Fic: In His Shoes (Chapter 16)
Title: In His Shoes
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Avatar is not mine. Belongs to Nick.
Summery: In order to fully understand a man, you must first walk a mile in his shoes. Sokka and Zuko are going to find that out the hard way.
Spoilers: Only for season 2
Notes: Happy New Year!
*****
Last time time on In His Shoes:
"Uncle," he breathed.
Zuko hardly knew what happened next. Everything seemed to collapse and fall inward, as if he were waiting for this point and hadn't known it. This moment. As if every worry he'd had in the last few weeks: Aang's health, Katara's weird reluctance towards Hokoda, Toph's crush on Sokka, how they were going to survive, what they were going to do next, and a million others - all of it fell away, leaving only one thought.
Azula was going to kill his uncle.
His feet were moving before he was even aware. He ghosted, silent like the Blue Spirit he once was, towards Appa. The bison trusted him and Zuko had driven him too many times for this to be unusual. He didn't give a complaint as Zuko climbed on a flicked the reigns.
Everyone was grouped around the fire. They'd never know until he left.
He didn't look back once as he guided Appa towards Ba Sing Se.
******
Never before had the moon looked so cold and alien -- sitting only as a thin slice in the sky. Sokka gazed up at it. It seemed like ever since he had been brought back in Zuko's body, he kept hoping that looking at the moon would help him to feel better. It didn't.
Tomorrow, he would be boarding a ship to the Fire Nation.
A cold shiver passed through him and he hugged his arms against his chest. He knew he could do that breathing-thing with the fire to warm himself up, but this cold wasn't from the outside.
What do I do? He thought, gazing up at the razor-thin moon and remembering the brave face of the girl with the white hair and blue eyes. Yue had died for the sake of her people, and a cynical part of him wondered if he was going to end up the same. How could he hope to fool them all with his firebending acting all wonky? He was going to meet the Fire Lord, wearing his son's face, but... what if they put him to the test somehow?
Sokka let out a long sigh, resting his chin on the railing. What if Fire Lord Ozai wanted to talk about 'old times'? What would he do then?
He glanced back up at the moon, then did a double-take. There was a speck of movement along Yue's face, and for a moment Sokka thought that he was looking at a distant cat-owl ghosting after it's prey, or hey, maybe a rare flying lemur.
But the speck wasn't just moving across the crescent of the moon. It was getting bigger.
Within a few moments, Sokka was standing straight up and staring out at the night sky, his golden eyes wide with shock. He knew that shape - six legs and a flat tail - he knew it.
"Appa?" It came as a harsh whisper and Sokka's heart was suddenly pounding hard as he clutched the rail. He almost didn't want to blink, afraid if he did that Appa would disappear like a figment of his imagination.
Appa didn't go anywhere but closer, sweeping low over the top of the former Earth King's palace and circling once before landing in the gardens. A figure moved on Appa's head, dismounting to land lightly on the springy grass - and Sokka recognized that shape, too.
****
Sokka was never quite sure how he got down to the garden without being followed by the Dai Li guards - how Appa was able to fly in without being seen by other eyes at all, except that the night was dark with little moonlight and on the ground Appa's bulk blended in with garden's outlandish topiaries.
A hundred thoughts, questions ran through his head at the rapid pace of his stride - and he didn't notice how the torches he passed all flared up and died to coals in his wake.
Why had he come? Why now? Why alone? The message Sokka had sent with his father had been a slim shot at best.
And above everything else, Sokka thought about how Uncle Iroh had told him, "Things are changing, Prince Zuko." And, "Be ready, nephew."
Sokka wasn't sure if he was ready or not. All he knew was that something was kindling in his chest - something that burned brighter than even his firebending. Maybe it was hope.
He slowed down as he hit the bottom of the stairs. The figure was waiting for him - a black statue in the darkness with some kind of broadsword strapped to his back. He resolved into color as Sokka drew closer and even though he was expecting it... seeing his own face glare back at him was still bizarre.
Zuko narrowed his bright blue eyes into slits. "Give me one good reason," he growled, reaching for the sword and unsheathing it. The metal glinted even in the moonlight. "One good reason why I shouldn't just kill you right now."
Sokka's mouth went dry, but he had pretty much expected this. "You know," he heard himself say. "I would be saying pretty much the same thing, if I was in your place."
Zuko scowled. "I can't believe you're joking."
Sokka let out a long breath. He couldn't stand to see that ugly look on his own face - the anger and betrayal. But he kept his hands low and in a non-threatening position, trusting that Zuko wouldn't strike if he didn't put up a fight. If it was one thing he learned about the Fire Nation is was that they took their honor really seriously. "That's the difference between you and me. Jokes are all I have left."
"You're wrong," Zuko snapped. "You have everything I've tried so long to work for. Everyone thinks you helped bring the Avatar down. You can go home to the Fire Nation as a hero!"
Sokka clenched his fists. "Why would I want to go back to your stupid nation anyway? You seriously think I want-wait." He stopped short as the rest of Zuko's words registered. "You said everyone thinks I helped bring the Avatar down." Sokka stared at Zuko and again he felt that wild hope in his chest. "Is Aang...?" He couldn't bring himself to say it.
Zuko winced. He didn't say anything - he didn't have to. Sokka's face had always been a very expressive one.
Aang was alive.
Sokka's knees actually gave out and he sank to the soft grass. "I thought-when Azula did that lightening thing... I didn't even know you guys can do that. I didn't think anyone could survive..."
"He's in pretty bad shape," Zuko admitted grudgingly. But Sokka didn't care. He barked out a laugh, wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He didn't honestly care if Zuko changed his mind and ran him through. Aang was alive. He and Katara and Toph would be all right....
"Where's Uncle?" Zuko demanded. "I got your note. Where is he?"
With an effort, Sokka pulled himself together. He knew he probably looked just as odd to Zuko as he did to himself - the ex0firebender probably wasn't used to seeing himself grinning. He got to his feet and nodded towards the palace.
"Follow me."
*****
Zuko followed Sokka as he ghosted quietly through the garden paths, wondering why he trusted him at all. Well, at least he trusted him about as far as his broadsword could reach.
He wasn't sure what to think anymore. He had flown Appa in, half-expecting a trap laid out for him, but willing to fight through and save Uncle anyway. When Sokka had shown up, it had only confirmed his suspicions.
But then he had let slip about Aang - it had been so stupid of him - and Sokka had acted... relived. Overwhelmed.
Despite his better judgment, Zuko could feel a seed of doubt taking root in his mind, doubled when he realized that the drive to come here - the all consuming urge to get to Ba Sing Se NOW and save Uncle, even if it meant stealing Aang's bison and leaving Hakoda and everyone in the middle of the night - had dissipated. He glanced up at the sliver of moon hanging in the sky and frowned.
What exactly was going on here?
Sokka held out his hand to stop and Zuko did, glancing about wearily. Thirty feet in front of them, a man in a wide brim hat and green robes patrolled a corridor. Sokka motioned to go back, and soon they were in another long hallway. The sheer maze of the place reminded Zuko starkly of the Fire Palace back home.
His heart clenched and he pushed the thought away. "Wait," he said, stopping mid-step.
Sokka glanced back at him, his remaining eyebrow knit in confusion. "What?"
"You were waiting for me, weren't you? You saw me and Appa fly in." Zuko accused. "You knew I would come. Tonight, I mean."
"What?" he asked, again.
Zuko shook his head, frustrated. He couldn't put it into words, but he had grown up with stories from the Fire Sages. He had felt an all consuming need to come here tonight, and now that it had waned he was starting to think that it had been something outside of himself, nudging him along.
But before he could verbalize any of it, there was a polite cough from behind him.
Both boys whipped around - and Zuko stared.
Lady Mai stood in the corridor before them.
She's grown up, he thought, dumbly, his mouth actually dropping open. And even though he knew that was a stupid thought - of course she grew up - he couldn't help but take her in. Her dark hair, her slim, strong poise...
... how she looked at Sokka, with just a hint of softness in her eyes.
"Mai," Sokka said, his voice going high in surprise. "I was, uh- I mean, we were... uh..."
She held up a hand. "Stop." Then she looked at Zuko - right at him - and frowned. "What is it with you and the Water Tribe, anyway?"
Zuko almost replied, but of course she had not been talking to him.
"Mai," Sokka said, stepping close to her. "He's here to help me get Uncle out. I hate to ask you, but-"
"You need a distraction, right?" she drawled, and then rolled her eyes. "Oh well. Normal boyfriend's are boring." Then, without further ado she swept past them both and walked back along the path they had come, back towards the Dai Li guard.
Zuko watched her go, feeling like he had been dunked in ice-water. Boyfriend?
"You and... Mai?" he hissed, once she had turned the corner and strode out of sight.
Sokka didn't quite meet his eye. "Well... you know how it is. She was there and, I was there..."
Zuko grit his teeth and his fingers tightened again on his broadsword. "You know that the Earthbender has a crush on you, right?" he blurted.
The other boy stared at him. "You didn't."
No, Zuko didn't, but that didn't stop him from raising his eyebrows at him, or enjoying the look of unease on Sokka's face. Good.
A shout echoed from somewhere off in the distance - Mai's distraction, no doubt. Sokka seemed to shake himself. "C'mon. Azula hand picked the Dai Li guard herself, and they're good. We won't have much time."
It turned out they were keeping Uncle down in one of the sub-levels - an area lit only by the barest flame torches, all set far out of reach for even the most skilled firebender. Sokka glanced over his shoulder at Zuko as he withdrew a set of keys from his robes and opened the door.
The door creaked open, throwing a shaft of light on the inside of the darkened room. And Zuko's mouth went dry as his uncle looked up at him, a slight smile on his weathered face.
"Nephew," he said. "At last, you have arrived."
****
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Avatar is not mine. Belongs to Nick.
Summery: In order to fully understand a man, you must first walk a mile in his shoes. Sokka and Zuko are going to find that out the hard way.
Spoilers: Only for season 2
Notes: Happy New Year!
*****
Last time time on In His Shoes:
"Uncle," he breathed.
Zuko hardly knew what happened next. Everything seemed to collapse and fall inward, as if he were waiting for this point and hadn't known it. This moment. As if every worry he'd had in the last few weeks: Aang's health, Katara's weird reluctance towards Hokoda, Toph's crush on Sokka, how they were going to survive, what they were going to do next, and a million others - all of it fell away, leaving only one thought.
Azula was going to kill his uncle.
His feet were moving before he was even aware. He ghosted, silent like the Blue Spirit he once was, towards Appa. The bison trusted him and Zuko had driven him too many times for this to be unusual. He didn't give a complaint as Zuko climbed on a flicked the reigns.
Everyone was grouped around the fire. They'd never know until he left.
He didn't look back once as he guided Appa towards Ba Sing Se.
******
Never before had the moon looked so cold and alien -- sitting only as a thin slice in the sky. Sokka gazed up at it. It seemed like ever since he had been brought back in Zuko's body, he kept hoping that looking at the moon would help him to feel better. It didn't.
Tomorrow, he would be boarding a ship to the Fire Nation.
A cold shiver passed through him and he hugged his arms against his chest. He knew he could do that breathing-thing with the fire to warm himself up, but this cold wasn't from the outside.
What do I do? He thought, gazing up at the razor-thin moon and remembering the brave face of the girl with the white hair and blue eyes. Yue had died for the sake of her people, and a cynical part of him wondered if he was going to end up the same. How could he hope to fool them all with his firebending acting all wonky? He was going to meet the Fire Lord, wearing his son's face, but... what if they put him to the test somehow?
Sokka let out a long sigh, resting his chin on the railing. What if Fire Lord Ozai wanted to talk about 'old times'? What would he do then?
He glanced back up at the moon, then did a double-take. There was a speck of movement along Yue's face, and for a moment Sokka thought that he was looking at a distant cat-owl ghosting after it's prey, or hey, maybe a rare flying lemur.
But the speck wasn't just moving across the crescent of the moon. It was getting bigger.
Within a few moments, Sokka was standing straight up and staring out at the night sky, his golden eyes wide with shock. He knew that shape - six legs and a flat tail - he knew it.
"Appa?" It came as a harsh whisper and Sokka's heart was suddenly pounding hard as he clutched the rail. He almost didn't want to blink, afraid if he did that Appa would disappear like a figment of his imagination.
Appa didn't go anywhere but closer, sweeping low over the top of the former Earth King's palace and circling once before landing in the gardens. A figure moved on Appa's head, dismounting to land lightly on the springy grass - and Sokka recognized that shape, too.
****
Sokka was never quite sure how he got down to the garden without being followed by the Dai Li guards - how Appa was able to fly in without being seen by other eyes at all, except that the night was dark with little moonlight and on the ground Appa's bulk blended in with garden's outlandish topiaries.
A hundred thoughts, questions ran through his head at the rapid pace of his stride - and he didn't notice how the torches he passed all flared up and died to coals in his wake.
Why had he come? Why now? Why alone? The message Sokka had sent with his father had been a slim shot at best.
And above everything else, Sokka thought about how Uncle Iroh had told him, "Things are changing, Prince Zuko." And, "Be ready, nephew."
Sokka wasn't sure if he was ready or not. All he knew was that something was kindling in his chest - something that burned brighter than even his firebending. Maybe it was hope.
He slowed down as he hit the bottom of the stairs. The figure was waiting for him - a black statue in the darkness with some kind of broadsword strapped to his back. He resolved into color as Sokka drew closer and even though he was expecting it... seeing his own face glare back at him was still bizarre.
Zuko narrowed his bright blue eyes into slits. "Give me one good reason," he growled, reaching for the sword and unsheathing it. The metal glinted even in the moonlight. "One good reason why I shouldn't just kill you right now."
Sokka's mouth went dry, but he had pretty much expected this. "You know," he heard himself say. "I would be saying pretty much the same thing, if I was in your place."
Zuko scowled. "I can't believe you're joking."
Sokka let out a long breath. He couldn't stand to see that ugly look on his own face - the anger and betrayal. But he kept his hands low and in a non-threatening position, trusting that Zuko wouldn't strike if he didn't put up a fight. If it was one thing he learned about the Fire Nation is was that they took their honor really seriously. "That's the difference between you and me. Jokes are all I have left."
"You're wrong," Zuko snapped. "You have everything I've tried so long to work for. Everyone thinks you helped bring the Avatar down. You can go home to the Fire Nation as a hero!"
Sokka clenched his fists. "Why would I want to go back to your stupid nation anyway? You seriously think I want-wait." He stopped short as the rest of Zuko's words registered. "You said everyone thinks I helped bring the Avatar down." Sokka stared at Zuko and again he felt that wild hope in his chest. "Is Aang...?" He couldn't bring himself to say it.
Zuko winced. He didn't say anything - he didn't have to. Sokka's face had always been a very expressive one.
Aang was alive.
Sokka's knees actually gave out and he sank to the soft grass. "I thought-when Azula did that lightening thing... I didn't even know you guys can do that. I didn't think anyone could survive..."
"He's in pretty bad shape," Zuko admitted grudgingly. But Sokka didn't care. He barked out a laugh, wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He didn't honestly care if Zuko changed his mind and ran him through. Aang was alive. He and Katara and Toph would be all right....
"Where's Uncle?" Zuko demanded. "I got your note. Where is he?"
With an effort, Sokka pulled himself together. He knew he probably looked just as odd to Zuko as he did to himself - the ex0firebender probably wasn't used to seeing himself grinning. He got to his feet and nodded towards the palace.
"Follow me."
*****
Zuko followed Sokka as he ghosted quietly through the garden paths, wondering why he trusted him at all. Well, at least he trusted him about as far as his broadsword could reach.
He wasn't sure what to think anymore. He had flown Appa in, half-expecting a trap laid out for him, but willing to fight through and save Uncle anyway. When Sokka had shown up, it had only confirmed his suspicions.
But then he had let slip about Aang - it had been so stupid of him - and Sokka had acted... relived. Overwhelmed.
Despite his better judgment, Zuko could feel a seed of doubt taking root in his mind, doubled when he realized that the drive to come here - the all consuming urge to get to Ba Sing Se NOW and save Uncle, even if it meant stealing Aang's bison and leaving Hakoda and everyone in the middle of the night - had dissipated. He glanced up at the sliver of moon hanging in the sky and frowned.
What exactly was going on here?
Sokka held out his hand to stop and Zuko did, glancing about wearily. Thirty feet in front of them, a man in a wide brim hat and green robes patrolled a corridor. Sokka motioned to go back, and soon they were in another long hallway. The sheer maze of the place reminded Zuko starkly of the Fire Palace back home.
His heart clenched and he pushed the thought away. "Wait," he said, stopping mid-step.
Sokka glanced back at him, his remaining eyebrow knit in confusion. "What?"
"You were waiting for me, weren't you? You saw me and Appa fly in." Zuko accused. "You knew I would come. Tonight, I mean."
"What?" he asked, again.
Zuko shook his head, frustrated. He couldn't put it into words, but he had grown up with stories from the Fire Sages. He had felt an all consuming need to come here tonight, and now that it had waned he was starting to think that it had been something outside of himself, nudging him along.
But before he could verbalize any of it, there was a polite cough from behind him.
Both boys whipped around - and Zuko stared.
Lady Mai stood in the corridor before them.
She's grown up, he thought, dumbly, his mouth actually dropping open. And even though he knew that was a stupid thought - of course she grew up - he couldn't help but take her in. Her dark hair, her slim, strong poise...
... how she looked at Sokka, with just a hint of softness in her eyes.
"Mai," Sokka said, his voice going high in surprise. "I was, uh- I mean, we were... uh..."
She held up a hand. "Stop." Then she looked at Zuko - right at him - and frowned. "What is it with you and the Water Tribe, anyway?"
Zuko almost replied, but of course she had not been talking to him.
"Mai," Sokka said, stepping close to her. "He's here to help me get Uncle out. I hate to ask you, but-"
"You need a distraction, right?" she drawled, and then rolled her eyes. "Oh well. Normal boyfriend's are boring." Then, without further ado she swept past them both and walked back along the path they had come, back towards the Dai Li guard.
Zuko watched her go, feeling like he had been dunked in ice-water. Boyfriend?
"You and... Mai?" he hissed, once she had turned the corner and strode out of sight.
Sokka didn't quite meet his eye. "Well... you know how it is. She was there and, I was there..."
Zuko grit his teeth and his fingers tightened again on his broadsword. "You know that the Earthbender has a crush on you, right?" he blurted.
The other boy stared at him. "You didn't."
No, Zuko didn't, but that didn't stop him from raising his eyebrows at him, or enjoying the look of unease on Sokka's face. Good.
A shout echoed from somewhere off in the distance - Mai's distraction, no doubt. Sokka seemed to shake himself. "C'mon. Azula hand picked the Dai Li guard herself, and they're good. We won't have much time."
It turned out they were keeping Uncle down in one of the sub-levels - an area lit only by the barest flame torches, all set far out of reach for even the most skilled firebender. Sokka glanced over his shoulder at Zuko as he withdrew a set of keys from his robes and opened the door.
The door creaked open, throwing a shaft of light on the inside of the darkened room. And Zuko's mouth went dry as his uncle looked up at him, a slight smile on his weathered face.
"Nephew," he said. "At last, you have arrived."
****