Lu Ten woke up groggily, his aching body struggling as he woke up.
I guess I'm not healthy enough to wake up at sunrise yet...
He felt the sun a little higher in the sky than he expected it to be, his natural alarm clock signaling he missed sunrise by about an hour.
Agh! Stupid fucking body!
He groaned as he stood up shakily, his muscles straining from atrophy and fatigue.
Lu Ten hated feeling this weak, he used to be one of the strongest in the Fire Nation. He was Piandao's best disciple and among the top 5 Firebenders in the country.
Now I can barely stand upright.
He grits his teeth as he walked to the bathroom, washing his face and seeing the scars that lined his body.
Dammit...
He traced some of the older ones on his stomach, his light touches turning into harsh scratches as he tried to get rid of them. Tried to get rid of the remainder of his time in that hellish cell.
Just go away! Why won't you go away? Why won't you...
He winced as he hit one of the newer cuts, a thin trail of blood trailing down his stomach as he bit his lip to silence his scream.
Just go away...
He collapsed in the bathroom, his knees buckling under his weight.
He broke down silently, the pain of his memories stabbing into his brain. The pain of his helplessness felt like a burning knife in his skull.
He flinched as a knock came on the door, "...Son? Are you okay? I heard something fall."
Lu Ten calmed himself down, his breathless cries become steady so quickly that even he was surprised by it.
"I'm fine."
Iroh felt his shoulders sag at his son's icy tone.
"...All right. Breakfast's ready when you want it."
Iroh waited in bated breath, his hopes to see his son crushed as the same icy voice answered him, "I'm not hungry."
Iroh gulped, feeling despair sitting in at the reminder that his son hated him. That his son wanted him gone and he deserved it.
Iroh sighed as he spoke softly, "You need to eat son... I'll leave it in front of your door."
Iroh took a bowl from the kitchen with heavy footsteps, leaving it in front of Lu Ten's door as silence remained his only answer.
"It's Komodo Chicken... It used to be your favorite..."
Lu Ten flinched as the old memories of his favorite dish came back to him. The times he ate Komodo Chicken back in the palace. How he would sneak some extra to Azula and Zuko when he could find them.
He lifted his arm to the door, stopping as he spotted the scars along his arms. The memories of his childhood faded. The rage he felt at being abandoned came back to the forefront of his mind.
He lowered his hand, not saying a word as he heard his father slowly walk back to the kitchen.
.............
Iroh sat at the empty table in the new apartment, feeling his heart break as he heard Lu Ten's door open and then quickly close with a soft click.
Son...
It hurt more than he had ever known to hear his son's hatred for him. To hear his revulsion toward him and know he couldn't do anything about it.
He ate his food, feeling extraordinarily lonely as he looked toward the empty seats around him.
Where did Zuko go? I thought he was done with his favorite hobby...
He thought momentarily about going to look for him but held himself back. He knew on some level that he was using Zuko as an excuse. He wanted to run from his responsibility to Lu Ten and the constant reminder of his failures.
It was the reason he drank himself to a stupor yesterday, wanting to escape the weight of his guilt for just a little bit.
Zuko no longer needs my help. He proved as much when he chose to save Lu Ten at the cost of his father's approval. Wherever he is I can trust him to make the right choice.
Iroh felt a little saddened at the thought that Zuko no longer needed him, that he had finally freed himself from his father and now wouldn't need Iroh's guidance anymore.
Zuko will be fine without me... I need to take care of my other son now. I need to make up for how I've failed him.
Iroh put his finished breakfast away, thinking of what he would need to do for the foreseeable future.
I need to make sure Lu Ten is eating, and I have to make sure he is healing properly... Even if he hates me, I'll still be here for him.
Iroh bit his lip as he remembered the tea shop was opening tomorrow, his dream was arriving at the worst possible time.
Maybe I can ask for a delay in the opening. I'll have to take a deficit for the first week but-
Iroh was pulled out of his thoughts as a knock came on the door, surprising Iroh as he got up to answer it.
I wasn't expecting any visitors, is Zuko back? Why would he go through...
Iroh's eyes widened as he opened the door, spotting Katara waiting behind Zuko as he looked at Iroh sheepishly.
"Hey, uncle..."
Iroh looked toward Zuko's wrists seeing the ice cuffs that were held on them, the waterbender responsible for them looking at him with eyes of distrust.
Maybe he still needs my help after all.
............
Katara didn't know what she was expecting when she followed Zuko.
If he was telling the truth, and that was a big 'if', then she was expecting him to take her to a hideout somewhere in the city. Somewhere in the lower ring where they could get lost in the crowd and not have to worry about the Dai Lee catching them.
Instead, she was brought to an apartment less than an hour away from the house she and her friends were staying in.
He's been this close the entire time?
She felt a shiver go down her spine as his uncle let them inside. Even if she would never admit it, that made his story a tad bit more believable in her eyes.
He could have ambushed us whenever he wanted to, we put our address all over Ba Sing Se when we put up Appa's flyers...
She gulped as she thought about how they let their guard down because they thought Ba Sing Se was safe. How Aang could have been captured or worse because they were too reckless.
I guess we got lucky that it was Zuko instead of his sister. Who knows what that crazy girl would've done?
She shivered at the thought, instantly putting her guard up as she heard Iroh shut the door behind them.
"Zuko... I thought you were done chasing the Avatar."
Katara's eyes widened as she immediately took water out of her water skin, glaring at Zuko as she got ready to fight her way out of his trap.
"I knew it!"
Zuko felt panic in his chest at the twin glares he was receiving, one of disappointment and one of rage.
"Wait! I wasn't trying to capture the Avatar! I mean I'm not trying to capture the Avatar! I just... ugh!"
He groaned in frustration as he lifted his bound hands, ignoring the ice cuffs as he pointed to Katara.
"I asked her to help Lu Ten! I didn't try to capture her or anything! I even told her to put the ice cuffs on me so she would agree to heal him!"
Iroh's eyes widened as he turned to Katara, her previous rage melting away as she saw the desperation in his eyes.
"Is it true... he asked you to heal him?"
Katara lowered her guard a little at the trembling in his voice, "Yeah, he showed up at our front door and asked me to heal his cousin..."
She looked over to Zuko, feeling a stab of sympathy as he shifted nervously.
"He didn't attack me at all. He just dodged and he offered to keep the ice cuffs on to prove he wouldn't try anything-"
Her eyes went wide as Iroh bowed in front of her, his eyes filled with tears as his broken voice reached her ears.
"Please... please heal my son. I know we've wronged you in the past but..."
Katara felt her suspicion melt away, not seeing a way for the kind old man in front of her to lie.
"Of course, I'll heal him..."
Iroh let out a shaky breath of relief as Katara put her water back in her satchel, "Where's your son? I'll do my best to heal him."
Iroh flinched as he looked toward the door in the back, his gaze turning downcast as he thought of Lu Ten's recent reactions to him.
"He's in the back room... You might have to wait a while, he doesn't want to see me right now."
Katara tilted her head at him, getting interrupted by Zuko before she could ask the question she wanted to.
"I'll take her to him, you should get some rest uncle..."
Iroh gave a booming laugh at his nephew's worried expression, his previous night's escapades coming back to him, "I guess I do feel a little hungover. Yesterday was the most I've drank in years."
He patted his stomach as Zuko sighed in exasperation, knowing full well that his uncle was trying to put on a brave front.
"Whatever you say, uncle..."
He moved past Katara, signaling for her to follow him as he stood in front of Lu Ten's door.
Katara followed hesitantly, giving Iroh a look of curiosity as she passed.
Zuko knocked on the door lightly, "Hey Lu Ten, Zuko here. I brought someone to heal you, so please open up."
Katara watched cautiously as shuffling was heard from inside, the door opening to reveal someone that made her still in surprise.
He's so thin...
The person in front of her was a skeleton, his clothes dwarfing his figure as he looked at her with narrowed eyes. Eyes that held the same golden amber that had hunted them halfway across the globe.
I guess I can see the resemblance. His eyes and his hair are the same, but he looks a lot more... fragile than Zuko.
She was taken out of her thoughts as Lu Ten spoke icily, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "How is she gonna heal me, Zuko? Drown me? She's water tribe. She'll probably take this chance to finish me off for her Earth Kingdom buddies."
Never mind. He might as well be a clone.
She glared at Lu Ten as she crossed her arms, speaking before Zuko could try and mitigate the damage, "I was going to heal you with Waterbending, you ungrateful jerk. Unlike the Fire Nation, we don't attack people when they can't fight back."
Lu Ten looked at her with hateful eyes, growling between his teeth, "Don't make me laugh. If you think that's true then you're either stupid or naive. Go take a look at any Earth Kingdom prison. See how they treat the people who 'can't fight back"
Katara scoffed in disbelief, crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes at Lu Ten.
Yeah right. That's what the Fire Nation does. Just look at what they did in Haru's village. Barring Long Feng no one in their right mind would do that. That's not something we would-
Her eyes dropped to his clenched fists, and she saw the scars that lined his arms, the trail that lead up his sleeves and probably continued under his shirt.
Do...
She was pulled from her growing feeling of unease as Zuko spoke up, "That doesn't matter Lu Ten, she isn't here to hurt you. I helped her friend when I saved you. She's just here to return the favor."
Katara turned to Zuko with narrowed eyes, "I don't owe you any-"
She froze as Zuko burned out of his ice cuffs, his hands open as he ignored her shock, "I'll stop her if she tries anything, so please let her heal you. Uncle is worried sick."
Katara moved her hand to her waterskin, stilling as she heard Lu Ten's quiet voice, dripping with something she could only describe as contempt, "Ha... Now he's worried sick."
She felt the temperature rise as Lu Ten glared at Zuko, neither backing down as they stubbornly tried to have their way.
Eventually, Lu Ten scoffed and looked away from Zuko, his tone filled with bitterness as he muttered, "Fine."
Lu Ten must have spotted her surprise because he turned to her, his eyes still filled with hatred as he growled defensively, "What? Did you think I would believe you were here because of the goodness of your heart? If it's to settle a debt then I don't care. Just heal me and leave."
Katara clenched her fists in frustration, "But that isn't why I-"
"Katara."
She stilled as Zuko looked at her with pleading eyes, his hands still open so she could see he wasn't going to try anything.
Did he call me by my name?
She felt her surprise grow as Zuko bowed his head, his voice carrying a sense of desperation, "Please just heal him..."
Katara felt a little hurt at Zuko's pleading, his worried eyes switching between her and Lu Ten.
Does he actually think I won't heal him?
Katara had to bite back her frustration, feeling wronged even though she knew the situation was more complicated than she wanted to believe. the scars trailing down Lu Ten's arms being a testament to that
She took a deep breath as she decided to just get it over with. Whatever he thought of her she wasn't just going to let someone hurt when she could heal them.
She looked away from Zuko's worried expression, burying the sting she felt as she followed Lu Ten into the room.
"Fine."
.............
Iroh breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the door shut from around the corner, Lu Ten having agreed to get healed.
Thank Agni he agreed...
Iroh fell silent as he listened to the shuffling in Lu Ten's room. The room he wasn't even allowed to enter to make sure his son was alright.
Why would I be?
He gave a self-deprecating chuckle as he sat down at his empty table, waiting for Zuko to once again help his son when he'd failed to.
That boy really has grown up, hasn't he...
If Iroh closed his eyes he could still imagine his nephew, 13 years old and raging at the world. Raging at the destiny his father chose for him. Raging at himself for failing to accomplish it.
But now he had seen that same boy plead to an enemy for help. Plead her to heal his cousin, the biggest obstacle between him and the throne.
The throne that represented the destiny he was denied at that fateful Agni Kai. The destiny he had given up everything for since his banishment, only to let it all go to waste.
He would've made a fine Fire Lord...
Iroh could imagine it, his nephew leading the Fire Nation through an era of peace. His mother's kindness guiding his actions rather than his father's cruelty.
If only...
Iroh knew now that Zuko becoming Fire Lord would be near impossible. Even after he and the White Lotus helped the Avatar win the war, Lu Ten would be Crown Prince. Zuko's chances of becoming Fire Lord vanished the second he saved him.
But he still did it... he still saved my son when I couldn't. He's still saving him when I can't...
Iroh smiled, feeling pride for his nephew's actions. Pride that his nephew had revealed his true nature that has been hidden away for all these years.
He closed his eyes, thinking of a time long ago when everything was simpler. When Zuko didn't feel the need to hide his kindness. When his son still loved him. When he hadn't failed them by letting them go through such hardships... When everything was lighter.
He smiled wistfully as he tapped an old tune, one that his sister-in-law had hummed all the time. The tune from her favorite play Love Amongst Dragons.
The play she made him take Lu Ten to, him squished between her two children as they watched the Ember Island Players butcher its rendition.
You should've seen him, Ursa...
He let out a small wisp of fire, as fleeting as she was. Her time with Zuko ended far too soon.
He's grown splendidly.