Iroh had traveled through the Earth Kingdom many times. When he first came, it was as a powerful and ruthless General. He and his army left a path of destruction behind them. When he returned, it was as a humbled and broken man. His family had been torn to pieces. His pride and purpose in life were gone. His only hope then was to work with Piandao and Fat to make up for his mistakes.
Now he began his third, and hopefully final, journey through the land he had ravaged. His work with the White Lotus had given him new hope. With nothing but a small pack for food (and tea), he set off for Ba Sing Se, and, hopefully, redemption through helping the Avatar. He was eternally grateful for Piandao and Fat to join him, for he knew how lonely the road could get. And how dangerous it could be for lone travelers.
Some of the towns they passed through were only a few huts along the dusty road. They passed countless abandoned structures, sometimes entire communities standing empty. Ash dirtied their shoes. Dull, barren eyes watched them pass. Crops withered. The sun beat down on them relentlessly, as if Agni himself was trying to punish them.
They met many unsavory folks. Many more were kind and generous. But it was the countless downtrodden, despairing, desperate, ordinary people who kept Iroh going. If they found the courage and strength to keep living despite the injustices done to them, then Iroh had no right to despair. It was his duty to see this through.
Their most recent stop had been in Gaoling, which stood out like a sore thumb in the endless wilderness. Opulent estates towered over them, leaving the common people to scurry through the shadows. Piandao and Fat managed to buy ostrich horses from a nearby farm, which would make their journey easier. He exchanged coins for a bag of rice, making sure to slide a few extra into the merchant's hands, and shouldered his pack. Before he could turn, however, a large poster caught his eye.
A portrait of a beautiful young girl was displayed next to the merchant's stall. Her demure smile and delicate features were accentuated by the elaborate hairstyle fit only for those born into wealth. Below her was a smaller picture of a boy with a blue arrow on his head. It was a bounty poster for the Avatar, which Iroh had seen plenty of in his travels, however he was wanted by the Beifong family instead of the Fire Nation. Iroh snatched the poster to study it closer.
"Wanted for kidnapping young Toph Beifong from her home," the poster said. Iroh felt his eyebrows disappear into his hairline. The Avatar was wanted for a lot of things, but kidnapping a nobleman's daughter? He was sure there was something amiss here. And, to make matters worse, it seemed they had only missed the Avatar by a few days. With his flying bison he was no doubt leagues away by now.
Iroh folded the paper carefully before placing it in his pack. They still had a long way to travel if they had any hopes of meeting the Avatar in Ba Sing Se.
It was impossible for her to properly heal Zuko while they rode on Appa. They needed to get as far away from Ozai and his troops as possible, but the biting wind and lack of water, not to mention her own exhaustion, meant that there was little for her to do aside from bandaging his hands. Sokka had to help her with that, since her own were shaking too much.
She didn't have much water left in her pouch, but she used it to heal as much as she could. The trauma to the back of his head was serious, but not life threatening. Katara found herself wishing, for the hundredth time, that she had paid more attention during Master Yagoda's healing lessons. She was a master waterbender, but what good would that do right now?
Azula, surprisingly, put together a quick salve from herbs in her pack to use on his burns. She didn't talk much. None of them did. Their exhaustion was finally catching up to them.
They flew until Appa couldn't keep going, until his toes began to skim the trees below them. Sokka landed them at the base of a large hill, where a small stream cut through the dry brush around them. They didn't need to worry about being chased here, since Toph had destroyed the tanks.
Nobody bothered with setting up the tents. Toph erected a quick shelter on the side of the hill, and everyone collapsed into a pile on the hard ground to finally sleep. Zuko lay beneath them, bundled up in many blankets, bruised and beaten, but alive. His soft breaths lulled her to sleep.
Azula hated waiting. Ever since they fled the palace, her life had been spent with bated breath. Waiting for the ball to finally drop; for Ozai to find them, for their identities to be revealed, for the next shit town to pass through. They were always waiting. And she fucking hated it.
She always had to be doing something. Anything to feel useful, to feel in control. To stop the constant worries in her mind. Zuko always knew what to do when she felt like this. But Zuko couldn't help her now. And she couldn't help him.
Azula was furious. She hated how he always got hurt, how he placed himself between her and danger without a second thought. She hated how selfless he was, how vulnerable he made her feel. She hated how much she loved him, and how much it hurt every time something happened to him.
She hated her father.
She used to love him. She used to look to him for comfort, used to crave his approval. She destroyed herself for him. But it wasn't enough for him. He tore their family apart for a shred of power. He tossed them aside without a thought, with no guilt.
Azula wanted to kill her father. She imagined what he would say, what his final words would be as he died by her blade. What regrets he would have, what his eyes would look to as the world faded. Azula fantasized about her hands around his throat. Everything that he had done to them, to her mother, to Zuko, given back to him tenfold. She wouldn't grant him a slow death. He deserved to suffer, to have everything taken from him before his demise, just as he had done to her.
Gran Gran had always told them that hearing a loved one's voice was important to the healing process. When one of them was sick or hurt, she would sit by them and regale them with stories. Katara had many fond memories of Gran Gran's raspy voice soothing her to sleep. So she made sure that Zuko could always hear them talking.
Zuko healed slowly. With plenty of water to work with, Katara had instantly set to work that morning to finish healing his injuries. The broken nose and ribs would take more time. His burns would also take a few more sessions to treat, but they already looked so much better.
Toph and Sokka left for about an hour before coming back with two rabbits, which Katara made into a stew. For Aang she cooked a batch of rice and pickled vegetables. They spent the rest of the late morning and early afternoon just resting, hiding from the hot sun in their shelter. She vaguely heard Sokka and Azula discussing where they would go next, but it wasn't very urgent since Ozai had no ship or tanks to chase them with.
It was finally starting to cool off a little when it happened.
Zuko sat up suddenly, his hair in disarray and his eyes disoriented. He stared at them dazedly for a moment, while they stared back in shock. Then, when it finally registered for them that he was awake, they all scrambled to get to him.
The soup kettle went flying as Azula launched herself across the room, and Katara just barely managed to bend the soup back before it splashed over everyone. Aang had tried to get up but stumbled over their bedding, and Sokka tripped over him. Toph just sat there and cackled as everyone fumbled over each other.
Katara was smiling so widely that it hurt. Zuko was awake! He was still so pale, his nose crooked and his eyes exhausted, but he was alive! It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.
Azula was hugging him tightly, her face buried in his shoulder. He winced slightly, but instantly wrapped his arms around her. Katara and the others hovered impatiently to give them some space, but as soon as Azula lifted her head they were on them. She just needed to touch him, to know for sure that he was okay.
For a good minute they were babbling over each other excitedly.
"How are you feeling? Do you need more blankets?"
"Are you hungry? Here, we have soup!"
"You scared us, sparky!"
Zuko looked startled as soup and blankets were shoved in his face. He winced again, his bandaged hand going to his head. "What?" he mumbled. "What is happening?"
"Give him some space!" Katara snapped suddenly. She didn't like how overwhelmed he looked. He had a concussion, after all. Everything was going to be too much for him. Everyone scrambled back, except for Azula, but Katara didn't think anything would pry her away.
"How are you feeling?" Katara asked gently.
"Fine," he said. He winced again.
"Want to try that again?" Sokka asked.
"Bad." Zuko rubbed head again. "How did I get here? Last thing I remember was being on the ship." He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes.
"We kicked Ozai's ass and rescued you." Sokka boasted.
Katara uncapped her water pouch and bent out the water as the others recounted what happened. She heard Zuko sigh as she placed the water on his head and began healing. Head injuries were tricky, and while she felt completely unqualified to treat it, she did her best. She could feel the chi twisted up beneath his skin, pulsing in a way that she just knew was painful.
Azula insisted that he eat some soup, which he managed only a few mouthfuls. After a few minutes, his eyes began to droop. Healing was exhausting. He needed to rest some more.
She felt a surge of protectiveness over him as he leaned heavily against her. Everyone in the room at once was too much for him, so she told them to make themselves scarce while she finished healing. Toph dragged Aang outside to begin earthbending. Sokka left to try fishing in the stream. That left Katara and Azula alone with him.
They laid him down gently in Azula's lap. Azula began to stroke his hair gently as he fell asleep. Katara unwrapped the bandages on his hands and ran her water over the burns again. They had faded from a bright, angry red to soft, pinkened skin. They might be sensitive for a week or two, but they shouldn't scar.
Zuko didn't need anymore scars.
"I'm Shu, this is my partner Jing, and our friend… Mushi."
Iroh leaned around Song's back and frowned at Piandao. This was revenge for him confusing the white jade bush with the white dragon bush, which was an honest mistake and could happen to anyone. He tried to scratch at the rash again, but the girl slapped his hand away.
"You three must not be from around here." Song lathered a salve into his skin, which immediately relieved the maddening itch. "We know better than to touch the White Jade, much less make it into a tea and drink it."
"We knew better," Fat muttered. "It was Mushi who didn't listen."
Song chuckled. "You all look like you could use a good meal. Why don't you three stay for dinner?"
Iroh perked up at the chance for a hot meal. "Oh, we would be delighted."
"Mushi," Piandao said through gritted teeth. "We should really be going."
"That's a shame. My mother always makes too much roast duck."
"Where exactly do you live?"
"Stop it."
Azula jumped. She didn't even know that he was awake.
"Stop what?"
"Stop blaming yourself for something that's not your fault." He said softly.
Her hand spasmed in his grip. "You almost died again."
"You weren't the one who tried to kill me, Zula. We've talked about this."
She knew that. She knew that. But she couldn't help the way her mind worked, couldn't help the churning in her gut.
"Are you okay?"
She closed her eyes to stop the tears. "No. Are you?"
He snorted softly. "No."
They listened to the fire crackle for a while. The firelight danced on his scars.
"I missed you."
Her breath caught in her throat. "Zuzu-"
"He came down to see me twice. Beat the shit out of me each time."
"Stop it." She croaked.
"But I didn't care, because I knew that you were safe."
Hot, fat tears began to drip down her face. "You're an idiot."
"I made him angry." Zuko chuckled darkly. "Called him a failure."
Azula laughed wetly. "How did he take that?"
"Badly," he grinned. "You should try it next time we see him. It really pissed him off."
She sniffed loudly, leaning forward until their foreheads pressed together. They were both crying now.
"I love you."
"Love you too, Zula."
"Thanks for not ratting me out!"
Piandao's heart ached as he returned the boy's toothy smile, haunted by memories of Zuko and Azula. The boy grabbed the reins from him and began to pull.
"I'll take you to my house and feed your ostrich horses for you. Come on, I owe you!"
He didn't have the heart to say no. Iroh and Fat followed them up the path, finally reaching a run down farm.
A man approached them warily. "You a friend of Lee's?"
Lee jumped up and down. "This guy just stood up to the soldiers! By the end, he practically had them running away!"
Piandao bowed.
"Anyone who can hold their own against those bully soldiers is welcome here. Those men should be ashamed to wear Earth Kingdom uniforms."
"I agree," Piandao said. "I am Shu, and these are my partners, Jing and Mushi." Iroh grumbled behind him. "We are traveling to Ba Sing Se."
The man's wife approached them. "Supper's going to be ready soon, would you like to stay?"
They couldn't say no to that, since their supplies had been taken by the soldiers. Iroh and Fat helped him patch the roof up with Gansu, who proved to be a trustworthy and honest man.
"It's nice to have more help around here, we've been short since Lee's brother joined the army," he said. "Sensu couldn't stand to watch injustice."
Piandao glanced at Iroh, who was now hammering with more force than necessary. He knew the man deeply regretted his time as a Fire Nation General.
"I understand," he replied, thinking of Ursa, Zuko, and Azula. Their deaths still weighed heavily on him. He felt Fat place a hand on his shoulder, their minds in the same place.
"And now these soldiers are abusing their power since most of the men left for the front. They're just as bad as the Fire Nation."
"There are always people who prey on the vulnerable." Fat said heavily.
"You're right about that." Gansu sighed. "I can't afford to do anything about them. If I lose the farm then Sela and I will have nothing left."
Dinner was delicious. Lee chattered about all kinds of things as they ate, his mouth barely stopping for his food.
Sela and Gansu were kind enough to let them stay the night in the barn. Fat and Iroh fell asleep instantly, their snores keeping him awake.
Someone crept into the barn, silent as a shadow, and grabbed his sword. Piandao felt a smile creep on his face as they left.
"You're holding them wrong." Lee jumped and spun around, the dual dao heavy in his hands. He hung his head as Piandao approached.
"I just wanted to practice," he said. He held out the swords. Piandao took them.
"These are dual swords." Piandao placed them together. "You cannot think of them as separate, because they are not. They are two halves of a single weapon."
He slid into a kata as demonstration, cutting off a sunflower head smoothly.
"Wow!" Lee gasped.
Piandao held the swords out again. Lee clumsily followed his instructions, his small face rigid with concentration. Piandao took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in his heart. Lee turned around when he was finished, his hesitant smile widening when Piandao nodded with approval.
"Could you show me more? I need to learn all I can before I join Sensu in the army."
This boy would need to learn to defend himself, but the thought of a child joining the army made his stomach churn. Conscription was at age sixteen in some regions. Even the Fire Nation had mandatory military service at age eighteen. This boy couldn't be older than twelve.
It will all be over this summer, Piandao reminded himself. If they succeeded in their mission, then Lee would never need to join the army, and his brother Sensu would come home.
"Let's start with some meditation."
"You should have seen it, Zuko, it was hilarious!" Sokka laughed. "I think I broke his arm, I definitely heard a crack."
"And then he ran away." Katara added.
"Right!" Sokka slapped his thigh. "What a little bitch."
Zuko was sitting up on his own now, but Katara stayed close by just in case. His ribs were still tender, so she would make him lay down again soon. It was just her, Zuko, and Sokka in the shelter. Toph, Azula, and Aang were outside bending together. From what she's heard, Aang still had not successfully bent earth yet, but she had no doubt that he would get it soon.
She desperately wanted to be alone with Zuko, but Sokka wasn't getting her subtle hints. They had not truly been alone since the Cave of Two Lovers. They hadn't even had the chance of talking about what this was… and maybe they never would, if Sokka kept rattling on about stupid stuff.
Well, if he wasn't going to listen to her, then she would have to make him leave in the only way she knew how. She leaned closer to Zuko and held his hand. Zuko startled, glancing between her and Sokka. Katara winked. He turned a deep crimson color as she pecked his cheek.
"Ew!" Sokka scrambled backwards, pointing at them indignantly. "Leave that oogie boogie stuff for when I'm out of the room!"
"What?" Zuko spluttered. He turned to her in confusion as Sokka dashed outside. "How does he…?"
"He found out." Katara shrugged. "Both him and Azula."
"And they're okay with it?"
"They had actually placed a bet on us."
"Wow." Zuko shook his head. "That's way better than last time."
Katara suddenly remembered how Azula had said she wasn't allowed to mess with Zuko's love life anymore. "What happened last time?"
He laughed nervously. "Um… there was this guy that I liked, but Azula got really jealous. She outed us as firebenders to scare him away."
"That's… really smart."
"It was messed up." Zuko chuckled. "But it worked. Jet wanted nothing to do with me after that."
Wait. Wait wait wait. Hold the fuck up.
"JET?" She shrieked.
Zuko gaped at her. "What? That was his name."
"Bushy hair? Crazy eyebrows? Two hook swords? You hooked up with that Jet?" She shouted.
Zuko shushed her. "No! We just kissed! Wait, how do you know him?"
"Because I also kissed him!"
They stared at each other for a moment.
"Oh spirits," Zuko covered his face. "We kissed the same guy?"
Nope. This wasn't happening. Katara wanted to forget this ever happened.
"...how is he?"
"Excuse me?" Katara raised her eyebrows. "Why do you want to know?"
"What am I supposed to say?! I don't know what to do in this situation!"
"Asking how our ex is doing is not the right thing to say!"
"Here," Sela handed them a package. "This ought to last you a few meals."
Piandao bowed to her. "Thank you."
Their ostrich horses stood ready for them to leave, but Piandao lingered for a moment. Lee gazed up at him sadly.
Before he could think of something to say, a dust cloud formed at the base of the hill. The bully soldiers were back, each of them riding an ostrich horse.
"What do you think they want?" Gansu asked nervously.
Piandao, Fat, and Iroh glanced at each other. This was going to be trouble.
"What do you want, Gow?" Gansu placed a protective hand on his wife and child.
"Just thought you ought to know that your son's battalion got captured." Gow smirked. "You boys hear what the Fire Nation did with their last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?"
Piandao's heart clenched. He heard Iroh exhale shakily beside him.
"Dressed them up in Fire Nation uniforms and put 'em in the front line unarmed, the way I heard it." A soldier sneered. "Then they just watched."
"You watch your mouth!" Gansu snapped.
Piandao could hear the blood rushing in his ears. When Gow's face twisted angrily, his arm raised to strike, Piandao slid in front of the family, with Iroh and Fat supporting him. The group was dispatched so quickly that some hadn't even dismounted from their ostrich horses yet. Gow cowered beneath his swords.
"You are not going to disturb this family, or any other family here." Piandao said calmly, letting the tip of his blade dip closer to Gow's throat. "I will know about it if you do."
Gow nodded as best he could under the blades. When Piandao let him up he pushed his soldiers out of the way. They scrambled back onto the ostrich horses and galloped away.
"Wow!" Lee cheered. Gansu and Sela, however, looked apprehensive.
"He's going to be back." Sela said in resignation.
Gansu shook his head. "I'm going to the front. I need to get Sensu back."
Sela's eyes welled up with tears. "Gansu, what will happen to the farm? What about Lee?"
"What's going to happen to my brother?" Lee asked quietly.
Piandao sheathed his swords. He was tired of injustice. Tired of standing by while children were slaughtered. For too long the White Lotus had hid in the shadows, allowing the war to continue. It was time for them to do something.
"Stay with your family." He placed a hand on Gansu's shoulder, but looked down at Lee. "We work with an organization that can help your brother. I will send them a missive as soon as I can."
"Hey."
Zuko smiled and patted the ground beside him. "Hey."
Toph sat beside him. He was finally allowed to move around, while under strict supervision. Katara and Azula were not far away, only giving him a little space after he pleaded with them. He knew that they were just worried, but their affections were almost suffocating. He just wanted to relax near the stream.
Toph dug her feet into the ground nervously. "How are you?"
He shrugged. "I'm fine."
"Good, you're not lying." She punched his arm lightly. "You had me worried there."
"Sorry."
"Why are you sorry? It was my fault."
Zuko snorted. "Was it your fault that my father is a homicidal maniac?"
She winced. Zuko instantly felt guilty. "That was a bad joke, sorry."
"Stop apologizing." Toph took a deep breath. "Katara told me it wasn't my fault either. But I was the one who ran away. And I should have felt them coming."
"That's how my father works." Zuko said. "He has a knack for finding our weaknesses. We were all so exhausted that it was bound to happen one way or another."
She paused, her teeth worrying her lip. Zuko winced, worried that he was being too blunt. But she would feel out a lie in an instant.
"And I thought that my father was bad."
Zuko laughed.
"Kyoshi warriors?" Iroh mused out loud. A group of them were helping a man load his cart, their colorful uniforms such a lovely sight in such a dreary village.
One of the girls was directing them, her headband glinting impressively. Iroh drifted closer, intrigued. If Kyoshi warriors were joining the war effort, then surely they were working with the Avatar.
The girl noticed him. She smiled, but her eyes remained sharp. "Do you need something, sir?"
"Oh no, miss." He chuckled. "I was simply curious. I thought that Kyoshi warriors never left their island."
"Normally we don't." The girl said. "But the Avatar inspired us to help people. We're escorting refugees to Full Moon Bay."
"Full Moon Bay you say?" Iroh couldn't believe his luck. "The ferries there take you to Ba Sing Se, if I remember correctly."
"Yes they do."
"Do you think that we can join you?"
"I think your ribs will be fully healed after a few more healing sessions."
"Thank you, Katara."
She loved the way her name sounded on his lips. Katara stopped healing for a moment, her hands trailing down his arms. The scars there were old and could not be healed. His hands and throat, luckily, had healed completely. She was glad that she could undo some of the damage his father had done to him.
He grabbed her hand. "Hey, you okay?"
They were alone again. Aang was still struggling to earthbend, so Toph and Azula were drilling him nonstop. Sokka was off doing "manly" things, whatever that meant.
She squeezed his hand. "Just thinking."
"About what?"
"About how close we were to losing you." She couldn't stop worrying about it. She had only known Zuko and Azula for a few months, but she couldn't imagine life without them now. They were her family.
"You didn't lose me, though." Zuko reached up and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."
She couldn't help it. Katara leaned forward and kissed him properly this time. His hands instantly went to her face, caressing her as they were lost in each other.
"Is this really happening?" Zuko breathed when they pulled apart. "Is this real?"
"Of course it's real." She sighed into his lips.
"Then what does that make us?"
"You're my boyfriend, silly." She blushed, but giggled at the awestruck expression on his face. He laughed with her.
He kissed her again. Katara let her worries melt away. Zuko was safe. He was her boyfriend, and there were many more kisses to come.
Aang's stomach twisted as he ducked out of the tent. He had only gone in to grab his glider, but found Zuko and Katara… busy… instead. They didn't even notice his surprised squeak. When did that happen? And why didn't they tell him?
He had a crush on Katara the moment that he laid eyes on her. She was the one who found him in the iceberg, who always believed in him. He loved her. What did she even see in Zuko?
Aang stomped back to Toph, who was getting frustrated with his inability to bend earth. He was thinking too much like an airbender, she had said, and Aang didn't get it until now. He needed to be tougher. He needed to face things head on.
Maybe if he had the guts, he would have asked Katara out first.
Aang smashed the rock clean in half.
"This food is rotten!" Iroh tossed it overboard.
Piandao chuckled. "We have enough of our own rations to get by."
"But I wanted something hot." Iroh pouted. "And I ran out of tea."
"Excuse me?" Piandao turned around to see a group of children standing behind him. "Are those dual dao?" One of them asked.
Piandao noted the twin hook swords in the boy's hands. He smiled. "Yes," he drew them out with a flourish. "I made them myself."
The boy grinned. "I'm Jet, and these are my freedom fighters."