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Chapter Text

Zuko was only supposed to find the bison and take him as bait. Uncle made him release the bison, which was for the best. On the way out of Lake Laogai, something made Zuko look down a row of cell doors. He couldn’t explain why he had to go, but he did. Uncle urged him to hurry as they had to leave but Zuko wouldn’t. Not until he was finished looking. In the last cell, a lone prisoner sat chained to the stone wall. It had been years since Zuko last saw that face and this was in a much worse state but he knew that face. He knew that person. It was his cousin, Lu Ten.

He called out to Uncle to hurry and help him. With a quick strike from his swords, he broke his cousin from his chains and pulled him up. Uncle stared at the two of them like he couldn’t believe what he saw. “Uncle, come on, help me.”

“Lu Ten….” Uncle whispered, still in shock. “My boy Lu Ten, is that you?”

“Uncle! Hurry!” Zuko cried out which snapped Uncle awake. The two of them carried Lu Ten out the cell and down the hall.

It took all night but they finally made it to their house with no problem. From there, Uncle worked on healing Lu Ten. Zuko was thankful they didn’t have to go into the teashop anymore as they now had their own shop. There was no way Uncle was going to be able to focus on making tea when he would be worrying about his son. This way, Uncle could use his time to help his son.

It was two days later they were at their new place, which made things easier to care for Lu Ten. Zuko spent most of his time away from the two of them. During the day, he spent it getting the teashop ready for opening. At night, he went looking for information. He found letters upon letters from his father and Long Feng about capturing Lu Ten. How it had been planned to capture him. How it was made to look like he was dead. How Ozai encouraged Long Feng to do whatever he wanted to Lu Ten and even gave suggestions. How taking Lu Ten would break Iroh and therefore he would not have the glory of taking over Ba Sing Se. How planned this all was so that Ozai would become Firelord.

Zuko did not want to tell Uncle about the letters he found. Uncle seemed to know something was bothering Zuko and Zuko couldn’t lie. Even if Zuko could have figured out a way of not telling Uncle, Lu Ten knew what the letters said. He had been told what they said over and over as a way to break him.

~~~~

By the time the Jasmine Dragon opened, Lu Ten was well enough to move around. He was willing to help take the money from customers as he could sit while doing so. Uncle did not want him to do anything but rest but gave up when Lu Ten decided to sit down by the counter anyways.

Things seemed to look up more. They might have been fugitives and they might have to hide who they were, but they had each other. They had someone who they thought they lost. It seemed great.

But Zuko forgot he wasn’t lucky.

On the first night Lu Ten worked at the shop, as they spent time cleaning up with Uncle in the back, Lu Ten came up to Zuko. The only words out of his mouth were worthless, pathetic waste of space. Zuko didn’t know what to do or say so he pretended it wasn’t said. He pretended it was his imagination.

It didn’t work as not even two hours later, Lu Ten repeated it to Zuko. Zuko attempted to walk away from his cousin, ignoring the hurtful words coming out of his mouth, when Lu Ten grabbed him by the shoulder with more force than Zuko expected. Lu Ten shoved Zuko against the wall, pinning him down. “You’re pathetic.” Lu Ten snarled, placing pressure on Zuko’s shoulder. “You’re too stupid to realize no one wants you around. Uncle kicked you out. Your sister hates you. Your mother left you. Dad is only with you because I wasn’t around. Now that I’m here, you’re not needed.”

Zuko wanted to argue or deny what Lu Ten was saying but it had a ring of truth to it. His mother left. His Father banished him. His sister wanted him dead. Uncle was the only one not hurting him and Zuko always assumed he was there because Lu Ten was not around. “Stop it.” Zuko said without any force behind it. He shoved Lu Ten off of him. “Uncle loves me.”

Lu Ten laughed. “You think he loves you? Why would he love a traitor like you? You’re the reason he can’t go home. You’re the reason all of us are stuck here.”

“That’s not true!” Zuko took a step forward.

“No? Then what’s holding you back from going to the Fire Nation right now? Could it be that you’re banished?” Lu Ten hummed and tilted his head. “Funny. I don’t recall my Father being banished. Just you.”

Zuko felt his heart drop. He was the reason why Uncle couldn’t go home. He kept Uncle away because he was weak and needed protection. If it wasn’t for him, Uncle could be home. “That’s not… He’s not…” Zuko fumbled for the right words and none came.

“You can’t even deny it. You know it’s true.” Lu Ten grabbed Zuko’s wrists and pushed him back against the wall. “You’re just like your Father. A traitor. Father should kill the both of you for what you did. He hasn’t out of the goodness of his heart.” Lu Ten placed pressure on his hold, heating his hands as he did so. “How long do you think that will last? You know what happens with traitors. How long do you think it’ll be before Father demands what he’s owed?” It had long been established that a traitor to the rightful Firelord must be executed along with their family-sons and daughters and so on. Otherwise, they would try to seek revenge. Since Ozai had taken the throne from Iroh, the rightful heir, he had committed treason against his Firelord. As his son, Zuko would be expected to share the same punishment as his father. Since Iroh came home devastated, he didn’t mention the betrayal and therefore Zuko became lax. It would make sense Uncle was waiting.

The heat from Lu Ten was becoming too much and Zuko struggled to get him off. When Lu Ten released Zuko, he looked at his wrists which were red from a burn. Even though it hurt, it didn’t bother Zuko as much as seeing the damage on his sleeve. Uncle bought the outfit for Zuko when they just started out. It was too much for their tiny budget but it made Uncle happy. Even though it was far less than what they were used to, it was nicer than their work clothes. Zuko only had it on as the three of them went out for a meal together. Now it was ruined.

Lu Ten scoffed. “You have no respect for anything, do you? You ruin everything you touch.” He held Zuko’s sleeve, rubbing his fingers over the burn mark. Zuko was afraid Lu Ten was going to make it worse, but was too afraid to stop him. “Disgusting.” Lu Ten snarled and left Zuko’s room.

Zuko took a few deep breaths to calm himself down after his cousin left. He needed to act quickly and without Uncle knowing what happened. He couldn’t afford Uncle to hate him anymore than he already did.

He grabbed some burn ointment he kept for his scar and a few bandages. He worked on his wrists and covered them up. His clothes he removed and placed in a box in the back of his closet. Even though it was ruined, he refused to get rid of it.

Once he changed and had a top that covered his bandages, he went out to say goodnight to Uncle. Lu Ten was out there as well, glaring at Zuko. Instead of drinking tea with Uncle, like they usually did, he said a quick goodnight and fled back to his room before another word was spoken.

~~~~

As the days passed, Zuko felt himself less inclined to spend time near his family. He left before Uncle was up, spending time at the teashop. He stayed later, opting to clean the shop or close it up while Uncle left. Sometimes he stayed out and went around the neighborhood instead of coming home.

When Uncle brought up his time spent away, he shrugged it off saying he wanted Uncle and Lu Ten to have time together. Uncle reached out to grab Zuko to keep him from running away and ended up grabbing his wrists. Zuko was not able to hide the wince from the pain. When asked about the bandage, Zuko lied and said it was because he spilt tea on himself that morning. He hated lying to Uncle like this, but it was for the best. Uncle needed his son in his life. He didn’t need the disappointment that Zuko was.

Even though Zuko was hardly home, Lu Ten still cornered him every day and said how worthless he was. How pathetic he was. How he deserved a traitors death. How Uncle should burn Zuko to death as slow as possible. He hadn’t touched Zuko but somehow, this was worse. He would find himself crying himself to sleep only to be even more disappointed in himself. He was too weak.

~~~~

Zuko thought he was good at avoiding Uncle and Lu Ten until a slow afternoon where Uncle gave them a little money and spend the afternoon together. Zuko tried to get out of it saying they were busy, Zuko was needed. Uncle put his got down and told Zuko he was working too hard and needed to spend time with his cousin. With no way to back out of it without sounding rude, he agreed.

The two of them walk around in silence in the Upper Ring shops. Zuko doesn’t want to even ask for any of the money Lu Ten holds and decided to not even look at the stores. Instead, he puts his hands on his pockets and feels a familiar paper. He knows what it says as he’a memorized it by now. It was the flyer for a missing bison with an address at the bottom. Zuko spent some of his time out finding the address and staring at the house every day. He felt conflicted. If he was able to capture the Avatar, he could go home. If that would work anymore. But if he did-and it did work-would that mean Uncle would take the throne and Zuko would be punished for being a traitors son? He didn’t want to die.

“Ugh. So lazy.” Lu Ten scoffed and Zuko brought himself back to his surroundings and not his thoughts.

“What?” He asked, unsure if he missed something.

“I asked you a question but since you’re too lazy to pay attention I don’t know why I bother with you.”

“That’s not true!” Zuko frowned.

“No? You’re going to lie to me again? Tell me I’m wrong in saying you’re worthless?” Lu Ten asked, stepping closer to Zuko until there was no room between them. “Tell me you’re not so insignificant no one would care if you died.”

“You’re lying.” He lacked the conviction needed. He was starting to doubt it himself.

Lu Ten groaned and dragged Zuko down the alley where no one would see them. Lu Ten threw Zuko against the wall and squeezed his hand over Zuko’s neck. “I should just get rid of you right now, you useless piece of scum. Save us all the trouble.” His hand heated up as it tightened its grip on Zuko.

As much as Zuko didn’t want to die, he didn’t want to fight his cousin. The cousin he loved and respected. The cousin that spent years in captivity. The cousin who was currently burning Zuko’s neck. Zuko let out a gasp as the pain became too much. He could feel the blood slipping down his neck as Lu Ten burned harder.

With a kick, Zuko was able to push Lu Ten off of him. Instead of waiting around to see if Lu Ten was going to attack him further, he ran away from his cousin, holding his neck. He could feel the blood seeping through his fingers and running down, soaking his tunic. He was sure he looked a mess running around the Upper Ring with a bloody and burned neck.

Zuko refused to look up as he ran down streets, dodging people. If he didn’t look up, he wouldn’t attract attention. His feet seemed to know where to go so he didn’t question where he was going. At least, not until he stopped.

When he stopped running, he looked up and saw he was in front of the Avatar’s house. He must have gotten so used to going there, he went there instead of going home. He hesitated going further as they were enemies. Yet, he remembered the Waterbender willing to heal Uncle in the desert. As he started to feel himself slip from losing blood, he found enough courage to head to the door. The door swung open before he had a chance to knock. The waterbender stood there, speaking, but he couldn’t hear anything. The darkness he had been fighting caught up with him and he was out before he hit the ground.

~~~~

It was a relative quiet afternoon when Toph gasped and jumped up. Katara wasn’t sure what it was in regards to but figured it had to be someone coming to the door. She ran to the door with the rest of the group following her. Out of everything she prepared herself for, seeing Zuko standing there with a hand over his neck was not what she expected. “Zuko? What are you doing here?”

Instead of answering her, he fell to the ground. Sokka managed to run out and catch him before he hit his head. Zuko’s hand moved away from his neck when he fell and Katara let out a gasp at the sight. A large burn covered his neck and blood was dripping from the injury. She remembered the Uncle he traveled with and feared what might have happened.

“Get him inside now.” Katara ordered. Once Sokka placed Zuko on the couch, she started healing his neck. She needed the dirty robes off so it wouldn’t get in the way of her healing and wouldn’t dirty the burn. “Sokka, I need his tunic off.”

Without protesting, Sokka did what she asked. In doing so, she noticed his wrists had bandages around them. She glanced at Sokka and saw him looking at them. His hands were over the bandages and he looked at her. She nodded and he removed the bandages for her. On his wrists were burns as well. This was not good.

“What is it?” Toph asked, unable to see the burns.

“His neck is burned.” Katara said. “His wrists too. But the neck is bad. Real bad.”

“It looks like handprints.” Sokka added, which was not helpful.

“Who would do that?” Aang asked.

Katara and Sokka looked at each other. They both knew what the other one was thinking. It had to be the Uncle. He was the only one around Zuko.

A tiny voice said it wasn’t. The the handprint on his neck was not the size of his Uncle’s hands. “We… don’t know for sure Aang.” Katara settled on.

“It’s not the old man.” Toph narrowed her eyes at them. “He’s a sweet old man who wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“He’s also the Dragon of the West.” Sokka rolled his eyes.

“Doesn’t matter. I had tea with him and he was kind. Sweet. He loves his nephew. He wouldn’t hurt him.”

Sokka opened his mouth to speak but Katara cut him off. “I think she’s right. The handprint is too big for his Uncle.” She brought Zuko’s hand up for comparison. “See? It’s bigger than Zuko’s. His Uncle has smaller hands.”

“Then who was it?”

~~~~

Zuko blinked and was lost as to where he was. The more he focused and looked, the more he was able to make out he was with the Avatar but he couldn’t remember how or why.

“You’re awake.” The waterbender stood over him with her hands covered in water. She moved the water into a bowl nearby and he assumed he wouldn’t be harmed at the moment. “How do you feel?”

“I’m fine.” He said automatically. The earthbender snorted and he thought maybe he gave the wrong answer. “Better.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

His hand flew towards his neck where a bandage was. He sat up and saw his wrists were free and the burn marks lighter than they were. “You healed me.”

“I did.” She looked to the others before turning back to him. “Zuko, we have a question and we need to know the truth. Who did this to you?”

His heart sped up. He couldn’t answer that. He couldn’t let them know. His cousin had every right to burn him. It wasn’t his fault. It was Zuko’s. Always Zuko’s fault. “It’s my fault.”

“Zuko, we didn’t ask if it was your fault or not. We asked who did it.” She repeated while the boy mumbled about it wasn’t Zuko’s fault. Zuko assumed he misheard the boy.

“I… he has every right to. I’m a traitor. I deserve it.” He closed his eyes. “Uncle hasn’t said anything over the years but I know he agrees. I deserve it.”

“Zuko, what are you talking about? You don’t deserve any of this. No one does.”

Zuko couldn’t tell them the story, couldn’t tell them how he was a traitor. Not yet. Instead, he gave them what they wanted. “My cousin, Lu Ten. I found him in Lake Laogai after I found your bison. We thought he died six years ago. He didn’t.” Zuko closed his eyes and admitted the truth. “My cousin burned me.”

Chapter Text

Zuko ended up spending the next few days with the Avatar and friends. He offered to help around but Katara said he needed to rest and heal. He wasn’t used to resting or stopping so it was a change for him. He still did what he could to help. In the morning, he offered to have Aang sit with him for meditation. Zuko wasn’t ready to firebend in Ba Sing Se, nor did he think they could get away with it, but they could meditate together with candles.

As the days went on, he opened up a bit more about what happened. How he found his cousin. What was said. Even though they were against Lu Ten, they all agreed to not go after him or Uncle. To be honest, Zuko wasn’t sure if Uncle knew what Lu Ten did or not. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know if Uncle did. If Uncle didn’t know, finding out about Lu Ten would devastate Uncle and Zuko couldn’t do that to him. If Uncle did know, then Zuko deserved it. Zuko would be crushed knowing Uncle didn’t care for him like he thought, but he would let Uncle kill him. Even if the gaang said he doesn’t deserve to die.

Still, Zuko had started to feel happy for a change in the days to weeks that were spent with them. A part of him felt things were going to be bad, though he couldn’t figure why he felt that way. They all split up with Katara and Zuko staying and nothing had happened. He couldn’t shake the feeling of dread he had. Seeing Azula made him realize he should have listened to his gut feeling of dread. He, at least, was able to stall his sister while Katara ran away.

He was tossed down into a cavern by the Dai Li and left there. He couldn’t find an exit anywhere he looked and wondered if this was how Lu Ten felt, trapped alone in the cell. The difference was Zuko could move.

The wall on the opposite side of him opened up and revealed a person calmly walking in and the Dai Li closing the wall behind them. Zuko thought it might have been his sister at first but the build was different. As they entered more into the light of the cavern, he wished it had been his sister.

“Cousin.” Lu Ten smirked. “I see Azula found you.”

“Lu Ten.” Zuko took a step back. He didn’t want to be near his cousin. He still had a fear of him. “What are you doing here?”

“No pleasantries? How rude cousin.” He walked to the side instead of straight towards Zuko. He stayed towards Zuko’s left and Zuko had to turn to still be able to see his cousin. “After you left, I went home and told Father you ran off. He mourned you. He waited up every night in hopes you would show. I told him he was wasting his time. I hoped you were dead. As time went on and you never showed back, I assumed you were. Imagine my surprise when Father and I arrive here to serve tea and find out not only Azula was here, but she had you in prison. Alive.”

“What are you doing here?” Zuko repeated as he stepped back. Lu Ten might have answered how he got to the Palace, but not to the cavern.

“What’s the matter Zuzu? Don’t you trust me?” Lu Ten stepped closer to Zuko, closing the space between them. Zuko continued to step back until his back was against the wall. He should have moved to the side, as the rocks were blocking an escape. “I’m your cousin. The one you loved. You remember?” Lu Ten stood in front of Zuko and he was trapped. Zuko closed his eyes when Lu Ten lifted his hand and kept them closed though Lu Ten only ran his fingers through Zuko’s hair. “Do you trust me?”

Zuko wanted to say he did. Wanted to say he would do whatever his cousin asked. But the feeling of his neck on fire along with his friends telling him how wrong it was weighed on his mind. He couldn’t trust his cousin. Not after what he’d been through. It hurt so much to admit that as his cousin was the one he looked up to the most. “No. I can’t.”

“That’s a shame.” Lu Ten snarled. With the hand holding onto Zuko’s hair, he yanked at Zuko and tossed him to the side, into the rocks.

Zuko yelped as he landed. He looked back at his cousin reaching for him again. Zuko dodged and crawled away from Lu Ten until he wasn’t trapped. Once he was away enough, he ran to the other side of the cavern. Any time Lu Ten stepped closer to Zuko, Zuko moved away. This time, Zuko attempted to keep the same distance between them.

“Come back here Zuko. You deserve a traitor’s execution.” Lu Ten lit a fire in his hand.

Zuko was afraid of what would happen if he tired out or if his cousin caught him. He couldn’t fight his cousin, but he couldn’t run from him forever. A rumbling of rocks made Zuko pause in his running and he saw an opening being created by Aang with Katara and Uncle behind him.

“Zuko!” Katara called his name and he ran to her. He was safe with her.

“You guys found me.” Zuko let himself be engulfed in a hug by her. He refused to look in Uncle’s direction, afraid of what he would find.

“Of course we did. You’re stuck with us.” Katara smiled.

“Zuko,” Uncle started, “You’re okay.” Zuko turned to Uncle and saw in Uncle’s expression he missed Zuko. “I wasn’t sure what happened to you.”

Zuko opened his mouth to reply to Uncle but Lu Ten cut him off. “Father. I’m relived you made it out without any injuries.”

Uncle turned to Lu Ten and gave him a big smile. “Yes, my son. I was able to escape and ask for help finding you.”

Zuko squeezed Katara’s arm that was nearby, hoping she got the message. He couldn’t stay here. He had to leave. “Iroh, I think we’re going to go. We still need to find my brother.” Katara said. “Zuko needs to stay with us right now. We’ve been… working together.” It was a lie but a lie for Zuko’s sake. Zuko had his neck and wrists covered so the bandages wouldn’t be seen. He knew they wouldn’t say anything without his approval but he didn’t want Uncle to see the bandages and be disappointed Zuko was still alive and not dead.

“Nephew?” Uncle took a step towards Zuko which made Zuko take a step back.

“It’s okay Father.” Lu Ten placed his hand on Uncle. “It looks like Zuko made some friends. He should be with his friends.”

Zuko didn’t trust what was going to be said next so he fled before he could hear a response. He heard the footsteps of Katara and Aang behind him and waited until they caught up to him. Once together they ran out through the path they took coming in.

On their way out, they were stopped by Azula. She sent attacks to all three of them. Dai Li agents soon came to help her, fighting both Katara and Zuko while Azula focused on Aang. Katara and Zuko seemed to work seamlessly together as they attacked the Dai Li. Between the two of them, they were able to knock a few back. Until the Dai Li managed to separate them, with Katara being pushed across the room. Zuko was holding the Dai Li back as much as he could and tried to keep an eye on Aang as well. Once Lu Ten entered the room and attacked Zuko, his focus was solely on Lu Ten.

Lu Ten sent fireblast after fireblast to Zuko, who dodged or deflected each one. He refused to send an attack to his cousin. As he was wearing himself out after fighting the Dai Li and now Lu Ten, he wasn’t sure how long he could keep fighting.

He stopped when he felt the atmosphere change with the familiar electricity of lightning. He saw Azula getting ready to attack Aang. Zuko was in the way where he could deflect the lightning if he could reach it in time. If he took a few steps towards her and steadied himself, he could do it. If he had been paying attention to his cousin, though, he would have realized Lu Ten moved in Zuko’s distraction.

In the moment right before Azula shot her lightning, Lu Ten stepped up next to Zuko. “Do you trust me?” Lu Ten whispered right as he pushed Zuko into Azula’s lightning.

Zuko entered the lightning path right as it was headed towards Aang. With him being unsteady from being pushed, he didn’t have a firm grasp on his stance. Nor was he fully prepared for the lightning to hit him. He moved his arms in stance as quick as he could and was able to syphon off a good amount of the lightning but he hadn’t been ready enough to stop all of it. His body shook as he attempted to redirect the lightning to the ceiling. He could feel the lightning coursing through his body, burning him from the inside and it didn’t matter anymore. He was tired and wanted to rest. Voices echoed around him but he ignored them all. He closed his eyes and welcomed sleep.

Chapter Text

Iroh regretted many things in his life. He regretted not spending enough time with all his family. He regretted not being there for his Nephew and Niece when they needed him. He regretted not protecting Lu Ten all those years ago. He regretted following through with the war for so long. He regretted not jumping in and protecting Zuko three years ago. The one thing he regretted most of all, was not listening to the voice inside of him that warned Lu Ten was not the same man.

He saw how his son seemed angrier than usual. He knew it, but he ignored it. His son had been a prisoner for six years and presumed dead-it was expected to have anger. Zuko stayed away more and more claiming he wanted to let the two of them spend more time together. Iroh knew it didn’t seem normal. Zuko loved his cousin. He used to cling to his cousin more than anyone, following him around like a little shadow.

Iroh figured if he had Lu Ten and Zuko spend an evening together, everything would be fine. Except Lu Ten came back alone and said Zuko ran off. It didn’t sit right with Iroh but he accepted what his son said. Zuko had been known for running off on occasion. Agni knows how many times he had to run after that boy.

But the days passed by and Zuko did not return. Iroh became worried and spent evenings in Zuko’s room in case he snuck in just to sleep. One might, he noticed Zuko’s clothes folded up in a box. It was the outfit Iroh purchased for Zuko. He felt a sense of dread as he pulled it out of the box. Both sleeves had burnt markings on them. The way that they were situated, it would only be from a firebender grabbing him. Iroh didn’t like what that meant. He refused to believe what it meant. There had to be an explanation, after all.

As Iroh joined in the fight with the Avatar, he regretted not seeing the darkness inside his son sooner. Nothing could prepare him on seeing Lu Ten push Zuko into Azula’s lightning. Zuko was not grounded in his stance. He was not going to make it.

Iroh let out a terrifying scream and ran to collect his precious Nephew. He called out his name, holding him in his arms, but had no response. He was lifeless, almost as if he was dead.

“Iroh, I can heal him. We need to leave.” Katara pulled his arm towards the water. It was then Iroh looked around and saw Dai Li agents scattered around on the ground but no sign of Azula or Lu Ten. “Aang pushed everyone back for now, but we need to leave.”

Iroh nodded and followed Katara, cradling Zuko in his arms. He didn’t pay attention as the four of them made their escape or that they were on the bison. He focused solely on Zuko, singing to him as he held him.

There was no greater regret Iroh had than seeing Zuko hurt, knowing he could have prevented it if he paid attention.

~~~~

Seeing how heartbroken Iroh was, Katara didn’t doubt his honesty. Nor did she doubt he didn’t know about Lu Ten. As much as she didn’t want to be the one to break the news to him, she had to heal Zuko. Which meant removing his tunic to get to the injury. Which meant his bandages would be seen. Knowing Zuko’s life was more than protecting his secrets, she jumped in and started working.

Iroh gasped as soon as Zuko’s tunic was removed. Katara expected questions about what happened. Instead, Iroh cried and blamed himself for not paying attention.

“Uncle?” Zuko muttered. He was not with it completely and Katara wasn’t sure how he was even talking. Pure stubbornness probably. “Uncle? Is that you?”

“I’m here.” Iroh grabbed Zuko’s hand. “I’m here Nephew.”

“Are you going to kill me now?” Zuko asked. Iroh paled and somehow managed to shake his head. No doubt he was a loss for words. Katara knew she was. “It’s okay Uncle. I understand.” He snorted and let out a small chuckle. “You’re the only one who hasn’t burned me yet. I don’t have much left but you can have my legs.”

“Nephew! No! I don’t-“

“It’s not much, I know.” Zuko continued as if Iroh hadn’t spoke. “But I won’t run. I promise. I’m a traitor’s son. I deserve it.” Zuko closed his eyes and fell back down.

Katara was afraid they lost Zuko had it not been for her feeling his heartbeat. It was faint, but it was there. She focused her energy on healing him the best she could so he wouldn’t die on them.

“Anyone wanna tell me why Sparky thinks he’s going to die? And that Uncle is going to be the one to kill him?” Toph frowned as her grip on Sokka tightened.

“Many years ago, a man named Kino betrayed his Firelord. He and most of his family were killed because of the treason. One of his sons escaped and the Firelord thought nothing of it. Years later, Kino’s son grew close to the Firelord and tried to kill him. Because of this, any traitor to the Firelord must be executed along with their family.” Iroh took a deep breath before continuing. “If Zuko believes my brother betrayed the Firelord, Zuko would be expected to be executed by the Firelord.”

“But… his dad is the Firelord.” Sokka said. “Wouldn’t that be the opposite point?”

Iroh gave a small smile. “My brother was not supposed to be Firelord. I was. When Ozai took my birthright, he would have betrayed his Firelord.”

“Sparky expects you to kill him.” Toph gasped. “But you won’t! Right…?”

“No. I would never harm my Nephew. I thought he knew this.” Iroh ran his fingers over the bandages on Zuko’s wrist and stared at the one on his neck. “I was wrong. I don’t know what he’s been told but I fear what he expects and believes.”

~~~~

Zuko woke up groggy and confused. He looked around and saw a room similar to the room he had at sea. If he concentrated, he could feel the sway of the waves rocking the ship.

As he wasn’t locked down, he left his room to figure out what was going on. He saw his friends on the deck sitting in a circle. There were soldiers standing around, but they didn’t look like normal soldiers. They looked like Water Tribe, which made no sense. In the center of the circle sat Uncle. Zuko wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Uncle would want him dead. Was he here so that he could kill Zuko in front of his friends? At least Zuko would have the comfort of seeing people he liked before he died. That was… that was a comfort.

“Sparky!” Toph exclaimed and ran to him. She almost knocked him over as she went to hug him. He didn’t mind though. “You’re awake!”

“Hey Toph.” He smiled and hugged her back. “How long was I out?”

“Too long.”

“A week or two.” Katara added. He sensed a lie but wasn’t sure what it was. “You woke up a few times. Talked nonsense.”

“Oh? What did I say?” He couldn’t remember what he said. He hoped it wouldn’t be too bad.

All of them looked to Uncle instead of answering. He didn’t like it. He liked what Uncle did next even less. Uncle knelt down in front of Zuko, in a kowtow. His head rested right in front of Zuko’s feet.

“Uncle? What… what are you doing?”

“I must beg for forgiveness Zuko. I don’t deserve it. My son has harmed you in ways you should never be harmed. You have been made to believe I would hurt you. You have been made to believe I would kill you. I would never hurt you. I would rather die a traitor’s death than to hurt you. I swear to Agni I will do all I can in my power to protect you. I swear I will lay down my life before I allow anything to happen to you.”

Zuko felt his face heat up. Uncle should not be the one to kowtow to him! Uncle should want to kill him. Uncle should I hate him. He should not be this kind or loving. “Uncle… you… I don’t understand.” He felt moisture on his cheeks and it took him too long to realize he was crying. “You should hate me.”

“I could never hate you Zuko. I love you. I view you as my son. I’m so sorry I never showed that enough.”

Zuko knelt down to lift Uncle up from the ground. Uncle had tears falling down from his eyes as well. Zuko hated how heartbroken Uncle felt. “You always showed you cared Uncle. Always.” He reached out to Uncle for a hug and the two of them sat there, hugging each other, ignoring the rest of the world.

~~~~

With the help of Zuko and Iroh, the planning and invasion managed to go perfectly. Iroh gave insight on where the Firelord would be and secret pathways to get there. His White Lotus group also gave the team an advantage which Sokka was very appreciative of. Together, they managed to defeat the Firelord and Azula. The only setback was finding where Lu Ten was. He wasn’t with Ozai or Azula. He hadn’t been in the Palace either. Sokka wasn’t sure they were ever going to find him until Toph punched him and he saw Lu Ten heading their way.

“Father. It’s good to see you.” Lu Ten tilted his head slightly.

“Lu Ten. I’m glad you are not harmed. I was afraid you were injured.” Iroh stepped in front of Zuko as he spoke.

“I am not injured. I feel better than ever.” Lu Ten smirked. “Now that you have won and will become Firelord, you can handle the traitors according to our laws.”

“No.”

“No? And why ever not?” Lu Ten walked closer to Zuko, though every step he took, Iroh blocked the view from Zuko. “Don’t tell me this useless traitor lied to save himself!” Lu Ten snarled.

Sokka took a quick glance at Zuko and saw his friend curl in on himself. No doubt the words were hurting him, making him question his own worth. It didn’t matter how many times they all told him it wasn’t true, when someone criticizes them, it will hurt. Even more from a person whom they love and admire.

“Zuko has more courage and honor than you will ever know. If you let go of your hatred, you will see this.”

Lu Ten scoffed. “I don’t believe this. You choose him over your own son?!”

“I view you both as my sons. I should have seen this sooner, and I didn’t, but you need help. You’re holding onto this hatred that’s eating you up and destroying everything good about you.” Iroh took a deep breath and stepped closer to Lu Ten. “I will not let you harm my son. I will not let you touch Zuko.”

“No! This is not right!” He yelled, lighting his hands up in flames. “I will have him. He will have a traitor’s death. If you won’t pass, then I will challenge you to an Agni-“

“No!” Iroh grabbed Lu Ten’s hands and cut the flames. “I will not have you harm Zuko and I will not fight you. I love you and want to protect you any way I can. If that means protecting you from yourself, then that’s what I’ll do.”

“You betray me? For Zuko?!” Lu Ten snarled as Piandao and Pakku grabbed him. Together they held onto him as he struggled to break free.

“You misunderstand. You betrayed him when you attacked him.” Iroh nodded to Piandao who pulled a screaming Lu Ten back towards the Palace. Once he was far enough away, Iroh fell down to the ground and broke down in tears.

“Uncle…” Zuko started. Instead of finishing his thoughts, he wrapped his arms around Iroh as he cried.

Sokka knew what Iroh wanted most of all for Lu Ten: that he be healed. Lu Ten had been through so much over the years, he needed time to heal and recover. He may not appreciate it then, but he would in time. Sokka hoped, for all their sakes, they could all recover.