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Unusual Circumstances	By : voyager Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Slash - Male/Male > Aang/Zuko Views: 5136 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is the property of Nickelodeon, Mike DiMartino and Bryan Koneitzko. I earn no profit from this, other than pure enjoyment

Chapter List
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Chapter 12

Where's our Avatar?

(Set During 'Sozin's Comet Pt.2')

Zuko sat there, with one arm draped around Aang for some time, eventually, they both drifted off to sleep. The first thing Zuko became aware of was the feeling of warmth he always got when the first rays of sunlight fell upon his face. The second thing Zuko realized was that his companion was no longer present. He smiled slightly, thinking Aang went inside to prepare breakfast or something equally silly, but charming.

Zuko was greeted with the sight of the rest of their friends coming downstairs, or out of the first floor bathroom. Katara looked around, and then at Zuko, "Where's Aang, wasn't he with you?" "I thought he came back inside," Zuko replied, his voice raised slightly.

Sokka and Suki walked in looking somewhat sheepish, they had clearly spent the night together. However, they both immediately noticed a sense of urgency charging the room. "What's wrong?" Suki asked her boyfriend's sister. "We can't find Aang, she told them," concern straining her voice.

Zuko immediately took charge. "Everyone spread out; search the house, and the beach!" It took all of twenty minutes for them to come up negative. "Do you think he ran away again?" Toph asked. "No," Sokka told her, "his staff and Appa are still here." "Well, then what do you think happened, oh great detective?" The blind earth-bender asked sarcastically. "Aang disappears before an important battle," Sokka said smugly, "it's pretty clear he's on a spirit world journey." Zuko pointed out the hole in Sokka's theory, "If that was the case, wouldn't his body still be here?" "Oh yeah, I forgot about that part." "So, what do you think we should do, Zuko?" Katara asked, and Zuko became uncomfortably aware of four pairs of eyes turning in his direction. "I'm not sure, why are you all looking at me?"

"Well," Toph explained, "you are kind of the expert at tracking Aang." "Yeah, what do you think we should do," Suki added her voice to Katara's question. "There is one other person who might be able to help us deal with the Fire-lord and Azula, I think I know where to find him, but we've got to head for the Earth-Kingdom right away."

Within thirty minutes, everyone was packed and ready to go, Appa was saddled and they were heading at the bison's best speed toward the great wall of the Earth-Kingdom's capitol, Ba-Sing-Se. Sokka asked, "Zuko, who is in the Earth-Kingdom that you think can help us, there's certainly no way Aang's there."

Zuko explained his plan, "On the day of the eclipse, I went to the prison in which my father had locked up my uncle." "He had already gotten himself out, disabling several guards along the way;" "They said he was like a one man army!" "I believe that he is going there to retake Ba-Sing-Se from the Fire Nation."

"How is he going to do that on his own, no matter how formidable he is?" Katara asked. "I don't think he's going to be alone, have you ever heard of the Order of the White Lotus? Zuko asked them. He was met with grins from their assembled company. "When we meet up with them, I'll find out what their plans are, and if they can spare anyone to help us in the Fire-Nation." "One way or another, we're going to end this war soon!"

Their group arrived at the wall of Ba-Sing-Se just after sunset. Zuko said "We should camp for now, and pick up the search in a few hours." Their group wanted to keep looking for Aang, but they had to admit, they were tired, and could use a short break, at least.

Zuko, Sokka and Toph began setting up camp, while Katara and Suki began preparations for a meal. Just as their meals were ready, and everyone settled in to eat, a vast rumbling sound interrupted their repast. Toph was the first to react, she was aware of the disturbance several seconds before the others. Huge pillars of earth interspersed with jets of fire sprang up around them. The group was quick to react, everyone dropped into a defensive stance almost immediately.

Just then, a familiar cackling laugh split the air. Sokka and Katara recognized it immediately, everyone else found it a little off-putting. "Well, what have we got here?" the voice behind the laugh asked. "Bumi," exclaimed Katara, "We're so glad to see you!"

"What's going on, we're surrounded by old people," Toph asked. "These are all great masters and friends of ours, Toph," Katara explained. Sokka and Katara recognized all of the faces, Bumi, the eccentric old king of the Earth-Kingdom city-state of Omashu, Piandao, the Fire-Nation's premier swordsman and sword-maker; who was Sokka's teacher, Jeong-Jeong, Aang's first fire-bending master, and Paku, of the Northern Water-Tribe, Katara's water-bending teacher.

"We're all part of the same ancient secret society," the master swordsman and sword maker; Piandao said. "The White Lotus," Sokka asked. "That's the one;" old Bumi said. "The Order of the White Lotus transcends the division between the nations, and has always been about truth and beauty and justice;" General Jeong-Jeong added. "A few months ago," said Piandao, "word was sent out that we were needed for something important." "It was sent by your uncle, a Grand Lotus," Paku said, "Iroh of the Fire-nation." "Where, where is he?" Zuko asked, hesitantly. Piandao pointed to a large tent in the center of the order's compound, "He's in there, Prince Zuko."

Zuko waited outside the tent, he knew his uncle was on the other side; however, he could not bring himself to go in. The last person he expected to come and try to offer support walked towards him. "What's wrong, Zuko," asked Katara. "He hates me," Zuko said, referring to his uncle, "He was always looking out for me, and I stuck a knife in his back!"

She asked him, "You're sorry for what you did, right?" "More than anything I've ever done in my life!" "Then he'll forgive you; Sokka and I were really mad at you too, remember? Now, we know that you didn't really want to hurt anyone, and we can't imagine not having you as our friend. You've come as far as any of us during the last year, Zuko; farther than most, in fact."

"Thank you, Katara, that means a lot, coming from you," Zuko told her, sincerely. "I'll be waiting here, if you want to talk some more," she told him. Zuko hesitated at the flap of the tent for just a few seconds, and then went inside. "Uncle," the prince whispered into the darkened tent. The old man was just waking up from a nap. He became aware of his young nephew in the darkness behind him. Zuko was silent for a handful of heartbeats while he tried to find the words to express what he was feeling.

Before he could say anything, Zuko found himself caught up in a fierce embrace that his uncle threw around his shoulders. "Uncle," he asked in a voice thick with emotion, "how can you forgive me so easily?" "I turned my back on everything you tried to teach me; I turned my back on you!" "I thought you'd be furious." "I was never angry with you, Zuko," Iroh told him; "I was sad because you'd lost your way, and I was worried that you were going to lose yourself." "I did lose myself, and my way, uncle," Zuko admitted. "But you found the right path again, and you found your way here, to me again, Zuko; and," Uncle Iroh continued, "You did it by yourself, on your own terms, you've finally learned to determine your own destiny."

"I didn't do it all by myself, I could not have done it by myself," Zuko told Iroh; "Had it not been for a lot of guidance from you, and a lot of help from some new friends." Zuko went to the tent flap and motioned for someone outside to come in.

"Uncle, you kind of know each other already, but I'd like to introduce you properly; this is my friend Katara; Katara, my uncle, General Iroh." Katara smiled at the old general, "It's an honor to finally meet you, Zuko's told us a lot about you, and how much you've meant to him over these last few difficult years." "It is a pleasure to properly meet you, Miss Katara." "May I assume you are here with the young Avatar and the rest of your companions?" "Actually, uncle," Zuko told him, "That's one of the reasons we're here; Aang is missing."

Iroh was disturbed by this news, for two reasons; One, the disappearance of the avatar was very troubling, in and of itself. The second reason had more to do with the way Zuko said it, there was a great deal of anxiety behind his words. "Perhaps, you should start from the beginning;" the wise general suggested, as he went to put on a pot of tea. "I'm not sure how you're going to react to this, uncle; but I think that… Zuko hesitated, but recovered his resolve when he felt Katara place her hand on his arm; "I've developed a relationship with Aang." Iroh had to admit that he was not completely surprised by this news, but he was surprised that Zuko could admit it so easily. The old general was diplomatic enough not to say it, however. "I see, how did you come to this knowledge, Zuko?"

Zuko looked at Katara, who nodded in encouragement; and the he said, "After I left the Fire-Nation, I had nowhere to go, so I joined Aang's group." "They were…understandably reluctant to accept me, at first." At this statement, Zuko gave Katara a small grin; and, Iroh let out a soft chuckle. "It took me a while to realize," Zuko continued, "That Aang and I had both been victims of unhappy pasts, and uncertain futures." "When we realized that we were more alike, than different; all the old anger went away, and a connection began to form."
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Unusual Circumstances