Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Zuko had been hunting the Avatar he'd spent hours upon hours pouring over maps with Uncle, trying to figure out the pattern behind the boy's sporadic travel. It turns out, there was no pattern, the boy was just entirely irresponsible to the point of strategy. A strategy they called 'mini vacations'.

His first day as a part of "Team Boomeraang" consisted of listening to the water tribe siblings and Aang and Toph argue in turn. All while getting used to flying hundred of feet in the air on Appa.

When they finally landed for Aang to practice Earthbending it was clear that there was a power struggle happening. Toph was pushing Aang around and Aang was too passive to protest, and it was pissing Toph off.

But it was clear that Zuko, or Blue, hadn't earned everyone's trust. Both of the Water-tribe siblings kept an eye on him, he could feel their gazes on the back of his head. Zuko was just glad that some people in this group had some sort of caution. He could always respect that.

So when Aang and Toph were out training and working out their issues, Zuko sat down with Katara and Sokka to discuss the Fire Nation. He was trying his best to be patient, but it was beginning to get painful.

"So," Sokka began, "How do we defeat the Fire Nation?"

Zuko couldn't help but huff, he shrugged. No point in writing out 'I don't know'.

"Too vague of a question maybe," Sokka nodded, "What about it's weaknesses, where are its vulnerabilities, places of low defense? Something we can exploit!"

Zuko knew the one thing he could mention, The Day of the Black Sun, but surely there were some Firebending secrets he should keep to himself, right? The Black Sun wouldn't be for months, so maybe it'd be safest for 'Team Boomeraang' and the people of the Fire Nation for the Day of the Black Sun to remain a secret? Zuko wasn't sure.

Katara chimed in, saving him, "What about its prison weaknesses? We know you broke Aang out of a Fire Nation prison," Katara asked.

That's something Zuko could work with. 'Fire Nations are always anticipating an attack, so it's best to do the opposite.'

"What do you mean?" Katara pressed.

'If I had attacked any of the prison guards directly they would've been able to raise the alarm, stealth is the best way to infiltrate anyplace Fire Nation.'

"Thanks Blue, that's really helpful!" Sokka said with a grin, "Wanna help us plan the trip to our next stop?"

Zuko nodded, it'd be great to make their travel a bit more purposeful.

The distant sounds of earth-bending came to an end and Aang and Toph rejoined them, seeming to have resolved their issues.

"Actually," Aang chimed in, "It's Katara's turn to chose a mini-vacation!"

"How about the Misty Palms Oasis?" She offered, looking over the map.

It might be good for Aang to practice more water-bending, Zuko tried to rationalize.

When they arrived it was clear the Oasis was not how Aang remembered it and there would be no water-bending practice, the oasis was more of a sand-pit than anything. Which was really beginning to bother Zuko, the heat of the sand made it hard to differentiate body heat and surface heat. Toph felt the same, though she complained about it as she pleased.

They passed through the dried out oasis, the icey remnants of it a mere slab. They entered only open tavern.

"I don't see anything wrong with having one of those fruity beverages while we plan our strategy," Sokka said, surely with a grin.

In his rush he ran into a fellow traveler, spilling his drink onto the not-far-behind Aang and silencing the bar. The man turned out to be friendly enough, ecstatic to meet a living air-bender he introduced himself as Professor Zei from Ba Sing Se University.

Zuko listened and analyzed the man's words, he didn't seem to have any bad intentions, maybe just a bit too forward with what he asked Aang. Zuko silently stepped in and stopped the man from measuring the boy's head, maybe forward was an understatement.

Professor Zei told them about his anthropological dream of finding the Wan Shi Tong Library, which is said to contain unlimited information. Perhaps even information on the Fire Nation that Zuko hadn't shared with them yet, he was still trying to protect his people to some extent after all.

"Ok!" Sokka said, "As my mini vacation I choose the mysterious library!"

Zuko could only sigh, he should've expected this. He wouldn't be getting away from the sand anytime soon.

Chapter Text

Zuko rested next to Toph as they flew over the sand dunes, pretending to be scanning the horizon.

He remained focused as Toph huffed and complained about being bored, tell him about it!

After hours in the sun, blind without his firebending Sokka spotted the library, or at least the top of it?

Standing before it, feet grounded on the sand it was clear there was something more than the meager tower Katara described, “Let’s get out of here.”

Zuko huffed behind his mask and turned to climb back onto Appa when Toph interrupted, “Actually that won’t be necessary, the inside seems entirely intact. And it’s huge!”

He turned back in surprise, how could she tell? She was blind?! Oh wait, he really was a hypocrite.

Sokka was ecstatic, “Let’s climb to that window!”

Aang grabbed Zuko’s arm with excitement, pulling him towards the tower.

He shook his head in protest.

“What’s wrong Blue?” Aang asked, “We need you to translate for us!”

Zuko shifted with discomfort, he really didn’t want to contribute to any discoveries about the Fire Nation, but how would he tell the boy that?

Toph interjected, grabbing Zuko’s arm and tugging him to her side, “I say you guys go on without us.”

“Got something against libraries?” Katara asked.

“I’ve held books before,” Toph grumbled, “And they didn’t exactly do it form me.”

Zuko was unable to force back a shake of laughter, Toph stilled.

“You can laugh?!” She asked in disbelief, “You guys go on without us!”

Aang sighed, “Only because Blue doesn’t want to.”

The boy turned to Zuko again, “Please take care of Appa.”

He nodded.

“Let me know if they have something you can listen to,” Toph joked as the group entered the library.

Then the three were alone.

Toph turned to him, “What’s up?”

It was less awkward than Zuko thought it would be.

Almost an hour later Zuko found himself resting in the shade Appa provided as Toph reaccounted how she joined the group, all the while she used him as a foot rest. She’d quickly made a friend out of him.

“And then Aang offered to kidnap me! Do you believe that?!”

Zuko huffed, he found Toph amusing. Every laugh earned him a rough pat on the shoulder.

“Anyways, I know you communicate by writing but that’s not really going to work for me…”

His brow furrowed.

Then he offered a hand to her, she reluctantly handed it over.

He carefully traced the Earth Kingdom symbol for, ‘Hello Toph.

Toph was suprised, “Hi Blue.”

He continued, ‘We can communicate like this, that way the other don’t eavesdrop.’

“Was that a joke?” Toph asked, “Because if so we have a lot of work to do!”

Zuko smiled for the first time in a while, it made his face hurt.

The moment of comfortable silence was interrupted by Appa’s bellow of warning, the sand was shifting beneath them.

Toph was immediately on her feet, it took Zuko a few seconds to catch on.

“The library’s sinking?” Toph said in disbelief, “The library’s sinking!”

Zuko observed helplessly as Toph used all her strength to keep the structure above the sand.

He rushed to her side and stabilized her as the sand shifted beneath her feet. He was helpless.

The warning bellow of Appa caught Zuko’s attention again.

“What’s happening now?!” Toph asked.

Zuko turned to sense heat signatures approaching from a distance, a mass of them, sandbenders!

With a grunt Zuko left Toph’s side and rushed to reach Appa, arriving in time to be surrounded by the fleet of sandbenders.

He held his swords at the ready.

Appa roared as a gust of sand blew into his eyes, blinding him. Zuko tightened his defences, Appa was relying on him!

The sandbenders jumped from their carts and Zuko found himself surrounded. They held weighted ropes and whips at the ready, wanting to capture Appa.

Zuko wouldn’t let that happen.

With a yell Zuko slashed through the ropes, freeing Appa. It felt as if the ropes were endless, no matter how many he cut a new one replaced it.

He let out a cry of pain as a whip struck and wrapped around his wrist, jerking his left sword from his grip.

They closed in with Zuko’s newfound weakness.

With a bare foot pressed into the sand Zuko heated the sand beneath them, he heard yells and hisses as the attacker’s feet burned.

Toph was still in hearing distance but it didn’t matter.

“Go Appa!” Zuko ordered, “Get out of here!”

The bison seemed to bellow in protest, Zuko shoved at him as he cut through another wave of ropes, he heard the crack of another whip, “Leave!”

Reluctantly Appa took flight, hovering out of Zuko’s range of sense and hopefully out of the range of the sandbenders. Zuko was left at their mercy.

With Appa safe and Toph at a good distance Zuko allowed himself to breathe. Surely the sandbenders would move on? Instead he felt the sting of a whip tearing through the skin of his right bicep.

The pain was excruciating and he helplessly dropped his remaining sword.

Heat surrounded him and he was blind to the sandbenders that reached for him.

Another whip cracked against the back of his head and he screamed as his mask fell off without its ties.

One of the sandbenders took the mask and with a final kick to his side mounted their carts and left.

Zuko felt the familiar warmth of blood flowing over his face, but that didn’t matter. They’d taken his mask, his mother’s mask.

He clenched his fists into the sand and let out a sob.

Zuko then felt the relief of a shadow rising over him, a familiar bellow allowing him to relax. Appa settled and huddled by his side.

Distantly Zuko could hear Toph yelling to him, asking if he okay, asking what happened, asking if he was still there. It hurt his heart.

His head throbbed when Toph finally let the library sink beneath the sand. He didn’t know if everyone had made it.

He didn’t know anything, he just knew that the sand was so warm and he was so tired.

He allowed himself to rest for once.

The moment Toph felt everyone pass through the window and collapse on the sand outside the library she released it to its fate.

She fell back from the force that the library sunk into the sand with, she heard the sound of Sokka celebrating what they’d found, but she had no time to dwell on it.

Pushing herself to her feet again she ran to Appa and Zuko, “Blue! Blue are you alright?!”

He smelled of blood and laid limp in the sand despite Appa’s nudges, “Katara! Katara help!”

Toph couldn’t help the tears that overflowed as she applied pressure on Blue’s headwound, his mask was missing.

She felt far from herself as Katara healed Blue, keeping his face covered to respect his wishes.

If anyone wanted to question Blue’s loyalty from then on, they would have to get through Toph first that’s for sure.

Chapter Text

Before his exile, Zuko had loved to collect things. Scrolls, trinkets, and turtleducks (which he would always return). He cherished every gift and letter sent by Uncle Iroh and Cousin Lu Ten and found comfort in them after his mother disappeared.

Zuko owned very little during his exile. He had his swords, the clothes on his back, and his mother's theatre mask; The Blue Spirit.

So it was absolutely devastating to wake up without the last thing he had of his mother.

He'd woken with a torn cloth thrown over his face, the remains of a shirt, familiar heat signatures were huddled around him. The steady rise and fall of Appa's flight was a relief, until he registered the position he was in. Toph was pressed to his side, had she told them he could speak? That he was a liar?

Toph turned to Zuko, sensing his panicked pulse, "Blue! How are you feeling?"

Zuko reached for his face, his mask was gone, of course it was gone. He'd traded it for Appa's freedom...

Aang rushed to his side and hugged him, "We're sorry we couldn't get your mask back, thank you for saving Appa!"

His mask was gone, the last thing he had of his mother. With that realization a sob erupted from his chest.

His eyes had been burnt to crisps, so no tears could fall, instead he shook with anguish, unable to find relief in shedding tears.

Aang reached back and grabbed Momo, "Here! An emotional support animal!" Momo squeaked in confusion before settling in the crook of Zuko's neck.

Aang tried to comfort him again, "It's ok Blue! We can get you another one, please don't cry!"

He sobbed harder, tracing along the palm of Toph's outreached hand, 'It was my mother's.'

The group was panicking now, Sokka chimed in, "We know a thing or two about face coverings, once we're in Ba Sing Se I can find you something! What kind do you like? Full face? Half? Another theatre mask? Something blue?"

Zuko curled into himself, with one hand holding the cloth fast against his face and the other petting Momo.

Katara was silent from where she guided Appa as the others huddled around Blue. He was hurt, but he'd also deceived them. Had he known about the Day of the Black Sun the entire time? Could they trust someone who kept secrets from them?

With Toph's Beifong family document entering Ba Sing Se is a breeze. They enter Ba Sing Se with their sight-seeing lemur and air-bison with no issue.

As soon as the group is done admiring the luxurious housing they were given, Sokka and Aang were animate that they were going to find Blue a new mask.

They ran off and Katara followed behind, muttering about keep them from spending all their money.

Zuko was left in the house with Toph, alone together for the first time since the Sandbender attack.

"Fashion isn't really my thing," Toph grunted, "...I also wanted to talk to you."

Zuko stilled, his heart raced, surely Toph could sense it.

"I heard you, you can talk can't you?"

"..."

"That's not fair you know, I've been struggling to communicate with you this entire time when you could've talked to me." Toph complained with a groan, slumping onto the floor next to him.

"..."

"It's okay, your secret's safe with me."

"I...was scared."

"Scared?"

"That they'd recognize my voice."

"Where do you know them from?"

"They knew my Uncle and I...before I was on the Avatar's side."

"You're Lee, right? Your Uncle is Mushi?"

Zuko nodded.

"Your secret's safe with me, Lee."