Disclaimer: How many ways do I own Avatar? Let me count the ways: nothing, nada, negative one, negative two, etc, etc.
AN: Thank you for all your reviews, and please, keep them coming! I'm going to put more character relations into this.
VII
Though his face remained calm, Zuko's mind was racing. Tsune had forgotten something as basic and essential as a name! What other details had the Spirit neglected?
"Hey, Kuzon?" The girl- Katara- asked. For an instant he didn't respond. Who was that Kuzon person supposed to be, anyway? Oh yes...me.
"Yes?" he asked, remembering just in time to keep his voice silky.
"Do-"
"How much further is it?" her brother interrupted.
"Not far," 'Kuzon' replied, before glancing at Katara. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing," she muttered, her eyes locked on the ground.
It's a good sign if she avoids your eyes, Tsune had told him. Girls have this horrible fear of looking a crush in the face...not when he's looking back, anyway.
"All right," he dismissed kindly, looking straight ahead...though out of the corner of his eye, he caught her glancing up at him again.
Perfect...
Finally the house came into view, and it took all of Zuko's will not to fall down where he stood, let alone let his expression change.
Uncle Iroh! The old man's silhouette could be seen in one of the paper windows. Except for the fact that he no longer looked like an old man- Tsune had conjured him another disguise. This was fine on its own, but it left a horrible gap: Iroh's new form looked young. Too young to be Zuko's uncle. And a cousin would have little reason to stay in the same house, nor would a friend...
"Brother," he shouted into the house, his head still spinning. "I've brought company!" The silhouette froze behind the window, clearly stunned by the outburst. Just at the edge of the window, Zuko caught a glimpse at a vague shape pushing Iroh towards the door. Slowly, as though in a daze, his uncle obeyed.
"Wonderful!" he called back, poking his head through the doorway. "Please, do come in!"
'Kuzon' led them into the cottage, forcing a warm smile onto his face. Iroh walked alongside them as though invisible- few would have believed that he was the man who had threatened Zhao before the Avatar nearly two months before. He now looked little under thirty years old, his face thin and his hair dark. His eyes had been darkened to a neutral brown, though they still glinted with Iroh's familiar spark. The old man had been made young and handsome, though not as handsome as you, dear, Tsune had assured him. You are my masterpiece...and we don't want the girl to fall for your uncle by mistake.
Why not? Zuko had mused. He knows how to deal with people. It would be easier for everyone.
But it isn't his honor that we are working to regain. If you want this done, you must do it yourself... she had paused, a look of comic disgust on her face. And besides, I may be Chaotic, but I'm not that twisted. He's at least forty years her senior!
Zuko had made no further arguments in that direction. The Avatar and his group stopped in a small room, returning his mind to the present.
"Aang, Sokka, Katara," he put just the slightest emphasis on her name; "This is my brother..."
"Ji," Iroh said with a grin. "It is a pleasure to meet the three of you. I'm afraid we're a bit unprepared for company, though...but do sit down! Make yourselves at home. There are no towns too near here, and I'm sure you must be tired..." He shot Zuko a mercurial glance. "Perhaps you could fetch them some tea? I was just making some. Perhaps it is ready."
"Of course... Ji," the young man said, stepping into the kitchen. Iroh had wanted him to go there for a reason. Was there a message? Was the Spirit waiting here, ready to debrief him? And yet he found nothing. There was no note, no living thing inside the room. Only a kettle of tea, mismatched pieces of diningware, and sacks of food. Perhaps a message was hidden among them, in case the Avatar came here? Unlikely, but he was ready to put nothing past his uncle.
Still nothing!
Zuko looked around the kitchen with growing frustration. The tea continued to bubble over the fire, the constant, annoying sound only fraying his nerves ever faster-
"Right here, dear," a feminine voice mused softly, its owner pushing a cup into his hand.
"Tsune!" he hissed in fury.
"Yes, dear. It took you long enough to find them," the Spirit noted, pulling a tray off a shelf and handing it to Zuko.
"You forgot to give me a name!" he accused. She shrugged, putting another cup onto the tray.
"I didn't forget, dear," she said simply. "I left that to you. Such things are more convincing if you come up with them yourself. And besides," she flashed him a grin. "You're the one who wants to regain your honor so badly. It gives you more credit if you do some of this on your own." She shrugged again. "And you know more about what's normal these days than I do. It wouldn't be proper for me to give you a thousand year old name and expect it to go unnoticed."
"You could have warned me-"
"We've been through this before, dear. But if you want a warning, then hear this: beware the girl. She is dangerous. More so even than the Avatar."
"What? I know she's a Waterbender, but she isn't-"
"Enough of this, dear. Now go and feed your guests. And remember, be charming!"
"Tsune!" he hissed just as she pushed him through the door. Immediately his expression changed, becoming inviting- if slightly frantic.
"What's that?" the Avatar asked from his seat on a small cushion. His companions and uncle Iroh were similarly placed.
Zuko's heart stopped in his chest. Had they been found out? Had they failed already?
"What?" he asked weakly.
"You said 'Tsune,'" the Avatar explained. "It sounds familiar. What is it?"
"My...my cat," Zuko said, his chest oddly tight. Don't find out don't find out don't don't don't find out...
"Mew!" a high squeak caught everyone's attention as a tiny creature jumped out from between his legs.
"Yes," Iroh affirmed hastily. "She's his little pet. A troublesome little creature," he shot her a look that only the two of them understood- "but we do... love her." Zuko noticed the repressed effort behind those last words.
"You have a cat?" the Avatar cried.
"I take it you like animals?" 'Kuzon' asked. He already knew the answer, of course- if Tsune's information hadn't been enough, the boy had been practically crawling with animals from the first time he'd laid eyes on him- constantly riding penguins, playing with fish or that bison or his lemur or whatever other creature he happened to be within sight.
"You bet!" the boy answered, immediately reaching down to pet the Spirit-cat. Tsune shot Zuko a dirty look, but purred when the Avatar touched her. Zuko blinked. He could have sworn that the purr had sounded forced...more like a growl than a show of contempt.
Great. Now I'm starting to understand Spirits, he thought.
"Is something wrong, Kuzon?" Katara asked.
Kuzon. Me. Right.
"Hm?" he glanced at her, trying to remember what she had asked. "No, everything's fine," he said. "I'm just not used to her being so friendly."
Of course not. After all, why wouldn't she spend half her waking hours draped all over my uncle and me?
The Avatar grinned up at him. "I have a way with animals," he said, his voice glowing with childish pride. Zuko smiled- charming!- and nodded as the Avatar released Tsune. The feline was gone in an instant, bounding out the still open door. A few rays of sunlight filtered through that, sending blinding hues of gold and red across the thin sliver of sky.
"It's getting dark," he observed.
"Man," Sokka muttered. "Yeah. Thanks for the tea. We should probably go set up camp."
"You don't have to do that," Iroh said. "We have a spare room; you can stay there for tonight, if you don't mind."
"Really?" Aang asked.
"It's no problem for us," Zuko added.
"That's really sweet of you," Katara said. "What do you think, Sokka?" for an instant, her brother said nothing, only looking 'Kuzon' in the eyes, a cold suspicion in his eyes. Once more, dread wove through every fiber of Zuko's body. He knows... And then Sokka shrugged.
"When's breakfast?" he asked.
Dusk settled on the cottage and faded into night. The Avatar and his friends were situated in the second bedroom of the small cottage, left sleeping quite comfortably on futons strewn across the floor. Meanwhile, Tsune celebrated.
"Here's to a fine victory," she laughed, pouring rice wine into a bowl with a mischievous grin.
"But we haven't won anything yet," Iroh pointed out. He eyed the bottle of wine warily- he had lost interest in wondering where it had come from, but now he couldn't help but suspect that she had already downed at least another bottle.
"Of course we have," the Spirit laughed. "They're here, aren't they? That's half the battle. Now we just need to make her fall desperately in love with you," another cackled laugh followed those words, "and put a leash on the Avatar. And that's that. Victory!"
"You're going to wake them up if you keep yelling like that," Zuko pointed out wearily. "And you're forgetting something. Again," he added bitterly. "Yes, they're here for tonight. But they have no reason to stay past morning."
"Then give them a reason. Talk to them, dear. Find out what they want. I'll bring it to them. You see no reason for them to stay. I see no reason for them to leave." She laughed again, raising her eyes to the heavens. "Would you look at that, dear! The Moon is rising. Here's to La, and the Waterbender who follows..." Zuko glanced at the Spirit. She looked disoriented, confused, shaken. Immediately he scanned their surroundings, searching for an enemy. It would have to be incredible to disturb a Spirit.
"What's going on?" Iroh asked, his voice low. Tsune didn't lower her eyes.
"That isn't La..." she said, her voice unsteady. "That isn't the Moon...It's different...That...isn't her..."
Zuko and Iroh exchanged glances. It had been Iroh's idea to omit the death of the Moon Spirit from their report. And yet...what difference did it make? How long had it taken her to remain awake during the night, to actually look up at the Moon? What did she care if a fish had died?
"Did you know...her?" Iroh asked warily.
"'Did I?' What are you talking about? What happened?"
"She died," Iroh said. Now Tsune lowered her eyes- they were fierce and black.
"Spirits do not just die," she said icily. "What happened?" Zuko opened his mouth to speak, but Iroh silenced him with a glance, pointing to the Spirit's hands. Claws were beginning to grow on her fingers.
"Admiral Zhao killed her," Iroh said, shifting his weight slightly. Keeping ever between the Spirit and Zuko.
"Why?" This word was little more than a growl.
"He was fighting against the Water Tribe," Iroh explained, his voice barely audible. "He wanted to stop the Waterbenders from fighting."
"So he killed her? La was a gentle Spirit! She was no more than a guardian and a healer! What right did he have to murder her?"
"I know," Iroh said. "I swear I tried to stop him-"
"And what about Tui?" she laughed bitterly. "I don't think he would have taken that lightly. La kept him in check. La kept him nice. Tui never did take pity on humans like she did."
"He avenged her," Zuko said. "He killed Zhao and destroyed his fleet, and-"
"That's enough, dear," Tsune said., somewhat calmed by this, though still unsteady. She stood up, her voice gaining more strength with every word. "You need to get some rest. Find out what they want and need, and tell me immediately. And if you don't know the answer to something, look distant and say you don't want to talk about it. It drives girls wild." In the moment before she changed into an owl and flew away, she looked more like herself- no longer shaken, no longer shocked or frightened.
Zuko said nothing as the owl disappeared into the darkness of the night. He didn't want to take any chance that she would overhear his plans.
