Chapter 6

5 years later…

"Things?" Auska inquired skeptically, staring up at Zuko from over the vellum scroll lying on her desk. They were in the study, a fine room painted a brilliant shade of orange, much like the color of maple leaves in the fall. By means of an elaborate archway, it led out to the Imperial Gardens, now a dead brown due to the winter months. Otherwise, the room was constituted by a large desk, a chair, some vases of bamboo and peonies, and that was it.

"Yeah, as in many objects," Zuko replied smartly, rocking back and forth on his heels. He stared around the room nonchalantly before returning his gaze to Auska, who stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"Don't be smart with me," she said finally, although Zuko could tell that she was trying hard not to laugh. She hadn't changed much in the past 5 years. Still the ever playful young woman she had always been. She placed the scroll down, rolled it back up, and handed it to Zuko.

"What do you think?" he asked, eager for her opinion. This piece of paper was important to him and anything of great importance he always entrusted to her. His aunt sighed, getting up from the chair and turned her back to him, staring at a large tapestry that hung behind her. The only kind of design on it was a simple character that read "Sincerity" in red paint on a creamy white background.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Zuko?" she asked, half sighing and rubbing her temples as she turned to face him again. He was shocked and a little disappointed to see that she wasn't as excited as he was.

"Yes, I think it's time. I'm eager to see it after so long," he replied, tucking the scroll into the belt that held up his kimono. The outfit was very simple, much like what the warriors wore when they were only training or sparing.

"Why? You haven't seen it in 5 years. It's not like anything has changed…why go back?" she continued to question, turning back to look at the tapestry. Today, her hair was in two simple braids that fell down to the base of her spine. Red and orange satin threads were interwoven in the ebony hair, and tiny bells tied onto strings were what kept the braids together.

"I don't know, I just feel something. I want to go back. I want--I don't know what I want just yet," Zuko sighed, turning his back to her. "But if you don't think it best, then I'll stay…," he said half heartedly, starting to walk through the archway towards the gardens. He glanced over at Auska, only to find her staring at the tapestry. He waited and stared at her, seeing if he could make her look at him. When she made no move, he sighed again and made his way outside.

Zuko padded out into the Imperial Gardens, eyes cast downwards. His foot steps made soft crunches on the thin dusting of snow beneath his sandals. It had just fallen that night before during supper and both him and his aunt had danced around like giddy little children. He could recall everything in precise detail…

"Look, Zuko! Look outside! It's snowing!" Auska had exclaimed, jumping up from the table. In doing so, she managed to bang her knee on the underside of it. She yelped, and pulled her knee to her chest, hopping around on one foot. "Ow, that was stupid…" she muttered. She shook her leg out a bit before glancing over at her nephew. Zuko rolled his eyes to the heavens before fixing her with a smile that seemed to say, 'You'll never change'. Auska shrugged her shoulders and smiled before rushing over to the screen door. Sliding it open, she ran out onto the balcony and threw her arms up to the sky, giggling.

"You're going to get sick…!" Zuko yelled over to her, watching her spin in circles. Either she didn't hear him or she didn't want to, he figured, so he got up and walked over to the balcony. "Aunt Auska, come back in. You're going to get sick…" he trailed off, watching as the snow began to fall harder and he could make distinct shapes in the flakes that fell from the snow.

"Isn't it beautiful, Zuko!" she sang, skipping around. "You know," she said, "this is my favorite time of year! It's a nice change from the heat of the summer and autumn, don't you think!" she continued, spinning in place. She let out another plea of giggles and stuck her tongue out of her mouth, hoping to catch a snow flake on her tongue.

"You're not going to like it when you're sick with a cold. Come inside!" he commanded indignantly, running a hand down his bare arm. He never did much like the cold weather here and he really didn't like snow.

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud! Come outside!" Auska said, beckoning him with her hand.

"No, I'm going to get sick!"

"No, you won't. Come on!"

"No, you can have fun outside. I'll just sit and watch you…" he said, turning his back and walking over to the table.

"Zuko, as your legal guardian, I order you to come outside and play in the snow with me!" Auska said, slamming her foot down in the snow like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Zuko heard the click of her sandal as it met the wooden balcony floor and he cast a side long glance over his shoulder. She glared at him huffily, the white snow flakes dotting her hair and black winter kimono. He could see the Goosebumps all over her arms (as the sleeves were rolled up) and the rosy tint in her cheeks. She was absolutely freezing. He watched her body give off convulsive shivers as she waited on him to make a decision. As much as he didn't want to play in the snow, he felt badly about letting his aunt down. And as much as she was his guardian, he felt to a certain extent that he had to take care of her. And if that meant making her happy, then he was all game.

"Alright…but only for 5 minutes…" he sighed, walking back into the cold winter winds. Auska make a quick grab for his wrist and they flew down the stairs. The dashed down the path and into the grassy fields that lay just beyond the gardens. There Auska let go of his wrist and went madly running into the snowy meadow. Zuko stood and watched her, the bitter winds blowing strongly enough to pull some hair out of his loose ponytail that hung at the nape of his neck. Eventually, a gust of wind managed to untie the crimson ribbon that held his hair together and it blew out into the white world.

"Zuko! Come on! Come run around with me!" Auska cried, skipping around him.

"I'm j-j-j-just f-fine here!" he stammered through clenched teeth. He felt like his whole body, even his insides, were shaking and as hard as he tried to control himself, he just couldn't stop.

"No, you've got to keep moving! That's the secret to not shivering! Come on! Run around some!" she commanded, leaping over imaginary hurtles in her path. Zuko stamped his feet and looked back up at her. Auska shook her head and ran over to him, grabbing his wrist and dragging him along with her. It felt like a thousands icicles had broken off of his legs as he ran with her. He felt heat returning to his body and soon he didn't need Auska holding onto to him to keep him moving. He bolted ahead of her and leaped and galloped around the field, swinging his arms around to try and get the feeling back in them. He heard Auska giggling like crazy and soon, even he could not stop himself from laughing. Normally, he would feel silly laughing at absolutely nothing, but it must of have been one of the 'happy to be alive' moments, he figured. He looked over his shoulder to see Auska growing tired and not running as fast as she had been before. She spun in a few circles before collapsing in the snow.

"Ah!" she shrieked, feeling the frigid wetness of the snow seep through her clothes to touch her bare skin. Zuko rushed over to her and leaned over, clutching his gut.

"Are you," he began before coughing a bit to get his breathing back to normal, "alright?" he asked. Auska closed her eyes and breathed deeply, calming her lunges that were screaming for oxygen. She snapped her eyes open suddenly and leaped up, much to Zuko's surprise.

"I'm freezing! Why did you make us come outside, Zuko? What a stupid idea!" she exclaimed, feigning anger on her pretty, rosy face. Zuko blinked, shocked, but seeing the tiniest of smiles tugging on her lips, he rolled his eyes.

"I have no idea what came over me. I'm such a fool!" he said in a straight monotone, sarcasm dripping from his words. Auska rolled her eyes and cuffed him around the shoulder.

"You know, you'd think that I'd be able to put my foot down and say no to you, but when you get like that…there's just no saying no. Besides, how could anyone deny someone with such a cute face!" she giggled, pulling on Zuko's cheek like an old lady does to her grandchildren. He grimaced and shook his head, his brunette hair covering his face.

"Stop it! You'll ruin my cute face!" he laughed, batting her hand away. They walked back towards the palace, laughing all the way.

"Why doesn't she want me to go back? She said that nothing has changed, so that's no reason for me not to go back. Maybe she doesn't think I'm mature enough? But I'm twelve years old. Surely, I'm strong enough to go back." Zuko mused aloud, drawing characters in the snowy ground with his finger. He sighed and looked up at the arch way that he had come from. Auska wasn't there anymore. Everything was absolutely silent, he noticed. No wind. No stirring of the leaves. No animals. No people out and about. Nothing.

"How depressing…" he sighed, burying his hands further into the folds of the kimono he wore. He closed his amber eyes and shivered a bit.

Suddenly, a pounding on the door stirred Zuko and he looked over. The pounding continued and someone called out. Getting up, he scampered over to the large, heavy doors and pushed them open a bit.

"Do you live here?" a man on a rhino asked, glaring down at the boy. Zuko blinked.

"Well, of course I live here. Would I be here if I didn't?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips. The man glared down at him and handed him a scroll tied with a ruby red ribbon.

"Give this to Lady Auska. And hurry!" he barked, tugging at the rhino's reins.

"I'll be happy to give this to my aunt, sir. Thank you for stopping by." Zuko said, turning his back to the man. He heard the man gasp and hurriedly begin to form an apology before he closed the door in his face with his foot. As he walked up the path back to the palace, he inspected the scroll. It looked like an ordinary scroll. If it had been from the palace, it would not be tied with a ribbon, but rather with sealing wax. Also, the paper would have a slight reddish tint. So, it was not from his father. Then who could it be?

"Aunt Auska…!" Zuko called, walkingthroughthe palace. He stopped a few servants and asked if they had seen her. Most said that they hadn't until Zuko stopped a girl a few year's younger than him (the daughter of one of the gardeners) and she told him that she had seen Lady Auska go to her compartments…crying. Zuko blinked and nodded his head gravely before hurrying off to find her. He came to her door and put his ear to the piece of wood. Sure enough, he could hear her quiet sniffles and the scratch of a feather pen (a new invention developed in the capitol) on paper. He sighed and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice cracking a bit.

"Aunt Auska…?" he called uncertainly.

"Oh, Zuko. Hold on for one moment."

He heard her go to the bathroom and splash some water on her face. Zuko took a few steps away from the door and he heard the click of her sandals on the wooden floor. She wrenched the door open and smiled down at him.

"You received a letter." He said, holding out the scroll.

"A letter? From who?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't untied it yet,"

"Untied…so it's not from the palace…"

Auska pulled the red ribbon and it fell out of its tie. She curled it around her fingers as she read the letter. He watched as a huge smile broke out on her face.

"What? What's happening?" he asked impatiently as he watched Auska jump around. She thrust the letter in his hands and wrapped him into a giant bear hug, all at the same time.

"Isn't it wonderful, Zuko! Iroh's coming to visit us!"

"That's great…but I can't breathe!"

"Oh, sorry…"

"Iroh…you mean my Uncle Iroh? The Dragon of the West? The man…in the tapestry?" Zuko inquired, scanning over the letter once more. The characters were all neatly written and in a straight line down. He rubbed the paper between his fingers. It was thin; ship paper. He glanced at the date. "Water, 23 sun…isn't today the 26th?"

"Yes, I think so. When's the date on that letter?"

"The 23rd."

"Hm…that should put him about a day or two from here. He may even be here tomorrow." Auska guessed, counting back on her fingers. "Yeah, probably tomorrow even…Oh no! He can't come! Nothing's ready!" Auska blurted out. She grabbed the letter out of Zuko's hands and rushed out of her room. Zuko followed her, confused.

"Hey everyone!" Auska called down to the servants. They looked up from what they were doing and fixed her with perplexed gaze.

"Yes, Lady Auska?" one of the maids answered.

"Everyone, General Iroh is coming tomorrow to stay with us for awhile. I just got the letter so I want this house to be spik-and-span by tonight! Get to it, double time!" she commanded, waving the letter around. The servants immediately jumped to their feet and went to alert the others. Auska grabbed Zuko's hand and lead him back to her room. She shut the door behind her and immediately went into her closet.

"Zuko, be a dear and help me pick out an outfit!"

"What?"

"I don't know what to wear!"

"What does it matter? He's your brother, not your fiancé!"

"SO? I still have to look presentable. I don't want him thinking that I can't manage this place by myself! Everything has to be under control. Alright, I'm in control. Just calm down, Auska. Don't give yourself an ulcer!" she said, stepping out of the closet with a large pile of robes in her hands.

"I don't think that he'll care that much…"

"Well, you don't even know him."

"So, guys don't care that much about clothes or things…"

"They don't about it on themselves. It's different for women. Now, Zuko please don't be oppositional. Can't you just help me?"

"Alright, alright…"

"Which is your favorite?"

"Uh, well, I like the green one…"

"Really? I thought you'd say the red or black one."

"No, green's my favorite color."

"Really? I like purple best."

"Well then why don't you wear purple?"

"Oh, I don't know…."

Zuko heaved a sigh and looked at each different robe. They were all glorious in design and rich in pattern. Auska had worn all of them before, and Zuko thought that they all looked beautiful on her. He didn't understand why women made such a fuss about clothes.

"What's Iroh's favorite color?"

"Green, actually…"

"Hm…well, then I think you should wear green. It would please him." Zuko concluded, pulling out the green one. Auska took a long hard look at it. She nodded her head and pulled it out of the pile. She laid it out nicely on her bed and went to put the others away. Zuko glanced at the dress.

It was a deep, forest green with long sleeves. The dress was cut so that it was longer in the back and trailed behind her. There were navy characters on the dress and the obi that wrapped around the middle was navy as well. It was an obvious winter dress, but with its green color it still held the promise of the on-coming spring.

Auska stepped out of the closet and looked at the dress one more time.

"Yes, I think this is the right one. Thanks for helping me pick out a dress. It would have taken me forever if you hadn't." she said, ruffling his hair a bit. Zuko smiled at her and nodded his head. To his surprise, Auska knelt down and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"When Iroh comes, I'll ask him how things are in the rest of the world. We'll see if you can return after what he tells me, alright?" she whispered. Zuko nodded his head and Auska let him go. She looked at him fondly. Zuko managed a small smile and he could have sworn that he saw her eyes getting watery. Auska quickly stood up, which made her loose her balance on her wooden sandals. She took a few stutter steps and righted her self, clearing her throat.

"Uh, yes, well…go clean your room, Zuko. I want everything to be perfect…" She said, absent-mindedly. She went back into her closet and proceeded to pick out just the right sandals. Zuko heard her muttering to herself as he made his way back to his room. When he arrived, he noticed that it was completely clean. Just the way he left it. Unlike Auska, he always put things back where they had come from and always kept a nice room. He sighed and fell onto his bed, his head in the pillows.

"I want to go back. I don't know why just yet, but I do. I hope they haven't forgotten about me…" he mumbled. He looked over at the little stool tucked away in the corner of the room. He remembered when he needed it to get into bed. He was so small! Zuko used to worry that he would always be short. Monarchs were not short. Thankfully, he began to shoot up when he was ten, and now here he was almost as tall as Auska. Auska was tall for a woman, nearly 5'8''. Zuko figured that he was about two inches shorter than her. He looked over at Tanto, his stuffed toy sitting on the dresser. It had been sitting on the dresser for the past two years, and in that moment Zuko felt like it deserved some company. He walked over to the dresser and picked up the snow white dog. Stumbling over to his bed, he hugged it to his chest and snuggled into his bedding.

"I hope that everything works out. Do you think it will?" he asked the dog sleepily, yawning. The toy remained silent, but Zuko was reassured nonetheless. He gripped it tighter and fell into a pleasant sleep.

The next day...

"Auska! You look absolutely marvelous!" Iroh bellowed, running over to his sister and enveloping her in a huge bear hug. Auska let out a squeal of delight and laughed heartily.

"Iroh! You're suffocating me!" she giggled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my dear. I'm just so happy to see you." Iroh let his sister go and looked around the hall. "Your home is beautiful, Auska. I love these trimmings. Where did you get that painting? It's so nice to see some color after only the dark gray of the ship. Oh, look at this vase! It's quite handsome! Earth-nation made, no?" Iroh babbled, looking from one thing another. He seemed to have covered the entire room in a matter of seconds. Suddenly, he looked up. "And who is this handsome young man coming down the stairs? Surely, he's not your husband, Auska?" Iroh jokingly asked, smiling widely at Zuko. The boy blinked and stared at Iroh.

"Brother, this is Prince Zuko, Ozai and Kata's son. Remember I told you that he's been with me for the past five years? He'll be turning thirteen soon." Auska said, pride beaming from her face. She walked over to Zuko and brought him over to Iroh.

Zuko bowed and stared at the man from under his hair. It was so strange. This man looked exactly like him, except for the weight and gray hair. Well, that and the Prince was considerably taller than Iroh. Still, they had the same eyes and nose. Same skin tone, too.

"It is a great honor to finally meet you, young Zuko." Iroh said, tipping his head. Zuko stood up and took another look at Iroh. So, this was the Dragon of the West? He hardly seemed threatening. He looked like a kindly grandfather rather than an intimidating general.

"Come, shall we go eat something?" Auska interjected. Zuko blinked and nodded his head. Iroh declared that that sounded like a marvelous idea and gladly followed Auska, launching into stories about his travels around the world and reported on how the war was going for the Fire Nation. Zuko followed along silently, listening to Iroh. This man was certainly an interesting character. Zuko would have to find out more about him and fast. He was the key to getting back where him wanted to be: The Fire Nation capital.

Author's Notes

wow...this chapter has taken me about 4-5 months to finally finish. and i'm not even that happy with it, but I figure I have to get this done to finally get some action going on. I think this story has been moving rather slowly.

A note on Auska: When I started writing this, at first I thought that I'd use some of my OC's that were on the backburner. But none of them worked. So, for awhile I was at a loss for what to do. Then, I thought to myself, "I wonder what Zuko's relatives were like...? Would they be like Ozai? Would they be like Iroh? His mother...she hasn't shown up in the series yet...I wonder what she's like?" And eventually, I came up with the entire Fire Nation Royalty family tree. In any case, when I wanted to do Auska, at first I thought about making her kind of like the step mother in Cinderella. But that would make the story too angsty and would give Zuko an excuse for being the way he is.

Personally, I think that too many Zuko fanfictions are very angsty and don't focus on Zuko's character at all. It just like, "Oh, well this happened and then this and this and this...thus we get the lovable Fire bender we know today." No, that's not what I think at all. I think that it's in Zuko's character to be the way he is. Not his environment. I'm not saying that environment isn't one of the main causes but still.

I totally digressed...

So, basically Auskame. I am Auska. Auska is me. I usually am against fanfictions that will incorporate the actual authors into the stories (excluding comedies). So, as I did in Presumptuous, I made the main character (or in this story's case, one of the main characters) an Avatar representation of myself. Basically, you can look at Auska and say, "That's the author." So, for Masako Moonshade that is the origin of Auska.

Now that I'm done rambling...onto more action and hopefully this story will actually get somewhere! WOOO!

Reviews are really appreciated. Thank you in advance.

CaLa