Author's Note: Sorry for the long gap again, I'll try to improve my update speed. Thanks for the review, Tanner. I'm glad you like the story, especially since you're a grammar sensitive person as I'm trying to continually improve. And Thanks everyone who is actually following and reading this. I know I'm pretty lazy, I'll try to make it up. Please review!
There is only a limited amount of options how you are able to wake up on a small island. At first sight waking up next to a soundly sleeping Sun isn't so bad. At least Zuko thought so until he noticed Sokka grinning down on him. "Good Morning you two lovebirds!", the Water Tribe boy exclaimed waking Sun and making Zuko growl at him. Giggling Sokka returned to the camp.
Sun scanned her surroundings. She blushed as her half sleeping mind concluded that it was in fact morning and that she must have slept on Zuko's shoulder the whole night. Faster as usual she got up on her feet, almost jumping one or two feet back. Zuko followed her example slower. A huge silence fell on them as they just stared at each other.
A loud voice parted the silence, "Hey! What are you doing out there?", it was Toph. The blind girl joined them, a wide grin on her face. Quietly she added, "And what did you do last night?", causing the other two to blush wildly. "N-Nothing. We did nothing. Right, Zuko?", Sun stuttered, her head red like a tomato. "Right.", Zuko added quickly. Toph grinned even wider, "Alright. If you're finished doing nothing, could you help us pack everything?". Both nodded silently and hurried over to the bison.
Sun was surprised when she learned that they headed towards the Fire Nation. Zuko explained that his family had a house on Ember island, and that it was one of the safest places they could find. Nobody would search them in the Fire Lord's own house. Sun wasn't so sure about that. She had heard stories about the Fire Lord and his daughter Azula from the others, and especially after meeting the girl, Sun thought, despite of Azula's great talent in Fire Bending, she was evil enough to think of anything.
When they landed at Ember Island it was in the late evening. The sky was already of a dark blue and just a few lights were seen in the houses. The house Zuko led them to was completely dark, and Sun thought it very uninviting. The doors creaked and a breeze blew through every window now and then. Quietly everyone searched a room. Sun thought, somewhere in the past one of Zuko's ancestors must have had a lot of children, since every one of them found a single bedroom, and there were still unused ones. Cuddling into her bedsheets she wondered what it had been like back then. She ended up dreaming about a Fire Lord of the old time, before there was war. And a lot of children running around the house. Laughter and joy filled the scene. She felt something in her dream transforming. The oldest child came to a halt right in front of her. She looked into his eyes, somehow she knew that he saw her as well. The Fire Lord she saw had also transformed. He was now an old man, still towering above the children, but with white hair and wrinkles in his face. Still he laughed with the children while he made his way towards a bench that hadn't been there before. Something grabbed her dress. She looked down and saw a little girl with eyes just like hers. She bent down to her and intuitively placed a light kiss on the girl's forehead. She noticed her hand, the wrinkles, the age of the skin. As she did not know the child's name she just said, "What is it, little one?", Sun jumped a little at her own voice, she sounded like an old lady, Well, I probably am an old lady right now, she thought. The girl raised both of her little arms towards her. Sun understood and picked her up, her back aching like it would immediately fall apart. She sighed and her attention changed to the boy next to her. He looked at her with amusement, "Ts, ts. I thought the doctor told you to be careful with your back, Grandma." . Instead of an answer Sun turned towards the bench ignoring that grandson of hers while the little girl cuddled into her shoulder and played with one of the strings of white hair that fell down her back. She sat down next to the elderly man who talked to a servant while four children played a few steps away to figure out which one of them would be allowed to sit on his lap when he would tell them a story. Sun made sure the little one sat safely on her lap, then she cuddled into the man's shoulder. He was surprised at first, but then he laid an arm around her smiling down at her, "My Sun", he whispered. Sun enjoyed this dream much, even if she was aware that it was a dream and probably never would happen. She was happy in this fictional reality her mind had made up. The old man kept on saying her name. That irritated her. She looked up in his face. Everything began to transform. His face, his voice, both changed. Both got younger and younger until she noticed, reality had her back.
The real Zuko called her name, he had bent above her bed, shaking her shoulder lightly, "Come on, Sun. I thought you wanted your first Fire Bending lesson today."