I Do Not Own Avatar or Miraculous.
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Recusing Adrien and Appa.
Zuko followed Gabriel through the passageways of the Dai Li hideout.
"Why didn't you tell me Adin was your son if you knew this entire time?" Zuko asked angrily.
"Look, if your father came up to you right now and said he was sorry for burning your face, would you believe him?"
"No, not really."
"Then I've made my point." Gabriel replied, "You would have told him I was in town. I wanted to avoid this entire situation. I'm a terrible father, and I know it. I tried to kill my own son, and he knows it. We barely know each other and yet we both are grasping at straws to find something not so broken that we can mend it. Me being Hawkmoth, the man who has been hunting him and attacking him for the past two years really doesn't help the problem. I did what I thought was best for us both." Zuko scowled. Gabriel spoke as if he understood what he'd put Adrien through, but he had no idea. The man should have told Zuko who Adin was. Adin had been a very joyful person who was also very sad in spirit. He had been hurting for years, and Gabriel didn't seem to understand how deeply he'd hurt his son. After all, Adrien only wanted a sign that Gabriel still loved him. Gabriel might have claimed to understand what his son was suffering through, but Zuko was probably the only man in the world who got having a father like Gabriel had been. There was no possible way, empathic or not, that Gabriel would actually get Adrien by simply observing his son but never speaking to him.
"Why is it so empty down here?" Zuko wondered, noting that they hadn't seen a single guard or agent roaming the halls, "You'd think a prison holding a guy who uses spirit magic would have more guards."
"They are all occupied elsewhere." Gabriel replied. Zuko opened his mouth to ask what Gabriel meant, but stopped when Gabriel's expression went distant, as if somewhere else. The entire time they'd been trekking through the tunnels, Gabriel had been drifting in and out of reality. He figured it had something to do with the man's empathic powers, but this seemed more like he was listening or watching something with absolute interest, flinching every once and a while at what he 'saw.' He was transformed into Hawkmoth, which Zuko didn't quite get. Adrien was terrified of Hawkmoth. The boy had expressed his nightmares about the man in great detail to Zuko several times. Even if Adrien did know that Hawkmoth was Gabriel, Zuko didn't doubt the teen would be any less intimidated by his father, especially since he didn't have his magic ring.
Zuko felt his hand brush against his pocket once more where the ring of destruction safely rested. Gabriel had immediately given the ring to Zuko, not trusting himself with the ring, and told the fire bender he was responsible that it got returned to its holder. All that time… and Adrien was a being beyond Zuko' comprehension. A warrior who was forced to rely on his other half for survival. A hero who defended his people with undoubtable courage and honor. Despite the fact that both Zuko and Adrien had pasts of heartbreak and pain, Zuko envied his friend. He knew that in Paris, people praised the names of Cat Noir and Adrien alike. He knew in Paris, no one doubted that he could protect them. He knew that in Paris, he had a partner and friend that was willing to listen and fight with him. Zuko wanted that of his own people more than anything in the world. Then Zuko thought about Adrien's words before he left that night and the Dai Li arrested him.
Everyone knows about me. They know about Adrien and adore him. The know about Cat and admire him. But the thing about that is, they all know about me, but few know me. Not even father knows me. It seems I never knew him either. People want the world. They want riches and they want fame, but they don't know, Zuko. They don't know how lonely it is to be like me. They don't see how unlucky I am. They don't see that it's all an act. My courage false and my happiness gone. That doesn't stop me from helping people, I will always do that, but it makes me sad. Ladybug knows me. You know me. Nino and Plagg knows me. The rest of the world? They know nothing.
Zuko didn't understand how Adrien felt like he was unlucky when he had it all, but lucky when he had nothing. Zuko missed having the world at his fingertips. He missed the joy of pleasing his people and protecting them. He would give anything to be in the Fire Nation again… right? Zuko suddenly felt unsure. He hoped, no, he prayed that he could return his life to normal. To what it was like before he was banished, but would it ever really be the same?
"I sense him nearby." Gabriel suddenly said. Zuko cleared his thoughts, remembering why he was there in the first place.
"Tell me which cell you suspect he is in." Zuko said, drawing his swords out of their sheath.
"Go right, then left. It will be the first one on the right." Gabriel said confidently. Zuko nodded, obeying. Only then did he see a few guards, likely protecting Adrien's cell so the teen couldn't get free. Zuko pulled on his blue spirit mask and attacked them one by one, clearing himself a path. He came to the cell Adrien was supposed to be inside and opened it. Inside, Adrien was fast asleep on a small cot inside. Zuko marched up to his friend and began to shake Adrien by the shoulder's.
"Adrien, wake up." Zuko hissed. The boy slowly opened his eyes, blinking groggily.
"Lee?" He asked.
"Zuko now, remember? Now get up, I have your ring. We need to get out of this place, it isn't safe." Adrien sat up frantically, looking at his ringless fingers.
"Zuko, I need that ring right now." He said in a panicked tone. Zuko dug it out of his pocket. Immediately Adrien snatched it from Zuko's hands and put it on his finger. There was a flash of green light and a small, black spirit appeared in front of them. Plagg.
"Woah…" The spirit mumbled, "What just happened?"
"Plagg, thank goodness you're okay! I thought that the Dai Li took you away from me." Adrien said quickly, grabbing the spirit out of the air and hugging it like a child hugged a doll.
"Woah, kid! Calm down. I'm here, aren't I. No need to get sappy… on… me…" The Kwami phazed out of Adrien's hands, staring with wide green eyes in a direction.
"Tikki!" Plagg cried.
"What?" Zuko and Adrien both asked.
"T-that's Ladybug's Kwami. I can feel her. She's close." Plagg explained. Zuko watched as Adrien's face lit up. The light in his eyes that had nearly vanished during his time in Ba Sing Se, save for when he was playing with Jeng or annoying Zuko, was suddenly back, gleaming in the most magnificent way. The playfulness only a cat could hide in it's emerald eyes.
"Quick, Adrien. Transform so I can see my TIkki again! faster! Now!" Plagg snapped.
"Claws out!" Adrien said in agreement. Instantly green light traveled over Adrien and he was Cat Noir.
"Come on!" Adrien said, grabbing Zuko's arm.
"Wait!" Zuko said, stopping the excited teen, "Gabriel is still here… and there's one more thing I was hoping to find here." All of Adrien's excitement vanished.
"Why is my father here?" Adrien growled.
"He came to get me and brought me here when you were arrested." Zuko explained, "He also is the one who took the Ring so the Dai Li wouldn't get to it. He gave it to me because he didn't trust himself with it. He stayed a little ways back in case you were unhappy about him being here." Adrien huffed.
"Well, I suppose we can't change the fact that he is here, and I suppose his presence shows he does still care, but I rather not talk to him today, or for a long time. I need space after finding out everything that he… did." Adrien grumbled.
"You? Wanting some space? That's rich." Zuko muttered, rolling his eyes, "Come on, if we hurry, I can find the other thing I was looking for in here, we can get out of the tunnels, and hopely use Gabriel's empathic powers to locate where Ladybug's exact location is."
"Right." Adrien said sheepishly, "That's probably better than running head first after her and getting lost down here." Zuko sometimes was astonished this kid hadn't died running into a fight yet. Between the reckless courage against Jet that one night, the battle he'd suffered through against Hawkmoth prior to coming to Ba Sing Se, and Adrien trying to run through the Dai Li base he'd been avoiding for a few month to find Ladybug blind, this kid was not exactly a plan ahead guy. Then again, Zuko was a bit impulsive himself at times, so he didn't have room to talk. In fact, he had no idea what he was going to do when he found what he was looking for. Only that he would certainly have to think of something.
The black clad teenagers crept through the tunnels until they came to the place Gabriel had told him about.
"Help me with this door."
"Is this the way out?" Adrien asked.
"No. But I suppose you could get out through here. Gabriel will likely find his way here anyways. Just get the door open."
"Hmm, feisty today aren't we? If anyone has the right to be annoyed right now it's the guy who was just arrested by manics and is getting rescued by his formally as insane father and his moody best friend." Adrien said light heartedly as he pulled open the door with his enhanced strength. Why was he like this?
The two filed into the room and Adrien's jaw dropped.
"What the heck is that!?"
"A flying bison." Zuko said, wasn't it obvious?
"That exists here too?"
"He's the last of his kind. He belongs to Avatar Aang." Zuko said, "I need to get him out of here."
"But why?" Adrien asked.
"I need to get the Avatar's attention."
"But what for? This is crazy." Adrien asked.
"Just help me." Zuko grunted. He began to slash at the chains holding Appa.
"You are crazy! Oh my gosh! Everyone in my life is crazy! I bet even I'm crazy!"
"Wow. I hadn't noticed." Zuko said sarcastically. He went for the next cuff on Appa when he saw a man standing in the shadows. He was instantly on his feet. Adrien hadn't noticed and jumped when the man spoke in a familiar voice.
"Ah, the Blue Spirit and Cat Noir. I wonder who you two could be behind those masks. Adrien turned around in and instant.
"Mushi?"
"It's Iroh." Zuko corrected.
"Oh… really?"
"What are you doing here uncle?" Zuko asked.
"I could ask you two the same thing. I got home and there was no one there. So, what do you plan on doing with the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for it?" Adrien snickered at Iroh's sarcasm. Zuko shot his friend a glare before addressing his uncle.
"First I have to get it out of here." Instantly, he knew he had said the wrong thing.
"And then what?!" Iroh roared, "You never think this things through. This is just like with the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!" Zuko clinched his teeth. The North Pole wasn't his fault. It was Zhao's. The man had taken all of his resources to capture Aang and then had tried to kill Zuko. He had to improvise. Iroh had been okay with Zuko's plan… until he learned Zuko had trekked through the icy wasteland to try and escape during a blizzard. It wasn't his fault the weather was terrible that night.
"I would have figured something out." He snapped.
"No! If his friends had not have found you, you would have freezed to death!"
"I know my destiny uncle."
"Is it your destiny, or is it one someone had forced upon you? Over these past few weeks I have watched you and this boy become friends. And I have heard many of the conversations you've had. Over and over he has told you that your father should love you and that there is no joy in riches or fame, but you don't seem to want to listen. All you care about is going back!"
"Stop it Uncle, I have to do this." He said, returning to Appa.
"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko! It is time to look inward. THink of all the things you have learned from this boy and your experiences outside of the Fire Nation and start asking yourself the big questions. Who are you and what do you want?" Iroh asked. Zuko froze. What did he want? He thought about the long conversations he had with Adrien. He thought about the pain he'd seen in the Earth Kingdom. He thought about the time he spent scouring the earth hopelessly for a person who everyone said didn't exist. He thought about the love and affection Iroh showed him, a boy who wasn't his real son. Then he realised he had no idea what he wanted. He only knew what he father wanted. If in the end he could never please his father, then what? What did he want? He threw his swords to the ground in frustration and sunk to his knees, unsure of what to do. Instantly, Adrien was at his side, placing a comforting hand on Zuko's shoulder.
"Ladybug is with the Avatar." Zuko raised his head, Gabriel stood in the doorway. The man was no longer transformed. His expression was crestfallen, as if he was trying to do all in his power not to cry about something
"Adrien should take the bison to the Avatar and reunite with his Lady." Gabriel said, his voice breaking. Adrien stared at his father in a mixture of anger and concern.
"Father… are you alright?"
"Jet, the boy the Dai Li arrested a few weeks ago, has fallen." Zuko stared at him with wide eyes. When Jet had been arrested, Zuko didn't think anything about it. But Jet was a good kid, despite his irrational yet scarily accurate accusations. Adrien, a guy who didn't even know the guy, instantly looked upset.
"How? Did Long Feng… did he…"
"He did. He struck the blow against Jet that eventually killed him. I tried to save the boy. Tried to use my butterflies, but he refused to let me make the sacrifice." Adrien was mad now.
"How could he do that? Jet was just a kid, barely older than me! How could someone so heartlessly attack and kill a kid like that?" Adrien roared.
"Son… I'm sorry. There nothing anyone could have done to save him."
"Long Feng could have not attacked him." Adrien said darkly.
"Adrien, that's enough. Now, I know this is not the best way to part ways. But we must." Gabriel said, unhooking his brooch from his kimono.
"Wait, what are you-" Adrien began.
"Nooroo, I renounce you." Gabriel said. There was a flash of purple light and the brooch was in it's true form again. He handed it to his son.
"I am sorry for what I have done to you, Adrien. I know you need space away from me. I know you are still mad, despite your attempts to hide it. I know you still are angry at me for all I've done, and I rightfully deserve it. I hope one day you find it in your heart to forgive me. I know you are far from doing so now, and I understand if you never do. If anything, at least take my power. Once more today, I was tempted to use it to save a life that was already gone. I can no longer be trusted to wield the Moth Miraculous. Give it to Ladybug." Adrien stared at the brooch in his hands.
"... Yes, father." He said softly he looked over at Zuko, "I'll visit you sometime, okay?"
"Because that's what I wanted." He said sarcastically. The two went back to freeing Appa, both of their hearts were full of anger towards Long Feng for killing Jet and anger at their fathers. It was a lovely way to part ways.