Blueeyeddevil06, thank you for being my beta!
Sokka walked down the hall hand in hand with Suki, ready to leave on their next mission, when Zuko shocked him by walking out of his sister's room. "You've got to be kidding me," he sighed. "I should probably kick your ass for whatever you did to my sister."
Zuko chuckled; he knew Sokka was all talk right now and was trying to sound like a protective older brother. So he just faced Sokka and shrugged, "Go for it. It was totally worth it."
Suki burst out laughing and started dragging a horrified Sokka away. He was muttering, "Ew, that's my sister. One of my best friends is having… doing stuff with my sister."
When Katara stepped out of the room, she found a very shocked Zuko standing still in the hall. His eyes were wide, and his mouth gaped open comically. "What?"
He shut his mouth and turned to her. "Your brother… he… he just said I was one of his best friends. I…" he looked at her, and he looked so lost. "I never expected…"
She stepped into his arms and held him tightly. "That surprises you?"
"Yes. I've never had friends before. My father made sure of that."
Akal had quietly watched the whole scene between his parents. He knew his grandfather was a monster. It wasn't a secret in the Fire Nation. His father, though, hadn't told him about his past. He had said that some things were better left unsaid. He knew Zuko had been protecting him from the full truth of what his grandfather was like.
His dad had warned him he had been an angry man before he went into the past. What he had discovered instead was that Zuko had been a broken man and one who feared he'd never be good enough.
From the shadows, he watched his mother place her hand on Zuko's cheek and look his father in the eyes. She said, "Your father is wrong about you. We all see the truth. You are a good friend to Sokka. It doesn't surprise me how he feels about you. After all, I love you. What Ozai wanted from you was to be a monster like him. Despite how hard he tried to turn you into one, he couldn't. You're too much of a good man. You became that. You became the man I love. He failed."
Zuko placed his head on Katara's shoulder so she wouldn't see his tears. "It was all because of Uncle, and then I said horrible things to him. I'm not a good man."
"You're everything Uncle hoped you'd be." She placed her hand on his head and carded her fingers through his hair. "If you don't believe in yourself, please trust in me. I love what you've become."
Zuko's eyes had dried, so he pulled back and kissed Katara tenderly. When he pulled back, he said, "I never wanted so badly to be a good man as when you look at me with love in your eyes."
She smiled up at him. "Then let's go and save the world together. Let's be heroes."
He laced their fingers together and pulled her with him towards Appa. "Let's be heroes."
Akal stepped out of the shadows. As sweet and as beautiful as that scene had been to him, his heart hardened with hate. He would kill Azula with a smile on his face. She had to die. He would save his mother and ensure that their immense love was preserved. Love like theirs was so rare and incredibly beautiful.
The ride on Appa had been interesting. Zuko told them all about his father's plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom. With the Air Nomads wiped out and the minimal number of citizens of the two water tribes, that would essentially make the Fire Nation the only nation left. It didn't take long to figure out that he would move on to destroying the water tribes too. They wouldn't offer much resistance, after all.
Katara was horrified. She teared up, "We have to stop him. Aang is our only hope! He has to be found so he can defeat your father." She wiped a tear away and looked at Zuko. "You're good at finding the Avatar. We'll find him and stop your father. We won't let it happen."
Zuko's stomach sank. Damn. And if he failed, would Katara still look at him like she was now...like his very presence gave her hope?
"If he's anywhere, June will be able to find him." It was all he could think to say.
They arrived in the Earth Kingdom, and Toph bumped Akal's shoulder and whispered, "And what happens with Katara and Zuko when he fails her?"
"I don't give a shit anymore about preserving the past, well, my past. I tell her where Aang is and that we don't need him. Then I tell her this mission was for the man she loves. He needs to find his Uncle Iroh. She'll understand."
Toph chuckled. "I'll remember this in the future. But, gosh, when you're old enough, I'm going to embarrass you so badly about how you got your parents to have sex." She giggled and added, "It's also good to know you're willing to bend the rules for your own goals. I have a feeling we can cause some trouble together."
He playfully shoved her, "You better not tell me about their sex life. I'm trying not to hurl as it is."
She rolled her eyes, "I hate to break it to you, but your very existence means —"
"Ugh! I know, but it's my parents. Let's talk about something else," he admonished.
"I'm enjoying making you uncomfortable."
"Trust me, I know, but I'm tempted to tell you who you marry just to change the subject!"
Toph looked horrified, "I marry?! Ugh! Please tell me I don't wear a dress to my wedding!"
He got a wicked gleam in his eyes, "It was a beautiful dress with lots of silk and a long flowing train."
Toph actually dry heaved, "Please, no!" She looked stricken.
Akal burst out laughing, "Of course you don't wear a dress. Don't talk about my parents' sex life," he warned.
"You fight dirty. I'm impressed." She shuddered. "I still feel sick to my stomach even though you were lying."
He sauntered off smiling. He was glad to have impressed Toph, to have her like him for who he was and not just because she held him the day he was born and was friends with his parents.
When they all found June, she looked at Zuko and smirked, "I see you worked things out with your girlfriend." She then glanced meaningfully at Katara.
Sokka groaned out in frustration and smacked his forehead with his hand, "I really was the last person to figure it out!" He then huffed out dramatically, "Even the shirshu woman knew!" He said, referring to her animal. June just shook her head at him.
When they gave Nyla, her pet, Aang's scent, it didn't respond. Instead, she looked at the group, "He's gone, gone. He doesn't exist."
"He's dead?" Sokka asked, horrified.
She shook her head, "No, we could find him if he was dead. It's a real head-scratcher. See ya." She waved and began to leave.
"There's only one other person in this world who can beat the Fire Lord," Zuko said and pulled out a sandal, handing it to her.
Sokka looked disgusted, "You saved your uncle's sweaty sandal?" Zuko shrugged in response.
"Let's do this," she commented, and they were suddenly on a mission following Nyla towards Iroh.
On the way, Akal whispered into Katara's ear. "He needs to find Iroh to heal fully. Aang is safe and on his way to fight Ozai, I promise. I didn't say anything because he needs this journey."
She looked him in the eye and nodded solemnly. "Then I'm glad we have June to take us to him."
The group then arrived at Ba Sing Se, and the White Lotus showed up, surprising them all. However, they were there in force, and despite Pakku's protests, Sokka knew he'd be referring to him as Grandpakku long into the future.
