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Rebuilding	By : voyager Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Slash - Male/Male > Aang/Zuko Views: 2674 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Avatar The Last Airbender is the property of Nickelodeon. I don't own or profit from the characters or settings of this story. Warning: Deals with adult situations, and characters dying

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Chapter 6

Father and Son

The guard led them through dark corridors, lit intermittently by a pale diffuse glow. Zuko had wanted a source of illumination in the place that wasn't dependent on combustion; given the nature of many of the inmates. Sokka told him about the lamps that Teo's father had designed using fireflies as the light source, and Zuko commissioned him to make a hundred of them for this facility. They arrived at a cell in an isolated corridor. This was the only occupied cell in the area, Zuko didn't want Ozai to be able to speak to any of the other inmates, and possibly cause an uprising.

Their escort unlocked the doors and the Firelord and the Avatar stepped through. "Give us a few minutes," Zuko said to the man; "We'll call when we're ready to leave." "Are you sure, Sire?" The guard was reluctant to leave the Firelord in the company of a dangerous prisoner, even if that prisoner was his father. "Don't worry," said Aang, with quiet conviction, "Nothing will happen to Firelord Zuko, as long as I'm here." Without question, the guard bowed and closed the door. When Aang spoke like this, everybody listened, and nobody doubted him.

Ozai was lying on a pallet against the opposite wall of the small room. He looked like he was asleep, but he was awake through the entire exchange between his son, the Avatar, and the guard. Ozai wondered exactly when his incompetent son learned to carry himself, and speak with such authority. Had he underestimated Zuko all these years? He had certainly underestimated the boy standing beside Zuko. Ozai would never admit it, but he developed certain, respect for the young Avatar after their confrontation. Zuko didn't know how to proceed; he didn't even know what he should call the man in the cell. What was he going to say, it had all seemed so clear when he was still back at the palace, now he wasn't so sure.

Finally, Zuko spoke, raising his voice to wake the man, who he though was asleep. "Ozai," he said in a stern tone, "Ozai, wake up." The former Firelord made a big show of pretending to wake from a sound sleep, complete with an exaggerated yawn. He was determined to control the conversation. "Well if it isn't the new Firelord and his pet Air-bender, come to visit me in my lonely prison cell." Zuko tried to keep his face expressionless, but he had always had difficulty controlling his temper, and it showed. "Ozai," he began, in a low dangerous voice. A subtle bump to the elbow from Aang calmed him down, a little. Zuko had asked him to give him a little reminder if he started to lose his cool. If Aang was insulted by Ozai's comment, it didn't show.

"I'm not interested in getting into a verbal sparring match with you, father." Zuko gritted his teeth on the last word, but he had still gotten it out. It was more than he could have done a few days ago. "I'm here to see if you need anything and to bring you some news." "What news would you have that I'd be interested in," Ozai asked Zuko, in a non-committal tone, although he was curious. "Azula's in the hospital," Zuko began, "the healers think it's some sort of mental or emotional breakdown." Zuko tried to keep his tone neutral, but it was very difficult talking about Azula's condition. Seeing her loose it like that had affected him more than cared to admit. Aang could swear he saw just the slightest hint of…was that sadness, or regret he saw on Ozai's face? "Also, Uncle Iroh has found mother; she was being held in a prison in Ba-Sing-Se." Aang was certain he saw a flash of emotions cross Ozai's face that time; 'Maybe he's not a completely heartless bastard after all,' he thought. "I trust she is well?" the ex-Firelord asked his son, he tried to keep any sentiment out of his voice, but Zuko and Aang were both sure they heard a slight pang in Ozai's voice that time. "She's fine, and she wants to come and see you herself, at some point, although I've tried to discourage her from it."

Ozai turned to Aang, who had remained a silent onlooker through the entire exchange. "Why have you come here, air-bender; You've taken away my powers, and my throne; do you wish to gloat, now?"

"No," Aang began, "I just want to tell you that I'm sorry for I had to do to you, but you didn't leave me a whole lot of choice." Ozai had a dark expression on his face, "Am I supposed to be grateful to you for letting me live," he asked Aang. "No," Aang told him quietly, "I wasn't trying to do you any favors." "All I wanted was to end the war, and to protect the people I cared about." He gave a meaningful glance up at Zuko.

It was only at this point that the deposed dictator noticed that his son wore what looked like an Air-nomad medallion under his tunic, and that the Avatar had a Fire-nation betrothal pendant on his collar. Were his son and the Avatar engaged? Ozai walked up to the cell bars with a glower on his face, he was hoping to intimidate the two young men into revealing something; however they stood their ground. "What is that?" he asked Zuko, pointing to the medallion that was just visible through the open collar of his tunic. Zuko and Aang looked at each other; Ozai wouldn't have asked the question if he hadn't already figured out the answer. Neither the young Firelord, nor the Avatar wanted to have this conversation right now, but there didn't seem to be any sense in avoiding it now. Zuko sighed and told his father that he and Aang had gotten betrothed and the official joining ceremony would be next week.

Ozai's lip curled into a cruel sneer; his son, and this boy were to be married? If their youth wasn't reason enough to find the idea revolting, the fact that they were both male certainly was. Ozai laughed, it wasn't a happy, or joyful sound. It was a cruel, cold laugh. "You are a fool Zuko, you've been the Firelord barely a week, now; and you'll have the people rising up to overthrow you within another week if you proceed with this farce!"

Aang who had remained silent the whole time, now stepped in, he was getting angry, and just briefly, his eyes flashed with a well-remembered blue glow. Ozai stepped back from the bars, slightly intimidated; he had witnessed firsthand, the power that the Avatar could control when he was aroused. He said coldly, "You're wrong about that, your highness, the people of the Fire-nation are happy for your son, and they are proud to have him as their Fire-lord." "Remember, I've looked into your heart and mind Ozai; just because your soul is a barren wasteland, and you can't bring yourself to care about anyone or anything doesn't mean the rest of us are as emotionally destitute!" Ozai hadn't expected this child to speak to him this way, and from the look on Zuko's face neither had he. But Ozai knew that all appearances aside, Aang was much more than just a child.

Ozai seemed to deflate a little, and said something that surprised both younger men, "My apologies, Avatar Aang." Zuko was particularly surprised, in all his seventeen years; he couldn't once recall his father apologizing for anything. A number of times, his mother or uncle had apologized for Ozai, usually when he had said or done something cruel, or abusive, to young Zuko; but Ozai never said "I'm sorry" to anyone. Aang nodded his appreciation to Zuko's father for his apology, and then he and Zuko turned to leave, "Zuko," Ozai said, Zuko turned back expectantly, "When you arrived, you asked if I needed anything," Zuko waited for the request, "I would like parchment and something to write with." "I wish to send messages to your mother and sister." Zuko nodded and said I'll see to it, father.

As Zuko and Aang headed back toward the palace he found himself marveling at his father's willingness to adopt a more conciliatory attitude, and mentioned it to Aang. Aang grinned slyly and said, "Well I may have planted the tiniest suggestion to that effect when I was inside his mind." "You didn't," Zuko asked him, aghast, he gestured with a thumb back at the prison, "So all of that was because you planted a suggestion in his mind?" "No Zuko," Aang reassured him; "It doesn't work that way, the suggestion would have had no effect, if he wasn't already regretting some of his actions regarding you and the rest of your family." Zuko gave that a little thought, then he gave a soft smile to Aang and said, "Thanks for doing that, for me and my, our family."

Aang looked down the path that led back to the city, and the palace, and then he looked to their right at a path that led into the nearby woods. He smiled at Zuko, and pulled him toward that path, which led to small glade that strongly resembled the one back in the earth kingdom where a connection of friendship first began to form between them. "I think I know just what you need to help relieve some tension, Zuko." Zuko knew what Aang meant, and didn't resist.

It was just after sunset when the two of them got back to the palace, Zuko's mother and uncle and their friends were on the verge of panic, and the palace guard was ready to begin turning the city inside out to find their Firelord. "Where have you two been," asked Ursa and Katara simultaneously. When they noticed that their clothes were rumpled and dirty, Katara also asked "And what were you doing?" "Nothing," said Zuko, nonchalantly, "We were out exploring the countryside a little, just to get away from affairs of state for a while." He looked at Aang and they both smiled. Then Ursa and Katara gave each other a bemused smile, and a knowing look that said "Who do these two think they're fooling?"
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