Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the Avatar characters
I have decided to extend this story from a one shot to a chapter story, so the plot has changed a bit. The story will focus on Zuko's sons primarily Zoren and Katara's daughter and their discovery of the nature of the relationship between Zuko and Katara. It will probably be a little angsty. What can I say, I like angst. I hope no one is to upset that I changed this from a oneshot.
Kiela's arrival to the fire nation was one of Zoren's first memories. He had been barely five at the time and he remembered the tension in the air. He was overflowing with excitement. After all this was the first time he had ever seen a flying bison before.
Everyone else seemed to be excited to meet the avatar. Sure, Zoren thought the avatar was great too; master of all four elements, hero in his childhood tales, etc. However, Zoren was much more excited to see a flying bison. I mean it was a bison and it could fly; it had always been his favorite part of Grandpa Iroh's stories. Now he was actually going to meet Appa and maybe even get a ride. He was going to get to fly!
He had been playing near the stables all morning in what he thought was a sneaky manner. He was afraid his mother or father would send him back to lessons, and tell him not to bother the avatar when he arrived. However, when his father saw him he shook his head and smiled in a knowing way. Zoren smiled to himself thinking to have tricked his father.
Zoren was on the verge of losing interest in waiting for the flying Bison. He was honestly very excited, but he was five and it was getting near lunch time. Right before he wandered away to find some other game a dark shadow blotted out the sun that always shone brightly over his home land.
Zoren looked up slightly frightened. He had never liked the dark much. Then he saw the underside of a giant beast. It had six legs and a large flat tale. Its fur was white and glimmered in the bright sunlight. Zoren followed it with his eyes as it passed overhead, craning his neck so far backwards that he became unbalanced and fell on his bottom. He let out a small 'oomph' before quickly turning, crawling, regaining his feet, and running after the enormous creature. He forgot about his clever ruse of 'playing' and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
Fire Lord Zuko followed his son at a more dignified pace. Zoren reached the bison and suddenly became overwhelmingly shy and cautious. It was an awfully big flying bison. He wandered if they all were so big. Just as he was getting up his courage to approach the fluffy beast it let out an earth rumbling yawn.
Zoren squeaked in surprise and retreated behind the legs of his father, who had just arrived. His older brother, Rukon, had also arrived standing rigidly next to his beautiful mother. Zuko smiled slightly at his son's reaction, while his mother looked on seemingly bored by the whole affair.
Zoren watched the whole scene intently from behind the protection of his father's legs. A tall thin man dressed in strange looking orange clothes jumped off the bison. He was bald with blue tattoos. It had to be the avatar. Zoren never realized how girly Air Bender clothes were. No one had ever described the Avatar's clothes before. His pants fluttered in the wind as he fell, much more slowly than a normal person would, to the ground.
It was strange to see the avatar. He didn't look like the young carefree boy Zoren had always imagined. Zoren thought he looked very sad.
His father must have noticed that something was wrong too, because he instantly stopped smiling and raised an eyebrow at the Avatar. "To what do we owe the pleasure? You're bison was spotted entering the fire nation, so we were prepared for your arrival. However, we have no idea as to the motivation for your visit," his father told the Avatar.
"Zuko…" The Avatar looked up with tears shining in his unique gray eyes.
Zoren didn't understand why the Avatar looked like he was about to cry. His father's face just grew harder in response to the Avatar saying his name. Zuko looked back and forth between the two confusedly. He knew they were friends of a sort.
"It's Katara". The Avatar finished blinking away what were the beginnings of tears.
Zoren felt his father's body grow tense. He also thought he saw his mother frown slightly and her eyes darken, but it was gone quickly if it was even there to begin with.
The fire lord clenched his fists and Zoren felt his body temperature rise a few degrees. "What's happened?" He said in barely a whisper.
"She's been killed," the Avatar replied his voice cracking.
"Who," Zuko practically roared and his fists burst into flames. Zoren stumbled backwards away from his father falling to the ground. Zuko's fist had been at his eye level and he was seeing spots from the sudden brightness. He touched his face and found that he was crying unexpectedly.
However, his father didn't turn around and comfort him as Zoren expected. In fact it looked like his father didn't notice him at all. He just stood there glaring at the Avatar his fists aflame.
Zoren was surprised when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. He looked back slightly shocked to find his mother. Zoren loved his mother, but he could count the number of hugs he got from her that he could remember on one hand. She pulled him into her lap and rocked him gently for a moment as his eyes wandered back to his enraged father.
"Zuko, I…" Aang began.
"Who killed her?" Zuko repeated his hands glowing even brighter.
"I don't think this is the time or the place," Aang tried again glancing at the children.
Zuko continued to stare at Aang. "Tell me, now" he repeated.
Zoren whimpered slightly. He had never seen his father like this. Even Rukon looked scared, gripping their mother's shoulder tightly.
"Fire nation settlers," the Avatar relented. "She had gone to help settle a dispute between an earth nation village and fire nation citizens who lived their". The Avatar's voice trembled. "It was at my request. I should have been there instead of her, but I had no idea the situation was so serious".
Zuko took a threatening step towards Aang, but restrained himself. "By the time she arrived the village was burning. Things had gotten out of hand. She managed to put out the fires with her bending, but many of the buildings were left unstable. As she was searching one for survivors the structure collapsed".
Zuko's fists continued to flame, but the heat and size of flame had diminished considerably. Zoren was afraid his father might burst into flame. "Did you find them? The ones who did this," he asked.
"Her husband," Zuko's hands once again flared to life. "Went after and killed most of them, but he was killed in the process". Zuko closed his eyes and breathed steam out his nose.
However, the fire in Zuko's hands and in his eyes died immediately when a brown faced child with wide blue eyes peeked over Appa's saddle. "Aang?" the three year old child asked.
Zuko looked from the child to Aang slightly bewildered. Zoren also looked at the child curiously and shrugged off his mother. He approached the bison and his father even though he was still cautious of Zuko's temper.
"Katara's daughter, Kiela," Aang replied to the unasked question. The Avatar jumped onto Appa's saddle and scooped up the girl bringing her back down with him.
She looked at Zuko curiously with the strangest color of eyes Zoren had ever seen. She reached out to the Fire Lord, and Zuko took her into his arms dumbly.
"Katara always considered you and Iroh to be a part of our strange little family, and I know she would want Kiela to stay in the family. I…I can't take Kiela to the places I need to go. Toph will probably never be ready for kids knowing her, not unless they're a couple of strong willed boys. And since Sokka…" Aang paused for a moment a shadow passing over his face. He cleared his face and continued, "Katara told me once after Kiela was born that if anything ever happened to her and her husband that she wanted you to look after her. She always knew you would be a great father, Zuko," Aang said smiling sadly.
Zuko looked down at the little girl in his arms and his eyes softened, and Zoren saw the father he knew and loved. He was relieved things were back to normal even if they were completely different. He didn't notice the deep scowl on his mother's face as she watched Zuko and the little girl.
Zuko looked at Aang at a loss for words, but managed to nod weekly. Aang smiled brightly, giving a glimpse of the Avatar Zoren remembered from tales.
He looked away from Zuko and to his surrounding family, "My how big your boys have gotten!" Aang exclaimed. He kneeled down in front of Zoren. "You're brother might remember me, but last time I visited you were no bigger than this," he said using his hands to express the size of a baby.
Zoren smiled shyly at the air bender. He glanced over the young man's shoulder at Appa. The Avatar followed Zoren's gaze and gave him a wink. "Have you ever ridden a flying bison?" Aang asked already knowing the answer.
Zoren shook his head in the negative.
Aang smiled again. "Well, would you like to?" he asked.
Zoren nodded his head furiously. "Well then let's go for a ride, you too Rukon," he said looking at Zoren's brother. "Of course if it's okay with your parents." Aang and the boys looked at Mai and Zuko expectantly. Mai waved them off with her trade mark bored expression and Zuko nodded thoughtlessly the majority of his attention focused on the little girl in his arms.
Zuken felt a slight twinge of jealousy in his stomach as he noticed the attention his father paid to the new little girl. However, this feeling was soon replaced by excitement and a funny swooping feeling as Aang lifted him and his brother onto Appa using air bending. He and his brother laughed in delight as they took off, leaving any worries and doubts behind them.
Yes Sokka is dead too. I might explain the specifics later. The Avatar world is a dangerous place to live in and bad things happen especially to good people.
One last thought for anyone who enjoys angst. I don't write Aang centered fics or really read them, but I thought of an awesome, in my deluded opinion, title for a humor/angst/parody piece about Aang that anyone is free to use. "You can't mispell 'Aangst' without 'Aang'". I know right totally cheesy and yet awesome. If you write it I'll read it.
Once again thank you for reading and for reviewing. I really enjoy this story and I hope some of you do too.