A/N: Enjoy!
"Prince Zuko," Ozai dragged the words out as if they were something he had never heard before, as if they belonged to some foreign language, instead of being his son's title and name. Perhaps it was because he hadn't spoken of him often, he may have not even said his name since his banishment, which was now a little over three years ago.
Zuko was currently kneeling in front of him while he stayed seated on his throne. It had been years since he had last seen his son and had honestly believed that he had died a failure, but as it turned out, Zuko had fooled the whole world and used his fake death to his advantage, to the Fire Nation's advantage.
"You have redeemed yourself in the most cleverest of ways. Welcome home, my son." Zuko looked up to see his father now standing before him. He turned, and began circling him. "I'm very impressed," He hissed. "You waited for your prey to come to you. I am also very proud that you remained loyal to your nation, even though you could have easily of stayed hidden and free of the pressures that had been placed upon your shoulders. I am proudest of all, of your most legendary accomplishment. You slayed the Avatar." Ozai paused, standing behind his son as he praised him for his actions.
"What have you been informed of?" Zuko said flatly, dully, almost as if he was bored. Ozai scrunched his face up after hearing his son's tone, but he figured this was the one he had chosen to use during such formal situations. So no one could read him, figure out what he was thinking, figure him out. Normally, this would be of concern, had he not been who he is, but if Zuko was going to take the position of Fire Lord one day, he would need this to use as an advantage against people, war generals on his side or not, that could tell what he was going to think before he even thought to think it, using this to their advantage and plan ahead of him. It was best that Zuko show no emotion through verbal or facial expression.
Ozai was honestly impressed. Zuko had shown great improvements. He had obviously learned to only speak when spoken to, and to get straight to the point when speaking, as to not waste the Fire Lord's time. Zuko was not the same foolish boy he had been before he went into banishment, he had returned home evolved into a cunning young man.
"Azula has told me everything. She said she was amazed by your actions."
!
Zuko busted into his sisters room, despite how late it was getting into the night, even though he was sure she would be sleeping by now.
"Why did you tell father that I was the one who killed the Avatar?" He growled out, taking long strides to reach the side of the bed she was sleeping on.
Azula cracked an eye open, surprised to see him standing right before her. She had expected to see him snarling, scowling down at her from the end of her bed. She had to hold back a flinch, being caught off guard at the sight of him standing right at the side of the bed she had been sleeping on, his hands held behind his back, an unreadable expression on his face. He had obviously composed himself and gained control over his temper in the matter of mere seconds it took him to stride over to her side.
She sighed and shifted down further into the mattress. "You had already done so much. I figured why not just add nice little cherry on top for you?" She asked simply, the tone in her voice suggesting that she honestly figured she had done nothing wrong.
Zuko knew better by now. He knew Azula and he knew exactly what she was doing. He knew she had a hunch that Aang hadn't died, and when he showed up alive, all of that 'frosting to top the cake' would melt away, and it would seem as though Zuko had been the fool, not her. He held back a huff of air, that would have been a mix of a sigh of annoyance and a laugh of slight amusement. After all these years, she hadn't changed a bit. She was still that same conniving little brat she had been when they were younger, she hadn't grown or matured. He found it funny, though, that he had. She was too busy underestimating him to realize it. He found it just too funny that she still thought he was the soft, naive little boy he had been. Oh, no, he was much more than that now, and she had no idea who she was dealing with anymore. For once, finally, he had the upper hand against her.
"Oh really?" He asked, a condescending tone in his voice.
"Yes," She huffed out, annoyed and irritated, having picked up on his tone. She sat up and looked at him with an honest expression on her face. "It doesn't matter that you didn't capture the Avatar. He's dead." She spat out the last words and glared at him before a smirk grew across her face, her eyes narrowing slyly. "Unless of course, there was some way he survived?" Turning her cheek towards him and lifting a hand to inspect her well manicured nails.
Zuko narrowed his eyes at her and tilted his head a bit to the side. "Really? You believe that?" He asked, his own voice still dripping with the same condescending tone she used against others so often. Zuko smirked, he could swear that he could literally see the tables turning between them, finally, after seeing the look on her face as she slowly turned back to look at him.
"You're a prodigy," With the way the words oozed from his mouth, the way he had taken a sharp intake of breath before speaking, it was as if he had stolen their father's voice and was speaking with it now. The way he sounded just like him was so eerie, it gave her goosebumps. "A master in your skill with ease. You're the one who shot him down. Are you doubting yourself?" He asked, leaning towards her a bit.
Azula was taken back. She blinked, before scrunching her face and pouting at him. "No." She paused, trying so hard to read him.
"You know," He breathed out, his voice slowly becoming his own again as he shifted and lifted his chin up, smirking as he looked down at her. "Being out a sea for three years can do things to you," He dragged his words out, making sure she was listening. "The things you see, the things you go through, the things you're forced to do," He hissed at the word 'force'. "It can put you under some serious mental turmoil."
He paused and lifted his hand as he flexed his fingers, a small, bright little beat of fire flickering just over his finger tips, every now and then a crackling pop would sound and a spark would spring out over his hand and fade out just before it landed onto the covers of Azula's bed. "Due to this turmoil, I am unable to produce lightening." He extinguished the flame and brought his hand up to his chin, slowly clawing at the little hairs that had grown since his last shave that morning. "Now, wouldn't it be just a shame if father were to become aware of this?"
Azula took a long, calming intake of air, keeping her eyes locked on his, determined to show him that she had not been fazed by his threat. "Some waterbenders have healing abilities-"
"You can't revive the dead." He interrupted harshly, leaning further towards her. "He's gone. We won." He finished gravely, and with that, he straightened up and strode out of her room silently, leaving her shocked, bewildered, and honestly, somewhat impressed. She actually let out a small laughed and she turned and pressed her back up against the headboard of her bed, pulling her covers up more into her lap. So, it turned out her and Zuko were of relation after all. Seemed as thought he had finally grown out of that soft, pathetic little personality he used to have and changed, matured into a man that actually resembled their father, not just in the physical sense, but mental as well.
!
"How are you doing, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked as he sipped his tea. Zuko huffed and plopped down onto the couch of his uncles private sitting room.
"I'm so scared and worried for her. For all of them." Zuko groaned and ran his fingers through his loose hair. He was having a hard time dealing with everything that had happened. He knew before they even left Ba Sing Se that being away from Katara for the weeks that were until the eclipse happened would be hard, but he didn't know it would be this tormenting, or this hard trying to keep it all hidden under that stupid expressionless, made of stone mask he'd have to put on every time he was with someone other than his uncle. Sometimes Mai, but hardly, in order to keep his suppressed feelings for her at bay he needed to keep up those walls. All of the switching back and forth drained him of his energy so terribly, but of course, with all of his issues, he couldn't sleep at night even while on the verge of absolute physical and mental exhaustion.
On the voyage home, even on a Royal Barge he was still terribly horrified and paranoid about pirates coming abroad and snatching him up again. He had seen Katara escape, but he had no idea as to where she went after she had gotten out of his sight. He didn't known where she was or if she was safe and it drove him to near madness, not being able to send or receive messages, at least not until he was in a place where knew they would not be intercepted and only he would get them. He couldn't ask anyone and only had his uncle to vent to.
He absolutely hated waking up without her next to him. To the point to where he would lay awake for hours imagining that she was there, hoping that if he prayed hard enough Agni or Yue would deliver her to him so he could finally see her again, even if it was only for one night until they reunited after the eclipse. But of course, to no avail, she would never appear next to him, not even in his dreams. He would have terrible nightmares of him or her being snatched up by pirates again, or his father finding out about what he was doing and having him publicly hanged or burned to death in front of a mob of cheering people, or something happening to her or the baby. Now, even, after how much time he had spent with him, he was beginning to have night terrors about something happening to someone else of the Gaang.
He had nearly burnt a servant to a crisp the other day after he had offered him some watermelon juice, one of the things Katara had been craving. Jerky was even starting to poke at him in his brain, the kind Sokka somehow always managed to have a bag of, carrying it around, digging his hand into it and throwing a piece up into the air to catch in his mouth. Zuko honestly missed the way how sometimes, if he got lucky, he'd be able to snatch up and grab it before it fell into the warriors mouth, sometimes even Momo was able to leap through the air and catch a piece. All the thoughts of food would make his stomach growl, but he of course would never eat anything, even the things he had been craving, to soothe it.
Azula had set him and Mai up on a date. A nice, relaxing, romantic komodo-rhino ride along the cliffs of the mountain side, settling down for a picnic afterwards to watch the sunset. This had seemed like a pretty good idea, until one of the trainers snapped his whip into the air to summon the beasts. Just the sound had Zuko nearly collapse right then and there, the demons being woken up and set loose onto him, even worse than before, without Katara there to help shoo them away. He had even begun to shake so terribly that Mai had thought he was having a seizure, and insisted that she called some medics. After several agonizing, never ending minutes of trying to assure her that he was fine after finally composing himself well enough to be able to stand up without having to lean on something or someone, they continued on with the ride. But the whole time, he had a perfect view of the ocean, which of course reminded him terribly of his precious waterbender.
Every little sound or shuffle was beginning to startle him. He would stroll down the middle of the hallways, his hands held behind his back and an unreadable expression on his face, but he would always glance around the corners, into the other halls and examine the doors as he passed them by to make sure no one out of the ordinary was there, the hairs on the back of his neck always standing straight up. This often caused them to brush against the baby hairs that fell from the back of his topknot, and would make him feel as though some grubby pirate was reaching out to grab him by the back of the collar to pull him into the shadows and up abroad an old, rundown ship. He'd immediately turn around to make sure it wasn't. During the first few weeks he had been in the palace and this had happened, he'd always spin around and punch at the air, a burst of flames coming to life at his knuckles, but after nearly catching one of the tapestries on the walls on fire, he had to begin composing himself better, and had gotten to the point to where he was able to just look over his shoulder to make sure that no one was reaching for him from behind.
"I feel like I'm losing my mind. Like all the progress I made is fading away. Even in a highly secured palace miles from the shore I'm so paranoid for us both. She could be in the middle of the ocean right now-" He breathed out frantically, all of his worries ready to gush from his mind and out his mouth, into his uncle's listening ears, but this time, Iroh cut him off before he could continue any further.
"Zuko," Iroh said firmly, almost as if he was annoyed. Zuko picked up on this and was sure that his patience was beginning to wear thin, after having hearing all of this a thousand times since they had reached the palace. "Nothing is going to happen to her. Calm down, have a cup of tea." He poured some Passionflower tea into a spare cup before he slid it across the table over to his troubled nephew, knowing the properties the tea held would help calm him down, and while he was drinking the tea, it'd keep him silent, hopefully long enough to where he'd actually be able to finish a whole game of Pai Sho in peace and without trouble, which would probably be the first since they had gotten there.
Zuko sighed and propped his elbows up on his knee's, placing his chin on top of his fists as he stared at the tea before him, honestly considering it. "I think I'm going to go train." He said as he stood, knowing it would take out some of his built up anger, frustration, and confusion. "Thank you anyways, Uncle. Maybe later."
!
Zuko panted as he made his way back over to the benches for his towel. He had been training for hours after leaving his uncles sitting room. He gulped down some water to soothe his dry mouth and throat. He swung his towel over his shoulders and took a seat, motioning for a couple of the men he had been training with to go ahead without him, silently telling them that he would duel the winner.
"Prince Zuko," He heard his father voice calling out to him and turned to his left to see Ozai walking over to him, casually making his way into the training arena. "You missed lunch." He informed, taking a seat on the bench behind him. Zuko shrugged and took his attention back to the trainers in front of him, watching as one broke the other's root, winning the practice fight. Ozai narrowed his eyes and examined Zuko's bare back, noticing how many slash marks and scars he had somehow earned himself while being away.
"Zuko, what on earth happened to you?" He asked as he looked up, only to see Zuko begin to walk away from him. "Zuko!" He called out, unsure if he just hadn't heard him, or was blatantly ignoring him. Ozai was just getting ready to stand when e felt a small hand fall onto his shoulder. He furrowed his brows as he turned to see who could possibly be, who could possibly be daring enough to touch him.
"Calm down," It was Azula. "Let's see what he does." She took a seat next to him and motioned him to join her to watch as Zuko stood before his opponent, his arms crossed behind his back. They waited, surprised to see no one making the first move. "What is he doing?" She asked, obviously confused.
Little did they know, he was waiting to see what the other was going to do first, as Toph had done so many times before him. The way she would stand there and stare blankly, almost looking as if she was some kind of seriously realistic, life-sized doll as she waited for her opponent to strike first. Unlike a firebender.
The man who Zuko was now training with furrowed his brow, obviously confused as well, but punched the air anyways, sending a a fist sized fire blast towards the Prince. Zuko shifted out the way easily, avoiding the attack instead of breaking it and sending his own out, as Aang did, twirling around the offender until he grew tired, doing all the work for the young boy, giving him a chance deliver an easy, non-harmful blow to finish the fight, to capture the person, or to simply flee in order to avoid resulting to violence. Unlike a firebender.
Zuko swayed over to his right and lifted his arm, sending out a sharp and precise slice of fire, striking the man just before his feet, sending him tumbling over, just as Katara would have done with water, turning it to ice to trip her opponent. Also, unlike a firebender.
Azula smiled and made her way over to her older brother after seeing him win the practice match with a simple, single movement. "That's some fighting technique you've picked up, Zuko" She complemented honestly. "How about we have a go?"
Zuko placed his hands behind his back and turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "No. I'm done for the day. I have already made plans with Uncle."
Her face scrunched with disappointment as she watched him walk away, not bothering to go back and grab his towel. She sighed and made her way back over to her father, matching her pace to his as he began to make his own way out of the training area as well.
"He's changed quite a bit, hasn't he?" She asked.
"He has."
!
It was a stormy day, a few weeks since he had gotten home. He was sure he was beginning to lose his mind without his waterbender by his side. Zuko made his way through the palace halls draped in some of the highest of quality night robes, but he didn't care. He stepped out onto a balcony that over looked the gardens and turtle-duck pond Southeast of the Palace, the place his mother used to take him and Azula to play.
He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling the droplets of rain fall onto him, running down his face, neck, and arms. It was feather light and reminded him terribly of Katara. The way she would lightly run her knuckles over the sides of his face after a shave or run the pads of her fingertips over his arms during one of their rare nights together.
"Zuko," He heard his father's voice hiss from behind him, ripping him from his thoughts. "What are you doing? Get out of the rain!"
"No." He said firmly, glaring at Ozai over his shoulder. He could see him flinch back from inside the hall, shocked that he would dare speak to him in such a way. "It feels good." He said softly, turning his face back to the courtyard.
He heard Ozai's feet begin to shuffle away as he let out a growl, terribly annoyed with the way he had been acting since he had gotten home. Zuko shook his head and scowled at his father, even though he couldn't see him. Ozai shouldn't be expecting even a hint of respect from him after what he had put him through! It was his fault he was so mentally messed up and physically scared on nearly every inch of his body. He growled and turned, sloshing his way back to his room, leaving a trail of puddles from his soaking wet robes. Once he reached his room, he pried the fabric off his body and changed into some dry pants.
Zuko gulped as he ran his fingers up the baby pink, shiny skin of a scar he gotten on one of his arms from being cut by one of the pirates. He was examining his bare upper torso in a mirror in his room. He turned to the side and noticed that he was startling to lose some of the muscle mass he had worked so hard to hadn't been eating properly again, hardly, if at all, without Katara and Iroh constantly shoving food in front of him. Even Sokka constantly walking around with a bag of something helped him keep his stomach from going empty for too long. Katara wouldn't be happy to see him falling into this kind of state.
He bit his lip, turning back towards the mirror as he trailed his nails up the scars she had left on him. His eyes shifted, noticing a dark figure appear behind him. It was Mai. She quietly made her way over to him, her eyes beginning to gloss over with tears, realizing just how beaten up he had gotten during his travels. She lifted a hand and lightly ran her finger tips over one of the longer scars on his back. She swallowed hard and looked into his eyes through the mirror.
"Will you tell me what happened?" She asked softly, a small shake in her voice.
He turned to face her, staring at her wildly in silence for a while before he slowly nodded his head as he motioned towards his bed. She took a seat on the edge while he crawled up into the middle of it, taking a pillow to hold in his lap. He told her everything. By them time he was finished, he was laying down on his back and she was sitting beside him. He held an arm around her waist and she had laced their fingers together, her hand over his.
"You know," He started softly, his voice just above a whisper. "Sometimes, I wish that you and I had done something together before I left." She turned her head to face him, honest confusion filling her eyes as she wasn't sure of what exactly he was speaking about. She figured, but she wasn't sure and she stayed silent to allow him to continue on with his confession.
"I mean, I love Katara, I do, a lot. She's everything to me and I'm pretty damn positive that I'm losing my mind without her here, actually, but to lose something like that in that sort of way... You were my first love, Mai. You know that. Sometimes- I mean- It's just that- I-... I don't know." He huffed and ran he free hand over his face and through his loose hair. Now was no time for his feelings for Mai to start creeping up on him again, especially during a time like this.
He had honestly never really gotten over Mai or stopped caring for her or even stopped loving her. One of the biggest reasons he accepted the fact that he was now on Team Avatar was because of Mai and her little brother, Tomtom. He hated knowing that because his forefathers, Mai had witness and go through and do the things she had to do because of them, because of their stupid, selfish mistake that had ended up nearly ruining everything.
Poor Tomtom, that poor boy would be fed the lies the schools told and he would raised to have honest hatred towards the other nations, the other cultures, the other people. All which held such beauty, it was a shame to want to destroy and wipe them all out. He'd be sent off to war, with the ways things were going, probably by the age of eighteen or even younger, against his will.
During his banishment, one of the things that kept him going was the thought of Mai being there in the Fire Nation, waiting for him with open arms. Just the thought of returning to her and going on to have a long, happy life with her nearly gave him more motivation to capture the Avatar than his father's love and acceptance did. He had been too stupid to realize that Mai had loved him unconditionally, and he was beginning to realize that she still did, even after all the things he's done, she loved him endlessly.
Zuko had unknowingly thrown himself right back into a situation that was mentally torturing for him. He had just been recently settling down into his relationship with Katara, but now, laying there with Mai, old feelings for her were beginning to resurface.
He let a huff and focused his thoughts on Katara. Instead of solely relying on his mental attachment to her that kept him with her, he had finally began to realize the little things he honestly loved about her, like the way she would bite her lip and focus hard on her waterbending moves during a practice, even though they were moves he was sure she had mastered long ago, the way she would always pause and listen to what Iroh had to say, instead of just taking his words and advice for granted. She'd wear her hair in the fashion he thought looked best on her and wore the outfit he liked the most as often as she could, just because she knew it was attractive to him. The way she would run her knuckles over the sides of his face after he shaved, the way she squeaked when he would begin to hold her too tightly during one of their bear-hugs. Little things like that added up, and meant a lot to him.
But Mai, on the other hand, had remained faithful to him during the three long years he had been away, something he had not done for her. Mai kept his secret about being alive from Ty Lee and Azula, she had obviously gone easy on them when they had ran into each other again after Azula had tracked them down in a tanker-train, and word was that she tried to keep Ty Lee from going after them during the whole drill situation. She had most recently risked getting caught, risked her life, to get him to Katara, the girl he had left her for, and she was still helping him with everything he needed while he was there in the Fire Nation, even though all she would have to do is tell Azula of what he's done and what he's doing and he'd be killed either on the spot, or the first thing the next morning for high treason against the Fire Lord, Princess, and Nation. Mai would probably also be killed, for helping him so much and for so long. Big things like that mean the most to him.
Zuko groaned and rubbed his temple. He had been longing for comfort and intimate conversations, as Katara had often supplied him. But, she wasn't there. Mai was. He hadn't loved Katara when he gave her his innocence- or, when he had his innocence stolen from him, more of. Yes, he loved her now, but he had always wanted to give himself to someone he had known and loved for a long time, someone he had planned on spending the rest of his life with beforehand.
That someone had been the girl that is currently sitting beside him, in his arm, on his bed. He felt terribly guilty for all he's done to her and put her through and he owed her a lot, his life, probably several times over, now. He was well aware and knew that Mai had also wished for the same as he had, and he figured that perhaps he would be able to finally grant it in a way, even if it wasn't completely fulfilled the the way they had planned or wanted.
He sat up and pressed his back up against the headboard of the bed as he pulled her close to him, untangling their fingers to be able to run his hand up her arm to her shoulder. He leaned his head down to be able to place a kiss on the skin of her shoulder, beside where his hand was. He took his arms and wrapped both of them around her as he leaned and turned to be able to kiss her mouth, honestly somewhat surprised when she kissed him back softly.
Mai turned and allowed him to press her down onto her back, placing a forearm on either side of her her head and tangling his fingers in her hair, keeping himself propped above her as he continued to kiss her. She lifted her head up off the bed to deepen the kiss, running her tongue over his bottom lip before she gently bit into it and slowly leaned back down, pulling on him as she did so. He leaned down and kissed her simply one more time before he pulled away from her mouth to trail kisses down her cheek, to the sensitive skin below her ear.
She wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the different textures the scars gave the skin on his back. She wanted to dig her nails into his skin and claw down his back, but she stopped herself, the image of the ten, jagged lines that trailed down his chest and stomach, scarring the skin. She furrowed her brow, realizing that the girl, the waterbender he had been with before must have done that to him during one of their nights together. Damn him!
She hissed, realizing that he had begun to pry the fabric of her robe off her shoulder. She flexed her fingers and dug her nails into his shoulders, getting his attention. He lifted himself up enough to be able to look at face, to be able to see the scowl she wore and the glares she sent his way.
"What?" He asked, furrowing his brow and tilting his head to the side in confusion.
"No." She said sternly, taking her hands from his shoulder blades to his collar bones, pressing him away from her.
"No?"
"No!" She shoved him off and rolled out from under him, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, placing her feet firmly on the ground as she stood still beside the bed. "You can't keep doing this to me, Zuko! Doing all of... this!" She yelled, motioning to him, laying there using one elbow to prop himself up on the mattress. "Then going straight back to that girl you're going to stay and be with! I'm not your little play thing! And... neither is she!"
Mai huffed and shifted to face the door before she turned back towards him as she crossed her arms over her chest and scrunched her face at him. "I'm not about to lay there and let you do to her what you did to me. She loves you, Zuko. Get that through your thick skull and don't take a girls love for you for granted this time!" She shook her head and stormed out of his room, closing the door tightly behind her.
Zuko plopped down onto his mattress and smacked his palm down onto his forehead. "So stupid!" He growled, scolding himself for his actions. "Why did I do that?" He groaned and ran his hand through his hair as he sat up, hopping off the bed to make his way over to his private bathroom.
He ran the water nearly as hot as it would go and poured almost two whole bottles liquid bubble soap into the tub. Good thing it was one of those ridiculously large bathtubs, or the bubbles would have overflown and gone onto the floor of the room. After waiting for the water to nearly fill the tub, Zuko settled down into the steaming water, letting out a long sigh as his hands slipped into the layer of bubbles. It smelled of honeysuckle and dianthus, a perfect combination of sweetness and spice.
He sank down into the water. Katara would love this, he thought. Zuko sat up and buried his face into his hands, sobbing into his palms. He couldn't believe what he had just tried to do, what he had nearly done, had it not been for Mai. He attempted to calm himself by figuring that he was just some horny teenager that couldn't control himself, but that just made it worse. Was he seriously about to let his urges get the better of him? Did he really nearly just cheat on Katara?
Why had he even dared to think about even suggesting it? He had been feeling terribly deprived of of feeling close to someone he loved, mentally and physically, and Mai had been the only around who was able to fill the void that Katara left in her absence. Then he thought, maybe it wasn't just that. Perhaps it hadn't just been the urge or the need to connect with someone, maybe he had done it in spite of Katara, because was still pretty angry with her, after what she had suggested to do about the baby. To rid them of him before they even really got him. Zuko let out a huff, was he seriously about to turn the tables and shift his anger towards Katara?
He let out a long groan as he leaned back against the porcelain tub, slowly sinking further and further down into the water with each passing minute. He really needed to get his act together. During his time with Katara present, he had been starting to feel as though his mental issues were beginning to subside and he was becoming more and more happier and a new, better him. But without her here, he was taking many, large steps backwards. He had started to wish for her around every corner of every hall, behind every door. Every set of footsteps he heard coming towards him, he hoped it would be her, but it always turned to be either a servant, guard, or his sister or father.
His eating habits were beginning to get worse and worse again, each meal he would eat less and less, even getting to the point to where Azula had joked about him ending up being admitted to the infirmary due to malnutrition again. Zuko shot an insulting joke right back to her, asking if she would jab him in the arm and cry about their mother again. He let out a huff, realizing things like that were him becoming more and more irritable.
He was losing sleep as well, with the way he would lay there for hours thinking about his precious waterbender, the love of his life. He needed her with him. He needed to be with Katara.
Zuko nearly allowed himself to slip underneath the water, but he knew that while under this kind of distress and mental exhaustion that was so strong it was beginning to cause physical fatigue, he'd probably end up drowning himself.
!
"So!" Iroh started as he walked next to his nephew down a busy street of one the lower class markets. "Have you thought of any names?" It had been a number of month since they had all reunited and Iroh was sure that the baby would be arriving within the next few months, and he was curious as to what the young couple had been planning on what they would be calling the baby.
Zuko laughed, an honest smile spreading across his face. "I want to name him after you, of course, but I haven't got any idea as to what she would suggest or want." He admitted simply. He and Katara hadn't gotten the chance to actually discuss baby names before everything went down and Ba Sing Se and they separated from each other for the time being. Sure, they had joked about different names around the table with the rest of the group, Zuko distinctly remembers Sokka suggesting the name 'Boomer', but the two themselves had never sat down to settle on name they both liked and agreed on.
Iroh hummed as he rubbed his chin in thought. "You could always try meshing the names together or giving him two names." He suggested, holding his hand out as if he were actually holding the idea out to Zuko, as if it were in his palm. Iroh wondered if Zuko had meant directly after him, giving the baby his same exact name. Iroh had been named after his mother, Ilah, and he suggested that they could give the baby a name that just sounded like his.
"I suppose." Zuko shrugged, wondering about what kind of names Katara would come up.
"So, what are you looking for exactly?" Iroh asked, scanning the rows and rows of stores before him. Zuko had been dragging him all across the Capitol since the market was just beginning to open. Apparently, he hadn't been able to find what he was looking for in any of the shops of the Capitol, but insisted that they continued looking through every store, even if it meant they would end up having to travel throughout all of the land to find whatever it was he was searching for.
"A ribbon." He answered matter-of-factly as he leaned over a glass case that held different necklaces inside.
"A ribbon!" Iroh gasped, nearly dropping the very expensive tea kettle he held in his hand. He hissed and carefully put the ceramic kettle back onto it's display shelf. "What ever for?" What on earth was Zuko doing? Dragging him around for hours just a band of fabric! Zuko was right, he was going crazy!
Zuko smiled and held a thin, round jewel between his pointer and middle finger out to him. Iroh cupped his hands under Zuko's, catching the stone into his palms. He took in a long gasp of air, realizing what it was.
"Did you make this?" He asked, holding it closer to his eyes to get a better look. It was extraordinary. Iroh recognized the stone as blue amber. In the Fire Nation the blue tint in the amber would be seen as an impurity, but for someone of the Fire Nation who was planning on marrying someone of the Water Tribes, it represented the two perfectly. Hold it in your hand it would show an amber color, hold it up to the light and it would show you blue. One and the other, fire and water.
"No," He admitted, holding up a ribbon to further examine the fabric. "A master craftsman and carver did it for me. I don't know if it's okay, but if I'm supposed to make her one, I suppose I'll have a go at it." He returned the ribbon back to it's case, deeming it unworthy as he turned around to face his uncle. "Though, I don't think I'll ever be good enough to make something of that quality. I'm not even sure if betrothal necklaces are used in the Southern Water Tribe as they are in the Northern."
"Did you come up with this symbol?" He asked, running the pad of his thumb over the engraved lines that ran into the stone. It was the Fire Nation emblem. In the middle of the flame, where there would normally be a single line swirling to the center, he had gotten the same symbol of Katara's necklace carved into the stone in place of the spiral. It ran perfectly together in seamless curves.
Zuko nodded and smiled as he held up a strand of fabric towards his uncle, silently asking for his approval. It was a band of the color Azure Radiance. Iroh smiled and nodded, insisting that it was the one.
!
"Zuko!" Azula called out from behind him, having to take long strides to reach side across the hall. "You missed Saburo's latest Agni Kai today."
"Saburo? I thought he had retired." The disappointment in his voice was genuine. He had a heard a great deal of Saburo, before, during, and even after his banishment. The man was said to be half made of metal and was capable of combustion. He had become rather famous in the Fire Nation after having word spread about how quickly he could end one of the duels using his ability to firebend with his mind.
"Some fool challenged him. Father allowed it to be held in the Agni Kai chambers here in the palace. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it."
"I have been out of the Capitol with Uncle. We've only just returned." Azula's smile faded, hearing his tone of voice sink back into the harsh, stern one he had began to use. Sure, she hadn't seen or heard him in years and had obviously gone through a lot during his travels, but this set in stone facial expression and firm tone wasn't one she ever figured he would use. It reminded her that he had changed completely since she last saw him.
She huffed, annoyed by his stiffness. "You should go congratulate him, anyways." She informed before turning down a separate hall.
Zuko paused, taking the time to think. He smirked, figuring that was a great idea indeed.
!
"So, you could teach me how to do it?" Zuko asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he shifted his weight onto one leg. "Well, except, not with my forehead, of course."
Saburo nodded, assuring him that it was a skill that could be taught.
Nearly a week had passed and all they had done was meditate. Zuko's patience was beginning to wear thin, as time was running out, and he put on his stone face as he entered the room they used to sit in private. He was surprised to see none of the torches or candles lit, Saburo standing just before the door.
"Are you going to start teaching me more?" Zuko asked, knowing Saburo wouldn't speak first. He nodded and motioned towards the back door that led out to his personal courtyard.
They stood in the middle of the stone ground, the sun's rays beaming down on them. Zuko took in a deep breath, feeling the sun's energy meet his skin and course through his body.
"I take the energy from my stomach," Saburo began instructing, pointing towards his gut. "And run it through my chi paths, up to my forehead." Zuko placed his hand on his chin in thought. This sounded terribly familiar. "You have to focus on the spot you want intensely."
"Kind of like heat redirection, but with more pressure." Saburo nodded.
Zuko hummed, thinking hard about how he was going to go about having his try at this. It was obviously terribly dangerous if you didn't know what you were doing. Saburo was the living prove of it, his arm and leg being blown off at a young age after first discovering the ability.
"To redirect lightening, you have to guide it through your arm, down into your stomach, and out the other arm," Zuko mumbled, lazily doing the moments his uncle had taught him a while back. "If I take the energy from my stomach and guide it through the chi paths in my arms," He began, shifting into the stance he was making up, putting his hands out in front of him and lacing all his fingers but the pointers together, holding them against the other, pointing to the spot to where he was going to focus on. "And create a line of pressure towards the spot I want, do you think that would work?" He asked, looking towards the half metal man over his shoulder.
Saburo shrugged and lifted a hand to twitch his metal fingers, silently telling Zuko to be careful.
Zuko rolled his eyes and turned back towards the rock he was going to try to get to explode. He focused on the spot he wanted, building up a line of pressure towards it. He could literally feel the energy bottling up inside his stomach. He took in a deep breath and sent the energy through the chi paths in his arms. A blast of light shot out from his finger tips, smashing into the rock he had wanted, a ball of fire erupting and waving back over them, searing some of their hair and clothes.
"Well," Saburo began, scratching the burnt hair off the side of his face. "Looks like it works."
!
Mai huffed as she plopped down onto her couch, leaning her back against the arm rest as she curled her legs up close to her. It had been an even more dull and boring day than usual. She let out a long sigh as she turned to face the door way, hearing steps coming into the room.
It was Zuko holding a rather cranky Tomtom on his hip.
"Your mother is going to the market," He informed as he sat on the other side of the sofa, pulling the toddler into his lap so he could face him. Tomtom narrowed his eyes before he leaned back, waving his arms in the air as he let out a screeching cry.
Mai let out a groan as she slammed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples. The boy hadn't even been in her presence for more than a minute and he was already giving her a terrible headache.
"Tomtom," Zuko said softly, poking the two year old gently in the tummy. He stopped his wailing around to pout at Zuko, giving him the best scowl he could muster. He looked like Mai as he did this, he had obviously learned this facial expression from her. Zuko smiled and scratched him under the arm, tickling him. Tomtom let out an odd sound, a mix between a growl and a squeal. He grabbed Zuko's hand and squeezed it as hard as he could, trying to inflict pain on him.
"What are you doing?" He asked, tickling his other side, then going back to tickle his stomach. Tomtom leaned over in attempt to keep him from reaching him again. Zuko smiled and tickled his right side, when he leaned to try and stop him, Zuko moved over to his left and continued the process until he had the toddler squirming around in a fit of laughter.
Tomtom nearly fell out of his lap and onto the floor, but Zuko quickly put his knees together to catch him before he fell back. Zuko laughed at the expression of pure fear on the toddlers face. He lifted Tomtom's shirt as he leaned down to blow raspberries onto his stomach, ticking him even more than he already had been.
It didn't take long for Tomtom to use up all his energy by laughing and squirming around. His laughter began to fade as he grew tired. Zuko smirked down to him, his plan had worked. It had already been a bit past noon and somehow Tomtom had managed to get out of taking his much needed afternoon nap, causing him to throw a temper tantrum about not having any of his favorite berries. His mother left in search of them herself, of course the day Tomtom acted up terribly was the day her servants had requested off.
Zuko smiled gingerly at the now dozing toddler, watching as his features would soften, then suddenly tense back up again. Tomtom was fighting to stay awake, but it looked as though sleep was winning.
Mai smiled as she stretched a leg out and nudged Zuko in the hip with her toe to get his attention. "You're going to be a great father, Zuko." She said softly, honestly meaning it. He turned to face her, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Really?" He asked. "You think so?"
"I know so, Zuko." She smiled and rested her cheek on the cushion of the back rest.
He let out a long sigh as he slowly returned his gaze to a now sleeping Tomtom. "I sure hope so," He murmured, terribly frightened of what he could very well turn into in the future.
!
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here," Zuko growled as he stood up, towering over the bowing man before him. "If it isn't my old friend, Lieutenant Jee." Zuko heard Jee gulp has began circle around him. "Or, Commander, is it? I hear that Admiral Zhao was the one who promoted you." Zuko paused and took a sharp intake of breath.
"Or was the promotion illegal, seeing as that you had been under my command before you betrayed me?" Zuko growled, putting emphasis on the 'my'. "You know, that is considered treason against the Crown Prince," Zuko stopped in his tracks, pausing to stand at Jee's side. "And is punishable by death." Zuko smirked, seeing a small droplet of sweat splatter down onto the floor from Jee's forehead.
The Fire Prince took simple strides back over to his seat, sitting down into his chair so casually, as if he had not just threatened to have a man killed. "I'm sparing you and the rest of my former men, but just this one time. You've betrayed me once before, I trust that you will not do it again?" He asked, raising his chin up a bit.
"N-no, your majesty. Of course not." Jee stuttered in fear and shock. This was most definitively not the Prince Zuko he had served under previously! This person was far more stern with a hardened heart. He wasn't the same boy you could push around a bit and press his buttons and still get away with it a few times before he finally began to lose his temper. No, this man was no nonsense, and he was terrifying, just as his father before him.
"What would you do to prove that to me, Lieutenant?"
"Anything, sir."
"Anything?" Zuko smirked as he narrowed his eyes. "Well, in that case, I have a very important task for you, Admiral Jee."
!
Katara panted as she paced back and forth across the shore line on a small beach of the Black Cliffs. She had been messing her nails terribly all day and was honestly surprised none of them had bled yet by her constantly picking and tearing at them.
"Katara?" Sokka asked, noticing her nervous behavior. "Are you okay?"
She gulped. "Where's Zuko? He's supposed to be here isn't he? You sent that messenger hawk, right? What if he didn't get it? What if while he was taking a boat to get here some pirates got him? Oh my gosh! What if the message got intercepted and Ozai knows everything and had him killed! He's dead! He's dead, Sokka, he-"
"Katara!" Sokka stepped forward and caught his sister in his arms, grabbing her on her upper arms to hold her in place. "He's not dead. I'm sure he's just busy preparing everything. I'm sure we'll see sign of him-..." Sokka paused, seeing something shimmer in the corner of his eye. He turned towards the ocean, surprised to see a number of large Fire Navy vessels approaching the harbor. "Soon." He gulped and stepped back, unsure if the ships had in fact been sent by Zuko.
Hakoda made his way over to his children, asking what was going on. Sokka gulped and shook his head slowly, unsure himself. No one said a single word as the ships came up to the shore, the bow lowering down to reveal the soldiers inside.
A grey haired man with sideburns stepped down from the hull of the ship and stopped a few feet short of the Water Tribe family. He placed his hands behind his back before introducing himself.
"I am Admiral Jee, my small fleet and I have been hand chosen and sent here personally by Fire Prince Zuko to aid in the Invasion."
Sokka's jaw dropped, surprised that Zuko would have this done. "Zuko... sent a whole... fleet of Fire Navy ships!"
"My men and I recognize that after all of this is over, Prince Zuko will be crowned Fire Lord and end the war. We're just as tried as everyone else is. Why continue to follow a man destined to lose it all, instead of one that is destined to gain it all and bring peace and prosperity back to our nation? Ozai had called for a small fleet of ships for extra protection of the harbor behind the Great Gates of Azulon. These ships will be able to take out a majority of the turret's that defend the road up to the Palace."
"Oh, I get it!" Sokka held his hands out to his sides, understanding exactly what Zuko had set up. "Ozai will allow these ships to pass through, thinking they're his. Then, he'll be taken by surprise when we all pop out and start attacking! He'll think these were stolen ships!"
"Exactly that." Jee nodded. "Word spread about how one of our ships had been captured by bunch of Water Tribe men. That's what gave Zuko the idea."
"So, you've spoken to Zuko recently?" Katara asked. "You've seen him? He's okay?"
"You must be Katara," Jee smiled down at her. "Yes, he's fine. I served under him during his banishment and General Iroh during his Siege of Ba Sing Se. I know him and his uncle well."
They made their way into the flagship of the fleet and sat around a table to further discuss what the plan was going to be as they made their way toward the Capitol.
"Prince Zuko had a new model of tanks made specifically for this occasion. They're easy to use for all benders," Jee went on to explain how the floor of the tanks had patches of mesh, where earthbenders could lift stone through the holes and then send it out one of the many flap doors on the sides of the tank. The tanks were also equipped with barrels of water on the inside. The tanks had three canons on the front for any type of bender could send their element through it without having to risk being harmed by having to use the top hatch and expose their upper body.
"Wow, Zuko's pretty smart after all." Sokka admitted as he examined the schematics of the newly designed tank.
"We have them down on the cargo level if you would like to go ahead and see one in person." Jee informed, motioning to the door of the room. Sokka nodded and had one of the other men escort him and his father down to see the tanks.
Katara huffed drew invisible patterns into the metal table.
"We'll be reaching the gates soon." Jee pointed out, looking through one of the windows toward the horizon. He tilted his head, noticing the girl across from him was obviously feeling uneasy. "I look forward to serving under the both of you in the near future. I'm sure you'll make an excellent Fire Lady." He stood and smiled before he bowed to her. He turned and made his way out of the room.
"I sure hope so," She breathed out to no one.
She sat in that room for a a few more minutes before a siren went off. Just as she stood the door opened up, a solider standing on the other side.
"Do not be afraid. It is code, used to signal the gate keepers that we have been sent by Fire Lord Ozai." He informed as he made his way over to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "It is time to take our battle stations."
Katara calmed herself as she climbed up onto Appa. Sokka, Toph, and Aang already there waiting for her. They were going to fly Appa up as high as he could go to elude the line of fire and get to the Palace easily while the rest of the troops distracted any of the soldiers along the road that led up to it.
They could hear and the feel the bottom of the ships grinding against the shore. Puffs of air were released from the ship as the bows began to fold down and the hatch over Appa began to slide open. It was incredibly calm and silent for a moment, and then, everything broke loose.
The tanks rolled out as the catapults on the ship began to fire at the turrets on the mountain sides. Appa flew up through the clouds of dark smoke trails left by the burning rocks that flew through the air. They flew upwards at an angle, moving towards the Palace as they ascended through the air.
"Whoa!" Sokka called out as he pointed over the side of saddle down to a man that looked as though he was half metal. "Look at that guy!"
Aang and Katara leaned over the side, watching as the man exploded one of the turrets from meters away. "Is he... firebending with his mind?" Aang asked, leaning down a bit more in attempt to get a better look.
"Zuko's got some pretty weird friends." Sokka pointed as he took Appa's reins into his hands, returning his focus to the Palace ahead of them.
"Yeah, like you?" Aang teased, oddly light-hearted in the moment. Perhaps it hadn't hit him what he was going to do to Ozai, even if he was going to powerless during the eclipse.
They sat in silence for a little bit before Sokka called out again. "Whoa, Katara! Look at your future house! It's ginormous!" He exclaimed, motioning towards the building they were quickly approaching.
"Well, yeah, Sokka. It's a palace." She teased, rolling her eyes at him.
They had Appa swoop down underneath the overhang that covered the palace steps.
"Wow," Toph said as she finally made contact with the ground, being able to get a look at the Palace's size. "This place is huge."
"Alright, I'm gunna go look for Ozai. You guys stay out here and try to hold back as many guards as you can! Be careful and stay safe! All of you!" Aang grabbed his staff and took off into the main hall of the Palace in search for the Fire Lord.
The trio stayed back and shifted into a stance, waiting for the royal guards to show up. A few minutes passed before they began to notice just how quiet it was in town.
Sokka furrowed his brow and lowered his sword. "Is it just me, or is this place... empty?"
"I don't see anyone." Katara admitted, returning her summoned water back into it's pouch.
"Me either." Toph added, placing her hand against one of the pillars that supported the overhang.
"Should we go look inside?" Sokka asked, turning towards the front doors.
"I guess." Katara shrugged and began making her way inside. "Wow," She breathed, examining the main hall. "Look at this place."
"Well, I know we're I'm coming to visit on every holiday, birthday, celebrations, and weekends and-" He paused, hearing a familiar squawking from around the corner. He peeped behind the wall and saw a messenger hawk perched on a table that was placed up against the wall. "Hawky?" He asked, holding his arm for the bird to hop onto. He noticed a scroll placed inside the birds canister on his back. He plucked the scroll up and opened it, reading the message. He let out a gasp at the information it read.
"What?" Katara asked, spinning around to face him.
"They knew!" He mumbled as he continued to read the note aloud before speaking the information he deemed important clearly. "They're in a bunker deep into the volcano. He says Toph can get us down to the main tunnels and lead us through the maze until we get to the chambers. He wants us to burn this note in the lava." Sokka paused and tried to determine how much time they had left until the full eclipse happened. "We need to find Aang and get moving. We probably don't have much time left."
They turned back towards the main hall and saw Aang running towards them.
"Come on!" Sokka called as he took off towards the front doors of the palace, motioning for Aang to hurry up. "We know where they are!"
!
Ozai groaned as he scanned his eyes back and forth, following his son's frantic pacing. "Zuko," He droned out before taking a sip of tea. "What are you so nervous about?"
"I'm not nervous, I'm restless. I should be out there helping defend the Capitol." Zuko growled as he continued to pace back and forth.
Ozai sighed. "Prince Zuko, you've done so much for our nation already. Calm down, have a cup of tea." He suggested, motioning towards the tea set beside him.
"You sound like Uncle." Zuko smirked as he heard his father choke on the sip of tea had just taken.
"'Speaking of Iroh," Ozai coughed. "Where is my brother?"
"I'll go look for him!" Zuko turned and left the room before Ozai could protest.
Zuko let out a sigh of relief. Ozai had insisted that he accompany him during the eclipse and he had agreed, not knowing he would be pretty much held in there against his will. He turned to his left and began making his way down the hall in search of his uncle. It didn't take long before he spotted a servant making her way down the hall.
"Excuse me," He called out, getting her attention. She turned to face him, bowing after realizing who had called for her. "Have you seen my uncle?" He asked, tilting his head to the side a bit.
"Yes, Prince Zuko. He claimed a private room and had us place a Pai Sho table there so he could play while he enjoyed his favorite tea during the eclipse." She informed happily, a smile upon her face. "I could direct you to him, if that is what you would like, your majesty." Zuko nodded and followed her as she escorted him through the halls.
"Ah, Prince Zuko!" Iroh greeted after seeing him walking into the room. "I was hoping you would join me." He took a sip of tea as he motioned for his guards to leave the room, leaving him and Zuko in private.
"What should we do, Uncle?" He asked as he took a seat on the cushion placed before his uncle.
"You need to meet up with your group of friends while I go and meet up with mine."
"What do you mean?"
Iroh smiled and toyed with a Pai Sho tile between his fingers and went on to tell him about the Order of the White Lotus, and his plans to meet up with the other members and take back Ba Sing Se.
!
"Where is he! Where's the Fire Lord!" Aang shouted out towards Azula, after busting into a room they had thought belonged to Ozai.
"You mean I'm not good enough for you?" The Princess asked as she stood before them. "You're hurting my feelings."
"Why are you not with him?" Katara hissed. "What? What's the matter? Not daddy's favorite anymore after Zuko showed up alive?" The smirk on Azula's face faded immediately after hearing this. She narrowed her eyes towards the waterbender. "I bet Zuko is with him. Living it up, seated next to him, by his side on the throne, protected by rows of elite guards while you're left here to fend for yourself."
"Enough!" Azula shouted as she clinched her fists by her side. "You won't say another word if you know what's good for you!"
"What are you going to do? Shoot some lightening at me?" Azula growled through clinched teeth as she swung her arm out, throwing a blade towards the waterbender.
Katara swerved out of the way, seeping water from the air and freezing it around Azula's body, all in a single, fluid movement. Then, a ball of stone flew out from the side of the room, cracking the ice a bit.
"Toph!" Katara scolded, turning around to face the earthbender.
"That wasn't me!" Toph lifted her arms up before sending one fist towards the other, bringing two Dai Li agents into sight, surrounded by a cover of rock. She kept her hold on the rock, leaving the agents unable to bend themselves free. "Let's get out of here!" She sent the agents hurtling towards the other, knocking them out as Katara refroze the ice and hardened it even more, making sure Azula wouldn't be able to break or wiggle out of it until the eclipse was over. They bolted through the door way and down the hall.
"What do we do now!" Katara asked through her huffs of air.
"We get out of here! We spent way too long in there and it'll take us a while to get through these tunnels and back to Appa! The eclipse will be well over by then, so I suggest we hurry!" Sokka spoke as he ran closely behind Toph, following her through the maze of tunnels.
"What about Zuko?" Katara whined. She was worried for him. She had no idea where he was or what he could be going through.
"We'll worry about him later, Katara! Right now we have to focus on getting ourselves out of here!"
They made their way back through the maze, Toph still having to stop and check which way they were going to have to go in next every now and then, she had to build bridges and arches out of stone and then destroy them so they didn't leave a trail through the lava. Even though they knew the way better, it still took them a bit to get through the tunnels. Once they were outside and back at the palace, they saw that their troops already had it secured.
"Dad!" Katara called out, noticing him hunching over as he held a hand over his side. "You're hurt?" She asked, gently lifting his hand from his wound.
"Just a bit," He admitted, taking a seat on one of the stone stumps The Boulder had lifted from the ground.
"It was all a trap!" Sokka informed the men around him. "We need to get back to ships as soon as possible! Katara, get dad onto Appa. We're out of here."
"But-" Katara began to argue, but Sokka interrupted.
"Katara, any minute now I'm sure we're going to be bombarded with firebenders, and I don't think Zuko is one of them."
She sighed and helped her father up into the bison's saddle. The other men piled in and onto the tank as they began retreated. They flew in silence for a few minutes before they heard Sokka take in a deep, long breath.
"What... are those?" He asked, staring off behind them.
What looked like to be giant balloons began to ascend into the sky from behind the palace, trailing after the troops and the bison. Everyone was glad they had began to leave as soon as they did, or they surely would have had to deal with whatever those things were. The tanks barely made it back into the ship as they began to pull away, the catapults attempting to bring those war balloons down. The half metal man they had seen before managed to take out two of the smaller ones with ease. Admiral Jee showed all of the non-benders the weapon wall, covered with throwing spears, slingshots, bow and arrows, even boomerangs.
They were able to bring down just about every airship as they continued backing out into the wide part of the harbor, where the ships would turn around and continue moving forward from there. They all stood on the deck of the ships as a alarm began to ring and the gates began to rise.
"How are we supposed to get through those?" Hakoda asked to no one in particular. His question was soon answered, though. The half metal man stood on the balcony of the command tower on the ship to the left and another man stood on the balcony of the ship to their right. They watched as they worked at the same time, exploding a hole into the nettling that was both wide and tall enough for the small fleet to slip through.
"I guess that's how." Sokka said as he rubbed his eyes, having trouble seeing properly after staring right at the bright light of the explosion.
READ THIS
A/N: Zubear deserves a chapter that mainly revolved around him, I needed to make it clear just how much stress he was put under without Katara by his side. He still can't function properly without her there, and she of course had her moments, but she had three other people with her that she knew and loved to help her through it, Zuko only had Iroh and had to constantly contain his distress and act like nothing was wrong until he and his uncle were in private, which was very exhausting and mentally tasking.
The Gaang goes on their original adventures throughout the Fire Nation. A few differences, of course, but none really major... I wasn't about to do all those episodes with the Gaang and still write about what Zuko was doing, since the Gaang's adventures are pretty much the same.
Katara is very early in the third trimester now, only a couple months left! She's still kind of small though, she doesn't have one of those bulging bellies like most women would have by now. Everyone eventually got off her back about staying super safe, she can obviously whoop ass and take care of herself. She learned how to bloodbend as Zuko was learning combustion.
Now, I know this may be one of those things that is really controversial, but I figure, look at all the advanced bending we see and how they can be taught. Toph teaching metalbending and making a whole school dedicated to it alone and then having a whole police force of metalbenders. Bloodbending. With your mind. So, I figure, hey, why not combustion? Plus, if I do continue further, Zuko is going to be using this skill later on..
Also, I don't know why, but for some reason Combustion Man strikes me as the person who, when you speak to him and you're nice and don't give him shit, he's actually pretty nice to you. But, if you cross him, you're blown to bits. Literally. The name I gave him, 'Saburo', means 'third son' or 'three'. I figured this fit him nicely, seeing as that he had a 'third eye' and all. I had also considered calling him 'Akio' which means 'shining man'. Cause he's got shiny, metal limbs...
I totally gave Zuko the credit for inventing the first take on canons, which would later be used on the United Forces battle ships and the Army's future tanks as well. Also, I figure that the Mechanist would have eventually figured out how to work his air balloon invention, due to having so much pressure on him to supply the Fire Nation with weapons...
Have any of you ever heard Landfill by Daughter? It fits her very well with the situation she's in, in this story.