Chapter two
"Firebending"
Back in the tea shop, Zuko continued to serve the customers with his Uncle. He glanced to his Uncle, his suspicions about being discovered still in the back of his mind.
His Uncle smiled at being handed a nice tip. Rolling his eyes, Zuko went back to concentrating on his own work. He certainly didn't enjoy it as much as his Uncle, and it showed.
In the back of the shop, unseen, the young boy who had earlier discovered the Prince and his Uncle, snuck in through a back door and ducked down behind a counter. After a few seconds, his head popped up above the counter, and his eyes followed the movement of the Prince, a grin on his face once again.
As the Prince moved to pour tea at a nearby table, the young boy lifted his hand, aiming it at him.
Zuko tipped the tea kettle to pour tea into a customer's cup. He poured the tea with a sigh, not for the first time wishing he could be away from such boring work.
Suddenly searing pain raced through his hand and he let out a yell of pain, dropping the kettle in his hand. The kettle came crashing down on the table before him, spilling the cups of tea that had already been poured.
The customers instantly grew upset, looking to him for answers, but Zuko was busy examining his hand in question. He looked at it and saw that it was red, as though it had been burnt, and he, more than anyone, knew what it was to be burnt.
Growing angry, he moved his eyes to look at the counter behind him, knowing that such a burn could only come from a firebender, and sure enough, there, standing boldly behind the counter was a round-faced, freckled boy with a wide grin on his face. The boy waved. Zuko frowned.
The boy stopped waving and looked at Zuko's Uncle, who was still serving tea, oblivious to what was going on around him. The boy moved his hand to point at him.
Zuko, furious, ignored the complaining customers behind him and glared at the boy behind the counter. The boy ignored him, shooting a small, hardly noticeable fireball from his hand. It sped toward the tea kettle in Zuko's Uncle's hands.
Just before the fireball hit the tea kettle, Zuko stepped in to intercept it, holding up his hand. The fireball flew into it and Zuko curled his hand around it, squeezing it until the fireball turned into smoke, curling up out of his clenched fingers. All the while he glared at the boy, who watched him, still grinning. He moved toward the boy, angrily, and glared at him in question as he reached his side.
"what are you doing here?" He questioned in an angry whisper.
The boy only grinned, refusing to keep from drawing attention to himself. "Now, is that any way to greet an old friend?"
Zuko lifted his reddened hand for the boy to see, still glaring at him angrily. "I'm already thought to be a firebender!" He fumed, keeping his voice low. "I don't need more proof!"
The boy continued to grin, saying nothing. Zuko grew annoyed, grabbed the boy's hand, and pulled him away from the counter toward a back room in the shop, leaving behind his customers with a mess and no tea.
His Uncle finally noticed the commotion and looked to it in question, than to Zuko as he headed toward the back room with the boy. Understanding the situation, he moved toward his nephew's customers with a smile.
"Don't worry, I'll have this cleaned up in no time. And I'll give you a free sample of a new tea I'm trying."
He smiled at his skills of peacemaking as the customers relaxed with pleased smiles, nodding their approval. Now if only he could bring such peace to his nephew's troubled mind...
Zuko entered the back room, pulling the boy behind him. He knew the boy, it was true. He had been the son of a nobleman in the Fire Nation, so obviously they had grown up together. For as long as he could remember, the boy had had a crush on his sister, which sickened him, for he knew the kind of person she was.
The boy, Bojing by name, was around twelve or thirteen years of age, by his count, and seemed to be the same old carefree, happy-go-lucky, goof-off boy. When they were growing up back in the Fire Nation, Bojing was constantly getting in trouble for his pranks, which was his life, as far as Zuko was concerned. He was always playing practical jokes on others. He had loved to laugh and seemed to think the world was his playground. Apparently he still did.
Zuko threw the boy into the room, releasing his arm and closing the door behind him. Bojing looked to him, laughing. Yes, his like for laughter was still there.
"Relax, I've spent months in this city and no one's as yet figured out I'm a firebender," he laughed.
Zuko turned to him, letting out a breath to calm himself. He looked at him in question. "Why are you here, Bojing?"
"I left home. You know, being royalty wasn't all that fun. I don't know why you try so hard to get back to it."
Bojing grinned at Zuko, and it was obvious he was toying with Zuko's emotions. It worked, for Zuko's eyes grew narrow in his anger.
Bojing was a firebender, just as he was, but he had rarely paid attention in his training. He had on more than one occasion run away from home, saying that he didn't like being tied down by the restraints of royal life. He was the complete opposite of Zuko in terms of everything he wanted. Zuko wanted nothing more than to be tied down by his royal life, or at the very least to be at home with his father's honor, and he tried so hard to master firebending. It was so frustrating to him that this boy didn't appreciated what he had. And so he glared at Bojing through narrowed eyes.
Bojing ignored him, turning away after having gotten the reaction he had wanted from the Prince. "Ba Sing Se is the one place I know I won't be found."
He turned again to Zuko, but this time in all seriousness, evidenced by his grin actually not being present on his face. "What about you? What are you doing here?"
Zuko's anger melted into sadness as he thought that question over. He looked out a nearby window.
"Trying to survive," he answered.
Bojing exploded. "Why aren't you out after the Avatar?!"
Zuko ignored the outburst, despite the fact that he often wondered the same thing. "It's not so easy anymore. Besides, I've lost all track of him. And even if I do find him, it wouldn't change anything. My honor is gone."
There, he'd finally admitted the truth. He may as well stay locked away as a servant forever.
But Bojing wouldn't let it go. "So? So is mine. It's not that important. Just a title. A high honor that holds you back from living!" He seemed so adamant about it.
Zuko sighed. "Exactly."
He continued to stare out the window sadly, his mind not changed. How could there be any hope at all without honor?
Joo Dee lead them through the streets of Ba Sing Se. Before her, Aang kept his eyes open, and turned at every sound. Toph was concentrating on feeling any vibrations that would reveal anything. Sokka was getting more and more upset, obviously ready to give up, while she continued on in hope.
They were searching for Appa again, just as they had done before, Joo Dee guiding them around while they asked questions and no one would give them any answers. It seemed pointless, but it was really thier only option for now. Katara was somewhat relieved. At least the longer it took them to find Appa, the less quickly they'd leave the city and Aang would learn firebending.
Still, she didn't like the atmosphere of the city and wished they could leave. Dai Li agents watched their every move. She felt so uncomfortable.
Her thoughts of what was around her were pulled away as Sokka finally snapped.
"Forget it! No one's going to tell us anything!" He shouted in his frustration. "This place is just a bunch of lies and secrets!"
"I agree," Toph said, looking up from her concentrating. "We're not going to find any answers here."
The group had stopped, and Katara glanced at Joo Dee. She didn't seem to care, wearing that ever present smile of hers that was so creepy.
Aang wasn't going to give up so easily. "But we have to find Appa!" He shouted. "We can't go anywhere without him."
The others couldn't avoid the truth of his words. Toph lowered her voice.
"Then we'll have to do it without her."
She pointed to Joo Dee. Katara glanced over her shoulder at a Dai Li agent hiding in the shadows not far away. She, too, lowered her voice.
"And we'll have to avoid the Dai Li."
Sokka groaned. "Nothing can be easy for us, can it?!"
Clearly annoyed, Sokka lead the others on, following Joo Dee down the street. They'd continue their search in this way for now, but they'd also be using the time to think up a plan to avoid all those around them.