I'm sorry for the lateness. I had a bit of writer's block on this. Aside from "The Waterbending Scroll" and "The Great Divide", which I left out, everything has happened as canon. This starts during "The Storm" and jumps into the end of "The Blue Spirit". Does anyone else think Zuko was badass in this episode and wished he used more of his Blue Spirit abilities in the show?
And I know I said I'd write more from Katara's perspective but am doing this chapter mostly in Zuko's. Oh well. I am making a change in time so that by the end of Sozin's Comet, the characters will be three years older than the ages I put at the beginning of chapter one.
Also, I'm sorry the spacing is so bad. I'll try to add a line or something so you can tell it apart easier.
The fight with Zhao had been a week ago, yet he still couldn't shake off the feeling it gave him. He'd actually, for a split second, considered blasting the pompous man in the face. Had he done that, he would have been just like another man he knew.
The victory had felt good for the rest of the day, but by the next morning the high was wearing off. He'd spent the next week in a bad mood, trying to hide it, and utterly failing as he snapped and lashed out at one crew member after another.
It was Iroh who, by the end of the week, decided Zuko needed to blow off some steam and called on a handful of crew members to help him. They were more than happy. Zuko had been a bit of a brat this last week and even though he trained daily, it wasn't everyday they all got the chance to gang up on their leader.
They met out on the deck of the ship; it was the only place open enough to hold training practice. Zuko often spent up to six hours a day out here, firebending, training with weapons, practicing hand-to-hand combat. He didn't believe it, but he was an incredible warrior. Still, he trained for hours on end. Iroh was both pleased that Zuko took his training so seriously, and also worried; he wished Zuko would ease back if only a little. He wanted him to go out and be a bit more like a normal teenage boy. But that wouldn't happen. Zuko, even exiled, was a prince; he would never be 'normal'.
Zuko and five of the crew members stood in a circle on the deck, facing each other. Five more sat off to the side to watch and waited for their turn, while General Iroh busied himself making tea.
At a nod from Zuko the fight started. There was a whirlwind of red and black as six figures moved automatically. Zuko moved back and forth, blocking punches, disabling his opponents. Unfortunately, though the men were good fighters, he felt hardly any challenge with them anymore. It took only a few minutes and several solid hits to have all five of them lying on the ship deck, groaning.
"Looks like you guys are the ones that need the practice" Zuko said, though his tone was light, teasing almost. He felt a little better.
"Making you feel better hurts" one of the men complained.
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"There's a storm coming" Iroh commented as he sniffed the morning sea air the next day.
Zuko scoffed and looked at his uncle with an eyebrow raised skeptically. "There's not a cloud anywhere in the sky" he pointed out.
"Zuko", the older man chided. "You've been at sea long enough to know that it is fickle. One moment it is as calm as an innocent pygmy-puma kitten, the next it is as fierce as an angry saber-tooth moose lion".
Zuko grimaced as he heard the words. His uncle was right, of course. Zuko just hated to admit it.
He sighed. "Alright. If we turn around now and hurry, we should be able to pull into a port before it hits and ride it out. We'll head back out as soon as it's passed."
Iroh nodded, glad that Zuko was following his advice and thinking about everyone's well-being.
"I'll go and inform the helmsman. Perhaps I can find someone wanting to play a game of Pai Sho…" he mused as he walked off.
Zuko scowled as he looked out to sea. This set his plans back a bit. Still, if that child and his friends had any sense, they'd ride out this storm too.
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The tavern they'd sheltered in was a decent sized, but felt small due to how cramped it was. Everyone was either getting out of the sheets of rain that were coming down or just here as part of their everyday routine.
Zuko, Iroh, and six or so of the crew members, including Lieutenant Jee, were settled at a table in the back. The remaining members of the crew had opted to go off and find…other ways to pass the time.
Zuko picked at the mixture of meat, vegetables, and white rice heaped on his plate. He was hungry, yet he couldn't bring himself to eat.
His stomach chose that moment to growl, reminding him of the food it so desperately wanted. Resigned, and knowing how awful he would feel if he had an empty stomach later, he took a few bites.
"You don't seem very hungry tonight, nephew" Iroh commented, seeing how little the boy had eaten.
He shrugged in response. "I'm not."
Iroh turned away. He worried over Zuko. Sometimes the boy would eat an ostrich-horse if you let him and other times he barely ate a few mouthfuls. Zuko had grown tall and lean over the years, but sometimes Iroh feared he was too lean. He glanced back, relieved to see Zuko had taken another few bites.
Zuko busied himself in a conversation with Jee about the storm and how this might affect their plans. He didn't notice his food was gone until chopsticks scrapped a near empty plate. There were only a few chunks of meat and some vegetables left.
Movement near the table caught his eye. It was a stray dog, brown, scruffy, and skinny. It must have snuck in or been let in to get out of the rain. Zuko glanced around to make sure no one was looking, before scraping up the last of the food on his plate and tossing it to the dog. It grabbed the food and scarfed it down in record time. Then it licked its jaws and looked at him, wagging its tail, as if to say 'Thank you'. Zuko smiled.
"You know Zuko, there are a lot of pretty girls here" Iroh said casually.
Zuko sighed, knowing what was coming. He shifted in his seat so his side was towards his uncle and listened with half an ear to a speech Iroh had said before.
"We could settle down here, you could find a pretty girl…"
Iroh had said something similar to this before. Two years prior, they'd stopped at a Fire Nation colony. That was where he met her.
"We have more important things to do right now, uncle. When this is all over, then we'll think about pretty girls." Before Iroh could say more, Zuko stood up and retreated to a corner of the tavern. The dog followed him.
Iroh sighed heavily. Yes, he was worried about Zuko. The boy had little exposure to people his own age. Even growing up in the palace, he'd not had many friends.
"He's a complicated young man, if you don't mind me saying, sir" Jee said.
"Yes, he is. He wasn't always so much like this."
A few of the crew members frowned. "You mean he wasn't always stubborn and crabby and irritable? He's just being a teenager?"
Iroh chuckled. "Well he's always been stubborn, yes. His attitude was better when he was younger. It was after he got his scar and was banished he became more like this".
"I thought Prince Zuko was injured in a training accident." Some of the others nodded. "That's what we heard."
"I wish that were true. It may have been less painful. Zuko was thirteen when he got that scar…from the Firelord himself."
Around the table, eyes widened and jaws dropped.
"Zuko was still just a child, but he desperately wanted to attend a war meeting. He wanted to learn more and be a part of it. He was always trying to prove himself worthy of being heir."
"When one of the generals proposed a plan to sacrifice a group of new recruits, in other words let them be slaughtered, Zuko protested. He claimed how the soldiers loved our nation and wanted to serve and protect it and that by sending them to their deaths, they were being betrayed."
"He had a point, but he was so young. He didn't have the same knowledge and experience that the other men in that room did. The closest he'd come to a battle were the mock ones used in practice."
"The Firelord was outraged by Zuko's protest. He claimed it was an act of disrespect and that the matter needed to be settled properly."
Jee understood. "An Agni Kai."
Iroh nodded. "Yes. Zuko claimed he was not afraid and accepted the challenge. But when he faced his opponent, it was his own father. I believed it was wrong and cruel to make a child fight this way. I pleaded with my brother beforehand to do something else, but he refused."
"In the Fire Nation, we are taught about honor from the cradle, including honoring one's parents. For Zuko to fight against his father would be even more dishonorable. Zuko tried to apologize for his remark. He claimed he was thinking of the good of the Fire Nation, as a prince should, and had in no way meant to disrespect his father. Ozai would have none of it. He ordered Zuko to fight him. When Zuko refused, Ozai claimed he was weak and dishonorable. "
"I can still remember my brother's words 'You will learn respect. And suffering will be your teacher.' I looked away, but I could hear the screams and feel the heat as Ozai burned his flesh and blood. The burn was punishment for his refusal to fight. Ozai then exiled Zuko as punishment for his lack of honor and respect. He said anyone who did not respect him and his authority was not welcome and would be banished as well. "
"No one had spoken out when Zuko was burned. No one interfered, not even to protect an innocent child. I did not and not a day goes by that I don't regret that. I carry a great deal of grief over my decision to let Zuko into the war room with me. I'm grateful, though, that Zuko has never once blamed me over it."
"I again pleaded with my brother to not send Zuko away. Ozai relented enough to offer Zuko a way back into his life as crown prince. He said if Zuko could capture the Avatar and bring him to the Fire Nation, then he would be restored to his place in line for the throne. It was a fool's task, I knew, but Zuko had always been stubborn and never turned away from a challenge."
"That's why he was always so insistent. Obsessed even. It's his only way of things returning to normal."Jee said.
"Things will never be 'normal' for Zuko, unfortunately. It is a curse he has to bear as a prince. Still, with the return of the Avatar, Zuko has hope."
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Zuko returned to his room that evening after the storm had passed, the dog at his heels. He threw himself down on the bed. The dog sat next to it and watched him with steady eyes. He'd given it a bath (much to its dismay) and fed it some more (much to its delight).
We could settle down here, you could find a pretty girl…Uncle's words echoed in his head. He didn't need that right now. He had to focus on his task. But speaking of pretty girls…
Zuko reached over to his nightstand and pulled open the drawer. He pulled the necklace. The blue stone set in the leather band reflected the flames of the candles of his meditation altar. It was clearly of Water Tribe make and he knew it belonged to the girl that traveled with the Avatar. What he didn't know was why he bothered to keep it. It was a useless trinket; it had absolutely no value to him whatsoever.
Still, he found himself examining the light in the blue stone before tucking back into the drawer.
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Zuko bit his lip so hard he drew blood. He'd ducked at the last minute, trying to avoid the missile shot at him, but was a bit too slow. The arrow drove its head into the soft part of his shoulder. He staggered backwards, his blades falling from his hands as the pain swept through him.
The Avatar, with the swords no longer at his neck, waved his arms to create a cloud of dust, blocking them from the view of Zhao's men. "Let's get out of here!" the boy cried. Zuko smirked behind the mask, despite his pain. If only the Avatar knew who his savior was. They turned and moved quickly, still hidden by the dust cloud, into the woods.
Zuko winced and held back from making any noise as he removed the arrowhead and wrapped the wound. The rough bandage made from his shirt would work for now; he would do something better back at the ship where there was medicine and proper bandages.
The boy was ranting again about sick friends and frogs. Zuko stared at him blankly then waved him away. The boy was out of Zhao's clutches for now. He knew there was no way he'd be able to get him back to the ship. And he kept saying how his friends were sick. Normally, he wouldn't have cared how those Water Tribes peasants were feeling. But the boy acted so worried and afraid and Zuko realized that was exactly what he was. A frightened boy, too young for the task put on his shoulders. Just like he'd been when he was banished. He sighed, resigned.
"Oh, go get your damn frogs."
So what should the name of Zuko's new pet be? I can't decide and am open to suggestions. If I choose your idea, I will be sure to note it in the next chapter. Next chapter is where the Katara-ends- up -on -Zuko's –ship starts! But do you think it'll be love at first (second, third?) sight? Stay tuned to find out and remember, reviews are love!