Crossroads
AN: Hello! I do hope that you're doing fine. Thank you for the reviews. I apologize for taking so long to finish this chapter. It's been difficult since I kept on losing the document for this chapter many times. I had the story going a different way, but this way is also a nice take on Crossroads. There might be many grammatical errors, since I got tired of checking it over and over. You kinda get tired of reading the same thing so many times. I do hope that it is to your liking.
Mercy
"Thank you, Suki," he muttered quietly.
"You are welcome," she said, bowing her head.
"You don't have to do that," Zuko said softly. "We are friends."
"I know that I don't have to," she smiled pleasantly. "But it's common courtesy to bow before a powerful ruler, and you're the ruler of the Fire Nation. You deserve my respect, too."
"Uh, thank you, Suki." he blushed. Zuko stood from the chair and inspected his reflection in the mirror. "Thanks again,"
"You don't need to thank me, but you're welcome." she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Your hair is done and looks amazing. So don't touch-" she sighed frustrated. "You are touching your hair, Zuko!" she reprimanded.
Absentmindedly, Zuko touched his hair and groaned. "Did I ruin it?"
"Not yet," Suki said, reaching for the soft brittle brush. "Don't touch your hair," she ordered, as she combed the stray hairs on his temple. "Done," she said in satisfaction.
It'd been difficult to comb his own hair, so he had asked Suki for assistance. His hair had gone too long without a proper trimming, but the young woman had done an amazing job hiding the imperfections. She managed to pull his hair in a neat top-knot. He'd been grateful for her assistance and for the fact that she was the only female in the group that was actually speaking to him. After receiving the important missive that morning, he'd kept vital information from Toph and the rest of his friends; no, they were all mad at him. His plan had sorely backfired.
"Thank you," he said.
"You're welcome," she sheepishly. "I should go, before Sokka stops speaking to me."
"Er, yes,"
"Zuko," she said over her shoulder, as she trudged toward the door. "You had your reasons for not telling us why we must retreat so abruptly from Gaoling. Just don't forget that we can also help you fight. We'd done it before, and we can do so again."
"I know. I just have important reasons, Suki. We're older now. The world we are leaving in is different from seven years ago, too."
"I under-" she began, but was interrupted when the door to the Fire Lord's room burst open.
"They know," Haru said breathlessly as he entered the guest room that the Fire Lord was staying at.
"I'm aware of it," Zuko said nonchalantly. "You informed me that Toph and the others knew that we must leave soon."
"No, you do not understand, Zuko. I am aware that they 'know' that we have to leave Gaoling tonight..."
"What are you trying to tell me?"
"What I mean to say is, they know the reasons 'behind' our sudden departure. They know."
"What do you mean, 'they know'?" Zuko asked confused. "Did you tell them?"
"No! I would never betray your trust!"
"Explain yourself,"
"It means that Toph, Aang, Sokka, and Katara know why we've to go!" Haru said wryly. "After you sent the reply of the previous messenger hawk, we received another message," Haru said, as he took a seat on the sofa that faced the fireplace. "It was addressed to you from General Xwen."
"General Xwen?" Zuko asked confused. "Why didn't I get it? He must have more information about..." he trailed off and looked over to Suki. "I'm sorry, Suki, but could you leave us?" Zuko said, addressing the young Kyoshi warrior. "We've private matter to discuss."
She nodded and slowly continued walking towards the large door. "I'll see you guys later."
"Thank you for your understanding," Haru said, standing up and trekked after her. He closed the door after the Kyoshi warrior exited and hastily turned to face the Fire Lord. Haru quickly strolled over to where Zuko stood angrily. His watchful eyes followed the young firebender as he paced nervously from one of the room to the other.
"H-how... how did it happen?"
"Lao gave his guards strict instruction to intercept any message that was sent to us - mainly you," he explained. "I overheard a few guards speaking about it. I asked Rahol, the night guard that is stationed near my room, about it. He wouldn't talk to me, so I had to bribe him with a hefty amount of money..."
"Good," Zuko said.
Haru drew in a deep breath and furrowed his brows. "After bribing him a bit, he shared some information. He told me that Lao read the message and gave orders not to let us out of the Bei Fong estate. We are being watched."
Zuko's only eyebrow rose in a questioning glare. "He intercepted a message that was meant to be seen by my eyes only? How dare he do such a thing?" he asked curtly. Haru could only nod. "Did he tell Toph?"
"I assume that he did. She stopped me on my way here and demanded that I explain." Haru said, bobbing his head.
"What did you tell her?"
"I told her that you would be speaking to her about the matter,"
"Oh, Agni, so she knows! I'm dead!"
"Yes, she knows, Fire Lord," he said cautiously.
"She has to know," Zuko muttered.
"I assume that she must know that something is wrong. She seemed nonchalant about the matter. She even informed me that Lao will not let her or your son leave. No one can exit the mansion. We are in lockdown."
"Lockdown? Is he crazy? We aren't safe here," Zuko said aggravated. "Ozai's subordinates could be in Gaoling as we speak."
"We have to find a way out of here. Lao won't let them go with us. He's made it clear to Toph that she will not be setting a foot outside these walls."
"Excuse me? He can't do that!" He gritted. "He can't prevent me from taking my family away from here to safety? Rae is in mortal danger! We need to get him to safety, Haru. And where the child goes, Toph and I will be there, too."
Haru didn't speak. He waited for Zuko to talk, but the Fire Lord was deep in thoughts. The wheels in his head were turning. He had to come up with a way to get Rae and Toph out of Gaoling before dawn. His son was in grave danger. He would die before he let anything happen to the next heir of the Fire Nation. Ozai wasn't going to get away with hurting Zuko or his son again this time. Zuko was still wondering how the Ozai managed to have such a large amount of followers. The moment Zuko returned to the Fire Nation, he was going to have to rearrange the Fire Nation army – again.
"Zuko," Haru mumbled.
The firebender stopped pacing and directed his gaze at his old friend. "Yes?"
"How did Ozai's followers know about Rae? Do you have any idea?"
"I don't know, Haru," He shook his head. "But I won't sit around to see how this turns out. I've to get my family out of here, soon!"
His hands were clenched in fists. He'd been thinking the same questions. How did Ozai know? Two of his generals knew about Rae. He'd only informed them, because he trusted them. Those generals also oversaw the safety of the ruler of the Fire Nation and his family. One of them would've relayed the message to Ozai. Perhaps, it was the Fire Sages? He doubted his people.
"The only people that know about Rae are Generals of the East Battalion. They are instructed with the safety of the royal family. I also instructed Fire Sage Khan to prepare the proper documents so we can have the traditional ceremony to crown the prince of the Fire Nation." Zuko said.
Could they people he'd trust betrayed him? No. It couldn't be. He'd meticulously selected his officials, because they had been trust-worthy. They had supported him since the beginning; since he became the newly appointed Fire Lord. They'd shared the same views as the Fire Lord. Like him, they wanted to create a new peaceful era for their nation and the rest of the world. Anyone that was against the century war could be trusted, right?"
"I must go," he paused and turned to face Haru. "I have to be somewhere else."
"Where?"
"I have to speak to Toph. She has to know,"
"I'll finish getting the preparations." Haru nodded. "Go ahead and don't worry about anything. I'll explain everything to the others."
Zuko sprinted out of his room at top speed. He slid when he turned down the corner, but quickly regained his balance and recovered. He hurried down the corridor, until he crossed three guards. He glared at them and brushed his shoulder against one, but continued down the threshold.
He now stood in front of the large double doors that led to Toph's room. Only the doors etched in silver and gold designs separated him from her. He looked down at himself and smoothed out the wrinkles of the green, traditional Earth Kingdom tunic he wore over his long robe and dress pants.
"Toph," he said under his breath. "I'm sorry. I had to do it. Put yourself in my situation. No, she'll probably bury me." he sighed.
The double doors opened slightly, Toph came in to view. "If you have something to say, tell it to my face." She said curtly. He gulped hard. She was beautiful. Her dark raven hair fell over her right shoulder, like a stream of dark, glossy silk. His hands itched to touch her. He inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled.
"I-"
"Took you long enough, Fire Lord," she said, her fists on her hips. "Mind telling me what the hell is going on! I want the truth, Zuko!" she demanded, as she took a step forward, and then poked him on the chest. "No more bullshit!"
"I'm sorry," he began. "I should've told you earlier..."
"I don't want an apology. Damn it! That's not what I want to hear," she snapped. "I want the truth."
"Toph,"
"I don't mind if you waited a bit to tell me this... what bothers me... Why did I have to find out from my father? That's what hurts the most," she continued. "You don't trust me enough to..."
"No, I mean, yes," he interjected. "I trust you. I don't trust people around us."
"You sure don't know how to show it," she said grimly.
"Toph, I made a promise to you and our son that I would protect you guys. I was going to tell you... eventually. Listen," he inhaled, "the less people know about my plan and where we are going, the less we have to worry about running into an ambush."
"Okay, I understand. What I don't get is why you couldn't trust me? I wasn't going to tell anyone. I can keep secrets. Especially if it the secret that you're about to tell me can keep my son alive."
"We are heading somewhere..." he trailed off. "There might be spies waiting for us at the Fire Nation. We have to find a way to infiltrate the Fire Nation without being suspicious."
"So, we aren't going to the Fire Nation...?"
"No. Not yet," Zuko said, shaking his head. "We are heading to Cantico,"
"Cantico?" she asked surprised. "That's one or two weeks journey from Gaoling," she raised her voice. "Why are we going there?"
He moved forward and placed his pale hands over her mouth and pushed her inside. "Shh," he hushed.
"This is my house! I can scream-"
He shut the doors closed with a swift kick. The entrance to her bedroom was dark, but it was fairly easy to adjust his eyes to the soft moonlight that filtered through the cracks of her window.
"Toph, keep it down,"
"I,"
"Please, keep it quiet, Toph," he implored.
"Fine," she said irritated, "but you have to tell me what your intentions are. Rae's happiness and safety are my responsibilities, too! I'm his mother,"
"He is mine, too," he said upset. "He's my child."
"You don't have to remind me," she patronized. "Why did you keep this from me? Don't you see me fit to battle anyone that threatens the safety of our son? We've fought worst battles..."
"This isn't a battle like the ones we fought before, Toph." He said through clenched teeth. "We were careless back then." He gritted through clenched teeth.
"I get it. It's different,"
"No, you don't get it! We are speaking of the wellbeing... the life of our child. We are talking about the product of our union. We are speaking of my pride and joy. Our... Rae," he said, looking out the window.
"Zuko," she said, shaking her head as she walked towards her bed. She placed her hand on what seemed to be a pillow. He watched her carefully as she pulled the covers away from the pillow, only to discover that it was their sleeping son's form. "I love him, just as much as I love you. I know that you're worried about him. I understand. I really do... What angers me is that you didn't trust me. You carried your burden without me. You didn't ask me for help. You shunned me, Zuko."
"I'm sorry." He said, as he watched Toph effortlessly scoop their son in her arms and kissed the crown of his head. "Rae is everything that I wasn't. He is our miracle. I love him so much, because..." his voice grew faint.
"Because?" She urged him to continue.
"He is ours... Rae is the product of your love for me. No one has ever loved me the way that you love me... No one has ever given me what you've given me. You gave me a future, a son, love, happiness and..."
"Zuko," she sighed tiredly, patting the mattress where she sat. He obeyed, sitting a few inches away from her. She scooted to be near him and wrapped one around his waist. "You could've come and talked to me about this. You are always carrying everyone's burden. Rae is ours. He is our responsibility. Just like you mentioned earlier, he is the product of our union. He is yours and mine. I am part of this, whether you like it or not!"
"I don't like it, but I was wrong for keeping it from you." He said weakly, resting his chin in her hair.
"You don't have to like it. You just have to accept the fact that I'm going to fight beside you to protect our son, too."
"I'm sorry. For a minute, I feared that you were going to bury me under a pile of rubble." He said, giving her an apologetic smile. "I will try not to do it again." Zuko bent down to kiss her forehead and sighed, as he kept his lips pressed to her soft skin.
"I should of, but I like you too much," she said, feeling content to be surrounded by her boys. "So, Fire Lord Zuko, why are we going to Cantico?"
"First we have to find a way to leave this mansion without alerting your parents or their guards,"
"Leave it to me," she said smugly. "I know how to leave this place without leaving a trace."
"I like you," he chuckled deeply, causing tingles to forget how to breathe.
"You like me?"
"Nah. I really love you. You are the best." He chortled, kissing her cheek.
"I love you, too," she blushed.
He moved to fast for her to register what he was going to do. She was startled when she felt him kiss her. His large hands gently cupped her face. His kiss was soft, but slowly deepened into a soul-crushing, knee-weakening, and soul-chattering kiss that left her breathless. His tongue plunged past her parting lips, causing her into their kiss. She wanted more of the mirth of his kisses.
He pulled away and she felt like a bucket of cold water had been flung at her. "Why-" she muttered.
"One of these days, I won't hold back. Be ready for me," he said in a husky voice and stood up from the bed. "Give me the kid." He commanded.
She had forgotten about Rae. She blushed profusely and gingerly handed him their son. She stood up and sensed the Fire Lord's movement. Rae was in a deep sleep. He'd been tired from practicing firebending all afternoon. Aang had tried to help him, but the child only wanted his father to teach him.
She walked to the other side of the bed and plopped down. "Can you stay?"
"I'd like that very much," he smiled and climbed in to bed next to her. He held her against his chest. Zuko gently stroke her hair, cheeks, and forehead. He whispered things in her ear and promised to make her the happiest woman in the world. Toph believed him. Her soul had been healed. She prayed to any divine force that they would remain like this forever. "Sweet dreams, my precious Fire Lady." He said, kissing her temple.