The Unfortunate Adventures of Fire Lord Zuko

Part Two – Ba Sing Se

The voyage toward the Earth Kingdom was pleasant.

There were a few other people aside from the merchants who were making the journey but they largely left Zuko alone; if they recognised him as the Fire Lord they did not show it. He did find however, that a small boy who was travelling with his parents seemed to love nothing better than to sit and stare at Zuko with amazement written on his face.

At one time, not too far in the past, he may have snarled and demanded the child move from his presence, but he had grown more tolerant of others since then and so he allowed the boy to sit near him while he read or meditated.

It had been a while since he had travelled alone. His thoughts went back to the time he spent away from his Uncle in the Earth Kingdom, and again when he left Azula's company. Sitting on the merchant vessel, a calm atmosphere surrounding him, Zuko wondered at how far he had come.

Had he really changed so much that the Fire Nation – his dream for so long – could no longer hold his attention?

What was missing?

Arriving in Ba Sing Se was the same as he remembered it – stringent border control and sour-faced women checking the passports of those trying to enter the city.

Zuko waited in line with the others until he was called forward called towards one of the desks. The lady behind it didn't look up as he slid his papers towards her. She skimmed her eyes over them, taking in the official Fire Nation seal and was about to hand the papers back when she caught sight of the name on the passport.

"Fire Lord Zuko? Like I haven't heard that one before. Really, if you're going to impersonate someone, perhaps a little less…" The woman finally lifted her eyes and her voice trailed off as she saw Zuko's scar and the face now very familiar worldwide. "…obvious."

Zuko lifted an eyebrow and the woman flushed.

"Ah, forgive me Fire Lord." She bowed politely, although her seated position meant her face was pressed in to the desk and Zuko grimaced inwardly.

"It's fine." Zuko said lowly, wishing not to draw the attention of any of the officials loitering about. He wished to find the place where the others were staying and the last thing he wanted was-

"Fire Lord Zuko?"

Groaning quietly, Zuko turned and found a stooped old man gazing up at him. The man was decked out in fine green and ivory silks and had a gold rimmed pair of spectacles perched precariously on the end of his nose. "I thought I had heard correctly. If we had only known that you were coming then we could have forgone all this bother!"

He gestured to the woman who had checked his passport (no longer pressed in to the furniture) and an affronted look took over her face.

"It's fine, really." Zuko backed away slightly, wondering whether or not he could slip away and not be followed by this man.

"Where are my manners? My name is Shen-Wei, I am one of the King's personal scribes. So pleased to make your acquaintance." Shen-Wei bowed as low as his stooped back would allow.

Zuko could see that they were now definitely attracting the attention of the others in the room and he almost slapped himself in frustration.

Shen-Wei straightened from his bow and peered up at Zuko, his desire to appease shining in his dull green eyes. "Please allow me to escort you to the palace. King Kuei will be most delighted to have you as a guest. Or perhaps you would like a carriage tour around the city first?"

"No." Zuko said firmly, cutting off the man's tirade. "I would like to go about my business in private if it is all the same to you."

Shen-Wei looked very put out. "Are you sure there is nothing that I can help you with?"

"No I-" Zuko stopped abruptly, his mind reminding him that Ba Sing Se was a huge city, and that he had no clue where Aang and the others were staying. He looked down at Shen-Wei. "Is the Avatar in the city?"

The man's eyes brightened. "Yes Sire, he is."

"Do you know where he is staying?"

"Of course! He and his companions are staying at a house in the Upper Ring. Please, allow me to escort you there."

Shen-Wei's carriage pulled up outside a of a large, well-kept house that offered spectacular views of Ba Sing Se. Though the apartment that he and his Uncle had frequented during their stay in the city, the shining white and gold-tiled house before him was on a completely different level.

Zuko thanked Shen-Wei and pressed a gold piece in to his hand before climbing out of the carriage. "Oh thank you Sire. Should you need anything else don't hesitate to send a messenger to find me. I can usually be found at the palace."

Zuko made a non-committal noise and stepped away from the carriage, not daring to look back. As he listened to it move away down the empty roads, he walked up the smooth shining rock of the front path and knocked on the door.

There was nothing but silence from within and Zuko frowned, wondering whether he had the right place. Perhaps Shen-Wei had not been as well-informed as he had appeared?

Just as he was about to try the next house across, he heard the noise of footsteps from within. The large door swung inwards and Zuko found himself staring in to a pair of familiar blue eyes.

"Zuko?" Sokka blinked in surprise, staring at the man before him. "What are you doing here?"

Zuko offered the Water Tribe boy a small smile. "I'll let you know when I figure it out. Can I come in?"

"Wha-? Oh, yeah." Sokka stepped away from the door and let Zuko pass.

The inside of the house was just as nice as the outside. Rich colours and dark wood spanned the room, with large and comfortable looking cushions scattered on the floor. "Are you here on your own?"

Sokka moved towards the raised lounge area and flopped down on one of the cushions, nabbing a sweet roll from a nearby table as he did so. "Yeah," he bit in to the roll and continued talking, his voice now muffled. "Toph and Suki went to shop... though they probably ended up somewhere else because hey, this is Toph we're talking about. Aang went to see the King I think… honestly I was still asleep when they left."

Zuko sat down opposite Sokka and his mind immediately focused on the name missing from the list. He waited for him to continue talking but the boy just chewed his food in silence, eyes staring sleepily over Zuko's head.

"And?"

"And? And what?"

Zuko sighed. "Where is Katara?"

Sokka blinked before realisation dawned on his face. "Ah yeah. Sorry, forgot you've not been travelling with us." He finished his roll and brushed his hands together to get rid of the crumbs. "She seemed distracted when we got here, like she wasn't completely happy. She lasted a few days and then she said she had to go."

"Go where?" Zuko frowned.

"South Pole. Said she wanted to speak with our Dad about something. Don't know why she couldn't just send a messenger bird. She wouldn't say much more than that."

"Is she staying there?" Sokka looked horrified. "She can't! She can't break up the gAang." He looked at Zuko pleadingly. "She'll come back right?"

Zuko rolled his eyes at the panicked look on Sokka's face. "Probably. Did she tell you she wasn't coming back?"

Sokka thought about it. "No... said she had to go to the South Pole and she's send us a message when she left there."

"There you go then, she's coming back."

"Yeah." Sokka settled back down in to the cushions, crossing one leg to rest on his bent knee and his arms behind his head in a nonchalant pose. "You figured out why you're here yet?"

Zuko actually gave the question genuine consideration. What had urged him to travel across the ocean and away from his childhood home? A few years ago the answer would have been his desire to find the Avatar but times had changed and that was no longer his desire. So what was?

"I guess I just felt like it wasn't time to give up on the travelling yet."

"And your Uncle is okay with that?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "That's an understatement."

Sokka bobbed is foot up and down to an unheard beat. "Well the others will be glad to see you. Things haven't felt the same without you. Tui and La, even I missed you!"

"You did?" Zuko asked warily.

"Yep. Next to you, no one can complain about my jokes."

Zuko sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. What had he done?

The others returned late in the afternoon and had been pleasantly surprised to see Zuko. Suki had offered a friendly smile and wave and Aang had jumped on the older teen's back in excitement. Toph had 'affectionately' punched him in the stomach and Zuko was still running the tender muscle as he dressed for bed.

He had not honestly known what to tell the others when they asked why he had decided to join them, but his reply of 'Just thought I'd visit', seemed to suffice… though in retrospect, Toph had had a rather wide smirk on her face.

Zuko lay down on the soft bed provided for him and stared up at the ceiling. If he was being honest with himself, there had been a slightly hollow feeling in his stomach after the gAang had left the Fire Nation. He hadn't thought anything of it until Mai and Uncle had mentioned it, but he had to concede that he had been sulking… maybe.

Groaning, Zuko rolled over on to his stomach and stared at the window on the opposite side of the room. The moon was full and bright in the night sky and the Fire Lord kept his gaze on it, allowing his eyes to grow heavy and the lull of sleep to overcome him.

He was lying on the marble floor, the burn of Azula's lightening ripping through him. In the background he could hear the continuous blasts of his sister's attacks as she tried to defeat Katara. He remained curled in on himself even when the courtyard grew quiet, the sound of Azula's struggles and screams muted in the background.

Then Katara was there, turning him on to his back even as he groaned in protest, and pressing a water-gloved hand over the burn on his chest.

The relief was instantaneous.

He cracked his eyelids open and saw her tearful gaze trained on his face.

"Thank you, Katara."

Her face split in to a brilliant smile, a few rogue tears escaping down her cheeks. "I think I'm the one who should be thanking you."

And then she was leaning down, her breath ghosting over his lips as she came ever closer…

Zuko bolted upright, his breath uneven and eyes wide.

What in Agni's name?

Zuko lasted another week and a half before his self-restraint ran thin.

Since arriving in Ba Sing Se his dreams had been filled with altered versions of reality, not that he was complaining much. Just the night before his mind had took him back to Whale Tail island and… well…

While the others sat in the lounge watching Momo chase a spot of sunlight reflected from Suki's fans, Zuko's mind was caught up in itself. He had come to Ba Sing Se hoping to find some inner peace but all he had gained was an inability to sleep without a certain someone running through his thoughts.

Zuko thought it would be foolish to lie to himself anymore. He had been miserable in the Fire Nation because the gAang were absent and so he had set out to find them. Having done so he found that he still was not entirely satisfied and the reason could only lie with one person.

Zuko stood abruptly, drawing the attention of the others.

"Zuko?" Aang asked cautiously.

Zuko barely heard the boy, his mind already running through the quickest route to the South Pole. He retreated to his room and hurriedly shoved all his possessions in to his satchel and flung it over his shoulder before returning to the main room.

"Going somewhere Sparky?"

Zuko paused at the front door and looked over his shoulder in to the quizzical faces of the others. "Yeah. I've finally figured out why I was here."

He finally gets it!

Now Zuko is out on his own making the trip to the South Pole… and this is where the plot bunnies originally brought me.

These first two chapters were setting up the scenario, and now Zuko's (unfortunate) adventures begin.

Hope you've enjoyed the introduction. I'm off to concoct ways to torture Zuko…