Chapter One: News from Home
A/N: Wow! I never really expected so many people would read and like this, thanks! And thanks for the reviews. Those behind Ozai's death will likely be revealed in chapter two or three so hold your horses. And no, I'm afraid this isn't a Zutara story, though I like the paring and hope to write some Zutara fics in the future. This is a Zuko x OC fic… as for your other questions Sahlili20 they'll be answered soon heh. Now I'll be getting to Zuko and Iroh in Ba Sing Se. Enjoy!
After the intrusion of Jet and his eventual arrest, business had quickly returned to normal. None of the patrons gave the two fire nation exiles a second glance, ordering their tea and conversing with others seemingly without a care in the world.
Iroh seemed to act as though it had never happened; he seemed to have forgotten the accusations against them completely and continued the task of tea preparation without the slightest bit of extra caution. Zuko, on the other hand, had fully realized just how closely they had come to being discovered.
He viewed every new face as a potential threat, carefully studying the room every thirty seconds or so. He would not let his guard down for an instant. What he would do if a pair of Earth Kingdom soldiers, ready to arrest them, burst through the doors he wasn't sure of, but he would not be surprised again, he hated surprises.
"Hey! Scarface! We've been waitin' for ages, hurry up!" shouted an earth kingdom man seated nearby, his date giving Zuko an irritated look. Zuko scowled, rage building, he clenched his fists tightly and slowly approached the couple's table. The banished prince felt a hand come gently down upon his shoulder.
"Zuko, I'll handle this, go back and see that I have not left a kettle on the stove again." whispered Iroh to his nephew, passing by toward the couple's table. Zuko turned with a grunt and made his way back into the kitchen area of the shop.
As much as he wished to show the earth kingdom patron through one of the windows the banished prince held his rage in just long enough to reach the kitchen. Spotting the tea kettle upon the stove he swiftly snatched it up off the burner. Holding the kettle up he briefly considered smashing the gaudy thing against the stove top but he thought better of it and set it down on the counter top nearby.
The shop owner would not have been pleased to learn he'd broken another kettle. Zuko looked around the room for something to take his anger out on; he spied a broom sitting in the corner. Quickly grasping the broom he launched it out the back door like a javelin where it landed in the deserted alley with a clatter.
It was enough to calm him down, watching the broom sail through the air. Iroh quietly entered the kitchen, picking up the kettle and filling a few small cups and placing them on a platter. "They're gone, I gave them their order and asked them to leave." the old man said concentrating on the preparation of a new batch of tea.
Zuko only nodded before stepping outside and retrieving the broom. The sun was already behind the west wall sending up an orange haze outlining a few clouds in the distance with a golden lining. He watched the sunset for a few moments; the shop would be closing in another hour or so. Zuko always looked forward to closing time and returning to the solitude of his room back at the apartment.
Upon reentering the dining area Zuko made a quick observation of the shop goers; Iroh was right, the couple had gone and in their place an individual with a dark green cloak and hood pulled up over their head had appeared.
The Fire Nation exile continued his survey of the room. At the sales counter Iroh was in the process of selling an old man, one of their regular customers, a bag of tea leaves for a special brew. Nothing unusual there. thought Zuko. There were a few others in the shop but they were finishing up their tea and getting up from the tables.
Zuko made his way to the closest table stacking the plates and cups on the tray and collecting the coins left as payment before moving on to the next table and repeating the process. After he'd cleaned the two tables that had been left he went back to the kitchen and stacked the plates in the wash basin. Next stop was the safe in the very back of the shop's storage room.
The memory of the hooded figure came back to him as he carefully dialed in the combination on the safe's knob to deposit the money he'd just collected. Who wears a cloak like that on a day like today? Seems very suspicious considering we haven't seen a drop of rain here yet… he though as he opened the safe's door.
After making the quick deposit he shut the door and spun the knob before returning to the dining area. The stranger was still there, Zuko watched as Iroh approached the table from behind the sales counter. "Can I get you anything before we close?" Iroh asked the stranger, using his usual cheerful look.
Zuko watched carefully, ready to leap over the counter at the slightest hint of danger. The stranger didn't answer but appeared to look around the room. Zuko quickly saw that the room was empty save for his uncle and the stranger; the last patron had left while he'd been back in the safe.
Slowly the stranger rose from their seat, Iroh took a step back; the cheerful look had changed to one of curiosity. Zuko was on the verge of action, he would not let anyone harm his uncle. The stranger carefully reached up and pulled back the cloak's hood.
It was a young woman; she was on the short side, had a round, plump looking face and body, brown eyes, dark gray hair and a fair complexion. Clearly Fire Nation. Zuko guessed she was most likely only a little younger than he was. Iroh looked at the woman, his facial expression changing from curiosity to confusion then finally a smile. The young woman bowed "Good evening General Iroh" she said smiling.
Iroh grinned "Yuza? Is that you?" he asked slowly. Zuko looked on in utter confusion. Who is Yuza? thought the banished prince "Yes" said Yuza nodding excitedly "it's good to see you again General." Iroh chuckled "My you've grown, though, I suppose you would have, considering I haven't seen you since… you were eight." replied the old man.
"How's your father getting along these days?" Iroh asked thoughtfully. Yuza grinned "Oh he's getting around. Still working for the MSS you know; of course, they've got him behind a desk nowadays…" Iroh let out a hearty chuckle. "Ahh, I never thought they'd get Laou to take a desk job!"
Zuko suddenly remembered he had a voice "Uncle! Who is this girl!? What's going on here!?" Yuza turned to face the banished prince, a mischievous smile crossing her face "So you're Prince Zuko, eh? They told me you had a temper, guess MSS intelligence is always right."
Zuko sneered at Yuza, the word 'fat swine' and other similar insults came bubbling up in his throat as he eyed the young woman.Before he could say anything nasty Iroh spoke up. "Zuko, this is Yuza, she's the daughter of an old friend of mine. Do you ever remember meeting Laou? He served under me during the six hundred day siege."
Zuko thought for a moment finally remembering the kindly yet secretive one legged man he'd met during his last year as royalty in the Fire Nation. "Yes… I remember him." said Zuko before turning back to Yuza. "But what I'd like to know is why you are here, in Ba Sing Se."
Yuza sat back down sighing heavily before motioning to the others to sit as well. Zuko went over to the front door and locked it, choosing to stand; he returned to the table and gave Yuza a questioning glance. Iroh took a seat across from the young woman "Just what are you doing out here Yuza?" asked the old man folding his hand on the table.
"Well, uh… it's been a long and rather unpleasant journey…" said Yuza leaning back against the chair's rest "I could really use a bath. Anyway, anyway, my father kind of sent me… to deliver a message from the Royal advisors to you two. I know, I know, you're wondering why he sent me; I was visiting relatives who had settled in some of the old conquered Earth Kingdom territories and was the closest person with any MSS training to Ba Sing Se at the time…"
"Get to the point!" snapped Zuko. Yuza gave him a solemn look. "Zuko, you're father's dead." The shop became devoid of all sound, Zuko stared at Yuza and began to shake his head, finding her words unbelievable. "Is this true?" asked Iroh at almost a whisper.
Yuza nodded slowly. "Yes, it is, he was assassinated, poisoned." Zuko snapped out of the trance of disbelief and swiftly brought his fist down upon the table. "Who!? Who is responsible!?" he roared. Yuza and Iroh lurched forward in their chairs as the silence was shattered. "Well, I-I was told the poison used originates from a type of fish or something that lives in northern waters… But no one's really certain how he was poisoned."
Iroh closed his eyes shaking his head, trying to come to grips with the news of his brother's death. Even though Ozai and scarred and banished him, Zuko had only wanted to make his father proud of him, to be accepted. Immediately he thought of revenge. The Northern Water Tribe! They must be responsible for this! Zuko thought almost shaking with rage and hatred.
Yuza finally broke the silence, "There's… more." Iroh and Zuko looked up, what more couldthere be? "Your sister, Azula. She doesn't know Ozai is dead yet… and the Royal Advisors don't want her to assume the throne. I'm sure you can understand why." Iroh nodded slowly.
"What dose this have to do with us?" asked Zuko coldly. "Well, the Advisors… and the MSS, Royal Guard too… believe you should become the next Fire Lord." said Yuza pointing at Zuko. With this another wave of silence swept the room.
Zuko starred in utter disbelief, mouth half open. "This… this must be a trick!" he stammered. "Azula! She's just trying to trick me into returning to be imprisoned again!"
Yuza briefly considered putting her hand upon Zuko's to calm him, but thought better of it. "I assure you, this isn't a trick Zuko. The Advisors and many others want you home, to become Fire Lord. They truly believe you could lead the Nation to victory and prosperity."
Uncle and Nephew continued to stare not sure whether to believe the young woman. Iroh looked her dead in the eye. "This is true Yuza?" he asked carefully. "Every word of it General, why would I lie to you?" she replied looking very tired.
"W-why should we even trust you?" asked Zuko, a flood of different emotions coursing though him. Yuza frowned at him, her large brown eyes showing defeat. "If I were in your shoes… I probably wouldn't. I swear to you though, it is the truth."
Iroh began to realize just how worn down Yuza was becoming and patted her gently on the shoulder. "I believe you. I do." he said reassuringly. She gave the old man a weak smile "Thank you… Iroh."
Zuko had never felt so strange in his life, if this Yuza girl was right would it mean he could finally go home? Would he really become the Fire Lord? What about Azula? And his father, the drive for revenge, hatred and mistrust; he was nearly overcome and slid down into a near by seat holding his head in his hands.
Iroh got up from his seat, the sun had already gone down and twilight fallen over the city. "I think we all could use a good night's sleep" he said looking at the two tired teens. "Do you have a place to stay Yuza?" he asked her, noticing the small pack she'd left under the table. "I believe we could make room for you"
The young woman sighed "I'm afraid I don't, but after all the trouble I've caused you I'd hate to intrude." Zuko looked up and gave Iroh an empty look; it didn't matter much to him now.
"No, it's alright Yuza, you're a guest. You can sleep out on the couch back at our apartment, don't feel bad... Zuko and I just need time to take all of this in." replied Iroh getting up from his seat and heading toward the entrance to the shop. He unlocked it and held the door open, waiting.
Yuza got up, grabbed her pack and went to stand with Iroh; briefly looking back at Zuko she could not help feeling sorry for him. Poor guy… I hope he's alright. she though, feeling a tinge of guilt. I just wish I could tell him I'm sorry for dropping all of this into his lap. I just doubt he'd accept an apology.
Finally Zuko forced himself out of his seat and walked out the door past the others and off toward the apartments. He was almost certain he wouldn't get much sleep this night. There was too much to think about… too much to take in.
A/N: Well that's Chapter One, I really hope it was good enough… Poor Zuzu having to cope with all that news. Chap two should be up in the next few days.
P.S. Please review… heh.