Weeks after leaving Ba Sing Se, Kali leans against a tree as she stares out through the trees, her arms folded over her chest as she waits. She can hear movement ahead and behind her. Zuko is behind her, sleeping on the ground under a makeshift shelter of leaves and trees, Bing and Ran-Ya curled up together close by to him. But in front of her, something is moving fast through the trees and heading straight for them. Three mongoose lizards charge through the trees. Kali smiles though, turning to crouch so she can greet them. These she knows. They are the mongoose lizards that she freed from Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee long ago, or at least, it feels like so long ago now. They crowd her, each trying to get some form of attention from her. Kali chuckles as she reaches out, petting and stroking heads. The arrival of the mongoose lizards has woken Zuko who stands, cautious as he approaches them.
"Where did you get them?" Zuko asks as he rubs his eyes.
"They found me" She argues as she turns to him. "I kind of freed them the first time I faced your sister and her friends" He blinks a little, still half-asleep so it does take him a moment or two to realise what she's said.
"What?" He moves to her as she shrugs.
"It was during that time when I was on my own" She admits and looks at him. "I'm fine...I beat them"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you'd get all worried, like you are now" She pokes his nose and then curls her hand around his cheek, her thumb brushing over the worried crinkle between his eyes. "Have I not proven that I am a very capable bender?"
"Yes," He assures her quickly. He does not doubt her bending ability, he just knows how Azula operates and how sadistic she can be. And the thought of Kali getting all caught up in that aches him. And she can see that in his eyes.
"I knocked her out with a wooden bat" She offers quietly and he lets out a small laugh, looking at her softly. She nods and smiles brightly up at him. He sighs and touches her hand on his face before she drops it. Zuko ruffles his hair as he moves back to the fire that's lit outside of their shelter. "So...Do we have a plan yet?" She asks, he makes a noise that highly implies that he does not have a plan yet. They've been wandering around, travelling from village to village and between for weeks. Camping out in abandoned houses and in the woods. This is not the life he wanted for them. But it is the one they have right now. "It's okay" She assures him. "We don't need one...."
"We can't wander around aimlessly forever, Kali" He argues and closes his eyes. He misses his uncle, because Iroh would know what to do here, and would give him some kind of hint on what to do. Being out here isn't safe. Anything could happen to them. They should find somewhere. Some small village to hide away in. But he doesn't know what his father is going to do because of this. Because he turned his back on his family and his home. The disgrace it will have brought on him.
"Do you regret it?" She asks, he turns to look at her. Her eyes are sad on his face. "Do you...wish you'd gone home with Azula?" He takes her face in his hands as he lets out a breath. The time he has spent with her has shown him one thing.....it wouldn't work the same. If he went back, it would never be the same as it was before he was exiled. The time he spent with Iroh chasing the Avatar, the time he spent with Kali, and the things he has seen. He would never be content to live in the world that his father created. He leans closer and kisses her before pulling back.
"No" He whispers against her lips. He knows that going back would have resulted in him losing her. And that's something he doesn't think he'll survive. She's left such a lasting mark on him and his life, that to lose her now, he's being dramatic, but it might just kill him. "Can we sleep some more?" He asks, and she nods. The sun has yet to rise and he wants to sleep some more before it does.
.......
Zuko finds himself back at the Royal Palace, in the throne room, standing before Ozai who is sitting on his throne. Zuko glances around and frowns. This is not what he remembers. He was in camp with Kali. And not feeling an impending sense of dread. He turns back to his father as he stands from his throne. Zuko automatically falls into a bow before him.
"You've been away for a long time. I see the weight of your travels has changed you. You have redeemed yourself, my son. Welcome home." Zuko frowns at himself. None of this sounds right. Rings hollow in his mind and heart. The words he once thought he would do anything to hear, sound like dirt. "I am proud of you, Prince Zuko. I am proud because you and your sister conquered Ba Sing Se. I am proud because when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing and captured the traitor. And I am proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishments: you slayed the Avatar" Zuko lifts his head to look at Ozai.
"What did you hear?"
"Azula told me everything. She said she was amazed and impressed at your power and ferocity at the moment of truth. Not to mention the role you played in the complete eradication of the dangerous naturebenders...." Zuko's eyes widen with the implication of that statement.
.......
Zuko wakes in a cold sweat, sitting up, his hands immediately finding his face as he buries his face in his hands. He's been dreaming about his father and the Fire Nation since they left Ba Sing Se. What if scenarios. His father welcoming him home. Him standing on the balcony overlooking the palace courtyard greeted by thunderous applause. But it all feels so empty. He lays back down and stares up at the canopy of the shelter. He spent three years waiting to hear those words from Ozai, but now, now he doesn't think he'll accept them even if he did get them. Perhaps he has outgrown his old life. He's eighteen, that's adulthood pretty much. He was fifteen when he was exiled, a child. He has literally grown up outside of the Fire Nation. Of course, he's changed.