Word Count: 7,271 words
EXTRA. 라벤더와 벌집
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九千九百三十二
It took almost 10,000 years for Natsuko to settle down. To be honest, she never thought of that this moment would never knock on her door when it all came in a bang, complete with a battering ram. Not to mention, she was becoming Fire Lady.
Fire Lady? When did that happen? Apparently marrying the Fire Lord meant she had to share his limelight as the leader of his people. She had many more responsibilities on her shoulders all the sudden as if she became the spirit of the Avatar once again.
The Avatar? He was here too. Along with his betrothed who had taken a liking to the crooked betrothal necklace Aang made for her, emitting the same words Suki once said, "I think its sweet."
Suki was here, although in her Kyoshi Warrior attire, along with her fellow sisters in arms. That didn't stop Sokka from constantly baiting her to sneak out and run away from duty, failing miserably every time. Toph had even stopped teaching metalbending for this very occasion.
Iroh also cannot stop dropping a hint or a thousand more about having children as early as the Fire Lord can, then talk about the beebird's, both of which they tried their best to avoid.
Everything was new. Even the concept of having other people from different nations for many years were new. The Avatar being the best man was new. Yue already making an earlier appearance as the sun still shines was new. Spirits, even Natsuko being here was new.
And it all felt surreal even in the afterparty.
If being married meant Zuko will bring Natsuko to a hot spring, she should've agreed sooner.
"This is a hot spring?"
It looked bigger than what she expected. The first spring her eyes has ever laid upon was the spirit oasis back then and the first time she had soaked herself in it to save her from going flat line. Other than that, the other hot spring was Uncle's made up one during those days.
There was even a large crimson bed that must feel as comfortable as every other bed. But there's only one bed so they might have to share, not that she already gets to share a bed with him.
She slapped her forehead in her mental imagine, forgetting the term marriage here and there. Married to the man in front of her who was looking around with a small smile on his lips and a creeping taint of red flowing on his cheeks.
"I... uh, remembered." Zuko started, sweat dropped at something even she had forgotten but he still shared the thought with her, "I remember the first time you saw a hot spring..."
She just laughed, "How could I forget? I almost saw Uncle naked."
"If I didn't cover your eyes in time." Zuko retorted but then shook his head to stay on track, "What I meant was I remembered that you wanted to go to one so..."
He still remembered the day it happened, the same day he chose to abandon her after leaving her in the woods like a stray crococat. Well, not technically because she suddenly disappeared when he was supposed to get her back. The thing is she at least forgot about it.
Part of him gave him relief when the man he asked about the whereabouts of the Avatar and to know that Natsuko was with them. Part of him wanted to take her to the best hot springs himself and let their problems wash away.
Part of him was jumping his trousers off as he giddily realized the fulfillment of another promise.
"Do you want to try it?" he asked her which she agreed upon almost immediately. The moment later, it pans to her relaxing and finally being able to feel the miracles of the hot water seeping through her body.
It took quite the convincing to let Zuko join her, not that they weren't supposed to be more familiar than how they present to one another. They always seem to forget the part where they aren't teenagers anymore and the fact that they are already married to one another.
With both of them looking away, anywhere else other than even the slight glimpse of each other's eyes, to calm their nerves and too fast to beat hearts despite their bodies literally side to side. It was safe to assume and announce that they were still painfully awkward even after marriage.
"Is something bothering you?"
Large purple eyes looked at his amber ones that made his heart skip a beat. Never in his life did he feel so wrapped up around someone and continuously stretch himself more.
Zuko stuttered while looking at the woman, his wife, the Fire Lord, "It's nothing, really..."
"I may be oblivious or painfully ignorant at certain things but I know what humans would do after marriage." she pouted, "I don't want you to feel awkward, I can sleep somewhere else if you want."
"That's not it and you know it."
She frowned at a thought which makes him look at her with melting amber eyes of worry, "I didn't mean to offend you."
A sigh came out of her lips before parroting his words, "That's not it and you know it."
She glances at his direction before moving her body and lets her front lean against the rock ground, her arms crossed and leans her head on it. Staring to the expanding horizon as the night remains clear against its painted sky.
"I'm scared too... or at least the scared person between the two of us." Natsuko admitted without making eye contact with him, "Scared for something I've never done before and something I thought I never will."
"And I'm scared that I'm not the one you needed after all. And terrified for the most part. What if your people won't like me? What if I'm unable to help you when you need it? What if I can't bring you children?"
"Have you reconsidered the fact that I asked your hand in marriage?" he asked her all too suddenly, the other doubts in her mind left with a flutter. He continued smiling at her, "A girl once told me that we love when we can."
"I love you." she professed to him, for the umpteenth time it came out of her lips only for his ears.
"I love you too."
She sat beside him in silence before she scoots closer to him with a smile. Her breath shakes as she watches his adam's apple bob at the gulp of metaphorical anticipation. The night was still young and despite the cold breezes of the incoming winter air, the place was getting hotter and hotter by the second.
Natsuko's brows furrowed, her annoyance masking the embarrassment tainting her cheeks. She spewed a lot more of her baseless and embarrassing thoughts aloud to him, stopping so suddenly when she heard him mutter something. Looking at him with taunting eyes as his small smile remained, her words slurred, "What?"
"Shut up." his mouth collided so suddenly with hers. His quick, nimble fingers moving to her face, combing her hair behind before coming back and latching softly onto Natsuko's cheeks to deepen the kiss. He slips in his muscle within her wet open cavern to assert dominance as she just shivers in delight by her husband, hands hanging unto the edges of the hot spring for more leverage and a strangled noise.
That excited him more and added pressure to his dominance.
Zuko's hands follow the curves of her body, from her face to her shoulders then her hips, pulling away from her intoxication before he forgets how to breathe.
He pulls her to his lap, letting her straddle him as her knees rest on each side of his hips, careful enough to leave space between them. His legs were outstretched while she lets her hands shakily press against his shoulder blades to anchor her already weakened from his touch figure.
She whined unconsciously at the missing feeling of his mouth on hers. Her minds and visions turned hazy from squinting her eyes too tight. But she didn't miss the same expression she had on her face identical to his. Every exchange they had leading up to this point felt surreal, and just a while ago they got married. She never felt this kind of weak before, neither did he.
It was a mess. His hands falls to the small of her back. Latched his mouth to her jaw without a second thought. Traced his tongue against the line until he meets the end of her jawline and her ears. Nips at the flesh that made her tighten her grip on his shoulders.
Small marks bared against her skin as he continued his path down to her clavicle. Liking it. Biting it. Sucking it. Experimenting to see if it would elicit any reaction from her.
His excitement lay presented against his whole body, the foreign feeling he didn't known attracted him more to the addictive taste of her body. He wanted more.
"Tell me..." he voice gone deeper and so did his breath as he tried to maintain his composure before losing all of it, "Tell me to stop before I can't."
Natsuko grinds against him and works her arms around his neck, looking down to meet his eyes, alternating from his quivering swollen lips and his honeycomb glazed orbs. Her mouth hangs low, any other attempts to bite them shut remain fruitless as he tightens his hold on her hips to refrain her from moving more.
He implores her continuously, please, not really wanting to end this exhilarating addiction he was getting high on. A deep breath of begging without knowing what he was begging. Begging while she places kisses all over his face, his wrinkles and his scar, loving all of him.
She pulled away and leaned towards his ear, "Don't stop. Please."
He felt something, a snap resonating from within him at the sound of his name and her voice. Just like the obedient boy he is, he does what he is told, positioning himself for the rest of the evening. But the rest of the evening remained nothing but a metaphor.
After all, the night is still young.
九千九百三十三
What was Natsuko going to do? She didn't need help at all. Well, even if she admitted she wants help and needs it desperately defeats the purpose of the made by me experience. Her stomach was acting up as if a beast was going to come out of her one day and it's sturdy, hard growls before sunrise. With her disaster awaiting to happen in stock, she decided to double it by adding more sentiment to it, luckily it had dawned in a well prepared date to save.
She cooked jook (accidentally burning it) for Zuko and when he wakes up. By the time he does, he looks at her with an expression of disbelief when she chose to mock his moments of weakness. He still decided to indulge in the fact that she made him a meal that signifies the first time he had to boil rice in water.
It smelled nothing like jook, which made him more skeptical of her skills in cooking than his. But just like her, he swallowed his pride, and hopefully will be able to swallow even half the portion of his share, just as his mouth enclosed the spoonful of burnt rice porridge.
"This honestly doesn't taste bad." his doubts dissolved as the sweetness overtook his taste buds. He took another scoop to confirm the weirdness contained within, "But it doesn't taste like jook."
"That's because it is not." she stated proudly, "It tastes more bittersweet rather than normal jook."
Zuko shook his head, "You're honestly full of surprises."
"It's just pure luck." she laughs at the thought of it, the different laugh of distress that came out of her mouth upon knocking over the rolls of tablea from above her head which compensates really well from a normal savory jook. Her mind definitely had no involvement in this portion and neither did other things but pure luck or somewhere in between.
"Happy birthday."
The Fire Lord perked up and gave her a smile while her face smiled back at him, "What're gonna do today?"
Her husband continued on as she continued as well in her usual morning question, another held smile fluttering towards his lips and took another scoop of the burnt jook, "Well, we have a representative from the Earthen Fire Industries coming over to discuss about the statue we're making for Aang."
"We're making a statue of Aang? And on your birthday too?" she parroted with a surprised look on her face. Zuko nodded, reminding her about the esteemed guest that is arriving any minute.
In fact, by the time he finished his sentence, the so called esteem guest has arrived. Announced by one of the guards themselves, she walked behind Zuko before he matched her speed. When he slows down, she notices and contradicts his movements, which he mimics and seem to have dabbled a bit into child's play.
The airship that had landed scoped the entire land allotted for it, the Fire Nation royals giving each other cheeky smiles before a familiar voice shouted at them, "And here I thought Sparky and the Old Lady were supposed to be the mature ones in our group."
"Toph!" Natsuko smiled and ran to the blind earthbender before enveloping her in a hug. Just soon as she pulled away, a swing of a punch collided with the Fire Lady's shoulder but was softer than she expected. Zuko did not find any remorse being on the shorter end of the stick and was given the almost bruising punch from the girl, "Let's start the meeting then."
The meeting went swimmingly, as all else was. Toph had decided it'd be her last project before she continues to move across the Earth Kingdom, pull out a Natsuko, and travel but this time with a goal in mind. She was adamant by finishing it as soon as she could find a metalbender and as soon as she left the really hot Fire Nation.
She lets out a smile and another sign of affection, inflicting pain to Zuko's other arm while she just purposefully bumps Natsuko. Three heartbeats were in a collective beat, The Fire Lord's happiness to see a friend again, the woman's temporal grief to see Toph leaving so soon, "Happy birthday, Sparky!"
"Don't eat anything weird, you Old Lady. I'm expecting a hawk when the kid's born!"
Kid? Where? Natsuko's whole being dropped, her face and her heart which Zuko and Toph both caught on. The blind earthbender just laughs at the domino effect of hearts beginning to speed and drop in insane amounts within her radius, leaving them with that feeling as she moves unto the next.
Despite the problems Natsuko had stressed upon, the heavens decided to rid of a few small occurrences they were glad to not have happened. Infertility is common to people who was beyond the age of 45 and having passed that benchmark with flying colors, she never thought she'd be able to procure such a delicate being in her hands.
It all made sense now.
Zuko looks at her in disbelief a sting crosses his heart, "You're pregnant?"
"As if I knew." she scoffed at him.
There was this assumption that one would get to notice that thing appear more in their life once they already are made aware of it. Apparently, that assumption does not play in the games of hypothesis as it was proven true with what had happened. The next day came and she already was spilling her whole days' worth of energy consumption as if it was another crazy night with June and alcohol.
She knew that morning sickness was common during the so called waves of pregnancy, then things get downhill from there. Of course there were beautiful things that come with it like having another reason to let other people do the work for her but still refuse to anyways.
Clothes were a no brainer, movement are limited, food was weirdly concocted to appeal only to her taste buds, alcohol is prohibited, all of which were present at the night of Aang and Katara's wedding but she didn't mind as long as Zuko was keeping her company, and Momo, and Appa.
Spending a thousand years placed things into a bit of perspective to the once immortal Natsuko. Children inside stomachs proved to be more demanding of attention rather than those outside. Kiyi was excited to have a sister, all the while their mother was equally thrilled to have seen her son grow up to be a man in her eyes. Sometimes, Team Avatar and Mai would come by, mostly Sokka since it became another excuse to see Suki.
And the most ecstatic child of them all was Uncle who was in his own dilemma of coming over and let his shop close for who knows how long or patiently wait like a grand lotus. Inevitably, he chose the latter part of the deal until it had been over a month of waiting and he began to start the dilemma all over again.
Not to mention, pushing the baby out where Zuko kept pushing his thing in felt nothing alike. The Fire Lord was big, but apparently, the child coming out of her was bigger than anticipated.
Soon enough, in the middle of the spring was the best time to sip on the morning cup of tea whilst watching the cherry blossoms bloom and a few petals fall from its tree so graciously to the ground. The baby also thought it was a good day to interrupt her mama's peace and her father's meetings about the expansion of Republic City.
"Fire Lord Zuko-"
"You're late."
Zuko snapped his attention to the source of the voice, his long flowing hair followed his head turn suit and so did the wind tousle it by its edges as he walks graciously to his wife and kid, his daughter. Natsuko's fingers felt cold against the child's warmth, a bellow could be heard from outside, causing her to remember another important detail she wanted to ask, "Did you do it?"
The Fire Lord was confused with what he did. Recounting his steps, blasting his way to the infirmary, riding Appa to the Fire Nation along with Aang, officially refining Republic City, Sokka and Katara offered to stay behind for the meantime... A small click managed to sound in his brain and he nodded with his teeth in a smile gritted through small lies, "We did it, for you."
He didn't feel anything else but disagreement when she wanted to see them dance the Dancing Dragon for her entertainment (of course, it was meant to be a joke that everyone else taken seriously). But with the baby here and the event over, he tried to reconsider.
Of course the word try didn't matter as his answers still stands as a solid no. But he did settle for a very loving handheld sentiment with Aang's very soft hand against his clammy ones. Anything better than dancing for no reason.
Natsuko's small smile lingers long on her lips, her gaze to her daughter as well. It was always seeing through the eyes of a mother as they hold their child close, seeing them grow and lose their connection with you. It's been long since she even decided to tap onto distant memories of loss then repeat the same question she had lingering now: Will it remain the same over and over again?
The past will always come back to haunt us, and if it knows we're frightened, it's always behind us. But that's where it should be, behind for something to reminisce upon when time knows but keep on reminding us to keep looking forward. And in front of her, she sees Zuko with a smile and her baby in hers arms.
"Can I cry?" she asks him despite the tears working its way through the skin of her cheeks. He lets out a laugh that seems to dive deeper and deeper every time she sees him.
He scoots himself to the bed and wrapped an arm around her, small ministrations of his rough hands on his daughters skin, "Can I cry with you?"
"We can't cry together, the baby might cry again."
And as soon as the finish sentence, so did the peace surrounding them at the alarm of a baby's cry.
九千九百四十一
Here is Team Avatar in their rendition of "A dog, a cat, and a stag walk into a bar...". There is no relevance between the joke and the story (probably) but it is how drunk it may get.
Not that it was the first time, Zuko knew that having Team Avatar around (and of legal drinking age probably) for a reunion was always a bad idea. Especially after Aang and Katara's second child, Kya, was born a year or two after Bumi.
Bumi was a growing boy, always wanting to experience travelling with his uncle Sokka who was the best in adventures nowadays. Kya wasn't much of a demanding child, she was soft and caring towards her parents, but she did have a recurring personality where she picks on her brother most of the time.
Izumi was the best in maintaining her cool. Now 8, she serves as the divine force that barely even tries to communicate with the Avatar spawns since she was busy being taught this and that. And not that she was being forced to study her whole life, she was expecting to become Fire Lord by the age of 16 like her father was.
Everybody in Team Avatar was finding love and tying the knot with people left and right. Even Toph found a man named Kanto during her travels in metalbending.
Of course, other than those problems, Republic City was starting to gain a reputation as criminal activities increase from nonbenders alone. And with Aang and Zuko personally apprehending those damages, it was always a boy's night out between them four, counting Toph most the time.
This quartet of grown up idiots in this year's gathering had come back from Republic City, the new Southern Water Tribe representative in the council, the chief of Police (which was a role made just for Toph and the balance in the city but mainly for Toph), and the founders of the city themselves had a lot on their backs. Literally, chasing behind them as they fly on Appa.
While they scour the skies, Zuko was in an overwhelming trance as the red dragon lay on his back, "How will I explain the dragon?"
To put the story short, the Sun Warriors had gifted the Fire Lord with a stead to travel with in his journey from the Fire Nation to other places in the world. It was out of the pure heart Zuko has poured out even to the nations beyond his rule and the goodness the masters saw in him. And with the firebending masters seeing the potential Zuko has, and Zuko did have, with procuring the so called rainbow fire, it was a coincidence they didn't take lightly.
"Natsuko wouldn't mind, she loves animals!" Aang shouted from the reigns, At least yours is just a dragon. What about the herd of flying bison's behind us?"
The Avatar's story, in this case, was a run in with a herd of sky bison's he and Appa found after he had brought Zuko to the ruins they three, including Appa, are familiar with. He was only trying to visit the acolytes in the Temple near them but a small sky bison began trailing behind them, which was a miracle on its own.
They decided to check out and amass more than what they expect, to bring him to the Temple except for the part where the bison's won't leave and follow them everywhere.
"How come you guys have pets all the sudden" Sokka, on the other hand, had a dissatisfied look on his face, "Does this mean I get to keep one?"
Sokka, while leading the meetings for the council that governs the city itself, had no other thing in mind than that. But it didn't mean that he wasn't working hard to maintain the steady growth and resolution to every problem arising in Republic City.
"Ah, yes. And this is Sokka." Toph deadpanned as she pointed with her thumb to where she thinks Sokka is, "My pet who can also fly."
And after Toph had gathered enough men to continue her legacy as the pioneer of metalbending, she was given the offer of becoming Chief of Police and teach more earthbending to the law enforcing men of the city.
The Republic City's economy was up and running until criminality became a thing, not that it wasn't present in Cranefish town before, way worse than what they anticipated. Of course they knew what they were getting into in order to gain peace (and were hoping to settle it peacefully too), but they didn't know it'd be hard to maintain this and another nation, much less all four and a new one in the rising.
They all fought in war, for sake's sake, simple theft should be resolved within minutes and without to the worst extent of fail.
And the most challenging problem of them all was how they would approach the rest of Team Avatar in their explanation for their actions. Bringing not more than a dozen flying pets was already a risk. They wouldn't mind hopefully.
Aang took a quick glance from the side of his shoulder, "Why are even worried, Sokka? It's not like you have a pet with you to bring."
"Oh, no." Sokka shook his head "Katara will think either way that I had to do something with this." he pointed to the dragon on Zuko's lap and the herd of bison's behind "Natsuko will tease me about it and Suki would scold me tonight." he buried his face to his hands "It's like they never grew up."
Zuko looked funnily to the man from the Water Tribes, "Neither did you."
Toph laughed, like, laughed with a snort which was new to them and their ears, "Relax, you chickpigs. I have the perfect distraction."
Whilst the rest of them looked at their blind friend who had a smile on her face, they can't ignore the crawling of whatever it had to the ends of their hair as it became familiar to them, like how it was reminiscent to the smirk she had all those years ago.
What Toph had planned, no one could ever know. One thing clear was that they were flying to the Earth Kingdom, to Toph's old home where the kids were with Izumi who let a reunion slide just this once.
So, three men and a woman walks to a bar, or rather a long table filled with food already prepared from them to indulge on, coming in from the meeting and was about to celebrate the success of their said meeting. Also applying the fact that everyone was present which made them label it as a get together too.
The men meets up with their counterparts, their partners and wives, before finding the seat assigned to them and in front (as Toph specifically told them to) the love of their lives.
However, the woman didn't think of the bringing someone with her, so she decides to take one of the cooks and whisper something to their ear. As that person nodded and disappears, the woman plasters a triumphant smirk on her lips and patiently waited for the love of her life to arrive.
Zuko, at this point, was in a confused, heart alarming state. The expression on his face worsen while Toph does the exact opposite. Her smile turn upwards with every step the cooks with bottles and bottles of what they could assume was adult liquid.
Just as he assumed, that was what Natsuko's hand grasped on before anything else. Sending a warning gaze at Natsuko as he seated in front of her, Toph had taken the role of the head and let Sokka and Aang on both sides the Fire Lord.
Sokka wrapped his arm around the non-pointed shoulders of Zuko, "That's the plan, Zuko."
Zuko looked at the man then back at Natsuko who was smiling at him and poured him a cup before hers, passing it to the others. She proceeded to raising it almost immediately and formally started the evening with a, "Cheers!"
It wasn't always when they had fun like this in a while, the unprecedented and reckless kind of fun. And Zuko was having fun especially when Natsuko is too, even if it seemed like she was having too much of it; in drinking and fun times.
The said girl was nudging Katara who was beside her and drank probably just a tiny bit of straight 8's, "Zuko's cute.'
Many hours passed and it resulted to a successful job. Katara tried to stifle her laughs while Suki and joined in while the men have talks of their own. Natsuko didn't stop there.
"Do you think he likes me?" Natsuko thinks absentmindedly and was twirling her sticks around, "Can you ask me if he likes me?"
Suki raised a brow and pointed at Natsuko, "You mean, if he likes you."
"He likes me?" she asked giddily and flips her gaze to Zuko (who was timidly looking at her) then Suki, "Tell him I like him too, like like like."
Katara smiles pathetically, "I'm sure Zuko knows."
"Knows what?"
Now the rest of them were curious about the secret being passed on between three women drunk women they teased to intoxication, stupidly thinking this was a success.
Natsuko looked Zuko dead in the eyes, "You haven't been truthful to me."
The air began to tense, especially Zuko who knew that his wife wasn't a storm to be reckoned with. It was as if she saw through him, but she always does.
Silence spreads like a wildfire, even the tiniest drop of water sounds crystal clear. They were done for.
Natsuko pointed a finger at him, accusing him so suddenly, "You haven't told us what Sparky Sparky Boom Man's name is!"
Their eyes widen, in relief and realization alike, before bombarding the man with questions and small gratitude for Natsuko's intoxication that hasn't developed well ever since.
"Let's get you to bed, beloved." Zuko shook his head and stood up, ignoring everyone else's dismay by leaving them in another cliffhanger as he takes his wife as she nods off happily and brings her to their room.
The walk to their room seemed longer than usual since she was having a hard time keeping her path straight even when Zuko has a hand on her waist and guides her accordingly.
"Druk."
Zuko blinked once, "What?"
"Druk." she affirmed it, "It's a great name for a dragon."
Natsuko was nodding off already before they could reach their destination, sleep overtaking her senses in a rapid motion. Of course, only drinking half of the bottle was enough for her tonight if she doesn't want Izumi to see her in a worse state tomorrow.
Zuko thought she might be dreaming of a dragon but Natsuko knew perfectly well what was really happening, hearing more bellows than Appa's and a growl after. Maybe tomorrow she would apprehend Zuko, but for now sleep was all that matters and the man with his arms wrapped around her from behind.
一萬
Izumi was an angel, a sharp tongued, straight to the point divine kin who intended to enter the game not to play, but to win. She was nothing like her parents and in the same time she was. Other than her parents, she took a liking to her aunts and uncles and sometimes their children. As much as she was witty, her judgment was as if her aunt Mai was influencing her to be just as stoic as she is.
Wait until she learns about her aunt Mai and her father's past together.
She loved her mother more, of course. Affirmation is necessary in this comparison. But Izumi can't understand why it felt as if her mother, unlike her father and others claims the exact opposite, never take things seriously when she is.
"Mother, can you help me with this?"
"I'm an elite warrior and a divine being of cosmic power who has guided and helped the Avatar maintain balance for 10,000 years. Of course I can help you, fire flake."
Izumi can remember details her mother has taken the role of, so called the spirit of the Avatar. She acknowledges it, especially after the many times she had uttered and took pride of, and shoves it away, ultimately denying it to be factual in any way. And for many reasons to.
First of all, it's impossible to live for 10,000 years. Avatar Kyoshi may have lived for 200 but she had the secrets obtained from a spirit which is considered cheating. Of course, there was also Avatar Aang who was frozen for a century, freezing him and his bison as if they were frozen goods.
Second, spirits are not tangible beings who gradually leave their spiritual lives to pursue the human kind. At least that's what Izumi thought until she heard about the tale of Lady Tienhai.
And even if she was the spirit, it would make sense if she knew who the next Avatar is. Unfortunately, her mother was only able to disclose that information to the Order of the White Lotus which makes her in the waiting for 52 more years.
Avatar Aang, her uncle, is familiar with her mother too, in fact too much. He claims that he used to see her in his dreams and she could see him in hers. His past lives consider her as their other half dating back to the first Avatar to have lived. No matter which angle Izumi views it from, it still seemed ridiculous.
"How long did it take you to master waterbending?" Kya, Aang and Katara's second child, asked her parents while her aunt Natsuko joined them.
Katara shrugged, "Just a month."
Aang cheekily replied, "A century."
Natsuko smirked, "Ten thousand years of war and pain."
The only concrete evidence that Izumi's mother was telling the honest truth was a play produced by the Ember Island Players, years before she was born and her parents were still teenagers. But it was poorly received, the exact opposite than how the review when it first came out.
In Izumi's opinion, it was either her mother was a purple-bodied, pink-horned, parasite-type spirit with silver wings with a voice so soothing it managed to capture her father's interest and jet black hair long enough to wrap her father around in and keep him captive like a puppet.
That or it was just stupid fiction written by fans and adored by those who didn't know better. If it was adapted to a bigger stage and motion picture, it is inarguably the worst remake no one asked for.
It wasn't that she didn't believe in her mother, she was looking for a logical explanation to prove it, that her mother was an honest woman and there was no doubt that she was. In this world, 4 nations live together in harmony after the 100 year war and hopefully, so will the 5th nation in process. There are people who are able to bend the energy within them and the energy surrounding them, like the elements of earth, water, fire, and air, and the sub-elements.
Regardless, her mother was a wonderful person in nature. So was her father who she had gazed on the hall of Fire Lord's, the youngest probably. She looked up to him, quite literally and just in general. Training with him was better than her tutors who had polished to shine brains and unethical methods of teaching.
They believed fire to be a weapon of great power, her father showed her the opposite. He believed fire to be life and life is power on its own, life can cause destruction, can cause pain, but it also can provide life for others.
"Do you think she'll be able to firebend today?" Natsuko looked at her child who was young but already pursuing to be able to bend her nation's element. Not that she doubted Izumi's ability but the strain can inflict her natural body flow if she continues further.
Zuko gave his wife a look, "You're just scared that she might be a better firebender than you were."
Natsuko cocked a brow, "With your temper and genes? I'm sure she would be better than you more."
She adored her family with all her heart, although she wouldn't explicitly profess it to the world. Sometimes, guarding your emotions guards your whole being, and that's what she needs. Protection. She didn't need anyone else except her family and the people who look up to them. And knowing her lineage and the fruitful attempts of her father and shine the Fire Nation in different light, she intended to keep his image the way she sees him.
With her father taking risks for both his nation and the new uprising he created with the Avatar, he was always travelling to Republic City on Druk, risking his time for his other needs for his people in two separate places. Comes home all battered and tired, sometimes to the extent of having to retreat and get healed before coming back not an hour after.
Not 5 years ago was she able to see the terrifying side of the Avatar, the ability to take away one's bending. Her parents were there, not only the Fire Lord but even his wife who rushed on to Aang right after light began to shine between him and Yakone.
It was all a flash, a secluded place where they would only see, the Avatar heaving, everyone else were hitched. And there she saw, the works of the once spirit of the Avatar, being able to still manipulate energy enough to take away the impurity merging with Aang's soul. It wasn't every day to learn the Avatar used this skill only twice in his life.
"You need to take it easy, Fire Lord. You can't kick your way into everything anymore." Natsuko was bending the water carefully in her hands, letting it rest on his chest and his sore shoulders.
Zuko gave her a smile she knew well, "Maybe you could kiss it better?"
"I'm a waterbender, beloved. I don't kiss it better." his wife deadpanned but gave him a small peck, "But I'll make an exception just for you."
Izumi can't keep on letting her guard down as long as she's alone, but maybe that's why the Fire Lord can continue on, knowing that there's someone to come home to, who can help him ease his problems and the pain. Does that mean she had to find the one too before she can become Fire Lord?
It wouldn't be that bad, probably. As long as partner isn't as oogie as her father is to his wife (when she didn't know it was always the other way around), she'd consider this. The disgusting display of affection a wife shows to her husband and parents to their children.
And in a flash, wails began to echo across the floor Natsuko and Zuko is in, a sudden outburst of congratulations followed suit amidst the healthy cries of a newborn child. A new life, within the reach of a present mother. She looks up to see her parents, her father who didn't waste time in finishing the business left in Republic City to see his daughter and grandson.
Grandson? Now that can't be, he just turned 50.
Izumi smiled softly, an act she'd done quite less than what they expect. Holding her son in her arms, naming him, "Iroh the Younger."
"I wanna fly too."
Iroh the younger pouts at the sight of Avatar Aang (although in his late forties) flying in the air to teach his youngest son, Tenzin, who just received his tattoos. Natsuko sits behind him as she pours herself a cup of tea while the small kid looks at the sky and the two last airbenders in this world, "You know, I used to fly that way."
With that admittance, the boy turned around and ran his way to his grandmother, asking her how and why and when and basically all the things his young mind could decipher.
"But you could fly because you were an airbender." Iroh mimicked the fighting stances of firebenders, "I can't fly."
"Who says you can't?" Natsuko took a sip from her tea, "When we were still travelling the world, we met a kid who wasn't able to walk, Teo. His father was a mechanist."
Iroh sat in front of his grandmother while she asked him, "Do you know what he did?"
He shook his head, "He began to fly. Like a smaller airship, a glider attached to his wheelchair to take him to the skies."
His eyes began to twinkle, "Do you think I'll be able to fly like him?"
"You'll have to ask your mother first."
It has been more than 30 years since that passed, so did Aang and Sokka 5 years after the Avatar. Korra was born, that Natsuko knew and Zuko was aware of, so did Izumi when she rose to the title of Fire Lord when Zuko abdicated at the age of 83, just 4 years ago.
Zuko walked to his wife, old and grey. To say this wasn't her first time seeing him this way. He approaches her with an invitation in hand, "There's a man named Varrick who is inviting us to Republic City and see moving pictures."
His awkwardness and confusion still highlights on his voice that has reached the pinnacle of its deepness long ago. She takes the invitation away and places it on the side, a sign that she didn't want to attend.
Natsuko reaches out for Zuko's face, caressing each wrinkle and his scar like she does all the time. With a smile, she tells him, "I'm turning older today, beloved."
His face dropped, normally they wouldn't care about anything else like age but just celebrating their birthdays together, "I know."
"And something horrible is happening tonight."
"I know."
"I love you."
Zuko looks at her with those same honeycomb eyes she grew to melt in overtime. Hard, sweet, perfectly aged, and although tired honeycomb orbs, "I love you too."
It's been surreal, this past few years. Finding love, marriage, childbirth. As if someday someone would wake Natsuko up and tell her it's just a dream and she'd just resume with her duties as the spirit of the Avatar. That was what she did before, she knew of it, but it seems like a long time ago. In fact, travelling with Team Avatar felt like a trip with friends instead of an obligation to help the Avatar as she should.
Time is kind, unlike the many times she had selfishly thought it wasn't and it was right on time. She felt happier, she should be, and she is. In harmonic convergence that has intersected the parallel lines.
---
Evil beware, long ass author's note for a long ass chapter
Salutations! It is I, pro procrastinator who is in midterms week and is brave enough to bring forth early chapter update!
This is last extra for this book and last update too, so cheers!
Before that, a few clarifications:
I didn't know anything about their weddings in cannonverse so I winged it with not adding much detail to it. I drew them in their wedding though, because I liked drawing dresses, but my procrastination acted up again so...
I would like to apologize for the steam part of this chapter (double steam for hot springs). It was my first time writing something so... graphic. I didn't want to seem disrespectful towards hot springs so please observe proper etiquette when in one.
Izumi means spring or fountain. Now, I'm not one to say this but names are important details to every person so its safe to think about pressing matters that happen after marriage and how it came to be with a few deductions from context clues .(guys, don't attack me, I was kidding)
Can you imagine the 50 years gap between Zuko and Iroh the younger? Iroh is 36 in book one of LoK and he looks like he's in his early 20's or something. Genes, I guess.
I imagine Zuko as the strict Fire Lord but loves his daughter so much. So when Team Avatar decides to bring him to one of those school events, like, idk, your grade 3 daughter's Tsunghi horn playing for the schools opening festival, he instantly turns to the "You're doing great, sweetie" kind of mom.
Also, Mai and Zuko's relationship in my opinion (and for the sake of the fanfic, I guess) is that of Tenzin and Lin. The hard feelings are still there but it's easily translated to valuing family and friendship first. Also, Mai and Lin in that regard makes total sense.
I like to think that OC died before Aang but after Iroh the younger was born. I was planning to kill her (in the writing sense, guys) after Izumi was born but I think she should be strong enough to withstand the pain because Raava is basically killing her too but y'all know how that shit turned out.
And then I just decided to let her die in exactly 10,000 years the same time as Raava dies in the Spirit World because it would make more sense (at least for me) for her to die peacefully that way, in her sleep too and old age.
Now that it's cleared, I'd like to thank you all for reaching the absolute end of this book. No more extras, no epilogues, no sudden feelings of surprise comebacks. I didn't have any intentions of rewriting it but seeing how it was (poorly executed) gave me courage to try my hand in creative writing again.
This was just my own book that a grounded highschooler did for fun, not knowing that it would be my own way to see the progress of how I grew over the past years as a writer. There was a lot of thought process in the book, first was if rewriting all this is worth it. But my indecisiveness led me here and it was all worth it.
I got to rekindle the joys of finding what a good cartoon made people feel like, given that this was a time when there was still cases of Asian stereotypes and the fact that it paves the way for more of Asian culture to be shown across the world. And to prove that being an avid reader doesn't make you a good writer, practice does.
Thank you, still, for reading! All this support and seeing that people also read it and to top if off, enjoyed it and saw it through brought so much joy to me and this time, it didn't feel as if to finish the book felt forced and an obligation for other people's gain but rather to finish it appropriately in my own volition and pace.
If you're new to this book, I welcome you with open arms. If you came back without knowing this was that cringe ass fanfic, ikr? And if you were aware this what that cringe fanfic, thank you for coming back!
With that, goodbye and always stay safe!
- Amboo