Chapter 4: Chapter 4

The entirety of Avatar: The Last Airbender and franchise is creation of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and product of Nicktoons Network (Nickelodeon/Viacom). This story is a unique fictional derivative of the original work written by an Avatar enthusiast.

A/N: I was listening to music and "Wanted" by Foster the People came on as I was writing the Zuko and Katara half. Put it on as you read .

Avatar Journeys

Chapter 4: What's Next?

The Airship eased through the sky surrounded by its sentries of light, lazily drifting to and fro. Katara had gone below to change out of the gown she had been wearing all day into something cooler. Zuko kissed her away and began to remove some of his robes. He undid waist coat, removed one arm, then the other, and then opened the silk shirt underneath. He sighed, Cool, he thought. As he set aside the waistcoat on top of the robes he heard a crunching. He looked over at the clothes and pressed down on them. krkrik. Oh, he thought and began to pick through them. He found the scroll his uncle had given him as a wedding day gift, opened it and moved toward one of the little bulbs around the ship. It was still a map as he remembered with his uncle's note attached. He looked more closely at it.

The red line that he assumed was directions headed east from the Fire Nation to an "x" at the edges of a desert within the Earth Kingdom; next to was written Kyunno. He dropped his head. And it is a journey like I initially thought.

"Hey."

Zuko looked up and was floored. Katara stood in front of him, hand atop one the dragons at the head of the staircase. She stood leaning into her left hip, with her hair down making black waves over her shoulder and neck. She wore nothing but a smile and silk maroon thing whose neckline dipped well below her collar bone and hemline that stopped at her thighs. He was mesmerized: he never saw this much of her skin before. She looked down and smiled.

"What are you looking at?," she asked him walking over to him.

He didn't reply. Too dumbstruck by how beautiful she was and that she was here. She moved next to the arm still holding the map at the banister, threw her arm over his and leaned in to look at the map. The black waves rolled down her back, covered by lacey-like patterns of dragons and flames; the maroon in sultry complement with the brown of her skin. He took some the dark waves into his hand before sliding his fingers through them. He let his hand flow past the tips of her hair and slide over her back. He ran his hand over the patterns and noticed the contrast between his hand her skin. He shook his head smiling. Ever since he announced his intention to marry Katara, his political agenda and personal life took a blow from the public, but Katara was affected more. She voluntarily left her culture behind and embraced the Fire Nation's only to be spurned by it. An onslaught of tradition-laden outcries ensued, waiting on every street, at every summit and every public address. They were firm in their decision but she grew frustrated with defending herself. One day she surprised him, and abandoned her Water Tribe garb to don the burgundy and gold of the Fire Nation. But old habits die hard and beliefs die even harder; many of the old sentiments lingered. They called her cattrout, water peasant and mudskin. Mudskin, he thought, one of the Fire Nation's most debasing slurs for the Water Tribe people or anyone. The Fire Nation prized its paleness, convinced that it was the physical manifestation of their origins: sun and the flame that burned within them. They also convinced themselves that the varying shades of brown of the Water Tribe peoples was also a manifestation of their origin: mud. I can't believe thought that way and even said those things. Every insult took a piece of her and at one point, Zuko was sure that her decision to be with him was going to be recanted, a piece at a time. He was wrong about that and the dissenters were dead wrong about her: she isn't going anywhere.

"Zuko?"

He emerged at the sound of her saying his name. "Yes, Katara?"

"I said, what's next? The map says Kyunno. What does that mean?" she said turning to face him.

"I don't know honestly, it's something my uncle left for me as a gift," he said closing his arms around her.

"A journey?" she said raising a brow, "He gave us a journey for our wedding gift?"

He laughed "Well he gave me a journey as my wedding gift."

"So why did you bring it?"she asked weaving her arms around his waist.

Zuko felt himself warm up, "I don't know, I wasn't really thinking about it."

Katara pulled herself against Zuko's warm body, from her throat said, "so…what's next?"

Zuko leaned his forehead to hers and kissed her, reveling in the soft, coolness of her lips. He pulled back and whispered "let's get through tonight's journey…then we'll worry about tomorrow's."

Katara smiled as she reached up to Zuko's shoulders to pull him into another kiss

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The horizon was an array of magenta, pink and soft blue of the dawn. The capital was finally quiet after yesterday's festivities; nothing to be heard but the lark heralding the new day. Iroh stood on the balcony of the guest suite. It overlooked the east half of the capital, now absent of fire balls and resounding rumbles. Earthbenders sure know how to party, he thought inhaling the air, cool and still. The war was over and he couldn't be more glad for it. But, he thought, there is still more to do, peace has yet to be achieved. The day sky eased higher over the horizon and the red sun peered over it. Fire colonies are dotted over the known world, some settled three generations deep: It will not be easy to uproot. If that is at all an option. The Earth Kingdom was demanding that Fire Nation citizens, referred to as nationals, evacuate the Kingdom and that the Fire Nation relinquish all its territories. It wouldn't be that easy. Especially since the peace between the two powers is an uneasy one. The Water Tribe peoples wanted nothing but to be left alone to their Restoration Movement. Tribesmen attended summits only to ensure that are no more encroachments upon the tribelands or their waters. Summits mostly consisted of Zuko and Aang trying to find a compromise between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation emissaries. Presently, it was going nowhere. The Earth Kingdom was stubborn in its demands, and the Fire Nation refused to yield. And everyday threatened to throw the world back into war whenever news spread about a colony uprising or harsh legislation within them. He sighed. This generation has a lot of work to do. They must find a way to heal the wounds of a 100 years. But, he thought turning back to his room and looking at his sleeping wife-to-be, it will not be their work alone, but also their children's work. He thought of his own blooming child. He turned back to the capital and mulled over the state of affairs into the bright morning. June reached out for the familiar potbelly and found it missing. She scrunched her face.

"Please don't tell me you're up already," she said aloud.

Iroh laughed, "I have been up and even did some exercising, complete with yoga."

"How many times do I have to tell you old man," she said rolling on to her back, "I'm way too young to for that."

"Youth," he said turning to look at her, "is wasted on the young."

"I appreciate my youth by sleeping an extra hour to stay that way," she said stretching and wiggling her exposed toes. Iroh walked over, "Well," he began sitting on the bed next to her, placing an arm on either side and leaning over her "may I taste the fruit of your labor, lady."

June smiled at him and touched his face. She would like to believe that Iroh really did put something in all the tea she drank with him in explaining how they came together but she knew better. The old man was charming and funny and surprisingly agile and strong. Time began to paint him in a distinguishing light and she grew attracted to him. You can't explain love, she thought.

She sighed, "I suppose," she grined. Iroh leaned down and kissed her gently.

But it was interrupted by whizzing in the air and a clipped CLANG. June threw two stars over the balcony, landing in the roof a nearby while Iroh threw a shield of flames before them. Once the air cleared they quickly got up from the bed and inspected the immediate surroundings. There was no one. Not in the room or outside. The would-be assailant was quick. They left only one thing: a gold throwing star. Iroh motioned to June to wait while he moved toward the object. He plucked it from the red oak banister. On closer observation, the star was carved into the shape of a flaming bird with two holes for eyes. Inscribed upon it was the word JUNWA: King. Iroh looked up from the token and eyed the capital suspiciously. Drunken revelers were lying scattered throughout the streets. The industrious set about starting the day and removing the drunkards the side. The sentries were up doing their daily run of the capital: typical morning. He slowly turned his back and headed to June.

"Damn," she cursed placing a hand on her hip, "I'm getting rusty already. What's that?"

Iroh showed her the gold phoenix. She looked it over and turned it her palm. She held the phoenix inscription side up with a question in her eyes.

"King," Iroh said sourly, "It is a message and a warning," he said putting his arms into his sleeves.

"What would that message be 'wasted opportunity'?," June said, inwardly impressed with the object.

Iroh smiled slightly. June was a very intelligent young woman, that wisdom beyond her years is what attracted her to him. And though she was an adept fighter and had an eye for the true intentions of others. She wasn't much for politics or its game.

"Other than the obvious contention for the present leadership and fealty for the Phoenix King," Iroh said, "the dagger itself is a message. A gold throwing phoenix is in the arsenal of an assassin? Acquiring the gold alone takes hefty resources not mention fashioning it into the calling card of the Phoenix King...And he left it." He paused, scrutinizing the capital. "The rebellion is being funded and extravagantly." He concluded. He felt there was more that he was missing but he was patient enough to let it come to him.

They stood in silence for the moment. Then June headed to the closet, opened it and began to put on her attire for the day. Iroh noted that she pulled out her leather pieces and was glad that he didn't need to ask her to protect herself and their child.

"So how do we respond to this?" she said from behind the door, "what's next?"

Iroh was rubbing a familiar tile in his robes.

"Next, we recruit," he said.

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Next: Chapter 5: Spread the Word

Thank you to the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender for creating a world I never dreamed of.

Thank you for reading,

Uitori.