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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 33555 -:- 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 305

Azula watched as her brother left without argument. She'd baited him and he ignored her. He never ignored her.

"I see that Zuko's maturing," a masculine commented from the hall.

Azula looked up to see her cousin by marriage standing in the door. She rolled her eyes at Eiji, "You would say that."

"Yes, I would," he replied firmly in a tone that reminded her of her own father's. "Only little boys have pointless arguments with their sisters. A real man understands he was given sisters to guide and protect not to antagonize for his own childish amusement."

Seon lowered his head understanding he was being chastised, "Yes Father."

Byeol bit her lip; she had not meant to get her twin in trouble. She never would have mentioned the trick he was trying to play if she'd known their father was within earshot. As oldest of nine children and only one of three boys their father was stricter on him. She had no doubt he'd be just as hard on her other brothers but they were two and half years old and six months old. They were too young to receive much instruction. She knew Seon often felt singled out and she normally did what she could to help him. "It's okay Father. I was at fault too."

"You're a kind sister to speak up Byeol but Seon must understand what it means to be a man. You must also learn your place as a woman. It's impolite to intrude on men's business," he chided.

"Yes Father. I apologize," she replied.

First he upset his wife and now he upset his children. This was not shaping up to be a good day; Eiji's face displayed none of his true emotions. He hadn't come to scold his children or embarrass them in front of their friends but he also was not the type to let inexcusable behavior slide without correction. It seemed a bit hypocritical to ask his next question as treats were not doled out so soon after misbehaving but making amends was also part of being a man. "Your mother has planned her menu but she's having a hard time deciding between egg custard, ash banana pudding, or pumpkin yam pie. She sent me to take a vote on preferences."

His heart swelled with pride as his children immediately caught on to what was important, "So Mom's feeling better?" they asked in unison. Normally when she was that upset it took days for her to speak to him. He supposed he had his father to thank for that. He'd overheard him telling someone how he'd spoken up for his wife where the resident gossips could hear. Otherwise he knew he'd still rightly be on the receiving end of her anger.

"Yes, she is. She was in her office feeding Hiko if you want to go see her," he advised.

His children scrambled out of the room but the children of his half-sister and cousin by marriage remained behind. "You know you can go as well, Akihiro and Azula. I didn't mean for them to abandon you."

"No thanks, I think I'll go outside," the blushing boy replied while shaking his head and making for the doorway.

"What about you Azula?"

The princess's face twisted into a sneer, "No thank you, Cousin Eiji. I think Cousin Eun Lee would be happier to see you considering you are her husband and it is your child. I hear children are healthier when their mothers are happy."

"You are correct, Azula. I'm surprised to hear such wisdom coming from you. I'd thought Fire Lord Ozai was being hasty when he began speaking of potential husbands for you. I see now that I was wrong and you might be more prepared than I'd initially thought."

"What do you mean Father was speaking about potential husbands? He wouldn't," Azula hissed.

"I thought he wouldn't either but he's sent runners with inquiries to his most trusted military leaders and nobles. Too bad Bong Cha is so closely related to you. I know Father had mentioned a few of my nephews could be groomed to become candidates."

"Yes is it a good thing Bong Cha and I are closely related. If you'll excuse me I must go send a letter to my father." Azula said through clenched teeth.

Eiji watched Azula stomp into the hallway. Her potential engagement was meant to be a surprise but neither he or Eun Lee thought it would be fair to her. He'd warned her at his wife's request. He shook his head; he truly was a foolish man - risking the wrath of the Fire Lord just to get back into his wife's good graces.

After checking on Aang and Sokka once more Zuko led Katara outside. The change that came over her was immediate. Her face brightened and he could tell it wasn't from the cold it was simply being in a place that reminded her of the climate of her homeland. She bent down and scooped snow loosely into her palms then tossed it into the air. She did that several more times before flopping onto her back and extending her arms and legs. She rolled over and extended her arms and legs again then carefully got up to look at her creation.

"What is that?" Zuko asked looking at the strange creature.

"It's a snow trap plant. They grow near rocky crevices and bite the feet off anything that steps on them then open their mouth so the rest of it falls in. This is one that's been picked and stretched out. They taste like meat when you cook them," Katara explained.

Zuko's face scrunched up as he imagined man eating a plant capable of devouring him. It probably tasted like broccoli-beans on steroids instead of meat. He was envisioning it jumping off the dinner plate to attack when something cold and wet hit him in the face.

"What the?" he yelped wiping snow off his face.

"Katara?" He called her name and saw her pulling back her arms and throwing something. He stepped to the side and she quickly bent over. He was enjoying the view when she rose patted something in her hands and tossed another projectile at him.

He threw a fireball in response. Katara easily put it out then screamed, "This is a snowball fight, no bending!"

"What?"

"A snowball fight," Katara walked closer then showed him how to shape the snow. Each scoop melted in his hands. After trying several times with larger and larger handfuls of snow Katara screamed in frustration, "Useless Firebender! Go get my brother and Aang. I need someone out here who can actually make a snowball!"

"A snowball?" Zuko asked in confusion.

"Yes a snowball! I want someone who can actually make a snowball so we can have a snowball fight. Go get my brother and Aang! Now!" Katara demanded angrily stomping her feet and swing her balled fists. "Go get them!"

"Katara I can't they're prisoners," Zuko rationalized.

"You can Zuko! You're the prince. You can do anything including getting Sokka and Aang so I can have a snowball fight with someone who can actually make a snowball. Go get them now!"

The ground beneath his feet trembled and he remembered what she said about avalanches earlier. "Okay, okay, I'll get them! Don't bring down the mountain! Let's go."

It was easy to procure Sokka, he was teaching former classmates of Mu and the twins how to lose at Pai Sho. They were happy to stop and do something else. Unlike the twins and Mu they fully believed in Fire Nation superiority; being beaten repeatedly by a Water Tribe savage was doing severe damage to their ego and pocketbooks. The twins and Mu had made a friendly wager which their academic betters could not refuse.

It was more difficult to obtain Aang from his cell. Fairy Land had its own guards and they were very reluctant to release the Avatar in his natural habitat - a habitat which they and their families currently called home. Zuko managed to preempt Katara's tirade about "releasing him in his natural habitat was fine so long as it was to show him how they've destroyed it" in favor of a tried and true tactic - he offered a promotion.
By the time he finished threatening them with reassignment to the geriatric health division they were happy to turn over the Avatar. The bending suppressants created and tested at Fairy Land were cutting edge. In some ways it was better if they killed their Earthbending test subjects as it meant they prevented the death of a Firebending comrade. The geriatric health division was in charge of the state run nursing homes. They actually cared if something happened to the old soldiers whose minds were permanently trapped in their glory days forcing their ancient bodies to relive battles fought decades ago so their bending suppressants had to be balanced with heart, arthritis, and incontinence medication. They wouldn't be sent to one of the less prestigious homes for poor or unremarkable soldiers. They would be sent to a home for the elite.

Zuko promised there would be at least 4 of the 9 survivors of Sozin's raid on the Airbenders. They were living national treasures who'd been blessed by the comet and gifted with long life just as his great-grandfather had been. And since bending suppressants strong enough to curb those enhanced powers also interfered with heart and incontinence medication one could guess which dosage was often lowered. One could not be a living national treasure while soaking in one's own piss. He also promised at least 50 nobles. The caregivers at those facilities made up a high percentage of victims at the state run burn units and mental health facilities.

The Avatar was out of his cage and outside the moment Zuko mentioned "located on the edge of Sozin City a short palanquin ride from the office of the nation’s Health Minister."

The happy little Avatar walked alongside his terrified guards, an absolutely giddy Waterbender, the prince, two of the more arrogant junior scientists, their gloating former classmates, and several curious coworkers who decided to join them. Their ensemble attracted more attention than Zuko had planned. His younger cousins noticed them and insisted on joining the parade since "Meanie Chu-hua" wouldn't let them join hers. Zuko was about to send them packing when the Zhao twins and Sokka shook their heads.

"It will be easier," Zhao 2 began with Sokka chiming in "and quieter" before allowing the other twin to finish, "if we just take them with us."

"Yeah trust us Zuke, we have normal little sisters," Zhao 1 added reassuringly.

Katara stuck her tongue out at Sokka and draped her arms over the little girls shoulders, "Today I'm going to teach you how to throw snowballs that will make your older brothers wish they'd never picked on you."

"Our big brother doesn't pick on us," the seven year old corrected.

"But Aki, our cousin does," the eight year old added.

"I don't like him," the six year old solemnly contributed.

"Well, I'll definitely show you how to use the snow to defend yourself," Katara promised as Zuko groaned. She stopped and lowered herself to the little girls’ level then asked nervously, "You aren't Firebenders are you?"

"We are!" all three of them exclaimed.

"Well we just might have to work a little harder," Katara sighed as she rose to usher them outside into the snow.

They walked to the side of the building where the snow was untouched by transport vehicles and Katara flopped down in the snow. "Lesson one, make a snow plant."

"It's a snow angel," Zuko proclaimed, picking her up before she could roll to the side. He really wasn't comfortable with his younger cousins learning about man-eating plants. They had nightmares before Mu's wedding after hearing of his adventure with the Unagi. Eun Lee blamed him and he'd been forced to share his room with three little bed-hoggers that breathed fire when they woke up screaming. It gave him a whole new appreciation for Lu Ten. His mother had done the same thing when Lu Ten had told him how many ghosts walked the palace halls.

It took two months for Grammy Nima to take pity on them. Zuko smiled as he remembered his step-grandmother taking his hand and making Lu Ten carry a large basket filled with gifts for the spirits as she asked they protect and not harm him. The basket was large enough for him and Azula to comfortably ride in and overflowing with spiritual offerings. Grammy warned Lu Ten the spirits would come after him if he bore his burden with complaints. He grumbled once half way through their journey but quickly bowed and placed several of the choicest offerings on the ground and begged most highly honored Grandmother Kesuk for forgiveness.

If not for the fact it was Grandmother Nini and not Grandmother Kesuk who walked the halls, Zuko would have actually believed Grammy Nima had asked the palace ghosts to protect him. But considering she was Ty Lee's grandmother and Ty Lee could see auras anything was possible.

Zuko was torn from his musings by screams of "Pick me up! I want to see my angel."

He set Katara on her feet to lift his cousins. She picked up the six year old, he lifted the seven year old, and the eight year old evaded Mu to reach for Sokka. The Zhao twins laughed as Mu groaned, "Please don't tell me you think he's cute."

"No, Uncle Mu, girls and babies are cute. Men are handsome," she replied in all honesty while clutching Sokka's shoulders and blushing.

Sokka patted her head, "You're a very pretty little girl. I'm sure some man will be happy to be your husband when you get a lot older."

"Will you be my husband? We can do a fluid exchange now," she asked fully aware of what had happened to young girls with several sisters. "I don't want to end up with an old old man like Aunt Ty did. By the time I come of age you'll be a regular old man like Daddy."

She screamed in delight as Sokka tossed her to Mu and screamed, "What in Koh's name do you people teach your girls? She should playing with dolls and not propositioning older men for their bodily fluids! Why does she even know about bodily fluids?"

"That's it, Katara, I'm taking you and we're leaving here. Sorry Aang, but buddy I gotta save my baby sister," Sokka declared while grabbing Katara's wrist. He managed to take out four of the non-benders with rapid barrage of snow balls but Zuko tripped him before he could take two steps with Katara.

"I hate you!" Sokka muttered as Zhao 1 lifted him from the snow.

"Nothing I haven't heard before," Zuko replied drily as the little girls laughed.

Katara removed the snow sticking to Sokka clothes with a quick flick of her wrist and he stared at her. He blinked in disbelief before shaking his head in disgust as Katara's request sank in. "A snowball fight? A snowball fight, Katara? Really? All this fucking snow and you want to play in it!"

"Sokka."

Aang called his name and Sokka turned on him too, "Let me guess, you want to play too? We're outside on a snow covered mountain that is covered with snow, a form of water, and you want to play games! Is that what you want? You want to play games instead having her get us off this fucking mountain?"

"Sokka there are children present," Katara screamed.

"We can take them and use them as hostages to exchange for Appa," he reasoned. "All we have to do is grab them and go!"

"Let's go, Katara. Please, let's go," Sokka pled. "Let's go."

Katara closed her eyes. It would have been easy, very easy to leave but she knew the moment they left, what would happen to Appa. She shook her head, "I can't."

Katara could hear the despair in Sokka's voice as he asked "Why?"

"They wouldn't trade Appa. Even if we left him in Mu's care, you know what would happen to him. I can't do that to Aang," Katara replied.

"So you'd rather do what you do with Zuko than leave a stranger's animal?" Sokka yelled.

For the second time since they'd been captured he was struck in the mouth by the Fire Nation prince for words he'd spoken to his sister.

"So that's how it is huh? You get mad at me for saying we protect our own human selves but say nothing to him for hitting your older brother?" he asked.

"Sokka, don't" Katara said holding the little girl in her arms closer as she fought off her tears.

"Don't cry," the child said as she and Zuko had the same idea; they both reached for the closest cheek to wipe away her tears.

"I never thought I'd see the day my sister stood beside a man from the Fire Nation while holding a Fire Nation child in her arms," Sokka said as he rose.

"You two can stay if you want, I'm leaving. If I can't die at home at least I'll die in the snow," he said as he began walking down the mountain.
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Borealis: A Zutara Story