An Unwanted Engagement
With the leader of the invading army having abandoned his men (and never seen again after that point), the rest of the Fire Nation soldiers put up a decent fight, but with the light of the full moon to aid them, and Aang getting aid from the Moon and Ocean Spirits to go into the Avatar state and force the attacking ships to retreat in a massive show of power, the battle ended fairly quickly, but in the chaos Sokka and Yue did not have any time to explain anything to Aang and Katara.
They, of course, had every intention of explaining things as best they could once they had a moment to. It seemed whatever had caused Sokka and Yue to remember what they could only conclude was their past lives had not extended to Aang and Katara. Katara was Katara, and Aang's own past lives were quite thoroughly documented and didn't appear to include the cultivation world.
However, while they had every intention of telling Aang and Katara, telling anyone else was not really something they wanted. It would be almost impossible to prove, and neither of them wanted to waste energy arguing with people who they knew were wrong. Maybe they'd tell Yue's family, if only so she could dissolve her engagement to Hahn and be free to be with her soulmate instead ("Because what else could you be? Having found me in two lives," Yue had teased). But everyone else would probably be told on an as-needed basis.
Unfortunately, such a choice was taken away from them when Hahn saw them across the meeting hall holding hands.
"HEY!" he shouted as he stormed over. "GET AWAY FROM HER, SHE'S MINE!"
Sokka turned to face Hahn, having not gone through everything he did as Jin Zixuan and Sokka just to let his (former? future?) wife marry someone else. Especially not someone who treated Yue as an object and was only interested in her for 'the perks'.
So he took a page out of his brother-in-law's book (though he'd been trying very hard not to think of the last time he'd seen Wei Wuxian), and decked Hahn right in the face.
This turned out to be a mistake as the second his fist made contact he knew exactly who Hahn used to be. The revelation was not really a happy one.
"Cousin?" the former Jin Zixun asked, blinking dazedly in bewilderment up at him from where he'd landed from the punch.
Sokka scowled down at him. "Jin Zixun, you keep your filthy mitts off my wife!"
Hahn blinked at Yue, things slowly processing in his head. "Wife? Then she's-" His face then took on an ugly scowl. "I don't follow your orders anymore, A-Xuan," he snapped, clearly unwilling to give up those perks he bragged about in marrying Yue, not even for the cousin in his last life whom he knew adored her. "She's my betrothed now. Not yours."
"No," Yue spoke up. "You are not."
Hahn looked over to see the princess reach up to take off her betrothal necklace and drop it at his feet.
"I no longer care what my father might say about it, but never in any life would I agree to marry someone who tried to murder my little brother," Yue said, her voice perfectly polite but far colder than the ice around them.
Hahn's face began turning red with fury. "Little brother?" he all but shrieked. "That dog killed me! He killed Zixuan! And you're still defending him?!"
"Always," Yue in an absolute tone.
"And that was an accident!" Sokka protested, turning to Yue so he could impress this fact on her. "I saw his face when it happened. He was freaking out! It was a disaster and I just got caught in the crossfire and made things worse. He didn't mean to kill me. He'd never do that to you, Yue."
"I know he wouldn't," Yue agreed, having never doubted it for a second.
"My death sure wasn't an accident!" Hahn yelled indignantly. "He cursed me!"
Yue looked back at him coldly. "And I told you a thousand times, he wouldn't. Do you know why?"
"Why?!" snapped Hahn in outrage.
"Because you were beneath his notice," Yue said simply. "In fact, on the day you shamefully ambushed him, I doubt he even remembered your name."
Hahn's face had long passed red and was rapidly turning to an incensed purple, and his expression made it clear that Yue had been right on the mark. Perhaps they didn't have to worry about him insisting on marrying her after all, given Hahn looked like he now loathed the sight of her.
At that moment Pakku gave a pointed cough, and the three former Jins glanced up to realize they'd just had that yelling match in front of basically the entire Water Tribe.
There was really no keeping it secret after that.
Updating the Family Tree
After giving a general explanation as best they could, several more arguments with Hahn, and an official dissolving of Yue's betrothal to him (because while Chief Arnook didn't look quite sure he believed what was happening, he wasn't about to keep his daughter engaged to someone who disrespected to her the way Hahn did), Katara and Aang finally managed to drag Sokka and Yue to Yue's room for privacy.
"So," Katara said, rounding on the couple and looking ready to burst from confusion. Something was going on with her brother and she was going to get to the bottom of it. "Let me get this straight. When Zhao was giving his evil monologue about becoming the Moon Crusher, or something like that, Yue all of a sudden remembered a past life of hers. And after she did, remembering them suddenly became contagious, and now Sokka, Zuko, Hahn, and Zhao all remember their past lives too."
Sokka scratched his chin and said, "Yeah, that's pretty much it."
"How?" asked Katara, throwing her hands up in the air.
Sokka just shrugged, and Yue didn't look like she had any explanation either, frustrating Katara further.
"That's so cool you have past lives too," said Aang brightly, accepting it instantly, but also still brimming with questions. "I mean, I knew everyone else reincarnates too, but no one knows who they were before like I do. Now we can have a Past Lives Club! Are they like me and Roku? What are they like? Do your past selves help you and give advice? Is that why Zuko could suddenly do that thing with the lightning?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, Aang," Sokka said, raising his hands like that would stop the bombardment of questions being thrown at him.
Yue giggled into her hand, before explaining, "I don't think we're connected to those past lives the same way you are, Aang."
"What do you mean?" asked Katara. Isn't Aang's way of doing it just how past lives were done?
Sokka frowned slightly as he tried to think of the best way to describe it. "It's like, you and Roku may be reincarnations, but you're… separate. You don't remember being an old man in the Fire Nation or being Avatar Kyoshi, or any of them. But for me, there's no separation. It's like I just remembered a whole bunch of old memories I'd forgotten. Like where my last memories of being Jin Zixuan end I blink and my earliest memories of being Sokka begin. I mean, I'm still Sokka, but now I remember some extra stuff and maybe like or dislike some other people more than I did before because they used to be someone I knew," he described, and Yue nodded in agreement.
"Jin Zixuan, was that your name?" asked Katara thoughtfully.
"Yep," said Sokka, puffing himself up proudly. "Heir to the Lanling Jin Sect and ranked third in the list of most handsome men around."
Katara snorted in disbelief, only to grow even more incredulous when Yue laughed and said, "Oh yes, I remember that. You were certainly handsome enough. But A-Xian and A-Cheng were convinced either you or your father bought that placement on the list for you. That there's no way you would have beaten them otherwise since they were right behind you as fourth and fifth."
That took the wind out of Sokka's sails, and he pouted at her. "I did not!" but couldn't deny the possibility that his former father, Jin Guangshan, could have done so behind his back.
"I believe you, Sokka," said Aang, ever a bastion of cheer. "So what were you guys like back then? All my past selves had pretty different personalities. Were you any different?"
Sokka looked thoughtful. "I don't think I was all that different from how I am now. The only difference is back then I was part of a rich family, so maybe I was a little more-"
"Vain. Arrogant. Judgemental." a new voice cut in, making them all jump.
They whirled around to see none other than Prince Zuko climbing in through Yue's window and still listing off negative attributes. "Rude. Ostentatious. Didn't recognize a good thing until it was literally beaten into your skull." He paused and shot a look at Sokka. "I can give more if you want me to, Peacock."
Aang and Katara immediately began reaching for their weapons, but before anything could be thrown at him, they were shocked to see Yue hurry over to pull him into a hug with a delighted cry of, "A-Cheng!" and then immediately began to fuss over his injuries.
"Uh, does this mean we're not fighting?" asked Aang as he watched the two royals embrace.
Sokka sighed heavily through his nose before replying. "Yeah, probably not," he said. "Unfortunately, remembering those past lives came with the knowledge that Zuko is actually family."
Katara's head snapped around to stare at him in alarm. "Please tell me Zuko isn't our new brother or something?" she asked.
"No, no, Katara, don't worry." Sokka said, watching as she let her guard down before adding. "It's worse than that, actually. Zuko's not my brother, he's Yue's. He's our brother-in-law."
Katara looked horrified.
Aang cocked his head. "But you're not married?"
"Yet!" Sokka, Yue, and Zuko all said in unison. To them, it was a foregone conclusion.
"Oh, congratulations," Aang said brightly. "Wasn't A-Cheng that name Yue mentioned before? Does that mean he was fourth or fifth most handsome?" he asked.
Katara gave Aang an envious look that he was able to just roll with this. Then again, it wasn't his family being turned on its head.
"Fifth," Sokka admitted, before smirking and adding, "Well, before he was black-listed for his temper and unreasonable demands at the matchmaker."
That made Katara laugh. There was no arguing about his temper but, "How unreasonable?"
"I heard he had an entire floor-length list of characteristics any girl had to have for him to even consider dating her," Sokka said gleefully.
Over where he was getting mothered by Yue, Zuko shot Sokka a glare and grumbled, "I'm going to kill Nie Huaisang." He had no doubt who had spread that rumor around. Wei Wuxian had only spilled it to him once when drunk, and he'd already gotten back at his brother for that.
Yue, meanwhile, gave him a look. "Tell me what happened. You were already injured before you fought Katara, but I haven't heard any of my soldiers say they fought you. You came to the North Pole, desperate and battered and I want to know why."
"And if you're Yue's brother now, can you please stop trying to capture me?" Aang called over from behind her.
Zuko heaved a heavy and reluctant sigh. "Not too long ago, Zhao tried to kill me. He stole my crew and hired those pirates we met before to blow up my ship with me on it. It was lucky they did it when Uncle was out for a walk, I barely made it out," he admitted.
Yue, Aang, and Katara looked horrified while Sokka looked grim, but knowing Zhao had been Wen Chao he and Yue were unsurprised he'd sink so low.
Zuko then managed to extract himself from Yue's concerned hands and dropped to his knees to bow in front of Aang, who grew even more shocked.
"I can no longer, in good conscience, continue to target you," he said, his voice low and even. "As a former victim of genocide myself, I will not target others of that fate. I was part of that once, and not again. Especially not to one I have no grudge against, and someone my sister holds dear. Please accept my sincerest apologies for the crimes my family in this life has made against you."
Aang gaped in shock but still managed to squeak out, "... I forgive you."
"What do you mean you were the victim of genocide?" Katara asked, horrified.
Yue pulled Zuko up from his bow and moved him to sit down on some furs. "In our last life, I was Jiang Yanli, and he was Jiang Cheng courtesy name Wanyin. We, and our adopted brother, Wei Ying, courtesy Wuxian, were the only survivors of an attack on our home territory. Everyone else, including our parents, was wiped out." She gave Aang and Katara a bitter smile. "It seems war has followed us into this life as well."
"What happened?" asked Aang in a quiet voice.
The three with reincarnated memories shared a glance before Yue started the tale. "Long ago, the five Great Cultivation Sects lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Qishan Wen Clan attacked…"
The three of them gave the younger two a heavily sanitized version of the Sunshot Campaign, leaving out some of the bloodier details. Aang and Katara may be facing a war now, but the two of them still retained their innocence, and none of those with new memories wanted to take that from them. So they didn't mention the fear, the pain, hatred, and the sheer number of dead. When talking about their brother, Zuko and Yue kept back what truly it meant to be thrown into the Burial Mounds, and glossed over what 'demonic cultivation' was when Wei Wuxian returned to turn the tide of war, no matter how much the younger two asked.
"Look, demonic cultivation is not something that exists in this world, and it's frankly not something I ever want to exist," Zuko said firmly, finally getting fed up with their needling.
Katara, who after several pleading looks from Yue had moved to begin healing the Fire Prince during the story, huffed and turned to Sokka for answers.
"It's strong but it's terrifying and kinda wrong so no one trusts you after you learn it and that's all you need to know," Sokka agreed.
"I trusted A-Xian to use it," said Yue firmly. "But only him. To anyone else the power might be too tempting, but A-Xian had no ambitions for such things. He only ever wanted to protect people and do what was right."
"Ever the hero," Zuko agreed while rolling his eyes like that was a bad thing.
"So what happened to Wen Ruohan?" asked Aang, finally moving on, and maybe hoping for tips on how to stop his own tyrant.
Sokka looked a little proud. "My half-brother in that life, Jin Guangyao, infiltrated the Wen's ranks as a spy and took him down when he least expected it. He risked his life to get us information during the war and was in just the right position to end it."
A disgusted snort followed that statement. "Yeah, after the battle was practically won. A backstabbing traitor from start to finish," Zuko spat, making everyone turn to him in surprise.
Sokka looked insulted and sputtered in defense of his former brother, Yue looked disappointed in him but also wondering what brought this on, and Aang and Katara just looked confused.
Zuko took a deep breath like he was trying to calm his temper, reminded himself they didn't know, and then turned to look Sokka in the eye.
"You were right earlier," he said grimly. "Wei Wuxian's causing it was an accident. But you being sent to Qiongqi Path to your death was not."
Sokka's eyes widened then narrowed. "What are you saying?"
"Rather convenient, wasn't it," Zuko said darkly. "The two of the main heirs to the Jin Clan dying in one fell swoop and the next heir in line far too young to lead. You were sent there so you and Jin Zixun would die. Therefore leaving Jin Guangyao, the unwanted illegitimate son who was never meant to inherit, to be the only viable heir to the clan."
Sokka gaped at him. "No, A-Yao wouldn't," he insisted. "He's… he's kind, he told me-"
"He's a venomous, two-faced scorpion-snake is what he is," Zuko snapped back. "He knew full well that spiteful weasel-rat, Su She, had really been the one who cursed Jin Zixun. But instead of reporting it, he cleared his way to the Jin throne by letting my brother take the fall."
"You know this for sure?" asked Yue, her expression grim.
"He admitted it himself, in front of Jin Ling no less," Zuko said. "When we finally found out all the terrible things he'd done over a decade later and confronted him, he told us everything just so he could twist the knife one last time, and all while playing the victim about it too."
Katara and Aang watched on wide-eyed as Sokka looked utterly betrayed and Yue's face grew pale. "What happened to A-Xian? And A-Ling?" she asked. If it took over a decade to learn the truth, then their brother would have been the one facing punishment for those crimes instead. And if Jin Guangyao really wanted the Jin throne so badly, who's to say he didn't go after the legitimate heir as well?
"Jin Ling was fine, I looked after him," Zuko assured her. "But Wei Wuxian, he was blamed, and… while the truth came out eventually, what happened to him in the meantime is not something I think I can talk about in front of them," he added, inclining his head at Aang and Katara as he did so.
Aang and Katara exchanged a glance. It was obvious from the way Zuko said it they really didn't want to know. Yue and Sokka probably didn't want to know either, but they needed to regardless.
Sensing the need to change the subject, Katara finished her healing and asked, "So, Zuko, why are you still at the North Pole anyway? I'd have thought you'd leave with the rest of the Fire Nation."
Zuko looked uncomfortable, but thankfully no longer pained. "Unfortunately that wasn't an option. Some of the guards with Zhao managed to get back to the ships and tell them about how Uncle and I attacked Zhao and cost them the battle. Uncle and I can only assume we're now being listed as traitors as we speak."
"So you couldn't leave with the Fire Nation, but why stay?" asked Aang. "You'd get in a lot of trouble if anyone finds you."
"Well, for one, I had to make sure A-Jie was alright," Zuko said with a glance at Yue. "For another, chances of me and Uncle getting past the Water Tribe patrols are slim to none right now. Everyone's still on high alert in case any of the ships the Avatar scared away come back. We plan to lay low and leave when things calm down enough to sneak past them."
"Lay low how?" Katara had to ask. Zuko and his uncle tended to stand out like a sore thumb.
"Apparently, Uncle has an old Pai Sho buddy up here who agreed to hide us so long as we don't cause any trouble," Zuko explained. "The fact we stopped Zhao had him give us the benefit of the doubt enough to help us."
"Have you told your Uncle any of this?" asked Yue, though it was clear her underlying question was, 'Do you trust him enough to tell him this?'
"He already knows the broad strokes since his friend told him about the confrontation with whoever Jin Zixun is now, but I haven't told him the details," Zuko said, looking uncomfortable again. "I'm going to, but I'm waiting for him to calm down a bit first. He worries. Besides, it's a long boat ride back to the Earth Kingdom, we'll need something to talk about."
Yue smiled and shook her head. She was glad her brother had someone to worry about him in this life, though she knew from experience his Uncle was only going to worry more the longer it took for Zuko to explain things. Zuko probably knew it too but was just trying to put off the mother-henning as long as he could.
"So what happens now?" asked Aang. "You said you weren't chasing me anymore, are you still going to side with the Fire Nation or what?"
Zuko sighed and crossed his arms. "It's complicated. On one hand, I do still care about the Fire Nation. Even if I am banished, I'm still the prince. Caring for my nation is my responsibility and birthright. Despite that, my father… he's not going understand any of this, nor is he going to forgive me."
"Forgive you for what?" asked Katara. "And what makes you think he won't He's your dad." She then blinked as she realized she was defending the Fire Lord to Zuko. This day had just been so, so weird.
Zuko didn't seem like he wanted to answer, but a look from Yue had him slowly saying, "It's been three years, and he still hasn't forgiven me for speaking up against a dishonorable battle strategy when I should have been silent." He then reached up to gesture to his scar. "And if this and being banished was the consequence of a child speaking out of turn, I don't want to know what my punishment would be for costing the Fire Nation such a crucial battle, no matter how stupid, shortsighted, and glory-seeking Zhao's plan was."
Everyone looked at him horrified.
"Oh, A-Cheng," Yue said softly. Her poor brother, once again gifted to parents who didn't appreciate him as he was, and until now she hadn't been there to protect him.
"Another complication is that with the perspective of my past, I can no longer agree with this war," Zuko continued, trying to move past that bomb he'd dropped quickly. "Be it a sect or a country, no one group should have that much power. I've seen the consequences and I don't want to see it again. And really, why would anyone want to rule… the entire… world…" Zuko trailed off as he had a terrible realization.
"What?" asked Sokka.
Zuko was silent for a long moment.
"Peacock," he finally said slowly. "If I were to describe my father as cold, power-hungry, ruthless, and arrogant enough to think he had the right to anything and everything, who would that remind you of?"
Sokka thought a moment before his face paled. "No!" he said.
"And given their similarities, do you think it's possible he might be a reincarnation of that person? And how bad would it be if he got his memories back too?" Zuko continued.
"NO!" Sokka said again, looking repulsed at the idea.
"Who are you thinking of?" Yue asked, having a hunch but hoping desperately she was wrong.
Both boys looked too horrified to answer. Finally, Zuko reached into a pocket of his clothes, and pulled out a small Earth Kingdom knife, before turning to look his sister in the eye. "A-Jie…" he said quietly. "I think… my father is the reincarnation of Wen Ruohan!"
And then, with a decisive cut, he sliced his high ponytail off his head.
After that horrifying realization, the three reincarnations made frantic plans never to encounter the Fire Lord and trigger his memories if they could help it. The odds were already stacked against them to defeat him before the end of summer when he was just a firebender (no matter how well Aang was coming along with his waterbending). But give him the knowledge and power of a cultivator who had very nearly reached immortality? No, defeating him then would become next to impossible.
However, they knew next to nothing about how these memories were being triggered aside from proximity and the fact they had all known each other in that last life. For all they knew, the Fire Lord might become triggered by someone else entirely. They could control their own movements to avoid him. They couldn't guarantee anyone else's.
So, just in case.
"We need to find A-Xian," Yue said firmly.
"As much as I'd rather demonic cultivation never come to this world, agreed," Zuko said.
"Given enough time, he probably would have beaten Wen Ruohan even without A-Ya-er- Jin Guangyao's help," Sokka agreed. "And I'm not risking Aang against him without backup. Heck, even if he is a plain ol' Fire Lord when they fight, making it easier for Aang would only help."
"Thanks, Sokka," said Aang, looking relieved. "I know I'm the one who has to defeat him, but any help from you guys or Yue's brother would be appreciated."
"We're here for you Aang," Katara assured him. "You won't have to fight him alone."
"When Uncle and I can finally leave here, we'll go to the Earth Kingdom to begin looking for him," Zuko said. "We can meet you there after you're done training here."
"You can meet us at Omashu!" Aang said brightly. "King Bumi is an old friend of mine, and I'll be learning earthbending from him."
Sokka and Katara both had to marvel at how quickly things had changed that they were actually planning to meet up with Zuko rather than avoid him.
"Sounds good," Zuko agreed and stood to leave.
"Wait, how will you get into Omashu? It was locked down when we visited," asked Sokka.
Zuko glanced at him, then made a gesture indicating his own presence here, in the Northern Water Tribe, in the bedroom of the princess, all of which he hadn't been invited to and were also locked down and well guarded. "I'll figure it out when I get there," he said.
"Zuko is really good at getting into places," Aang agreed as if he knew from experience.
Sokka looked embarrassed at the admittedly stupid question.
Katara giggled. "Aren't you so happy with your new brother-in-law?" she teased. "And here we're planning to add more. How many brothers do you even have?"
"That we knew of, eight," Zuko said with a smirk. "We counted."
Everyone, even Sokka, stared at him at that number. "Wait, what?" asked Sokka.
"One of A-Ling's friends asked him just how many uncles he actually had, so we did a headcount," Zuko said nonchalantly, then laughed at the look on Sokka's face, and added, "Though that's including all in-laws, sworn brothers, and the sworn brothers' little brothers."
Sokka sighed in relief but then did a quick count of his own. "Wait, am I miscounting? Why is there one extra brother than I can think of?" he asked in bewilderment. Realizing why that might be, he sent Zuko a pleading look. "Please tell me someone else got married or swore brotherhood after I died."
Zuko only smirked and didn't explain as he finally reached Yue's window. "I'll tell you about that next time," was all he said.
Sokka shot him a dirty look, before turning to Katara to reassure her, "But don't worry, Katara. You're my one and only sister."
Katara smiled, but anything she was about to say was cut off by a scraping sound as Zuko nearly fell out the window, making them all look at him again and see the troubled expression on his face.
"What?" asked Sokka suspiciously.
Zuko, looking very uncomfortable, admitted, "That's… not entirely true… you did have one sister I knew about."
"What? Who?" Sokka asked.
"Trust me, you don't want to know," Zuko said and hurried out the window before he could be asked anything else.
Having a suspicion of a possible reason why Zuko might be reluctant to answer, Sokka buried his face in his hands to muffle a frustrated scream, and Yue sighed knowingly and patted him on the back for comfort.
Katara and Aang got the sense this lost feeling they had when the reincarnations talked was going to become a trend.
"Katara," Sokka finally said, his face still buried in his hands.
"Yeah?" asked Katara, hoping for some explanation.
"Remind me to give Dad an extra big hug next time I see him," Sokka said. "He is SO much better than my last father."
"Sure, Sokka," Katara said, still bewildered. "I'll tell you that."
A/N This one is two segments in one. I probably won't normally post them together often, but the first part was short, and the second better sets things up. Things are a bit different from canon here since Tui wasn't killed, La wasn't totally lost in a rage so Aang just scared the invading ships away rather than smash anything. As for Zhao, yeah, he's dead. But if the one who did it was Zuko, La, both of them together, or Pakku suddenly coming in with a chair is up to you. Also, I'll try to add in Scum Villain's Self-Saving System and Heaven Official's Blessing references when I get the chance. Also, I got the number of brothers for Jin Zixuan from the funny 'Jin Ling's Uncle' video on Youtube.
As for everyone in this chapter, it touches on the thing that made me want to write this. Perspective. Getting their past life memories doesn't totally change a character as a person (especially since their past lives had a lot in common with the them of now), but it does change their perspective on things. Zuko switches sides early because as Jiang Cheng he's been on both sides of the genocidal army and does not want to do that again, and as Zuko he's honorable enough to admit when he was in the wrong (also he wouldn't do anything that would pit him against Yue, he's not losing his sister again). Yue now knows what it's like to be married to someone she actually loves and what a scumbag Jin Zixun had been, making her choice of partner much more obvious. She's also not going to let her brother suffer if she can help it. Sokka's going to have a bit of the opposite problem, growing up in an igloo in the South Pole will make him cringe at how spoiled he was as Jin Zixuan. He's also trying not to blame Wei Wuxian much for Yue's sake, but his frankly traumatic death will still come back to bite him later on. All three of them now have a new view on both war and peace and don't want to repeat the mistakes of their past lives.
A note about the Chinese honorifics. I'm going to try to use them when the characters talk about their past lives instead of translating anything, because, honestly, it feels wrong not to. However, I am not Chinese, am bad at languages, and even teaching for three years in Taiwan is not nearly enough to fix that, so if I make any mistakes please let me know.
If it's not clear, remembering your past life is now contagious. Let me know who you guess is the reincarnation of who.
Check out my Tumblr and AO3, it's the same username.