AtLA fic: Airbender's Child: Fire 15/15
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story, in fact a lot of the dialogue will probably be cadged straight from the show itself, which means I own even less.
Author's Notes: It's finished! Yeah, it was a long wait for so little, but this is an epilogue, and I really didn't want to go crazy. More to the point, this stops in the same place the original series stops. So, I want to thank everyone who's been reviewing, you are all awesome, everyone who's been favouriting this or setting it on alerts, also awesome. And now, on to the epilogue.
The next couple weeks were a mess of politics, treaties and finally travel to Ba Sing Se to have the final negotiations in a city where most of the people in the upper rings were completely unaware that there had been a war, the security was practically airtight and King Kuei was willing to be a neutral mediator who didn't have resentment toward the Fire Nation or any previous connections to any of the other parties.
The fourth night Zuko stayed in the palace, he was woken in the night by shouting from outside, and discovered that Shuga had ignored all common sense and had come to visit him. Smiling, he bounded down the hallway to where Shuga was deliberately making a nuisance of herself, stomping around the courtyard, while Appa hovered protectively. "Shuga! What are you doing here?" he asked, promptly climbing on top of her to scratch her back.
An incredibly irritated rumble was his reply, and she rolled onto her side, then glared at him.
Then he realised what the problem was. "I'm sorry. I haven't had any time to get to see you, you know."
She pointedly looked at him, then at Appa, then back again.
"Appa can sleep all day if he wants to, and he certainly doesn't have to be awake to negotiate with angry diplomats intent on destroying the Fire Nation in revenge for the depredations of a century," Zuko retorted.
Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him a moment longer. Then she sighed, rolled back onto her side and looked pointedly at him.
"You're just here for scratches, aren't you?" he asked. "What? Are the benders in the Ba Sing Se enclave not spoiling you enough?"
She hummed happily.
"Seriously," came Sokka's voice from behind him, "It's the middle of the night, Shuga. Did you have to wake everyone up? Some of us were sleeping."
Aang, with his inexhaustible supply of energy arrived on the scene and smirked at Zuko. "So, what was that about Shuga forgetting you?"
Zuko loftily ignored him, turning to Appa. "Why did you let her fly over anyhow?" he asked. "You know she shouldn't be travelling any distance in her condition."
The look the male bison gave him was utterly incredulous.
"Shpff," Katara said from behind him. "She's pregnant, not sick, Zuko."
A sad-sounding rumble came from behind him. Zuko turned to see Shuga looking sadly at him. "Well," he defended, "You shouldn't be risking it." She looked even sadder. "Of course I missed you, Shuga, I'm just worried about you." Even bigger, sadder eyes. "I want you to stay with me, of course I do, but you should be with a proper herd and with proper bison midwives." If he hadn't known bisons didn't cry, he'd have thought she was going to. "I . . . Okay. You can stay with me at the palace or wherever you want. But I expect you to be careful."
Shuga perked right up and licked him. Then she looked at Katara, and one eyelid slowly dropped in an entirely human wink.
Zuko whirled on his girlfriend. "Did you teach her that?"
"Maybe," Katara told him with an unrepentant grin.
By now, all the various delegates had come out into the courtyard. The regional leaders of several Earth Kingdom fiefdoms and Chief Arnook were all staring at Zuko. As he realised how much the centre of attention he'd become, Zuko stiffened, putting on the royal mask he'd spent so much time cultivating. His attempts at dignity were completely destroyed when Shuga decided to lick him.
He sighed, and just let himself droop in sheer disappointment that no one was ever going to respect him. "You're just so adorable," Katara told him.
"Just what I've always wanted," he said with a sigh. "To be adorable."
In the end the treaties were negotiated and signed to no one's satisfaction, which everyone agreed meant that they had to be fair because only the actual diplomats liked them and everyone else felt they were unfair without agreeing on what points they were unfair. So Zuko was able to visit his uncle's brand new tea shop and relax with everyone.
Sokka made a drawing that looked like Shuga had been the one holding the brush, everyone made fun of him for it, and Zuko watched it all feeling like it was just a dream that things had come to this point. That was when he noticed Katara and Aang were missing. He had just enough time to get a sinking feeling, as they came slipping back in together off the balcony before Katara was next to him, cuddled under his arm.
"Is everything okay?" he asked her.
She looked a little sad. "I just . . . Aang had just been hoping that you were a phase I was going through," she explained. "I think he's about ready to really let go now."
As they watched, Ty Lee arrived at their party late, bounded over to Aang, kissed him on the cheek and pretzeled herself beside him. The boy turned bright red but something about him indefinably lightened as he started to talk to the acrobat. "I think he's more fine now," Zuko noted. They were joined a moment later by Azula, who asked, "Where's Aiko?" With a sudden thud, a broom closet door opened, and Aiko fell out, on top of Thuan, joined at the lips. "Oh, ew." Azula said, looking nauseated.
"Seconded," Zuko told her. "Aiko! Take your boyfriend and do that where decent people don't have to watch!"
"Okay!" Aiko said, and the two of them raced into the night, giggling.
Azula shook her head. "I didn't ever need to imagine . . . Mai!"
He whipped around to discover that his ex-girlfriend had perched herself on top of Teo and was making out in the corner. "What?" Mai said. She looked oddly exultant. "He's just so interesting." Then she gave that half smile that passed as a grin for her. "Tell me more about these wind engines." As Teo started lecturing, Sokka joined them, chattering away on the topic while Suki rolled her eyes and drew Azula into a discussion about battle tactics, which turned into comparisons of fighting styles as Katara joined the conversation. Aang and Ty Lee were already practically dangling from the roof as they competed to out-gymnastic each other so Zuko went and joined his uncle.
"Ah, Zuko, I have not had much time to talk with you this evening," Iroh said. He smiled. "Would you join me in a cup of tea and a game of Pai Sho?"
Toph butted in. "You promised you'd teach me," she complained to the older man.
"And so I shall," Iroh adapted easily. He pulled out a board made of marble with small stone markers instead of the usual wooden ones. "But perhaps you will allow me a game with my nephew as a demonstration?"
"Great. Whip his butt," Toph declared, after quickly testing to see if her earthending sight would work on the pieces.
So Zuko sat down with his uncle and played a game of Pai Sho over tea.
Prologue Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven Part Twelve Part Thirteen Part Fourteen
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