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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 34026 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, any historical figures or events, or easily recognizable persons, places or things. I make no profit from this work of fanfiction

Chapter List
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Chapter 261
Azula was curious. Mai was upset, which wasn’t anything new but her brother was not accompanying his precious Waterbender. The two of them were inseparable but lately only Ty Lee or the doctor had been with her. Azula waited until Mai had cried herself to sleep with a little help from pressure point manipulation to gently remove her friend’s head from her lap and place a pillow beneath it. She grabbed her lock pick set and walked the short distance down the hall. Her jaw dropped once she opened the door. The Zhao twins were dancing in the corner on either side of a half naked Mu. Zuko was on the bed cackling and banging his boot on the floor to keep the beat while the burlier twin sang.
“What in the name of Koh are you doing?” she yelled.
“I’m singing.”
“We’re dancing.”
“And I’m making music.”
They explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The princess turned on her heel and left when they chose to ignore her in favor of resuming their activities. She left the hotel in search of the Waterbender.

Katara and Ty Lee had just left the smokehouse when Azula found them.
“What the hell have you done to my brother?” Azula snarled yanking Katara’s arm and dragging her back to the hotel. This time when she entered the room, all of the boys were topless.
“Hey Ty-Ty! Come dance with me,” Zhao 1 muttered while approaching and scooping up Ty Lee. Apparently the statement was more of an order than an invitation.
“See, what is this? What have you done to him? To them? They are acting abnormal,” Azula demanded.
Katara smiled, “This is a party. This town is rather boring so we decided to have one to break the monotony. You’re welcome to stay if you’d like.”
The smoke made Azula’s nose twitch as she looked around the room, “No thank you, I prefer not to be around those touched by floral insanity.”
Ty Lee did not have the option. Zhao 1 was still twirling her around and singing a raunchy song about the proper enjoyment of body parts that did not apply to the female gender.
Katara was blushing profusely after putting away the groceries and she took a seat next to Zuko. Zhao 2 and Mu were also singing. Their songs did apply to the female gender. She didn’t know if “Hot to Trot Island” was truly a part of the Fire Nation archipelago but if so she definitely would not be visiting or attending any performances by their orchestra if that’s how the women played their instruments.
Zuko stopped banging his boot on the floor long enough to mutter, “I wonder if that’s where Uncle Iroh met the lady he claimed could play the Tsungi Horn with her phoenix.”
For the first time ever, Katara became concerned about her friend’s traveling companion.

“General Iroh,” the elderly man said bowing politely.
“General Klahan,” the younger man replied while doing the same.
Toph patiently waited to be introduced. She could tell Iroh respected the man, but Klahan was an Earth Kingdom name. She didn’t have to wait long for Iroh’s hand to return to his place on her shoulder, “General Klahan, this is my friend Miss Toph. Miss Toph, this is my friend General Klahan. He taught me more about warfare than you could ever imagine.”
The old man laughed, “I imagine I taught your father a thing or two as well.”
“You did, such as always check the maps to see how long the cliff you’re sleeping next to has been there,” Iroh chuckled.
Toph’s sightless eyes widened, “You! You’re the Badgermole of Ba Sing Se! No one was able to get near it until you retired. I learned about you during my history lessons!”
“That was a long time ago. Now I’m just an old man sick and tired of a war that’s taken almost everything he loved away from him; much like this whippersnapper you’re traveling with. Why don’t you go with my wife, she’ll get you fixed up with something to eat,” he said kindly in response.
The footsteps that approached her were firm and sure, belonging to much younger woman than the man who greeted her, “Pops you sure that’s your wife? Those footsteps seem more like your daughter’s? Ahh son’s? I need to go sit down. My feet have never fooled me like this before.”
The elders waited until the fifty year old man who chose to live as a woman took Toph out of the room to begin speaking. “Your runt has been here.”
“Zuko?” Iroh asked astonished.
The man nodded, “Although I shouldn’t call him that now considering how much the brat has shot up. Seriously Iroh what do you feed your kids? Lu Ten was stout as a rhinoceros-bush, Zuko is tall as a giraffe-cypress, and that little girl is sturdy as an ox-oak.”
“Jook,” Iroh replied proudly.
“Jook? That slop?” Klahan shrieked, “You still spouting that crap about delicious and nutritious to hide the fact you can’t cook worth a damn?”
Iroh sagely answered, “You must admit it sounds better than, other than tea jook is the only thing I know how to make.”
The two friends shared a laugh before disappearing into a room hidden beneath the cellar. Klahan poured Iroh a cup of scorched earth and indicated he should take a drink and get settled. Iroh had fought against the former Earth Kingdom general and former Grand Lotus to know what he was about to say was serious.
Years on the battlefield had taught Klahan there was only one way to deliver bad news - bluntly, “Zuko killed a woman.”
Iroh’s empty glass bounced when it hit the floor. Klahan had the good sense to soften the ground as he directed Iroh to his chair.
“It was to defend another person. She drew a sword on the Waterbender and would have killed her had he not acted.”
Iroh lowered his head and picked up his cup. He wiped the dirt off and handed it to his friend. An hour passed before another word was spoken. “Zuko how was he, afterwards?”
“Upset, Iroh, he was upset. He is not like your brother seeking to kill at the slightest perceived threat to his honor. The girl calms him. He is more at ease than our last encounter. She tore into him for taking a life to defend hers. I have never seen anyone be so cruel to another for saving them. In all my eighty years I do not think I have ever seen a person more pitiable than your nephew. Her words affected him Iroh, Zuko will not kill again unless he has to.”
Iroh sighed then took another drink, “I’ve heard rumors he forced her.”
Klahan inhaled deeply allowing the air to swell his cheeks before blowing it back out before speaking, “I cannot answer that question, old friend; if it is true much has changed between them. She was content at his side and he was very protective of her. They came to my restaurant after burning down a few others,” he raised his hand to halt Iroh’s interruption. “They served her the whore’s special. He immediately threw fireballs at the first but stopped when she told him not to do so. He demanded the apology himself at the third and fourth establishments and only burned them down after the owners refused.”
It was a brief statement but it brought much relief to Iroh. The boy he traveled with would have immediately responded with flames to such an insult and would not have been easily called off. There was a long list of cities Zuko had burned searching for the Avatar despite his efforts to get the boy to be rational.
“I also tested him, but not in the exact same manner. I served them their meal and made a direct insult while complimenting her. I was tasked with providing the poor and hungry one meal a day for the rest of my life. A statement in support of the Avatar cost me one koku of rice per month to the orphanage. Her merciful nature is a positive influence on him. I was expecting much worse.”
Iroh let the drink rest between his hands before sitting on a nearby end table. “It is a relief but I still must question my nephew.”
“Iroh, you are the Grand Lotus and my successor. I know the boy is important to you but you must also seek out the protectors!” Klahan stated slamming his fist into the table to pop open a secret drawer. “This is the latest communication from the watcher. The time is drawing near and she has received confirmation three of the four guardians are in this realm.”
Iroh read the letter as Grand Lotus he knew what it meant for the guardians to cross over into the mortal realm. They were the ones who protected those who protected the Avatar. If they were on the move it meant the protectors’ lives were in danger. If all four were to enter the mortal realm simultaneously it meant the first in a series of events designed to restore the world to balance – Koh’s Dominoes – were starting to fall. If all of them were allowed to fall the world as they knew it would cease to exist.
The last time it happened was several centuries ago. An Airbender named Anil had been the Avatar. There was a twenty eight year gap between Air and Earth which set the chain in motion. Neither Avatar Moku of the Earth Kingdom nor Avatar Ursa of the Fire Nation was able to restore the balance and prevent the next domino from falling. All but four thousand people in each nation, a quarter of them benders were allowed to live.
If the next to the last rings of thread were to snap the duty to bring everything back to equilibrium would rest upon the shoulders of captured Avatar Aang. This time the surviving numbers in each nation would be much lower. It had to be a perfect multiple of four across all nations and a quarter of them had to be benders. Including his step-grandmother and an aunt Grand Lotus Iroh knew of five Airbenders. Unless there were more in hiding the world’s population would drop to eighty. The Avatar was not included among the number of any nation if the weaver of time was forced to restore balance. If the young vegetarian refused to end the necessary number of lives the final string’s of destiny would crumble. Koh’s darkness would claim him along with the rest of the mortal realm forcing a new Avatar cycle to begin.
Iroh placed the scroll between his palms and allowed flames to come to his hand. “I understand Master Klahan, former Grand Lotus. I will resume my search after I return from the Fire Nation.”
“What, the Fire Nation? Are you crazy?” the older man sputtered.
“No, it is as you said. The time is approaching. Zhao learned of the spirit oasis in the North Pole, Hou-T’u has trusted me with the location of his lair. There is a meteorite in the Fire Nation. The morning after I saw Hou-T’u Toph woke up demanding to go back and get it. She calls it space metal. I can only hope Hou-T’u and not one of the other spirits used her dream to speak to her.”
“Damnit Iroh, why do you only bring bad news when you show up?” he groaned refilling his cup. When spirits began speaking to those outside their element it further upset the balance and hastened the speed at which the world spun out of control. It was the second sign all four guardians crossed into the mortal world.

Toph remained in the kitchen after finishing her meal. She had placed her feet on the floor and picked them up several times, her way of blinking, but still her eyes deceived her. The person General Klahan referred to as wife had the movements and scent of a woman but stature of a man.
Each time brought a smile to Ajit’s lips. She let an hour passed before she finally questioned, “Do I confuse you?”
“Yeah,” Toph replied, “You have the walk of a woman but weight and build of a man.”
“I was born a man; I have the parts of a man, but the heart and soul of a woman. I was run out of my village and had no place to go so I joined the army.” Ajit chuckled softly, “Klahan knows of the disparity between my body and my spirit and has always accepted me wholeheartedly. It’s part of the reason I’ve devoted my life to him. The war took away his first family and he lived to avenge them but he chose to retire and follow me when the regime changed and the army no longer accepted my kind.”
Toph walked over to the other side of the room and paused before her hostess. Ajit lifted Toph’s hand and brought it to her face, “The first child I fell in love with was blinded. He said this helps him to remember my face.”
After feeling the soft skin, full lips, wide brow and square stubble free jaw line Toph placed a hand over her flat chest to feel her heart. It was stable and sturdy unlike the conflicting vibrations Toph felt when trying to identify a gender. She placed a hand over her own heart, “How did your parents make peace with you as you are?”
“They didn’t. They were the ones carrying the sharpest pitchforks when I was chased away from my hometown. I joined the military thinking it would be a certain death and possibly earn a bit of forgiveness for the crime of being the way I am. Turns out I love myself just a little too much to die. It hurt at first and still is unpleasant to think about but I’ve learned to be comfortable with who I am. Those brushes with death and the concern of my comrades taught me that I have worth as a person regardless of how my parents see me. I’ve found great friends and true love. Khalan has given me things I never thought I’d have. My family, my new family, loves and accepts me as I am. I try not to think of the people who didn’t see me and focus on those who appreciate who I am.”
Ajit smiled and stood once again taking Toph’s hand, “Come with me, I want to show you something.”
The feminine steps coming from a man were still disconcerting but as they walked Toph was able to adjust to them. They stopped at a door and slowly opened it, a tiny voice called out “Mama”.
Ajit waved the child over. Toph was able to tell it was very small and toddled with a limp. “This is my baby, well one of them, Abe is chronologically my youngest but he’s been with me since his birth three years ago.”
She picked the child up with one hand and led her to room down the hall, “Chouko has been with us the shortest time period.”
She walked into the room and laid the toddler in the bed with the older girl. She said nothing, only smiled and placed a finger on the little boy’s nose. He giggled when she did so. Ajit kissed both of their foreheads before leaving the room.
Once they were back in the front Toph spoke, “You’re their mother.”
Ajit nodded, “Back when I was living as a boy a traveling fortune teller told me to embrace the fact I was born to be a mother. I would have no happiness until the war within myself ended and I let go of the chains others placed upon me as a result of my physical condition.”
She paused as the sightless eyes in front of her widened and Toph repeated the phrase. Ajit led Toph to wall that felt as if it were made of tiny bars. “You can’t see it but this room is filled with portraits of children. What you feel are the edges of picture frames. There are sixty two precious little ones who call me Mama. They don’t all live here of course. Many have reached adulthood and went off to start their own families but they write, send me pictures of my grandchildren, and come to visit. The one who was blinded is my oldest son. He’s only eleven years younger but he was the first to call me Mama. He is a war orphan who hung around camp after losing his family. Those years seemed to be so great when I was eighteen and he was seven.”
Toph could tell there was more to the story and this child was the favorite by her vocal tone. “He and his wife live one town over with their children. He’s a carpenter. He was always good at carving but now he says he can feel the spirit of the wood talking to him. Khalan says it is a lost form of Bending. The spirits who govern other items in nature are not as strong as the elemental spirits so it has been forgotten among the Bending Forms.”
“Are there a spirits of sarcasm and weapons?” Toph asked thinking of Sokka. “I have a friend who is good at both of them.”
Ajit smiled, “My Grandmother used to tell me there is a spirit for everything we choose to believe in. Speaking of your friends, my husband played an awful trick on two of them. We run a restaurant and he disrespected Little Zuko to test him. He already knew his punishment would be to feed the poor and orphans. This town has no orphanage or orphans; only children making their way into our home. We have been gifted with so much we always share our bounty. Several of our children are farmers and three of our sons are fishermen; one of them is a Waterbender. Between them we always have enough to feed General Tsao’s army. ”
Toph yawned and Ajit led her to a room to sleep in. She sat on the edge of Toph’s bed, “The other women say they are glad not to have my husband, every time he smiles at me I get another child. There is truth to their words and the number of my precious children is surely more than a normal woman can bear. Just as no regular woman could endure my husband or bear my children I am sure no regular Earthbender can be the teacher of the Avatar. The two of us are special; we were made different from those around us because within us is the ability to do things they can’t. Iroh will find his little boy and you will find what you are seeking.”
Toph and Iroh left the next morning before sunrise. Ajit came rushing down the street to give Toph a hug. Iroh didn’t ask what his friend’s wife whispered in her ear to make the little girl smile but he knew it was something special. Khalan had revealed Ajit had remained in the kitchen during Zuko’s visit. Meeting the six foot two hundred pound man in a dress and seeing how he was loved and respected did much to convince his nephew there were people in the world capable of accepting a little boy with a scar.
Klahan was just another one of his uncle’s weird old friends, but Aunty Ajit was special.
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Borealis: A Zutara Story