"... So, that's why I came here…" Said a sheepish Yue
Massaging his forehead with an exhausted expression, Madara stared at the runaway princess;
"Let me see if I've got this right… You have been having nightmares ever since the siege ended, and because you felt like a helpless damsel in distress during the whole ordeal, you started seeking methods to actually do something about it…"
Yue nodded.
"Then… you decided to talk to your father, the Chief, one of the most bullheaded traditionalists of your whole nation, Pakku aside… but we don't talk about him, about actually breaking a 'sacred tradition', and he not only refused but also got incredibly irritated, because of course he did…"
Yue nodded again.
"Finally … you had the ingenious idea of dipping, because of course you did, and came all the way here to train under Kaliya considering that you now view her like a new role model ever since she defended your homeland." Madara concluded by taking a breather, while watching Yue nodding again and again like a Pig Rooster.
"What did your father say about it?... Please tell me your father is aware of … This!" Demanded an exasperated Madara while looking straight into the Northern Princess' eyes. One could see bags forming under his eyes already.
"… Well… funny story… let's just say that he didn't say 'No' to my idea" she said giving him a forced beaming smile.
"MOTHER FU-"Madara was about to shout, but was instantly slapped on the back of the head by his mother figure, Nari, who carried a sharpened gaze towards her beloved 'adopted son'.
"Don't use such crass words in front of a Princess, Mr. Uchiha."
Waving her small hands in a panicky state, Yue tried to mediate "Please Miss Wulong, don't do that, Madara is the only one I know that would accept me in my circumstances, I am already bringing too much trouble just by being here, I don't want him being forced to behave differently, this is his home after all…"
Staring at the Princess, Nari's gaze softened "You wouldn't be saying that if you had heard how this man has been behaving since he was a kid, Princess, some of our employees have known him since he was nine and let me tell you one thing… This man's words used to make sailors blush by that age already! But now he is the face of this town… he can't be seen behaving like the crass hooligan that he used to…"
Madara kept staring at Nari with a twitching eye "What am I supposed to say? Monkey Feathers?!"
Nari simply stared back at him "Anything is better than your wide-range of F word usages, Mr. Uchiha…"
..
Madara kept staring at Nari for an awkward amount of time before simply turning away to walk back towards his home… the home where he could curse as much as he wanted… but one could hear him mumbling to himself
"Damn royalty…. Monkey feathers!.."
Although the day didn't start that well for the first and only Uchiha in the world, as the day progressed and transitioned to a second and third day, Madara couldn't help but take a note from Iroh's book and that led to the current situation;
"Ah… Jasmine tea, what a wonderful addition to such a beautiful day" Said a satisfied Madara, sitting on a reclining chair, drinking a wonderful blend of tea with some extra cookies while watching first hand what was happening in the wide plaza in front of him;
"MOTHER FUC-" A squealy female voice could be heard
"Princess! Don't curse, you are Royalty, you need to keep decorum in any and all circumstances!" Said Madara, interrupting the target of his political headaches
Yue could only stare at Madara as if she was about to murder him, but not before the huge 'ice boulder' that she was using all her might and skill to keep floating above her increased in size and weight.
"Ye better stop losing focus, Princess" A happily evil Kaliya smirked to the side, sitting on an ice block while drinking sake in one hand and bending the water with the other. "Otherwise I will be forced to add an ice floor underneath ye feet to make sure ye keep paying attention"
"Grr…." Was all that the Princess could say
"Alright, ice floor it is!" Kaliya said cheerfully.
"Ahhh…" Madara smacked his lips in satisfaction after enjoying a sip of his drink. "… it brings back good ol' memories…"
Poor Yue could only double her efforts and focus, staring down at the floor to help her concentrate, while listening to the evil maniacal laughs of the evilest couple she had ever met!
…
On the other side of the Earth Kingdom, things were not as cheerful as they were at the Uchiha Resort… Yue's opinion about it being fully ignored, of course… as a small team of four children wearing different colored clothes that clearly displayed different origins, kept discussing things in front of an exhausted and sleepy flying bison.
"WHAT!?" Shouted another squealy, incredibly high-pitched girl's voice.
"You heard me!" Shouted back an annoyed and pissed off girl.
"You are blaming ME for this?!" Shouted a blind girl with long flowing black hair while wearing a beige and green tunic, standing on her bare feet as she faced a taller tanned girl wearing a blue tunic.
The older girl made a 'Come On' move with her hands after throwing her green sleeping bag to the side.
Before any catfight could take place, a bald boy with an arrow tattoo on his head and dark bags under his eyes jumped in between them
"No!... No! She is not blaming you!" He tried his best to give the blind girl a friendly smile
"No, I'm blaming her!" Said Katara, from behind Aang.
Toph, not willing to take any shit, grabbed Aang by his face and threw him to the side like he had no weight whatsoever and came face to face with her opponent, a pissed and tired Katara.
The situation escalated so much that the blind girl decided to leave, and now the original trio stood beside a shedding Appa while Aang shouted to the skies;
"WHAT DID I JUST DO?!... I can't believe I just yelled at my earthbending teacher!"
Sokka decided to keep to himself during the whole ordeal, he did try to stop Toph but it didn't work, it seemed that he did learn…. Slowly, but… He improved!
….
Walking for several hours in silence, Toph finally sensed something through her feet and made a fissure with her feet, aiming towards a big rock nearby.
"OW!" An old voice could be heard "That really hurt my tailbone…."
Stepping closer, Toph noticed that her earth sense only captured this one person in the vicinity, so obviously it wasn't an ambush.
"Who are you?"
"Just an old man looking for the perfect tea leaves in the vicinity, have you seen a white flower with luscious green edges?"
Toph just deadpanned and pointed to her own eyes.
"Oh… I apologize, are you alone here?"
"… Yes, now I am…"
"Why don't you accompany this old man and have some good tea, then? There's no bad day that can't be improved with the right tea…"
Toph kept staring at the man, her sense could tell her the person she was talking to was a genuine good person, no lies detected. "Sure… Why not?"
As the duo of old and young reached a steadily built camp near the road around a mountain, not that far away from where they met, the old Iroh went straight to his teapot and started preparing it, all while humming a joyous song that he heard from the Resort the last time he was there, the old man liked music as well it seemed.
As they sat down by the campfire, Iroh handed Toph her cup after filling it "Here is your tea…. You seem a little too young to be traveling alone."
"You seem a little too old, " Toph replied after taking the teacup.
Iroh laughed joyfully "Perhaps I am."
"I know what you're thinking… I look like I can't handle being by myself."
"I wasn't thinking that."
"You wouldn't even let me pour my own cup of tea!"
"I poured your tea because I wanted to, and for no other reason." Said Iroh while giving Toph a grandfatherly smile, sadly she couldn't see it.
"People see me and think I'm weak. They want to take care of me, but I can take care of myself… by myself."
Iroh took a sip from his own teacup and then replied with a more serious tone "You sound like my nephew, always thinking you need to do things on your own, without anyone's support… There is nothing wrong with letting the people who love you help you. Not that I love you…I just met you…" The old General added with an awkward tone.
Toph on the other hand simply laughed "So… Where is your nephew?"
The old General caressed his long grey beard while showing a thinking expression "He should've been back by now, he went out hunting for food-"
"Uncle, look what I got!" Said a mildly excited Zuko as he showed up with a couple of dead Raccoon Crows that were as big as his torso. "Oh? It seems we have company…"
Iroh simply smiled, but he was very happy deep inside, his nephew seemed to get over that trance that took over him for a while, and ever since that one night when he was suffering from a fever, the young banished Prince woke up the next day with energy and his eyes were finally filled with life again.
"Oh yes, this is a fellow traveler, we met while I was out looking for those tea leaves that I told you about…"
"The possibly poisonous ones?"
"No, the possibly delicious ones!"
Zuko could only sigh, but their light banter made Toph laugh "It must be nice, to have a family that supports you…"
Zuko simply went to prepare the meat, starting with the whole defeathering process, while Iroh kept Toph company.
"You sound as if you are speaking from experience…" Iroh's voice carried a sad tone.
"Yeah…" The blind girl nodded "… My family doesn't support me, they never did and probably never will… and when I finally ran away to have my own life… me and my friends had some issues, and now here I am."
"Issues always arise when we start on a new path in life, things are never as simple as we expect them to be, but if we push through the barriers on our path… we always end up discovering new experiences that help us grow" Iroh said while sneakily looking towards Zuko "And through said growth… We discover who we truly are."
Toph lowered her head a little bit as if contemplating the old man's words "You know… my older brother said something similar to me… just less… wisely…"
Iroh laughed
"He was the only one that supported me… but he was… kicked out…" Toph said with a saddened expression, but those words quickly attracted Zuko's attention.
"Is that so? Did he do something bad?" The old general asked while, again, stealing glances at his nephew who suddenly grew interested in the conversation
Toph shook her head "No, he did what he believed was right… it's just that… my father didn't see it that way and kicked him out…"
Zuko couldn't help but hold his chest at those words, many expressions shifting on his face. "And… What happened to him?" he asked with an almost pleading voice, introducing himself into the conversation.
Facing up, not that Toph could see the sky but she could feel the wind gently touching her face, she said "He is doing good from what I've heard, at the end of the day… He proved that he didn't need my father to be successful, he earned it all by himself with his own hands… it is what the old man over there said… life threw him a wall and he just blasted his way through it… and now he is living more than well and is happy…. I just wish I could meet him again…"
"I… I see…." Were the only words that an emotional Zuko could say.
"We will meet again!" Toph turned a bit excited "And when we meet… I plan on beating the shit out of him for leaving me behind all of these years!" She concluded by punching her empty palm in front of her chest
"I believe he would be happy to see you…" Said Zuko, offering her a smile.
"Thank you for the talk, and the tea was great" Said Toph as she stood up "Old man, you are lucky to have a good nephew to keep you in check. Don't go wandering around like that… not everyone is as kind hearted as I am…"
Iroh chuckled "Noted, I shall be escorted by my beloved nephew here the next time I decide to go tea leaf hunting…"
"Sorry for taking up your time, I shall go back to my friends now… I know they need me"
"It was a pleasure. Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights."
"Hopefully we can meet again some time" Concluded Toph before jumping away from their location and using her earthbending to speed through her journey back.
"What an interesting earthbender, isn't she Prince Zuko?"
"She reminds me of Teacher, they look similar… " Said Zuko, staring at the fading girl's long black hair "Do you think that her older brother also resembles Teacher?"
Iroh shrugged "Who knows… perhaps…" his smile got wider as he watched Zuko reaction to their newest acquaintance.
Zuko kept staring at the horizon with many things running through his thoughts.
This is my favorite chapter so far.
i've written many chapters in both of my novels, but this chapter so far is my favorite of all of them.
It really shows the small and subtle changes, that some people overlook and judge to be insignificant, to merge into one big shift in the original narrative...
Zuko never left, Zuko Alone didn't happen. Toph having Madara as an elder brother figure and their own story was able to bring some light to Zuko in a very unique way.
This chapter is the summit of all changes that happened from the moment Madara stepped out of the Air Temble at the age of 9.
And it IS my favorite, it's what i want in a fanfiction, not a mass shift in tone, not a new MC to the OG story, and not an abysmal AU that seems like a complete new world instead of the original... no... it's subtle changes that are MEANINGFULL, it doesnt happen due to ONE talk, it take YEARS, slow building blocks falling on the right places.
Thank you all for the wait, this chapter took me a while to write, i wanted to get it right and i spent yesterday sleeping the whole day... XD
I'm not disappearing guys... i am not the Avatar!
Now you wonderful and patient sausages... have a great day, stay awesome and see you next chapter!
The sun was slowly setting on the horizon and the few buildings that were tall enough were casting a shadow over, what seemed to be, a ghost town in the middle of an arid environment in the central part of the great Earth Kingdom.
Two people in cloaks could be seen walking through the entrance, and they both couldn't help but look left and right, searching for a single living soul and not finding any.
"Are you sure this town has supplies, uncle?"
"That's what they told me in the last village I went to… but it seems something or someone arrived before us" said a serious Iroh while narrowing his eyes.
"What are you talking abo-" Zuko was interrupted by what looked like a blue fireball aiming upwards, towards the sky, from somewhere in the town.
"That's…" The banished Prince narrowed his eyes and dashed towards the general direction.
"Zuko! Wait..!" Iroh tried to stop him but it was in vain.
Running through the deserted streets, jumping through obstacles with the help of his acrobatic skills, Zuko finally arrived at what seemed to be a house in flames.
He wouldn't have tried to enter it if he didn't see the silhouette of a very distinct individual that he met not long ago, although for him it already felt like years had passed.
Lowering his body just like his teacher taught him, he nimbly dashed forward, doing his utmost best to not make loud noises, for he knew his target was not so easily deceived;
The closer he got, the harder it would be to continue stealthily, so when he deemed himself close enough, Zuko jumped while doing a spin kick. Intense flames igniting under his heels as a semi-circular wave of fire managed to strike his opponent, sending her towards the brittle walls that offered no resistance and broke due to the impact.
The one person trapped under the debris of what looked like a collapsed roof couldn't help but exclaim;
"Zuko?!"
Staring at the boy in front of him, with the familiar blue arrow tattoo on his bald head, filled Zuko with many urges. Urges to strike him, urges to continue on the path he has been on for years… but today… Today was different, his target wasn't the Avatar.
Not waiting a single second, Zuko jumped to the side. He was fast enough to dodge a nasty well aimed blue fireball that came out of his sister, his target's, two fingers.
"Ah… Zuzu, I was wondering where you've been…" said a slightly disheveled Azula, Zuko's sneak attack was actually effective and if she didn't sense an intense heat coming from the doorway, she would've been way worse. The back of her robes now sported a burnt, scorched mark that made her incredibly furious… not that she would display it…
"Zuzu?" Aang asked while holding back his laugh, he knew this was a serious situation but even that wasn't enough to tone down his easy going, lighthearted self.
"Now you know." Said Zuko as he ignited two flame daggers in a reverse grip and rushed towards Azula.
The fire Princess, seeing her brother's move, did the same, igniting two blue flame daggers as she also rushed forward.
On the deserted streets of the ghost town, two people faced one another. Striking fiercely and with precision, trying their best to defeat their opponent.
"It seems you did improve, just a little bit..." Said Azula while kicking her brother's ribs after a parry with her flame daggers.
"Urgh…" Zuko groaned as he staggered a bit, but then he stomped the floor sending a small wave towards Azula's path, forcing her to jump sideways and interrupting her advantage.
Azula was about to strike again, but she saw not only the Avatar coming, but his team mates, Sokka and Katara as well.
Lowering her stance, she was about to run away but the earth under her feet shifted abruptly and she was forced prone on the ground.
"I thought you guys could use a little help" said a snarky blind girl with long loose black hair.
"Thanks," Katara said with a smirk as the team and Zuko joined hands to push Azula back.
Knowing that she was in a disadvantageous situation, Azula slowly moved back until she was close enough to rush through one of the back alleys, her goal was to separate her enemies and catch them one by one.
Unfortunately, her path was blocked by Iroh, who bumped into her and forced her to stop in her tracks.
Being surrounded by everyone, Azula was finally backed into a corner. This was tougher than she expected… Honestly Zuko's skills had shocked her, she was not expecting him to be this good, she gave up on her armor to travel light and it seemed as if that was a misjudgment of hers.
Raising her hand she took a deep breath and a few extra bangs fell in front of her eyes, as her tunic and hair were not so perfect anymore;
"Well… Look at this, enemies and traitors… all working together" She said while scanning everyone, she then raised her arms in surrender. "I'm done, I know when I am beaten… You've gotten me… a Princess surrenders with honor..."
Zuko and Iroh were also shocked to see their newest acquaintance, the blind girl, so soon and in such circumstances, but they knew they had more pressing matters right now and focused on… unfortunately that was enough of a distraction for Azula to use as an advantage.
She did a spin while lowering her stance, aiming two fingers towards her target. Even in such a small window, she had decided whom she wanted to strike… Although her brother was becoming annoying, it was her uncle that was the serious threat here… Zuko would be destroyed without Iroh and she knew it, so with a single smirk she launched a very concentrated, precise and deadly jet of blue flames ignited from her fingertips towards the old General, hitting him in the side of his chest.
"Arrrgh" The old man expressed his pain as he fell on the floor.
Zuko's eyes went wide for a second and with determination and anger he used all his power and aimed the strongest fire blast he could towards his sister. This was the first time he actually attacked her with the aim of killing.
Toph, Aang, Katara and Sokka also joined in the attack, but Azula created a barrier of blue flames around her that exploded once all their attacks joined, sending everyone backwards and creating a cover of thick blackened smoke that aided Azula's retreat.
As everyone recovered and the smoke dispersed, Azula was long gone, and Zuko could be seen kneeling in front of his heavily injured uncle. Anger, resentment, fear and regret all merged into one single expression on his face.
"Get away from us!" He said while turning his face towards the team Avatar, but when he spotted Toph he stopped for a bit, closing his eyes and clenching his teeth hard.
Toph looked distressed, not only did she recognize Zuko's voice, but she also recognized their presence through her earth senses.
"Zuko, I can help!" said Katara as she approached, she had her fair share of complaints about Zuko but today they were on the same side, she wasn't that petty, she knew Iroh was a good man.
"I….. I…." Zuko didn't know how to react, his thought was to shout at them, telling them to leave them alone… but then he looked at Toph, he didn't know anymore, a mixture of emotions was destroying his rationale from within.
"Let her help, Zuko" Said Toph, stepping forward and trying her best as well.
Staying there in silence for a couple seconds, many different emotions shifted across Zuko's face, and then he did the only thing he could at the moment, he nodded with his head low.
Katara nodded back and took the water from her canteen and crouched on the other side of Iroh and started using her waterbending to heal the old General.
Aang and Sokka decided to not interfere, they noticed that the situation was incredibly unstable and anything could ignite the beginning of a new fight.
"He will be fine," said a tired Katara as she kept healing Iroh. "He wasn't hit in any vital area; it was between the chest and the shoulder."
Zuko simply nodded again, his eyes refusing to leave his unconscious uncle.
After what seemed like hours, but in reality, were only a few minutes, Katara retrieved her water and stood up with beads of sweat forming on her forehead as her vision started getting blurry.
Sokka approached and held her firmly, and Aang also decided to help.
Zuko simply stood there, ignoring the Avatar that was so close, tired and basically offering himself for capture, the Prince could see their situation, they were hungry, exhausted, sleepy… far from the optimal situation to escape him, the bout with Azula made them even worse…
But today…
"You should leave, we will be fine on our own now" Zuko said while staring at his uncle.
Sokka and Aang exchanged gobsmacked glances, Katara gave an exhausted smile and Toph nodded, approached him and gave a light punch on the back of his shoulder.
"The old man will be fine, Katara is good with that stuff" The blind girl said, surprising team Avatar with how close she seemed to the nephew-uncle pair, but also surprising Zuko with the certainty in the blind girl's voice.
He nodded, stood up and offered them one of the bags he and his uncle were carrying.
Aang looked confused, Sokka was suspicious and Katara was too tired to even react;
"Take it, there's enough food for a day…" he said.
"Why are you helping us?" Aang couldn't help but ask.
"You have been chasing us since the beginning..." Sokka added, his eyes narrowed.
Zuko simply stared at them and said;
"You healed my uncle, without him…." He couldn't even express it with words, but taking a deep breath and staring at Toph he added "…I was taught to return favors and I refuse to receive any help for free… beyond that….I…I'm trying to blast through a wall."
The group was confused, but Toph grinned at Zuko and even gave him a thumbs up, Katara also seemed very relieved and even happy with this turn of events
Team Avatar didn't stay for long, they grabbed the bag that Zuko offered and ran away, Aang couldn't help but look back towards the banished Prince as they sprinted through the arid plains.
Once they were almost out of sight, a bit of the confusion that the Avatar still had, was cleared and he smiled.
The day slowly passed; the sun was once again setting on the horizon as Iroh finally managed to open his eyes;
"Uncle!" Said a concerned Zuko. "You were unconscious, Azula did this to you…. It was a surprise attack…"
Slowly moving himself to rest his back against a half-destroyed wall of the house they were using as temporary shelter, Iroh commented with a bit of humor "Somehow, that's not so surprising…"
Offering a teacup to his uncle, Zuko continued to speak in a soft tone "I hope I made it the way you like..."
Taking a sip, Iroh took a pause…
…
..
.
"… yeah… that was…. Good, it's very… Bracing... "Said Iroh with a forced smile before throwing the rest of it away once he saw Zuko shifting his focus to filling his own cup.
"I've been thinking… It's only a matter of time before I meet Azula again…" said Zuko while staring at Iroh's eyes "I will need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her… even with my physical prowess I can't fully cover the gap… I hate to admit it, but Azula… she is…."
"A prodigy." Said Iroh with a calm and serene voice, but that term struck a nerve in Zuko, he even frowned and grinded his teeth.
"You need to acknowledge things how they are; you can't escape from reality and if you wish to grow strong, you cannot be shackled by illusions." Iroh said, in which Zuko could only nod;
"I know, she is better than me… but that only means that I have to work twice as hard," said the banished Prince with determination.
Iroh was half satisfied and half disappointed, satisfied because Zuko finally admitted something that years ago he would never have done, not out loud… disappointed because Zuko tunnel visioned on Azula and didn't notice that his advice was not limited to Azula alone.
"Very well… It is time for you to resume your training."
Hello! i hope yall enjoyed this chapter!!!!
I know that i focused a LOT on Zuko, but i can't deny... i like writing about him, he have THE BEST story out of all ATLA timeline, he is just too great and i always feel like... cutting it short to transition to other PoV would be outright criminal..
He is growing so much, changing so much, to the point where at this point in time, for the duration of Canon ATLA, he would be considered the MC while Madara would take a step back and be on the background for a bit.
One thing that i didn't want to do is to follow the worst of Avatar Fanfiction Tropes:
1- Dark Avatar (NO... JUST NO!... i hate this is even canon!!)
2- DBZ Energy Beams (ALSO NO! but its also.. fucking canon)
3- Replacing Aang for any reason (i hate this one so much, because it's the go to for most edgylords overthere... 'Aang is so goody2shoes, he is a pacifist, he is weak, he could've done this and that, he could've banged Azula and created a harem!'
Those three are the top of a long list of "I wont do it"
But what i will do it might be just up your alley :3 and if you are enjoying... stick around and see where this journey ends!
Have a great day you beautiful sausages, you are awesome and ... 2 days for my birthday! hurraaaay! i might not post that day btw...
Have a great day! stay awesome guys!
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT