Sorry for the confusion about the last chapter! I accidentally uploaded a "rejected" version of chapter two, and didn't notice until a couple people asked me why it skipped four years (my bad!)

And thanks to all my readers, and thanks for all the reviews, and thanks to all the people who enjoyed this story so far! The positive feedback I got made me so happy, thank you so much!

The Avatar Movie came out today, I'm probably gonna go and see it next week… as a loyal fan, I must…

Book 4: AIR

By silver-nightstorm

Summary: Four years have passed since the end of the war and the Fire Nation is in despair. Young Fire Lord Zuko is on a mission to find his mother, and seek her political advice. Meanwhile, Aang hunts for remaining airbenders, leaving Katara alone. Zutara. HaruxOC. And one-sided ZukoxOC.

Chapter 2: Secrets and Surprises

~Present Day~Fire Nation Capital: Zuko's Study~

Paperwork.

That was one world that Zuko had grown to detest in his past seven months as Fire Lord. Zuko had to give his father credit; he never imagined the overwhelming amount of paperwork the Fire Lord needed to sort out.

And after the war ended, the paperwork increased tenfold. Treaties to sign, prisoners to free, towns to rebuild, debts to pay, war memorials to make. There didn't seem to be an end.

Already, Zuko had signed four treaties, seven orders of release, two rebuilding grants, and a memorial grant.

Zuko was exhausted, and the sun wasn't even up yet.

Zuko had signed official treaties with the Northern Water Tribe, the Southern Water Tribe, the City of Omashu, and the Earth Kingdom Capital Ba Sing Se. Technically, signing another treaty in Omashu was redundant, but King Bumi had insisted.

He had also released seven prisoners, among them Smellerbee and Longshot, Jet's old "partners in crime". Three others were old members of Chief Hakoda's fleet, and the remaining two were Kyoshi warriors who had been taken to a different prison because they were causing trouble.

Zuko had also signed a grant to rebuild Omashu and Ba Sing Se. He also owed these cities a shit-load of money. Zuko was seriously considering melting down Ozai's crown to pay for everything. The spirits knew Ozai deserved it.

Zuko also made a new war memorial, this time for all the Fire Nation soldiers who died during the second battle of Sozin's Comet. This marked the fifteenth war memorial he'd made.

There were also notices and proclamations from the Nobility. Zuko hadn't fully appreciated how spoiled the Nobles were until he had to deal with them. Zuko had decided not to sign the Nobles' motion for more money in order to get "hotter bath water". He had a nation to rebuild, and all the Nobles could think about was their bath water.

Nobles. He'd had enough of them.

The paperwork did not end there. There were also the day to day needs of the Fire Nation. So-and-so's village had been burned down, the crops from Watchamacallit Town were attacked by locusts. There were orders for execution for ex-army members who were overstepping their boundaries, and the rebellions that had to be quelled. New schools needed to be opened for the boys coming home from the war, and the crime rate had increased tenfold.

Just as Zuko was about to lie down and take a nap, the door to his study slammed open. Standing there in all her pissed off glory was Mai. She stormed into the room.

Mai didn't storm like other girls. If Toph stormed somewhere, it would usually be accompanied by colorful insults and earthbending, along with pain for whoever was the receiver for the "storm". If it was Katara, there would be rain, and thunder, sometimes lighting if the storm was so powerful it became natural. The receivers of Katara's "storms" usually never came out unscathed.

When Mai stormed, she'd walk in with a royally pissed attitude, and a glare that could freeze Agni. She'd also have multiple senbon holding up her hair, just in case.

When Mai stormed, people listened to her. Zuko was not one of those people.

"Are you sleeping?" she asked. Although she wasn't screaming, she might as well have been.

She moved to the window and swung open the drapes. The time was much later than Zuko had realized, and sunlight streamed into the room, causing the Fire Lord to shield his eyes and mumble curses.

Shouts came from the courtyard, along with a few bangs, a splash, and a few colorful insults. "Toph!" shouted Katara. "Mud? Seriously! Mud?" Zuko could picture her accidentally bending the mud while she gestured wildly.

"'Fraid to get a little dirty, Sugar Queen?" He could practically see Toph's cocky stance.

"Oh, you're getting it now you…" Katara stumbled, searching for a good insult. "Slob!"

"You know it, Sweetness!" Toph's smug grin.

Zuko moaned, and shakily got up from his seat. He stumbled over to the bed and collapsed. He had been working all day yesterday, staying up all night and working through dinner. He was exhausted. And all the noise was not helping.

Fire Lord Zuko, now seventeen years old, was seriously considering throwing a hissy fit.

~Fire Nation Capital: Cherry Blossom Courtyard~

Katara bent the water out of her hair and clothes, leaving behind the debris. Toph bent the dirt off Katara, and then collapsed backwards into the mud.

"Toph!" scolded Katara. "You're an official! Don't roll in the mud!"

"Relax, Sugar Queen," drawled Toph. "I'm taking a mud bath. Just pretend we're in the spa at Ba Sing Se again!" Toph bent the mud around her eyes, making her look like an alien.

Mai walked into the courtyard and sat next to Katara on a bench. "Did Sparky finally get out of bed?" asked Toph.

"Yeah... He also threw a hissy fit." Toph sniggered. "I can't really blame him," sighed Mai. "He did stay up all night to do paperwork."

Toph lazily drew pictures in the mud. "Hey, Gloom… how are things between you and Sparky?"

Katara sat up straight. "Did he propose to you yet?" Katara's guilty conscience turned to the betrothal necklace she had accidentally taken from Zuko.

Mai looked at her hands. "He already did a while ago…"

"What?" shrieked Katara. "You didn't tell us?" Katara deflated inside. She had always thought that the kiss with Zuko had meant something. She her fingers rested against her lips, remembering the feelings that had coursed through her when they touched Zuko's.

"I said no."

"What?" This time, Toph was the one to shout. "Why did you say no?"

Mai sighed. "He asked me a while back, even before Sokka's wedding. He gave me a beautiful betrothal necklace. I said no, and threw it at him."

"Why?" asked Katara. Her heart was beating loudly. She still had Zuko's necklace, in a secret pocket attached to her waterbending pouch. Could she have been holding the necklace Zuko had meant for Mai?

"It was too Water Tribe for me," Mai said. "No offense, Katara. But in the Fire Nation, men usually propose with rings. I was frustrated he would even consider giving me a necklace."

"What did it look like?" asked Katara.

"It was a red pendant on a gold band," said Mai slowly, trying to remember. "The pendant had a carving of a throwing knife reflecting flames."

Katara's eyes widened. That wasn't the necklace she had picked up. Katara looked at the cherry blossom petals slowly falling to the ground. If the necklace hadn't been for Mai, who was it for?

~Fire Nation Capital: Dragon Bone Catacombs~

Aang decided that reading by candlelight was a very good way to ruin one's eyesight. The flickering light was giving him a migraine, and after thirteen hours of looking through scroll after scroll, Aang had found nothing. He read through boring records, a story of Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin's joint childhood, and the diaries of a few Fire Princesses.

Currently, Aang was suffering through another diary. Many of the diaries Aang had just cast aside. They were just princesses talking about which General's son was the most attractive, and Aang didn't have the patience for that. Aang had only bothered with this one because of the person it belonged to—Fire Lady Ursa, Zuko's mother.

It wasn't a diary from her times as the Fire Lady, but from her time as a young teenage girl. From the hour Aang had been reading so far, he had been able to gather only one fact. Ozai was quite a hit with the girls when he was young.

Aang sighed. If he had any hair, he was pretty sure he would have pulled it out by now. There were advantages to being bald.

Today was a crazy day. Maika, Lee, and I went to the city square. I was pretty sure that Lee just wanted to see Ozai, she could be so shallow. While Lee was climbing trees (I don't understand that girl at all! She wants to impress the Prince, but she acts like a monkey-squirrel!) Maika and I were talking.

It was a normal conversation, at first. Maika was worried that she would never find a husband because one of the other Noble boys had called her ugly. Just then, Ozai walked up.

I really, really don't like him. Sure, he's good looking and his eyes are enchanting, but that's where his good qualities end! He's stubborn, selfish, cocky, stuck-up, spiteful… I'm sorry… I'm even giving myself a headache now…

He wanted to ask me to the Fire Dance, but I managed to wiggle out of it. I didn't want to spend a whole evening with him.

But after he left, Maika's face got really serious. I was worried, even though the girl was all gloom and doom; she never ever looked like this. She looked like death rolled over in its grave. (I'm not sure what that means, but I think it's bad… it's an Earth Kingdom expression… they bury their dead! How ridiculous is that?)

But anyway, she told me something shocking about her mother.

Maika's mother had died three years ago… wait, why am I writing this? I already know it… Well, anyway, Maika was reading her mother's diary (I know… horrible!) But that's not the important part! Maika's mother could airbend!

Aang stopped reading. "Maika's mother could airbend!" he whispered. He quickly bent his head down and continued reading.

Maika's mother could airbend!

I'd always heard the rumors about how some airbending women had married into Fire Nation Nobility. I'd never actually believed it until now. Apparently, any airbending children were killed!

There was this really quiet boy named Tui that I knew when I was little. I can't remember very much about him, but he had disappeared one day when I was about three years old. He always climbed trees, and he never seemed to get hurt, although he fell a lot. As I said, I didn't really remember much, just his eyes, which were a funny color, brown. I never saw him again. I think he might have also been an airbender!

Maika was really worried. She started panicking; wondering what would happen if she was really an airbender. I told her I would keep her secret forever, if there was a secret to keep.

So when I got home today, I asked my mother more about the supposed airbending nobility. She got really touchy and freaked out.

I didn't see her until later that night. I had gone to her chambers to apologize, only to find the door slightly open. I peeked through the crack to see my mother. I know, I know, snooping is wrong, but what I found was scary.

My mother was holding a picture of a boy, a boy with brown eyes, and crying.

Aang gasped. Brown and grey eyes were typical colors for Air Nomads. Aang's heart beat wildly, his pulse accelerating. He hurriedly grabbed the rest of Fire Lady Ursa's diaries, dumping them in a satchel. He exited the catacombs at full speed, running as fast as he could. He passed through the cherry blossom courtyard, leaving a shocked Mai and a sputtering Katara behind. He didn't greet any of them, Toph included. He just ran, not truly believing what he had found.

He had found a lead.

~Fire Nation Capital: Cherry Blossom Courtyard~

"So how's your brother and Suki?" asked Mai.

"Suki is pregnant." Katara smiled.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," said Toph, "but weren't they only married a month ago?"

"Yeah," grinned Katara, "But I've seen Suki. Believe me, she's more than a month along… three months pregnant at least!"

"Nice, Sokka… Nice!" Toph rolled over in the mud, and tried to make a mud angel.

"How are things going with you and Aang?" questioned Mai.

Katara sighed, "I haven't seen him since my brother's wedding. Over a month ago…"

"Isn't he in town helping Zuko?" asked Toph.

"Officially," said Katara. "He's actually following up on Zuko's theory of airbenders among the Nobility."

"Any luck so far?" asked Mai.

"Not really," said Katara. "There have been a few leads, but no one is willing to admit the truth."

Toph flicked a bit of mud at Katara, making her throw the younger girl a murderous look. "Twinkletoes is on his way here right now, full speed."

"He is?" asked Katara, turning in the direction of Toph's outstretched finger.

Aang ran into the courtyard, almost running into Mai. Within a span of two seconds, he was in and out.

Katara stood there sputtering. "He didn't even notice me!" she said indignantly.

Mai sighed. "Don't worry about it. Maybe he actually found a lead."

"Not likely," retorted Katara.

"I think I'm gonna call you Gloom from now on, Sugar Queen!" said Toph, sticking some grass in her mouth.

Mai sighed again. "You remember my brother Tom-Tom? From Omashu?"

"He was a really cute kid." Katara fondly recalled the baby boy. Her thoughts turned away from the Avatar for a few moments. "But what…"

Mai cut her off. "I think he may be a lead."

Katara's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" she whispered. "A lead… as in…" her voice trailed off.

"I think he's an airbender."

Mai's statement was met with astounded silence.

~End Chapter 2~

I hope you guys like it! Please, please, please review XD And please, feel free to nitpick and tell me even the smallest mistake!