Based off the tumblr post where we all wonder "hey, what if at Crescent Island Zuko was fucking adopted by The Gaang?"
WELL I'M ANSWERING THAT QUESTION TODAY, MATES, LET'S DO IT
ZUKO GETS A NEW FAMILY AU LET'S GO
Enjoy!
Chapter 1: The Crescent Island
"Sailing into Fire Nation waters… of all the foolish things you've done in your sixteen years, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish!" Iroh says. Zuko could hear the mix of disappointment and anger in his voice. Zuko kept his mind off that disappointment for now. It hurt to hear it, but he didn't have time. He refocused on the telescope rotor, aimed towards the sky.
"I don't have a choice, Uncle."
"Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord banished you?!" Iroh asks. His voice softened next. "What if you're caught?"
"I'm chasing the Avatar. My father will understand why I'm returning home," Zuko says, abandoning the telescope rotor.
"You give him too much credit. My brother is not the understanding type," Iroh says. Zuko stared at him a moment before resigning to the telescope again. He scanned the sky, spotting a small shape in the clouds. He recognized it immediately.
"There they are. Helmsman, full steam ahead!"
Katara glanced at the back Appa's tail, spying movement. She jerked up. "Aang! We got trouble!"
"Yeah, and it's gaining fast!" Sokka exclaimed, scrambling up beside Katara for a better look.
On the ship, paneling in the floor of the deck opened, a large trebuchet rising out of it. A soldier poured the flammable mixture over the coal bag. Another ready to cut the line for the launch.
"Really, Prince Zuko, couldn't you shoot them down with something more fragrant?" Iroh asks, trying to fan away the stench. Zuko blasted fire onto the coal bag. The soldier cut the line and it went flying.
"Fireball!" Katara yelled.
"I'm on it!"
Aang pulled on the reigns, banking to the side. The fireball just barely missed them in its arc .
"We have to get out of Zuko's range before he shoots another hot stinker at us!" Katara yells, trying her best to cover her nose. Sokka was trying the same, pinching his nose until it started to turn red. It did little to actually help. Katara counted herself grateful that the ship only had one trebuchet.
"Can't you make Appa go any faster?" he asks. Aang shot him a look before turning back.
"Yeah, but there's just one little problem…"
Zuko took his gaze away from Appa, looking forward. He narrowed his eyes. "A blockade."
Appa started to coast a little slower as they approached. The ships were in two lines, going in opposite directions. Aang could see each ship had three trebuchets on each deck. Iroh started to stroke his beard, thinking hard.
"Technically, you are still in Earth Kingdom waters. Turn back now, and they can't arrest you," he offers. Zuko ignored him, watching Appa dash forward.
"He's not turning around."
"Please, Prince Zuko," Iroh says, snatching Zuko's attention away. "If the Fire Nation captures you, there is nothing I can do. Do not follow the Avatar."
Zuko tightened his fists. He cast his gaze away from Iroh, looking almost ashamed. "I'm sorry, Uncle." He pointed towards the blockade. "Run the blockade!"
Iroh sighed, shaking his head. He had to concede—if Zuko wasn't going to listen there wasn't much more he could do. Iroh looked ahead at the blockade. All the ships were the more standard issue cruisers. They outmatched their own in size and weaponry. A blockade of them risking sinking if caught in the crossfire.
"The Avatar…" Zhao trained his telescope down, spying the tell-tale small and outdated cruiser. "And the banished prince… This must be my lucky day."
"Commander Zhao, what are your orders?"
"Shoot the bison down," Zhao says.
"But.. there's a Fire Nation ship out there, sir—one of our own. What if it's hit?"
"So be it," Zhao says. He turned away to the trebuchets. "It belongs to a traitor. Ignite!"
The soldier shot a blast of fire at the coal bag. the two other soldiers followed suit. Zhao stood, watching them. "Launch!"
The fireballs flew off the five ships in the front. A volley of sets of three sent arcing into the sky straight for the bison. The volley seemed to grow in size as the fireballs arcs grew distant, spreading out their range. Aang yanked on the reigns, dodging left and right. The smoke and the heat made it difficult to steer. Two fireballs collided, sending up a plume of smoke and coals. Aang had no time to veer away, barreling straight through the smoke. He held his breath as they passed through, feeling the heat. Appa roared, patches of his fur catching fire. Momo climbed down his side, patting at the spot furthest from the saddle. Katara and Sokka patted out the flames of the upper two patches.
"Appa, are you okay?"
Appa grunted. Aang gripped the reigns, pulling up and out of range of the fireballs. The fireballs arced past them, landing in the waters around Zuko's ship, sending waves crashing over the deck. An explosion set off in the back of the ship. Zuko fell, bracing himself on the trebuchet.
"Prince Zuko, the engines are damaged!" Zuko forced himself to his feet. The engineer pointed to the large fire raging at the back of the deck. "We need to stop and make repairs!"
"Do not stop this ship," Zuko ordered, turning back to the blockade.
Another volley came up, flying higher than the previous, shooting through the clouds. After a moment, Zuko could see a small figure falling through the clouds. Appa came flying down afterward, plummeting towards the ocean. Katara reached up, clasping Sokka's hand and pulling him in. Appa skirted the water, pushing off as they raced towards the blockade. A third volley shot. After a pause, there was a single fireball volleyed towards Appa. Aang shot up, kicking out with a blast of air. The bag exploded, forming a ring from the air push around them. Appa flew through, zipping past the ships.
Zuko's hands formed fists at his sides. The ship was slowing down with the damaged engine unable to keep up their momentum. Two of the larger cruisers were closing up the gap.
"We're on a collision course!" Iroh says, coming up to Zuko's side.
"We can make it."
Iroh wasn't convinced. The gap was growing smaller by the minute, and while the ship was small, he wasn't entirely convinced it was that small. The two larger cruiser's engines suddenly cut out. They stopped just short of colliding with the cruiser. Zuko looked up at the deck, spying Zhao smirking down at him. He wanted to throw a pillar of fire at him; but refrained. It was the last thing he needed. Iroh came up to him once they were out of earshot of the ships.
Iroh waited, watching the ships disappear over the horizon. The engineers and mechanics started to repair the engine as well as they could while still sailing. Zuko shot a glare at the one man who came up to suggest stopping again. They sailed until the sun began to set. Zuko returned to the telescope rotor, gripping the railing until his knuckles turned white.
"What's he up to, Uncle? Why didn't Commander Zhao arrest me?"
"Because he wants to follow you. He knows you'll lead him to the prize you're both after—the Avatar."
"If Zhao wants to follow our trail of smoke; then that's exactly what I'll let him do," Zuko says. He stormed past Iroh towards the lower levels. Iroh followed him down until they hit the back of the ship, where a paneling could lower to release the River Steamers.
"What are you doing?" Iroh asks.
"Prepare a Steamer," Zuko orders the few soldiers in the room. They got to work immediately. Zuko turned to Iroh. "I had an idea."
"You… are planning to go alone?" Iroh asks.
"I'll be faster that way," Zuko says. Iroh shook his head. He knew that trying to talk Zuko out of it wasn't going to do much, but he could try.
"Zuko, this is a mistake," Iroh starts. Zuko turned away, boarding the ship. Iroh scowled. He could hear the gears starting to turn to lower the back ramp. He returned to the top deck, peering down at Zuko as the Steamer started to be lowered. "Zuko."
"Uncle, keep heading North. Zhao will follow the smoke trail while I use it as a cover," Zuko says. Iroh watched him go. He sighed. He could do that, easily. But, knowing Zuko was going off on his own wasn't something that sat right with him.
Zuko veered away, keeping his ship out of view of Zhao's with the smoke. He reached the island with some time to spare, docking his ship off to the side. He climbed the rocks, spying the temple in the distance. It looked empty. He saw no one walking around and couldn't hear anything. He neared it, walking through the front door.
He heard a blast from above. It was easily at the top of the tower. He started running up the stairs, pausing only when he heard voices. The Fire Sages passed above him, heading towards the same sound. Zuko followed them from a distance. Once they hit the top floor, he could hear them debating something. Then, the sound of Fire Bending followed by the sounds of heavy metal doors opening. Zuko quietly climbed the stairs. He spotted Aang peering around a pillar. Zuko snuck up, catching Aang from behind. He grabbed one arm, covering his mouth with his other hand.
"Speak and I'll burn both of them," Zuko warns.
"Aang, now!" Katara yelled. Zuko looked up, waiting. "Aang?"
Zuko looked between the door and the stairs. There wasn't a way for him to get to them and get back down without being seen. He'd had the advantage of the distraction before. He resolved to bite the bullet and shoved Aang forward, holding him by both arms.
"The Avatar's coming with me," Zuko says. The Sages twisted around in their grasps, flipping the playing field. Momo flew off, carrying the cap of the Fire Sage he'd been attacking with him. Zuko jerked Aang to the side, moving for the stairs. "Close the doors!"
Aang turned, watching Katara and Sokka being chained to the pillar. His hands formed fists and he flipped, slipping out of Zuko's grasp. He made a break for them. Katara nodded her head to the door. "Go!"
Aang felt a twist of conflict in his gut. He regretted letting them come. He regretted it more than any other decision in his life. He kicked off to the left, jumping up and using the heads of the two Sages blocking his path as springboards, using his Air Bending to boost his momentum. He dove through the doors, hearing them close behind him. A blue light shined around the seams briefly before fading out. Zuko almost growled, stomping up to the doors.
"Open the door!" Zuko orders.
"We need five Fire Benders to do so," one of the Sages says. Zuko caught two of them chaining one of their own to a pillar. Zuko stepped up.
"Then let's open this door," he says. All five got into their stances. Simultaneously they shot lines of fire into the dragon piping. Once the fire dissipated, the door remained closed. "Why isn't it working? It's sealed shut."
"It must have been the light. Avatar Roku doesn't want us inside," the oldest sage surmises. Zuko grimaces, turning to the youngest Sage.
"Bring him forward," he says. One of the other Sages forces the one previously tied down in front of Zuko. "Why would you help the Avatar?"
"Because it was once the Sage's duty. It is still our duty," he says. Clapping sounded from the stairs. Zuko turned, spying Zhao, looking smug with his guard.
"What a moving and heartfelt performance. I'm sure the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him," Zhao says. The oldest Sage bowed.
"Commander Zhao…"
"And, Prince Zuko," Zhao continues, ignoring the man. "It was a noble effort, but your little smokescreen didn't work. Two traitors in one day… the Fire Lord will be pleased."
Zuko felt hands behind his back. He hadn't even bothered to pay attention with the elderly Sages behind him. He jerked once, the soldier holding his hands tight and straining his arms. It hurt enough that Zuko stopped after the once attempt. He settled for provocation. If nothing else, it might make him feel better at being bested.
"You're too late, Zhao! The Avatar's inside, and the doors are sealed."
"No matter. Sooner or later, he has to come out," Zhao says. Zuko glared him down. He really wanted to punch him in his stupid, monkey-looking, goateed face. "Take them down to the cells. We'll deal with them later."
The soldier pushed Zuko ahead. He hated the pain in his arms, but he couldn't really bend well in this position. He could kick out, perhaps break the grip, but afterward he'd have a small unit of Fire Benders shooting pillars of flame at him. He had better chances slipping free after getting into the hall. That plan crashed the moment he stepped into the hall and saw more soldiers lining the hallway on either side. The entire unit followed them down the tower to the cells.
Shiyu was thrown into one on the right. Zuko felt the soldier shove him to the left. He stumbled in, almost hitting the wall. He turned in time to dodge Sokka stumbling in after him. Sokka did hit the wall, sliding down and holding his face. Katara followed after him, being shoved in with considerably less rough handling. The doors slammed behind them.
"Hey! Let us out of here!" Katara screamed after them. The soldiers walked away, sliding the only door shut. Katara kicked at the bars. "AUGH!"
Zuko wanted to do the same thing. He came up right beside her. Katara backed up a step. Zuko grabbed the bars, feeling them out. They were too thick to burn through. They were underground with minimal light and surrounded by stone. The only wood in the entire cell was the bed chained to the wall. Zuko roughly shoved himself off the bars with a huff.
"Damn it…" Zuko whispers. Katara raised a brow at him. She looked back at Sokka. "Damn it, damn it, damn it. Spirits. FUCK."
"Doesn't feel so good having your own Nation turn on you, huh?" Sokka asks, rubbing at his nose. Zuko whirled on him. "What?! How is this bad for you? What are you even doing in this cell, aren't you the Prince?"
"I'm banished, you moron. By coming into Fire Nation waters, I've just committed treason! My father will be furious with me!" Zuko shouted. His hands glowed for a moment before he calmed down. He breathed out a plume of smoke and steam.
"You're his son, the punishment can't be that bad," Sokka says. Zuko stared at him a moment before turning away to inspect the cell some more. Katara glanced at Shiyu, who was being suspiciously quiet.
"Zuko, it can't be that bad," Katara presses. Zuko glared at them, spinning harshly to stare them down.
"The last time I disrespected my father, he gave me this," Zuko says, pointing to his eye. Katara gaped at him like a fish. Sokka was frozen a moment before standing. Zuko turned away from them, running his hands up and down the bars to try and find a weak spot.
"That's… Zuko that's horrible," Katara says quietly. Zuko stopped, turning to them.
"No, it's not. It was my fault."
Sokka gave a strained laugh. It wasn't anything joyous. Contrarily, it was laden with stress and anxiety. Katara fell back on the bed.
"You think that was your fault?" she asks.
"Zuko, we cannot stress enough how much that was not your fault," Sokka says.
"I spoke out of turn against one of his War Generals right in front of his entire War Council. He had every right to punish me," Zuko says plainly. "Including banishment."
"Banishment is one thing, but he burned half your face for talking back?" Sokka asks incredulously.
Zuko was silent. He turned away, finding nowhere in the bars he could exploit as a weak point. He'd have to resolve attempting to melt the dense bars and hope he could finish enough of the bars to slip through once he'd knocked them out. He started at the bottom, sitting down and clasping the bars, letting the heat encase his palms and then by extension the bars. Shiyu watched him a moment before copying him.
"What could that War General have said?" Katara asks. Zuko ignored her, focusing on the bars. "Zuko—"
"I'm not discussing this with you!" Zuko says harshly. Katara stood, wobbling almost immediately as the ground shook. Zuko paused his work on the bars, standing up.
"What was that?"
The ground cracked, shaking loose the bars in the cell. The entire door broke off its hinges, hanging loosely. Zuko kicked it off. He ran to the jail door, peering out to see the soldiers backs as they rounded the corner. Sokka hooked his boomerang on the hinges of Shiyu's cell, popping them out of their holders and loosening the door enough that he could shimmy through. A second rumble hit, widening the cracks, letting the light of lava pour up. Sokka pushed past Zuko, repeating the hinge removal on the jail door. Zuko kicked it off in tandem with him once it was loose. Sokka led the run up the stairs.
"Zuko, you're coming with us," Sokka declared.
"What?"
"He said you're coming with us," Katara says, grabbing at his arm and pulling him to the side when Sokka banked right down a hall towards windows. The paused at them, seeing the rivers of lava below them. "Great. Now what? Where's Aang?"
"Katara? Sokka?"
Katara spun around, spotting Aang at the end of the hall. "Aang!"
He looked exhausted. She abandoned Zuko, running up and helping Aang stand. Sokka took up her spot, holding onto Zuko's arm. Zuko roughly jerked his arm away. He looked around, noticing Shiyu was missing.
"Where's Shiyu?" Aang asks. He spotted Zuko and looked at him confusedly. Sokka waved it off.
"We don't know, but we have to leave," Sokka says. Aang's expression didn't change as he looked between Sokka and Zuko. "I'll explain later!"
Aang let it be, leaning out the window and whistling. "Appa!"
Zuko heard the tell-tale roar of the sky bison. Sokka said something about jumping just before yanking Zuko out of the window. He collided with the saddle within moments, knocking the window out of him. Sokka was apologizing, but Zuko was more concerned with the fact that he was currently be kidnapped. He shoved Sokka off roughly.
"Put me back on the ground, now!" he demands. Sokka held his boomerang up to him.
"How about no? Like you said, you're in hot water right now." Sokka says. The pun flew right over his head but went unmissed by Zuko.
"I don't care. Set me down at my Steamer." Zuko spits back. Katara set Aang down. He sighed, sliding down until he was laying flat.
"Whatever happened to trying to "capture the Avatar"?" Katara asked smugly. "Thought you'd be overjoyed to be on Appa."
"All I want right now is to be away from you two," Zuko says. Katara glowered at him. She scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Yeah! Good luck with that." She says.
She watched as his face went from anger to bewilderment. She didn't trust him—by a good mile—but she wasn't about to let him go back. She caught Sokka's eye and knew he was thinking the same thing. Zuko slumped back against the side of the saddle. Truth be told, he had a lot to consider. Firstly, this was technically kidnapping. Secondly, Katara and Sokka's reactions to learning about his banishment hadn't been what he'd been expecting. It had felt… wrong how they seemed angry about the circumstances. Thirdly, he really didn't have anywhere to go being in Fire Nation waters at the moment. He needed to get back to the ship, but it was doubtful that they'd drop him off.
Aang watched the clouds fly overhead, too tired to think about what Roku had discussed with him. He was more concerned about the Fire Nation Prince riding along with them on Appa. He trusted Sokka and Katara's judgement and decisions. He trusted them with his life, should it come to it and he couldn't protect them instead. His brain was wracking itself trying to think of the logical explanation for the sudden shift in trust between the other three beside him, but he was too tired to really focus on it. Momo swooped down, dropping the Fire Sage hat on his head.
Zhao looked up at the sky, catching sight of the sky bison's retreating form.
"No prince… no Avatar! Apparently, the only thing I do have is 5 traitors!" Zhao shouts angrily.
"But, Commander, only Shiyu helped the Avatar," One of the sages pleaded.
"Save your stories for the Fire Lord. As far as I'm concerned, you are all guilty! Take them to the prison hole!" Zhao orders. He spotted Zuko's ship on the shoreline. He narrowed his eyes. "And search the island for the Prince! He can't have gotten far!"
END