I do not own Avatar.
This is another short one. I' sorry, but I have been busy lately. Just want to let you guys know I'm still here.
Enjoy!
Mai was bored. That was nothing new. She was almost always bored these days. Ever since the Agni Kai, she had very little to look forward to.
Zuko was gone. That meant that the only person she knew who was both fun and genuine was gone. Ty Lee was fun, but there was always a sense of artificiality to her. Like her nice girl persona was just that. A persona.
And Azula...
The less said about her, the better. She could be an interesting person to be around, but that was only if you could get over how dangerous she could be. And even for Mai, who craved for any experience so long as it wasn't boring, that danger could be a little too much.
*knock* *knock*
"Mai, have you finished packing? We will be going with your father soon."
"I'm almost done, mother," Mai said in her "daughter" voice. The voice that was both quiet and soft, the same voice that was the only voice her parents would accept from her.
"Well, you should hurry Mai. Your father won't be happy to be delayed."
In truth, Mai hadn't even started packing. It sounded so tedious. But she might as well do it now, just to make sure her parents find out. They might actually talk to her if they do. And she doesn't want to deal with that.
As she is (accurately) throwing her things into her case, she wonders what Zuko is doing. She hopes he's alright. She truly does.
Azula was... perturbed? Was that the right word? Yes, perturbed. That was it.
She had been called in to speak to the Fire Lord. She could honestly not think of a reason why she was called in. She had performed excellently, if not better, in all of her firebending lessons. She had memorized all of the historical battles her tutors assigned her in half the time required. She had upheld the values of the Fire Nation to perfection. Better than the other failures in her family.
So why was her father calling her in now?
She had received a message from a servant saying that her father requested her presence. She could not figure out why?
But all she can do is obey. She is her father's daughter. She should act like it.
Upon entering the chamber of the Fire Lord, she was greeted by the flames of the Dragon Throne. Her father sat in the middle of it all, bathed in the fires golden light. His back was turned to her.
"Princess Azula. Do you know why I have called you here?"
This was a test. If she could discover why she was here before her father told her, then he would be impressed.
"I assume it has to do with the war father. I know we are making steady progress into the Earth Kingdom. But I know insurgencies have been an issue in the more recently conquered areas."
"Very good Azula. I see you have been keeping up with the reports," Ozai smiled. "However, that is not the reason I have called you here. In fact, it has little to do with the war."
Azula frowned. If not for the war, then what other reason could her father have called her for?
"Tell me Azula, have you heard from your brother in these last two years?"
Azula's eyes momentarily widened, but she recovered. And her father had his back to her, so he didn't see.
She had never told him about the letter. She still had it in her room, hidden from prying eyes. She didn't know how he would react to it. She wasn't foolish enough to risk finding out.
"No father. I have not heard from him since the Agni Kai."
The lie was smooth and confident. Just like all of her lies. Her father did not react to it.
"I see. So no one has heard from his or his pathetic uncle for two years now. This is... disconcerting."
Azula's brows futtered. What was he getting at?
"Zuko may be a disappointment, but he is also a stubborn disappointment. He would try anything in his power to return home, to this palace. He should be out there hunting airbenders, and reporting back to me on any progress that may or not be occurring. If he was dead, that would be fine. But he is not, for we would have heard. The fact that none of that has happened is unacceptable."
Azula's eyes widened in realization. It was true, no one had heard anything from Zuko since his banishment. Aside from the letter he sent to Azula, there was no indication of what he was doing. There should be reports of dead airbenders or a dead prince. They received none of that.
"Your mission, my daughter, is to find your brother and discover the situation. If he has succumbed to failure, then leave him to wallow in it."
Ozai turned to face Azula. She bowed down deeper as he did.
"If the unthinkable has occurred, if Zuko has begun to act in a way that betrays the Fire Nation, then silence him."
"Silence him?" Azula asked.
"Being of royal blood does not excuse one from treason. In fact, it makes it even more unforgivable."
This sounded easy enough. Find Zuko and figure out his problem. She could do that easily.
"Make whatever necessary preparations you need. I expect you to begin by the beginning of the next week."
"As you command, father."
Azula swiftly exited the chamber, smirking the entire time. She went to her room to see if she would need to take anything.
The letter would have to come with her. She couldn't risk anyone in the palace seeing it and reporting to her father. She would also have to take some smaller tools, things that would help and not get in the way.
In terms of help, she would only need two people. Two friends that she knew she would be able to count on. Ty Lee was in the colonies, but she could be located. And Mai was leaving soon, but she could be stopped. Her parents would not dare to disobey their princess.
Azula smiled. It seemed she would be seeing Zuzu sooner than she had expected.
Ursa had to hold on to the sink to keep herself from falling over. She tried to keep herself steady, but her anxiety was only getting worse every day. It had been two years, but she was still unable to find any news about him.
She had no idea if Zuko was alright.
She didn't know if he was out searching for Airbenders, just as his bastard of a father had ordered him to after throwing fire at him. She didn't know what sort of damage was left from that. She knew there was a scar, but not where.
"Mommy? Are you alright?"
Ursa looked down to see her little girl. Hers and Ikems. She was looking up at her
All Ursa could do was smile back.
"It's alright Kiyi. Mommy was just... thinking about something."
"Was it something important?"
Zuko was important. He was her only son, and he could be anywhere in the world, doing who knows what. Or he could be dead. She truly didn't know. All she knew was what she could do now.
"It's getting late Kiyi. Let's get you to bed."
"Ok, mommy."
Ursa picked up her little girl and took her to her room. All the while she sent small prayers to the spirits. She prayed that wherever he was (he had to be alive) he would be fine.
Iroh was concerned. Not just for his nephew, but for a great many things. He tried to hide his worried under a jovial attitude, but that was very difficult at times.
There was the issue of Toph. He loved the little girl's company, and she was truly the best teacher for his nephew. Not only that, but she was truly a friend for him as well.
Iroh could not remember Zuko having any true friends, and he was glad to see him have one now. Two, if Druk was counted. Actually, considering that dragons are reportedly quite intelligent, it would be best to count him. So Zuko had two friends.
However, Toph being with them cause Iroh some worry. A little girl, even one as capable and strong as Toph, should be with her family. Iroh was aware that Toph felt that her parents did not value, but that could not be true. They would be so protective if they did not love her.
Iroh would have preferred if she had stayed home, safe, and with people who loved her. He was glad for the help, surely, but the world was dangerous for a young girl. Even one as powerful as her.
In more worldly matters, he was worried about Vaatu. He had never said this allowed, but he was often suspicious of the spirits' true intentions. The ancient tales described the spirit of darkness as a malevolent force that wanted to see humanity wiped out. While Zuko described him more as a being who only sought to cause strife for his own amusement, it was possible that Vaatu was putting on an act.
Iroh was no stranger to someone lying to get what they wanted. He saw it all the time in Caldera. Zuko said that Vaatu wanted to restore the proper balance of chaos and order, light and dark, and Iroh wanted to believe that.
And that left the question of what would happen when Zuko mastered the four elements. They all agreed that Ozai needed to be dethroned. There was no question about that. The world would be better off without him. And Zuko said that he accepted the fact that he could not be Fire Lord.
But what if Vaatu did something? What if he tried to take control of Zuko and force him to spread endless chaos? What if Vaatu instead subtly manipulated Zuko into following a path that would not lead to peace?
All Iroh could do was hope that such an outcome would not come to pass. He had to trust his nephew to be strong.
And as he watched the young man meditating, attempting to reconnect with the spirit inside him, he could only hope that Zuko would find clarity.
Ozai is a piece of human garbage that does not deserve mercy or understanding. But he is not stupid. He would have expected his son, even a son who he hates and does not want to hear from, to at least try to come back home. The fact that Zuko has done nothing of the sort is suspicious to him.
I know you guys were expecting to see Zuko and Vaatu's reactions. I was planning on that, but then I realized that there are things I need to set up. Some of these characters will be important later on, and I thought I should start building them up. Even if it is just a little bit.
Yeah, Ursa didn't get rid of her memories. I thought about it, but it works best if she keeps them. Also, Kiyi. She might be important later.
I always figured that Iroh would be wary of Vaatu. He is a spirit of chaos, and Iroh was trained from birth to serve order. Also, Vaatu is living inside Zuko, which already would sound suspect to Iroh. And since Iroh can't talk to Vaatu directly, these suspicions might stick around for a while.
For anyone disappointed that Ty Lee wasn't here, don't worry. She will show up later. I just didn't know how to use her here. But she'll be important later.
Anyway, please leave reviews, let me know what you think, and I will see you all next time.
Bye!