KEYnote: My outline has undergone major changes soooooo, sorry for another delay. Hope you enjoy the chapter anyway.
Chapter 4 - Lucky
Zuko wasn't counting on Suki staying. But he couldn't deny he enjoyed not being the only near adult on the bison.
That night, when he was taking watch, the Kyoshi warrior joined him.
"I'm sorry for your loss," she said, her face would have been hard to read in the night, but the make up made it that much worse.
He looked at her, startled, "What?"
"Children don't up and leave their homes to cross the world on a whim."
Zuko shook his head but didn't negate her words, "Are your sisters going to attempt hunting us down?"
She sighed and there was bitterness in her tone as she said, "No. They won't."
"Why?" he asked.
Azula had walked right into the Earth Kingdom palace in their uniform.
"Because I told them I was leaving that day, and because they would never leave the island. Handy given I had my bag with me."
Zuko had noticed that, "You prepared for the North Pole?"
She shook her head, "You realise it will be a long journey before we get there?"
"If we just keep flying in a straightish line, we should be okay."
"That sounds an awful lot like wishful thinking."
He looked off into the woods, "Whatever comes, I'll handle it."
She didn't answer for a long moment, "You want to spar?"
"I'm on watch," he said, glancing back at the three sleeping kids.
"Hand to hand," she employed. "We can practise being quiet."
He hesitated only for a heartbeat. He had gotten used to sparring with his sister and Mai in the short months he had been back in the Fire Nation, and he was more or less just training Sokka at this point.
The boy had raw talent but he was unpolished.
Unpolished was not the description Zuko would use to describe Suki.
They circled each other for a bit and she attacked first.
Evading her was easy.
It was surprising, how many differences there were in this new life.
He was the same height, his hands and feet looked the same and even his voice was the same, but his bones felt lighter.
Everything felt lighter.
It messed with his style of fighting. Suki was able to knock him over more than once, but getting back to his feet was a breeze.
There was not a ton of flipping in fire bending, this didn't mean Zuko didn't know how to do flips.
He wasn't, however, used to it being so natural.
"You're rather light on your feet," Suki remarked.
He shrugged, "You should see Aang."
She held out her hand and waved him forward.
It wasn't until the sixth time she threw him over her shoulder and he landed easily on his feet that he began to truly wonder what his travel through time and the spirit world had done to him.
oOo
Zuko was so relieved to be somewhere warmer that the odd looks Suki kept shooting him didn't bother him.
Not much, anyway.
Suki had been pissed at him ever since he told her she couldn't wear her makeup or headdress.
Course, Sokka and Katara weren't thrilled that Zuko had made them give up their blues, and Katara was especially peeved when he told her to not wear his necklace.
Aang was just as put out by Zuko's paranoia. Zuko had convinced him —in addition to changing his clothes— to also grow out his hair, and wear a bandana as well as fingerless gloves to cover his arrows.
Zuko too, had begun growing out his hair, wore gloves, and a scarf to hide his own tattoos.
Add this to his insistence they travel at night and in the clouds whenever possible had everyone short-tempered with him.
He was okay with that, they were alive and the sooner they got to the North Pole the sooner the North Pole could be readied for war.
Zhao wouldn't do so well if their attack had been a surprise.
Currently, Zuko was fishing with Sokka and Suki as Aang and Katara practised waterbending.
"You and your brother are nothing alike," Suki said suddenly. "Aside from your appearances and tattoos."
Zuko shrugged, "One of us has keep us alive."
"Learning waterbending is not a life or death matter," Suki argued.
Zuko, who had had versions of this debate with Sokka and Katara before decided it was finally time to show their hand.
Not revealing Aang was the Avatar, of course, but there were other benefits to their cover story, living on the borders of the airbender islands and the Fire Nation. "Actually, it very much is. Aang and I have traded with a lot of travellers from the Fire Nation. I overheard some outgoing soldiers preparing a massive assault on the North Pole. Being as isolated as they are, I'm not sure there is any way for them to find out."
Sokka and Suki were gaping at him.
A minute of catching flies later, Sokka was bordering on outraged, "We need to send word ahead of us?"
"And risk it being intercepted and the Fire Nation changing their plans? No, Sokka, I have a loose date and we are travelling by air, there is no one who could reach there faster than us. Maybe if we get closer we can find a carrier hawk or something but again, we risk it being intercepted."
"We need to call others to help," Suki said.
Zuko scoffed, "No one would help the Water Tribes."
Sokka was outraged, "That's not true!"
Zuko turned a dark look on him, "Did anyone help your tribe? Did the North Pole even ever send someone to help you rebuild?"
Sokka's cheeks darkened, "That's not—"
"Fair?" Zuko challenged. "No, it's not. You're dealing with an enemy with no problem whatsoever with throwing the world off balance and screwing with the spirits. It's not going to end well. Though, in defence of the Earth Kingdoms, their benders are basically useless at the poles."
Sokka was biting his lip, "We have to hurry."
"We have nearly half a globe to go," Zuko said. "Appa is doing well, we can't burn him out."
Sokka was shaking, "They can't be allowed to do what they did to us."
"They should have enough time to prepare," Zuko said. "If they make enough teardrop icebergs and get the benders to hide among them, they should be able to thwart the fleet well enough. The Fire Nation has to attack by the ocean, so their biggest advantage is surprise."
Sokka nodded, his mind elsewhere as he began planning.
Zuka didn't think he would be hearing many more complaints about their speed and secrecy now.
Suki, however, seemed to think otherwise, "There are non-benders who would help."
He looked at her, "And adapt well enough to fighting in the cold to make a large enough difference? No, the only people I would bother stopping to ask help from are the Southern Water Tribe warriors. They've been battling the Fire Nation for decades and are adapted to the cold. The Northern Tribe hasn't been a part of the war in eighty years. Which, by the way, is the reason I wouldn't waste breath asking anyone from the Earth Kingdom to help, because the Northerners never helped them."
Sokka rounded his shoulders, "They've told us the Fire Nation targeted our tribe because it was said the Avatar would be reborn among us. However, Gran-Gran told us it was because of how fearsome the Southern waterbenders were in combat." He glanced toward Katara to make certain his sister wasn't paying attention well enough to hear. "My Gran-Gran had this friend. Hama, and really they were trying to wipe out all of the waterbenders from our tribe, which is why Katara is the last, but Hama was incredible. She took out more ships single handedly than any other warrior from our tribe."
Zuko shivered, he had heard the name Hama, he was pretty sure she had escaped an inescapable prison, but he didn't share that revelation.
After all, if she was as old as Sokka and Katara's Gran-Gran, she might already be dead.
They stayed quiet after that and by the time that Aang and Katara were finished practising, looking more put out for struggling to teach each other rather than learning from a master, they had quite the hall for fish.
Aang made a face, "I can't eat those."
Zuko nodded, "I'll go shopping, the rest of you eat. If you're too hungry to eat, Aang, take the first watch."
"Still strange to take a watch during the day," Suki remarked lightly.
Zuko shrugged, "It's easier at least."
Aang nodded, "Sure thing."
Zuko picked up his swords and the last of their money.
The river town was small, and he found produce and bread easily enough. On his way back, he was stopped by some familiar pirates who spotted his tattoos around his scarf. They asked him to shop around on their ship.
He agreed, given as all he had was his food and swords to steal.
Good luck, stealing his swords from him.
He perused for a while, touching everything and not looking at anything directly.
Some of this stuff was valuable, if he pocketed the right thing, he could sell it for coins later on.
They were asking him questions and he said he was a fisherman going south. Fishing in the south was difficult and dangerous but had a high reward and low competition.
He made it sound like he had money, and the pirates grew more greedy. He asked them about their gear, their harpoons and various other weapons.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted a water tribe symbol. He turned his back to the scroll crossing his arms as the Pirate with the cropped sleeves and hooped earrings showed him the finest of fishing harpoons.
Zuko asked about the metal ratio, and before they wasted too much time that would cause undo frustration, he asked, "What if I'm interested in selling?"
He had spotted two more humble duel swords made of a lighter metal, sleeker and sharper. They were of lesser make compared to his own, but they needed money and he didn't want to have weapons that a keen eye might be able to identify as 'stolen goods'.
The captain pirate raised his head, "Depends on what you are selling?"
Zuko uncrossed his arms, pulling the scroll into his hand that he used as if to steady the sheath as he drew the swords. And in a slight of his hand, he swiped the sister swords out together, and the pirates' gazes followed the arch and tip of the sword as he slipped the scroll into the fold of his tunic that was purposely too big for him.
The pirates oohed and aahed and Zuko could see the captain's anger at them showing so much obvious awe.
"Real gold and soft leather," Zuko explained.
The battered for a time and finally, he argued, "You are underselling their value, I have good authority I got these off a dead Fire Nation prince."
That stirred them and Hoop Earrings murmured, "I heard Prince Zuko died in the Southern Seas."
Finally, the Captain said, "I can give you 500 copper pieces."
Zuko scoffed, "We both know it's worth 500 gold pieces."
The Captain wrinkled his nose, "I won't buy it for more than 600 copper pieces."
Zuko rolled his eyes, "But you won't sell it for less than 700 gold pieces, would you?"
"600, copper, my final offer," the Captain said.
Zuko sighed, glancing around, he nodded to the two swords perched on the wall. "550, copper, and plus those, and we will call it a deal."
The Captain hardly spared the lesser swords a glance, not knowing that technically, steel that light and sharp was more dangerous if wielded by a master than the swords Zuko was giving up.
"Deal," the man said.
Sheathed the blades in one hand, while unbuckling the sheath strap and settling the scroll a little more out of sight with his other.
He waited for the pirates to hand him the small sack of copper and the sheathed blades before bidding them far well.
He walked down the river, until he came to a bend out of sight, which is when he started running back through the trees. When he got back upstream, he motioned wildly to Aang, who hopped up and got everyone loading the saddle.
"What did you do?" Sokka asked.
"I stole from pirates," he said, coaxing everyone to hurry up, uncooked fish, sleeping bags, and all. He kicked sand into the fire pit so it didn't smoke like it would from water. "Aang, get Appa to swipe at his footprints."
Aang nodded, and as best as they were able covered up the footprints.
Zuko took the rains, directing Appa low over the trees and once he deemed them far enough away from the river coaxed the bison into a steep climb until they were swallowed by the clouds.
"I thought you were the careful one?" Katara challenged as everyone's heart rates decreased.
"We needed money," he said. "We will stop once we get on the other side of the mountain." Which was about an hour of flying.
Appa wouldn't be too put out. Still, he rubbed the bison's fuzzy head, "Sorry, buddy."
Appa rumbled but didn't seem overly displeased.
"You sold your swords?" Suki asked, shock clear in her tone.
He nodded, unbuckling the new strap to pass it to her.
She caught them, "It's lighter, why would you—"
"I told you, we needed the money. I sold mine and they were worth enough that I could get," he shook the sack of money, "and a replacement for them."
"Wait, if you traded in a legitimate deal, why are we running?" Katara asked.
He pulled the scroll, "I took a gamble." He tossed it to her.
She caught it.
"What is it?" Aang asked.
"A Water Tribe scroll!" Sokka exclaimed.
"It could be junk," Zuko warned as Katara opened it.
"Lee!" she exclaimed happily. "It's a waterbending scroll!"
She ogled the images before gently closing it. And then Katara was leaning out of the saddle to hug Zuko from behind.
"Thank you!" she said, kissing his cheek.
He flushed, waving her off, "It's fine, I know how much you and Aang are struggling. Maybe you can catch up to the Northern benders now."
She laughed at his gruff joking. Sokka and Aang looked happy to see it but Suki was oddly quiet.
He gave her a look and she narrowed her gaze on him before sinking back down in her seat breaking eye contact.
Zuko didn't pretend to understand girls.
oOo
Suki didn't understand Lee.
Not at all.
He was possibly the most overprotective brother she had ever met, and the way he took care of his younger brother was endearing.
But he was also… secretive, though for the life of her, she had no idea what he could be hiding.
If he was what he claimed, from a small fishing family living on the edges of nations.
But Lee sometimes had an air to him, a pride about him that spoke of a nobler beginning.
His swords that had been decorated in gold with red leather handles…
It was enough to make a person think, someone with such secrets, might be born of the Fire Nation.
But Lee walked as if the ground couldn't quite hold him.
Which directly contrasted with his personality. He seemed to get slightly —or more than slightly upset— if he wasn't in control.
She had never met anyone like Aang or Lee.
His stealing from a pirate and giving up his weapons seemed more surprising to her. It seemed out of character… but not quite.
Which only confused her more.
Lee was one large question mark.
She didn't enjoy storing her makeup and headdress away, but since she was still wearing body armour, she felt more secure than her new friends.
So imagine her surprise when Lee came back from another one of his lone shopping missions at sunset when they were supposed to head off for the night with a pamphlet in hand and said, "Suki, ditch the armour, we're going out."
Aang instantly brightened, "Really!? Where!?"
Sokka looked ticked, "We don't have time—"
Lee waved the pamphlet in Sokka's face, "Earthbending Rumble."
Sokka's protests immediately melted away, "No way!?"
"I think Appa needs a night off anyway," Lee said. "You in, Suki, Katara?"
Suki exchanged a look with Katara.
"The Blind Bandit is supposed to show up," Lee offered.
"Whose that?" Katara asked.
"She is a twelve-year-old blind girl who beats up professional benders," he said loftily.
Suki couldn't hide a smile, "Oh, I'm in."
"Me too," Katara said excitedly.
As they followed Lee back into town, she decided that no, she didn't understand him at all.
oOo
Sokka was losing his mind with excitement and it was good to see him let loose. He had been too tense since he told him war was coming to the North.
Katara was in awe of the bending, Aang was wide eyed, and cheering along, but Suki was nearly as into it as Sokka.
Zuko had a hard time not smiling at their reactions.
Now that he wasn't fighting her or working against her, he found himself greatly amused by Toph's banter.
It was a little bit glorious, if we're being honest.
She wasn't looking for weaknesses and trying to hurt people like Azula did, she was just having fun being a pain in the ass.
Zuko respected that.
She had just won the fight and no one dared to challenge her.
Zuko tugged on Suki's sleeve, "I need to use the restroom, I'll meet you guys back at camp. Keep them out of trouble."
She nodded but watched him carefully as he left.
oOo
Toph was walking off with the belt in hand and didn't stop at the person who stood before the exit.
"Hello, Lady Toph Beifong," an amused voice greeted her.
She came to an abrupt halt.
"I just want to talk."
"Why should I talk to you?" she demanded.
"Because I have an offer that could change your life."
"I like my life," she spat.
"No one with power and abilities like you is content playing princess. Especially a helpless princess. Tell me Toph Beifong, how many people know the real you?"
She hesitated, but anger was too present in her to answer honestly, "Fine, walk with me."
She didn't know who he was, but worst-case scenario, she would lead him back to her guards.
"Thank you," the young man said politely and she sensed that he bowed to her.
Interesting, this wasn't some low-born peasant.
She closed the rock entrance behind them.
"Well?" she prompted.
"I've been looking for an earthbending master," he said.
She laughed, "Good luck, dancer, you'd be better off learning how to airbend."
He stiffened and his voice came out tight, "Not for me. For my younger brother."
"If he walks like you, he's in trouble, no matter who his teacher is," she retorted, somewhat invested now.
"Well, that's the thing, he is an airbender."
She halted again, "The air nomads are dead."
"They missed the one they were aiming for," the boy responded.
"Your little brother is the Avatar? He must be a hundred years old."
"Hundred and twelve, to be exact. He froze himself in the Avatar State."
"Who are you?" she demanded, this was too much, too random. "How did you find me?"
He replied with a riddle, "I'm the boy who was killed by a dragon and the Spirits led you to me."
She started walking again, not answering.
The thing was; he wasn't lying.
Or he was crazy.
But if she trusted her gut, which she usually did, he didn't feel crazy.
And he said he wasn't an airbender, but she never met anyone who walked like him, as if the air itself buoyed his every motion.
"Your brother, he's mastered airbending?" she asked, seeing if he would slip in any other places of his story.
But every word that followed continued to be the truth.
"Yes, like you, he's already a master in his personal element. And we've already met a waterbend and we are currently going to the North Pole to learn from a true waterbending master. But afterwards, we will need an earthbender. And the spirits say that's you."
Travelling to the ends of the earth sounded exciting, maybe not the water part, seeing as she couldn't swim.
But anything would be better than her parents patronising her for eternity.
"Why would the spirits choose a blind girl?"
"Because you're the best. You're also young enough to relate to my brother. He doesn't have long until he needs to enter the war on the front line."
"My parents would never allow me to leave, they don't even know how well I can bend."
"Do your parents own you?" he asked as they stepped out into the cool night.
"No!" she exclaimed.
"I get it," he said agreeably. "Life is easy in a gilded cage. Safe."
She turned on him, poking him in the chest and he stepped back without putting up a fight; "You. Don't. Know. Me."
"Wrong," he shot back. "I know exactly what it feels like to be pampered and talented, but not enough. To never be taken seriously, to never be heard out by your parent because of things out of your control. You're lucky."
"I was born blind!" she exclaimed in his face.
"You were born powerful," he countered. "Powerful and beautiful and with everything you could have ever asked for, except one thing."
"My sight?" she seethed.
Vision was not something she had lost, it was something she never had in a world where every person she had ever met did.
"No, that's not it," the infuriating boy said. "You are angry that people can't see you. You also feel ungrateful for all that you do have and that makes you feel all the angrier."
"If not my sight, what one thing?" she asked, unable to keep the heat out of her voice.
"Freedom."
She didn't know what to say to that, because he was right, curse him.
"Our camp is on the west side of the river, about a half an hour walk from the town, if you want to train the Avatar. If not, we'll be back in a few months to ask you again," Lee said, so self-assured.
She snorted, "You think this is my destiny?"
"I don't know that I believe in destiny," his own voice thick with bitterness. "But I do believe in the spirits."
"And why are you so angry?" she demanded. "So angry you would take it out on a perfect stranger? Did you throw away your silver spoon, is that why you're so self-righteous; were you born lucky?"
"No," he said seriously. "I was lucky to have been born."
Toph didn't know what to say that either, but as she walked back alone home, to her gilded cage, she was pretty certain she knew what her choice would be.
Besides, if the boy was insane, she could just squish him.
oOo
AN: Thoughts, iguana parrots, or feedback, pretty please?