously (not) expression of happiness, Lee slams the tray on one of the tables and steps out of the shop.

There's a brief moment of silence before Lee's uncle turns to them. "Please excuse my nephew, he's had a hard time adjusting to life in Ba Sing Se."

"No worries, he'll have an easier time in the Upper Ring," Quon pats Mushi's shoulder. One of the attendants leans in and whispers into the nobleman's ear. "I'm afraid I must take my leave. I'll be back in a few days to bring you all to the Upper Ring when the shop and apartment are ready." And with that, the three were already out the door back to their comfort zone.

Kakashi notices that Lee doesn't come back into the tea shop, leaving his uncle and the downtrodden shop owner to serve the tables. It's starting to get busy in the tea house and Kakashi has nothing to do in the meantime until he can access the Upper Ring to help the Avatar find his bison.

"Mind if I help?" he asks Mushi as the man pours tea for a table of young ladies.

"Thank you! It would be a great help if you could grab an apron from the back and take care of the orders and the cups." The old man passes the tray of dirty cups to him. "We have a small spare room in our apartment that you could stay in."

He nods, bringing the cups to the sink in the back and snatching one of the green aprons to drape over his clothes. The teahouse just gets busier as time passes noon. Kakashi spots customers from all different classes stop in. Maybe Quon was telling the truth that Mushi's tea was really making the rounds in Ba Sing Se.

Kakashi never figured that he would ever be a waiter in his lifetime.

Zuko doesn't realize the day has gone by during his brooding session on the random rooftop. As he makes his way back to their shoddy apartment, the banished prince can't help but wonder if this was going to be the rest of his life: serving tea to Earth Kingdom citizens and never firebending again. His hand unconsciously touches his chest where he hid the flyer. If Zuko could find the bison, he would find the Avatar. His place as Prince of the Fire Nation would be restored.

He scowls going up the rickety stairs, as they creak and groan with abuse. Some prince he was.

As Zuko reaches the entrance to his and his uncle's apartment, he can hear a muffled conversation through the thin sliding door. His scowl grows farther, stretching his scar uncomfortably. He opens it to reveal his uncle speaking with a stranger in the main room over tea. His uncle is sitting primly, legs tucked beneath him as he sips his tea with both hands. The stranger's position is the opposite, one leg stretched out and the other bent to let his arm holding the teacup rest. An Earth Kingdom peasant.

It's the same man that Zuko had seen with the noblemen, the one with a scar over his left eye. It's long and deep, most likely caused by a sword and took the eye underneath with it. He still hasn't taken off his rice hat and scarf.

"Ah, my nephew has finally returned! We were just talking about you, Lee," his uncle greets jovially, like he's actually comfortable letting a person into the only place they can safely firebend.

The other man raises his cup in greeting. "Yo, I'm Kakashi, nice to meet you. Apparently, you were a pretty cute baby."

Zuko almost slaps his forehead at his uncle's storytelling. Instead, he snarls, "I need to talk to my uncle. Alone."

The two older men glance at each other, making a silent conversation with just their looks. The peasant just downs his tea, placing his cup onto the table before standing up to stretch. "Well, I'll just go to rest up then if you don't mind. It's been a long day. I'll be in the next room if you need me." And the man disappears into their spare bedroom. Zuko doesn't look forward to sleeping in the same room as his snoring uncle.

"Who is he?" he finally lets out. He speaks quietly, wary of the thin walls.

"That is Kakashi. Quon has hired him as our bodyguard to make sure that no one tries to bother us."

"We don't need him!"

"Quon doesn't know that," his uncle answers calmly. "His job is to stay with us."

That just rises Zuko up further. He harshly whispers back, "Don't you think that man is suspicious? What if he finds out our real identities or that we're firebenders?"

His uncle simply closes his eyes and sips his tea. "I feel that Kakashi is definitely more than he lets on, but I don't believe he means us any harm. The man also has secrets." Then he opens his eyes to pin a stare onto Zuko. "Where were you?"

Zuko waits for a moment before revealing the flyer. "The Avatar is here in Ba Sing Se and he's lost his bison." He moves over to stare out the window.

Uncle Iroh takes the poster from his hand and scans over it. "We have a chance for a new life here. If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening for us."

Zuko can't take it anymore and whips back around to shout. "Good things that are happening for you! Have you ever thought that I want more from life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea?"

Iroh also starts to speak up, still seated at the tea table. "There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity. I suggest you think about what it is that you want from your life and why."

Zuko crosses the room back to the doorway. "I want my destiny." He doesn't turn around to look at his uncle.

"What that means is up to—" his uncle is cut off by the spare room's door opening.

The peasant, Kakashi, sticks his head into the room. His rice hat is finally off, revealing wild gray hair that defies gravity. Zuko and his uncle stare at the unusual color on such a young man. Kakashi's black eye doesn't reveal if he's interested in their current conversation. His expression is blank. "Yo, is there any water I can use here?" he asks while scratching the back of his head.

Zuko huffs and grabs the empty bucket by the door along with a heavy bag. "I'll go get some." He slams the door behind him.

The cool air of the night breezes past him, making Zuko look up into the starry sky. He drops the bucket by the door and opens the bag in his hands.

The blue smiling mask stares back.