Sorry for the late update. This chapter took me longer to write. I drafted the storyline several times and this, by far is one that I am satisfied with.
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Avatar or Its Characters
Under the starry night, a young woman dressed in black, with coiled red vipers tattooed on her shoulders was riding on an eyeless beast that darted through the forest. The creature came to a short stop as it profusely sniffed at the air. With a growl, it resumed bolting towards another direction.
Days had passed since the Avatar team left the Makapu Village. They've arrived at the northern west side of the Earth Kingdom. While they were in the seeking for a nice place suitable to set up their camps, Aang uncovered an artifact. "Hey, look! A sword made out of whale's tooth!" the young airbender eagerly pulled the scimitar out the from the ground. "Let me see that." Having his attention drawn by Aang, Sokka edged near him to get a look at the weapon. "…This is a Water Tribe weapon. See if you can find anything else." the two of them spread out and began searching for other clues.
"Did someone lose something?" Katara asked as she saw the boys rummaging through the forest. "No, we found something." Aang answered her enthusiastically. It didn't take long for Sokka to discover a broken, burned arrow lying on the grass. He studied his surrounding after spotting a nearby tree and grass were charred.
"There was a battle. Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of firebenders." He kneeled and perceived the tracks "…The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill." Sokka pointed at the bottom of the high ground, leading them towards a seashore.
"It's one of our boats!" The water tribe siblings had their worriedness eased up a bit when they saw a Water Tribe boat was beached just a few meters away from them. "Is this dad's boat?" Katara asked her brother who was inspecting it. "No, but it's from his fleet. Dad was definitely here."
"What's this?" The trio turned their heads to the young firebender as he joined them by the beach. "We found a Southern Water Tribe boat!" Aang replied exuberantly and went ahead telling him what had happened. Hoping that someone would eventually come for the boat, the group decided to stay next to it for the night.
Evening came and Zuko strongly detest the situation he's in. The young man's currently watching the group from the woodland with Druk as the trio and the airbender's companions were resting near the boat. If what Aang told him was true, the exiled prince believed that they were all at the risk of being targeted if the Fire Nation troops returned. A risk he which was not willing to take. But he couldn't do much when the group outvoted him by three to one. He shook his head in disbelief as he observed them naïvely built a campfire while Aang and Katara were confident enough to drowse next to it.
From his hideaway, the young man observed the water tribe boy staring intently at the fire. 'I wonder how long it has been since they last saw their father…' His thoughts wondered off as a glimmer of his good childhood memories resurfaced from the back of his mind. "Must be nice…to have a father to love…" Worried about the young man's welfare, Druk chuffed concernedly at Zuko. "I'm sorry, bud. I was only…recalling the past. I'm fine, thank you." While he assured the dragon, the both of them noticed a silhouette figure was approaching the trio's campfire.
"Who's there?" It took Sokka seconds later realised someone was behind him. He turned and faced the mysterious person with his boomerang on his hand. "Sokka?" Once the stranger stepped into the campfire light, shock crossed his face as a smile lit up when he recognised the man standing before him. "Bato?" His surprise woke both his sister and the Avatar up. "Who the what now?" Aang asked drowsily. "Bato!" Katara immediately sat up from her sleeping bag. "Sokka! Katara! It is so good to see you two. Oh, you've grown so much." The grown man lovingly embraced the kids after they ran into his arms. "Hi, I'm Aang." The young Avatar bowed respectfully at the senior.
"Where's dad?"
"Is he here?"
The siblings asked with a glimpse of hope that Bato would be a 'Yes'. "No, he and the remaining warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now." His truth broke their expectation. The three of them shivered as the sea breeze hit them by surprised. "Come. This is no place for reunion." The grown man gestured them to follow him.
"Oh, wait just a bit. Z– Lee! Are you coming with us?" The adult eyed towards the direction which Katara yelled at the forest. His brows rose when he saw a scarred young man promptly emerged from the woodland and strode towards them. "And this is…" The adult turned to Sokka and Katara for additional details.
"Bato, this is Lee."
"Lee, this is Bato. He's our tribe's Chief Assistant."
Zuko courteously inclined his head and paid his respect to the warrior. The water tribe man did the same but soon decided to address what's on his mind, "Why were you all the way over there?" However, the reply he got from Zuko was only stillness. "It was nothing, Bato. Lee was just being edgy on the possibility of the Fire Nation troop coming back." Sokka waved it off the exiled prince's as he ridiculed the exiled prince, earning him an irritated look from the firebender. "Hmm…A wise decision, young man." To warrior's compliment, the young prince merely replied with a bop of his head.
The group made it to an abbey which was occupied by nuns who formulate perfumes and medicines. Bato explained to the kids how their father, Hakoda had carried him to the monastery after he was injured from the battle, and how the sisters had nursed him back to health since the chief and the remaining warriors left. The adult then welcomed everyone to his lodging which has been adorned with water tribe furnishings like animal skins and ceremonial decorations. Both Sokka and Katara were truly delighted as the room reminded them of their very own home. They were even more elated once they discovered the dinner that Bato made was a pot full of sea prune stew.
"No way! Stewed sea prunes?"
"Dad could eat a whole barrel of these things!"
The grown man wholeheartedly invited them all to dine with him. As the water tribe kids dug in without any restrain, Zuko and Aang stared at their bowls dubiously. The young Avatar sniffed at his bowl a few times and stuck his tongue out repugnantly. While the airbender set his bowl aside, the young firebender took a sip at the stock. 'A bit salty…but bearable.' He thought as he popped a sea prune into his mouth. However, '!? What in the Agni…' the second he chewed the sea prune he wrinkled his nose as the taste of an overwhelming saline juice spread across his tongue. It took all his courage to send it down his throat. 'A cup of gently brewed green tea would cleanse the palate…' The young man grimaced a little as the salty aftertaste still lingered heavily within his mouth.
During the time when Zuko observed the joyful interaction between the water tribe adult and youngsters, a recollection of his uncle's teaching came to him, "Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything." His contemplation regarding his uncle's teachings and wellbeing unexpectedly caused him to somewhat loosen up. As his eyes wondered off to Aang, he noticed the boy was sitting at a corner of the room. Probably brooding over the fact that Katara and Sokka unintentionally excluded him from their conversations.
"There's something I should tell you kids. I'm expecting a message from your father."
Choruses of "Really?" and "When?" fervently escaped the siblings' mouths. "Any day now. Your father said he'd send a message when they found a rendezvous point. If you wait here until the message arrives, you can come with me and see your father again." Bato answered and suggested while a smile curled on his lips. The young exiled prince observed the young airbender solicitously as the latter one stood up and left the room without attracting Bato, Sokka and Katara's attentions.
"It's been 2 years since we last saw dad. That would be incredible! Katara–"
"–It would be great to see him again." Katara agreed with her older brother.
"Yea…but we can't. we need to take Aang to the North Pole first."
"Even if we had time to wait for the messages, who knows how far we'd have to travel we don't have the time to take a prolonged detour."
"I'm sure your father would understand and be proud that his children are helping the Avatar." Bato nodded understandingly at the kids' consideration. "…Please excuse me for a moment." The young man informed the group and exited without awaiting the responses from others.
"So, though I know the two of you are travelling with the Avatar, but what about Lee? What's his story? How did you meet him?" Bato asked as he finished up his bowl of stew.
"Well–"
"–Lee's story is a bit complicated. He doesn't talk or share much about his past. But he's on our side, helping us to end the war. Right, Sokka?"
"R-right. He's cool." Sokka was slightly taken aback when his younger sister abruptly cut in and answered it on his behalf. He stared at her with a brow raised just as she strained a smile and stiffly drank her stewed sea prune.
Finding Aang was relatively easy when one has a companion staking out the beach. Zuko watched the young Avatar from the shadows as an Earth Kingdom soldier riding an ostrich horse approached the kid, handed a scroll to him after their brief exchange and soldier galloped away.
"Aang." The young kid jolted the moment he realised he wasn't alone by the beach. "…What was that? The piece of paper which you put away." Zuko scrupulously questioned him. "N-nothing! There was nothing!" Aang defended poorly. Knowing the Avatar has lied, the prince simply shook his head and sighed mentally. "That's the map to Sokka and Katara's father isn't it?" He blatantly concluded. Forcing the kid to promptly shudder at the accurate speculation.
"Aang, could you come down for a second? We need to talk." The young Avatar unenthusiastically listened and dropped from the bow of the boat. "…Look, I know the possibility of them leaving you is scary, but you have to try and understand why Katara and Sokka are behaving that way right now. Do you remember their village?" He momentarily paused to study the Avatar's reaction before continuing, "Their father and the remaining men left the tribe because of this war. It has been 2 years since the they last saw their father. If…if you hide that map from them now, you're breaking and betraying their trust on you."
"But they're going to leave me…"
"You don't know that–"
"–You're right! I don't know that! But how would you know?! You're not Sokka or Katara! You don't speak for them!" Aang frustratingly raised his voice at the exiled prince. Zuko however, was unfazed by the boy's outburst. Instead, he rested a hand on the airbender's shoulder and advised him in a supportive tone, "Take a leap of faith, Aang. Believe in them. They've been with you for so long. The bonds between you three must mean a lot to you. Don't make an err in your judgement and action because of your fear."
"…Okay."
The young boy stopped dead in front of the entrance to Bato's room as nervousness and hesitation began creeping behind his mind once more. However, a few warm pats of encouragement from his firebending friend to his back frittered away his numbing uncertainties. With a deep breathe, the young boy entered the room. "Umm, I was told by a messenger to deliver this to Bato." Aang timidly spoke out and gave the creased piece of map to the adult in the room. "Ah, it must the map to Hakoda's location. Thank you, Avatar Aang." Bato gratefully accepted the map from him. He wasted no time and started learning the map route. "I…I guess this is it. It was nice travelling with you guys. I'm…I'm really going to miss you." With a throbbing heart, Aang faced both Sokka and Katara and dreadfully braced himself for their parting.
"What do you mean, Aang?" Sokka asked inquisitively.
"Y-you guys are going to leave right? To see your father?" The young monk stammered.
"We're not leaving you, Aang. I mean, we do miss him. But we promised to get you to North Pole remember? You're our family too." At Katara's explanation, Aang's spirit was swiftly elevated. The young kid beamed with joy as he turned to meet the scarred prince's half-smile. But the latter one never entered the room. He simply left and never returned for the night.
The young exiled prince was currently on his way back to the forest to check on Druk again. While traversing through the pathway, Zuko abruptly came to a halt the minute he heard rustling sounds close to him. The young man spontaneously ducked and rolled back when something pounced out from the nearby bush. Zuko swiftly thrust his left fist forward and shot out a fireball to the ground. As he got up, he raised his arms and gracefully motioned them around as though he was waterbending. Under his command, the flicker of flame on the ground angrily rose, illuminating the surrounding just as it spread around the attacker. Imprisoning them in a cage of firewall.
"Wow, wow, wow. Easy there, Hot Shot. I mean you no harm." He raised his good eyebrow after witnessing the appearance of his assailant behind the firewall. "Who are you and what do you want?" The exiled prince interrogated the intruder as he maintained his hand posture. "I'm a bounty hunter. The name's June. My client has requested me to find you, Princey." The woman introduced herself as she tried to soothe her agitated beast. Her words however did her zero favour because Zuko became even warier after she called him by a royal epithet. "…It's the Dragon of the West, your chubby Uncle Iroh who hired me." She elucidated and noticed the youngster's stern expression softened in the next second.
"My Uncle? Why do you know him?" The woman sighed when Zuko remained dubious about her intention. "Here," June took out a pai sho piece from her pocket and tossed it over the flame. Catching the piece with ease, the young man peered at the white lotus piece in his hand. "He told me to show that to you when you don't believe me. Not that I know what it means." To her surprise, the exiled prince extinguished the wall of flames with a wave of his hand without dawdling.
"You haven't answered my question. Why do you know my Uncle, and how did you find me?" The bounty hunter merely smirked at the young man as she descended from her mount. "It was a long time ago. Your uncle saved my pops and I when we were on a job." June stated with admiration and fondness whilst she caressed the beast she was on. "As for tracking you, it wasn't hard. My Nyla is a shirshu. He can smell a rat a continent away. As long as there's a scent for Nyla to track, no one can hide from him." She showed the young firebender a piece of fabric just as the eyeless creature purred in comfort. June then passed an envelope to the scarred boy. "Here, he told me to deliver this to you." The young man accepted it and noticed the lotus wax seal on the envelope. His amber eyes glowed intently as he scanned through the message.
I trust your journey to find the Avatar was a success, my Young Disciple. While you were away, I have returned to the Fire Nation and fabricated the story of Prince Zuko's disappearance during our voyage. However, the Fire Lord spared little attention to it and announced his death to the nation. I wish to apologize on behalf of his insensitivity.
The Fire Sages have informed the Fire Lord that the Avatar has returned. We also received reports of a young air nomad escaping a Fire Navy vessel with the help of two water tribe youngsters. Sightings of 'a big, furry, six-legged flying buffalo' have also reached the Fire Lord's ears. Ozai was not pleased by the news. He has personally promoted Commander Zhao to an Admiral and immediately tasked him to hunt and capture the Avatar. I have been assigned to act as Zhao's Military Consultant.
If the reports are indeed accurate, then I fear the young Avatar is still inexperience to face the Fire Lord and end this war. If he is to learn and master waterbending first, I expect you all are en route to the Northern Water Tribe, but I bring you a dire news. Admiral Zhao seems to have a plan to wipe out the Water Tribe. He is aiming for the Spirits of the North, Ocean and Moon. As of now, it is difficult for me to contact and warn my associate on Northern Water Tribe. For that, I need you to alert him once you are there. Don't worry, when the time comes, he will reveal himself to you. But you must notify him of the Fire Nation threat that will impend. They must protect the Moon and Ocean at all cost.
Take care, my disciple. Be safe. May Agni smiles upon you.
I.
The young prince pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily after learning the content of the letter and thanked her. But June only shrugged it off and replied in a complacent way, "No need to thank me, Hot Shot. Your Uncle did pay me a hefty sum of gold just to deliver this letter. It's the easiest job of my life."
"…Zuko?" The young exiled prince alarmingly spun around the instant Katara's voice reached his ears. He silently cursed for failing to notice the young waterbender lady. A gasp unwittingly escaped from Katara's mouth after her gaze went from the exiled prince, to the female stranger then the eyeless menacing beast. As the shirshu snarled at the newcomer, Katara carefully reached for her waterskin only to have Zuko extending his hand and firmly gripped her wrist while raising his other hand commandingly to stop Nyla from attacking.
"Katara, it's late. What are you doing here?" Finding his low grumbling a bit rude, the young lady scoffed with her brows knitted. "I was looking for you. Aang said you left– Could you let go of my hand first?" The young man apologetically and hastily released her. "Who is she?" Katara charily pointed at the bounty hunter who was watching their little interaction with interest. The lady smirked mischievously at the young waterbender and introduced herself, "I'm June, a bounty hunter."
"Stop, she's not the enemy." Knowing what she intended to do, the young man took Katara's wrist again, but gentler this time. Preventing her from reaching for her pouch the second time. "What are you doing? She said it she's a bounty hunter–" Her chariness was however dismissed when June's chuckle cut her off. "Relax, girl. I'm not taking your boyfriend from you."
"W-wha– I'm not her boyfriend!"
"W-we– He's not my boyfriend!"
The corner of the bounty hunter's lips stretched even more as she saw the couple flustering in red cheeks. "Oh relax, you two. I'm just teasing." She tittered nonchalantly and lightly tugged her shirshu's rein. "Anyway, my job is done. I should return to Poluo Tavern now. Feel free to drop by when you visit the north-western side." Right when she was leaving, Zuko propped her and her mount. "Wait, before you leave. I wish to offer you one thing." The young man then requested June to give him a few minutes as he went into the forest along with Katara.
Once he's back, Zuko handed a bag filled with copper and silver coins to the bounty hunter. "I don't have much now, but I hope this is enough to keep this meeting a secret." June laughed hearteningly as she shifted her gaze from the pouch to the young man. "Hush money? Hah! I like you, kid. It's pleasure doing business with you, Hot Shot. If you ever need anything, you'll find me at the Poluo Tavern." She gave the two benders a brief wave and left them on the road.
"…Why was she looking for you?" Katara was the first the break the silence as Zuko brought his thoughts back to the young lady standing beside him. Even in the night, he could see her sapphire eyes were filled with concern. "She was helping my Uncle delivering a message to me." He told her truthfully. "Message?" Katara became even more attentive as the young man became silence while remembering the subject of the letter. "The Avatar's existence has reached the Fire Lord's side. He has ordered one of his trusted men, Admiral Zhao to hunt and capture Aang." Zuko massaged his temple and exhaled softly from his nose. The young waterbender gasped behind her hand as she now shared his angst. But the young prince didn't allow her to contemplate further on tapping her shoulder to disrupt her line of thoughts. "It's late, we should head back before they come looking for you. We'll talk about it with the rest tomorrow." She reluctantly nodded in an agreement and walked back with him.
After they have reached the abbey's front gate, Katara realised Zuko never had the intention of entering due to her seeing him turning around and walking away. In that instant, she reached out to him and prevented him from leaving. "Wait, where are you going? You're not staying with us?" She asked while her hand still gripping to his sleeve. "No, not tonight. It's…it's better this way. But don't worry, I'm staying with Druk."
She disliked it. While it was nice to reunite and spend some time with Bato again, she hated the feeling and watching Zuko purposely alienating himself from them. She knew the reason he did it is because he was being cautious around Bato, but she still hoped he would stay with them. They've known each other for more than weeks, and she has already considered Zuko as part of his family. She has grown fond of his reticent yet caring character. But at this point, there's little she could do.
"I'll see you and others tomorrow. Good night, Katara." He said it with a faint smile as he patted her hand to comfort and encourage her to let go. "Oh, o-okay. Then…good night, Zuko." Katara strained a smile to hide her disappointment and eventually unwillingly released her hold on him.
The next day, before everyone went their separate ways, Bato decided to take Sokka and the rest back to the beach for an 'ice dodging'. A ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust practiced by the Southern Water Tribe when the young members have reached their required age. By the time Zuko returned to the beach from his hunting, he was just in time to witness the group sailing through spiked rocks. He watched in fear when he realised they were heading towards a line of jagged rock that blockaded their paths. But just when he was about to get Druk to help them, Zuko saw Sokka who seemed to be giving instructions to both Katara and Aang. The following second, Katara started fluidly motioning her hands up and down, raising the sea beneath them to lift the boat while Aang continuously sent puff of winds at the sails. The young man blew in relief after seeing the boat went through the rocks unscratched.
The exiled firebender then decided to join them once they're back on the beach, Bato stood before the three kids with a bowl of black paint on his hand. "Sokka, the Mark of the Wise. The same mark as your father." He proudly marked the young man's forehead with a dot and a downward curve above it. "Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us." He marked her head with a crescent moon symbol. "Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe." He gave the young boy a mark of concave curve.
"Thanks for the ice dodging, Bato. Could you also help us say hi to dad. Please?" Sokka gleefully said it while the grown man nodded with a smile on his face. As soon as he noticed the exiled prince, Sokka inattentively called out to him. "Hey, Zuko! You ready to go yet?" At that moment as if time itself has stopped, everyone froze at when the young warrior accidentally babbled out the firebender's real name.
"…Zuko? As in Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation?" Bato's expression turned acute as he drew out a jaw blade out from his back like greased lightning and swung it at the young man's neck. But Zuko was intuitive enough to lean back and dodged the slash by a hair's breadth. Zuko brought his fists up and positioned his body as he was ready to defend himself from Bato.
"Katara! Sokka! Get behind me!" He ordered as he was about to lunge towards the scarred young man. "B-Bato, wait! It's alright! Le-Zuko is with us!" Katara was the first to jump in-between the water tribe man and firebender. "Katara's right, he's on our side." Sokka reassured the adult and tried to have him lower his weapon. "How could you say that? He's from the Fire Nation. What were you kids thinking travelling with the enemy of our tribe?!" Bato scolded the siblings. His action and berate caused the crimson dragon that was hiding in the forest to rush out of and darted towards Zuko. Druk curled protectively around his companion as he snarled grievously at the water tribe warrior. Bato instinctively pulled back when he saw the intimidating winged beast.
"It's alright, buddy. He's Katara and Sokka's friend. He means no harm. Am I correct, Warrior Bato?" The young man dulcified his partner while directing his watchful eyes to the grown up. "Bato, please put down the weapon. Zuko is not our enemy. He's here to teach Aang firebending and help us end this war." The young waterbender pleaded.
"…Katara, though I know you've always been trusting kind, but I expected better judgement from you, Sokka." Bato chastised. "Don't blame this on Sokka! He had his doubt on Zuko at first! But Zuko earned his trust!" The adult frowned at the girl's reproval. "Katara, he's the spawn of the monster who's responsible for sending those raids to our village. Spreading violence, war and death are in his blood. Have you forgotten what they did to your mo–" Bato spoke venomously as he accusingly pointed at the young firebender. However, realising that he was about to tread on a thin ice, he stopped and clenched his jaw shut before he continued any further. Yet, his attempt was in vain because Katara caught onto it. "Don't you dare you bring her up! Of course, I remember! For seven years! Seven years! The image her death still lingers in my mind!" The grown up took a step back as he was astounded by the girl's indignation. He and the rest also noticed the waves were starting to churn violently. "Katara–"
"No! You will listen to me! I know Zuko! And he is different! He's not responsible for my mother's death! I will not allow you or anyone else to blindly judge him simply because he's from the Fire Nation or the Fire Lord's son!" The men widened their eyes in horror once they realised the violent waves were in fact caused by the young waterbender's foul mood. "Kata–"
"Zuko is at the risk of being called as a traitor to his nation just by helping us to right the wrong! He helped Gran Gran and the villagers in his short visit! He saved me from the pirates! He prevented the destruction of both Gaipan Village and Makapu Village! How can you still say that he's–" In the midst of her outburst, a firm tone came in and snapped her out from it. "Katara. It's alright." She curtly ended her chastise in the act of Zuko placing his hand on her shoulder. "I…I'm sorry." Knowing that her emotion had caused her to once again accidentally bending her surrounding, Katara apologized guiltily to everyone, but Zuko merely shook his head to ease her.
Bato who was watching the two from the other side was frankly concerned about the girl's consistent defend of the young firebender. He wanted to believe the kids, but the person standing before him wasn't just anyone from the Fire Nation. It's the Prince of the Fire Nation himself. "Please, Sir Bato. I swear to you as the Avatar, Zuko is really on our side. He's helping us to end the war and he's supposed to be my firebending teacher." Aang finally decided to partake in the disagreement and mediate the tense situation by getting in-between them and spoke up.
"If I may, Warrior Bato…" Zuko broke the momentary silence whilst he carefully expressed his next line. "…If ending my life would help bring this war to an end, I would gladly offer my head to you without any hesitation." For someone of his age to offer his life up easily and willingly like it was nothing, his statement has caught everyone by surprised. Zuko ignored the aghast looks on face and went on, "But things aren't that easy. Believe me when I tell you that Fire Lord Ozai isn't a benevolent ruler. Even someone like me is nothing but a disposable pawn to him. After all, he stripped me of my royalty and banished me from my own nation." He chuckled in self-pity. "I know it is difficult for you and others to trust someone like me. Especially because of my status. But I would like to prove you all wrong by helping the Avatar to stop this war." Bato stared at the young man in disbelief. He studied the young man's amber eyes that were filled gravity and resolution. It didn't take long for the grown man to ultimately concede and retract his animosity.
After the tension died down and Katara finally reconciled with Bato, everyone was ready for their departure. The young waterbender gave the adult a warm hug before joining the exiled prince and the crimson winged beast. "Take care, Sokka. Do look after your sister, alright?" He muttered to the young man paternally as he watched Katara climbing onto Druk with a small frown. "You too, Bato. Help us say hi to dad please. And don't you worry about Katara." Failing to notice Bato's sombre appearance, he young boy leisurely replied and walked back to the Avatar and his Bison. Bato waved at the kids as the group took off, leaving him behind as their figures became smaller by the minutes. "I should tell Hakoda about this…" The adult murmured to himself as he set his journey to regroup with his fellow tribesmen.
The following moment when Katara approached him and requested to ride along with him had left young prince in the state of bewilderment. Though he granted her wish, neither one of them spoke out during their trip. The dead silence even made Druk who was flying to huff and growl uncomfortably at his friend. "…I'm sorry about what Bato did and said. It was wrong." Katara whispered, her brimmed with gentleness, kindness and worriedness. She subliminally tightened her grip on his garment, causing Zuko to turn his head slightly and glanced at the young waterbender who was peering him concernedly. "…He wasn't wrong. I am the son of Fire Lord Ozai. That fact can never be changed. To this world, I'm just like him and my predecessors. A monster." He said it apathetically, but Katara shook her head profusely to disagree with his statement. "No, please don't say that. You're not them, Zuko. You are you. You've proven that with your actions. You are not a monster." Her strong affirmation softened the young man's steely expression and heart.
At the same time, Zuko recalled what Bato and Katara had said in the midst of their disagreement. "…I'm sorry about what happened to your mother." Her heart ached when she heard that. But she noticed he wasn't pitying her. Instead, his words carried in a tone of someone understanding her sadness and pain of losing love ones. "Did…Did you also lose someone in this war?" She queried timidly. Her concern grew when his silence was her only reply. Katara was about to apologize for overstepping her boundary when Zuko opened his mouth and revealed his lost, "…My cousin, Lu Ten. He was like an older brother I never had. He died during the Siege of Ba Sing Se. His death had brought an immense grief to my Uncle." She intended to apologise after hearing his remark, but the young man carried on after his brief pause. "I…I also lost my mother." In that instant, Katara became speechless. "I don't really know what happened to her or where she is now, but she disappeared the day after my grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon passed away. After his funeral, and the coronation of Prince Ozai, everyone in the palace went on with their lives as though she never even existed." She stared at him anxiously as he spitefully said it under his breath. "I'm sorry for your loss…Looks like we have something common after all." Zuko nodded to reply her comment and that was the end of their conversation. Zuko's body stiffened briefly when Katara unexpectedly tightened her embrace around his waist and rested her head against his back. He intended to say something but decided to swallow them back. As the two benders traversed through the clouded sky peacefully, the chilly wind never really bothered Katara as the warmth of the firebender's back has kept her cosy throughout their travel.
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