This plotline may eventually have Zuko in it... I think.
I've been slowly chipping away at tsukiryuu's request on the meme I posted... back in September? Anyway, I've essentially ended up coming up with an extended plot in order to get to the part she actually requested. I'm having fun with it though, which is why I posted the meme in the first place, so that's okay.
This is the first part, if you were wondering. There's at least one more part I need to write before actually getting to the actual request. Also, this has not been edited. Or proofread. Or anything. (Partially justified by the fact that I'm sleep-deprived by a combination of insomnia and starting my job today. At 6:00 in the morning.)
Yeah.
Plot: I'm going with her secondary request. It's AU. Jet's alive, and Zuko never got involved in the Crossroads-of-destiny-stuff for reasons to be explained. The gAang (plus Jet) defeated Ozai and Azula on the Day of Black Sun, and are now discovering a fundamental fact of life:
Paperwork sucks.
Sokka wasn’t happy. Sure, they’d beaten the Fire Lord, and no one was dead, and Jet wasn’t hitting on his sister anymore. But peace, as it turned out, was a lot more difficult than war. Most of the Fire Nation, despite the past hundred years of war and tyranny, still didn’t want to be ruled by anyone but a firebender, specifically a royal firebender, and the spirits seemed to agree with them, if the large amount of grouchy house spirits and river spirits and volcano spirits (that one had been fun) were any indication. Unfortunately, royal firebenders who weren’t interested in destroying the rest of the world were in rather short supply at the moment, which is why Sokka was digging through stupid court documents and stupid genealogies of the stupid royal family. Oh, and hadn’t these people ever heard of organization? There wasn’t any method to the order!
“How’s it going, Sokka?” Obviously Sokka needed to work on his scowl, because it hadn’t warned Aang at all.
“Terrible! These people have obviously never had to find anything in here before, or these records would be organized!”
Aang glanced at the papers. “They’re alphabetical.”
“Alpha-
Tomomi, Tsukiko, Umeko, Yasu, Yuzuki…
Oh. Alphabetically…
Well, it was a stupid system anyway.
“So you haven’t found anyone?”
“No. It looks like anyone who might have any claim to the throne is either dead or imprisoned for trying to burn down the Earth Kingdom. There aren’t that many papers left, either.”
“Who’s next, anyway?”
“Umm… Zuko.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep.”
“He’s a bit young to have illegitimate children that could take the throne, huh?”
“Uh huh,” Sokka continued skimming the papers, “Nothing here we didn’t know: son of Ursa and Ozai, brother to Azula, banished… banished?”
“What?”
“’Crown Prince Zuko, son of Ozai was banished following the events detailed in general records vol. 637, under the condition of capturing alive the Avatar.’”
“What was he banished for?”
Sokka shrugged. “Doesn’t say.”
“Let’s find out! What was that book that-”
There was a rumble of earth.
“Come out here Twinkletoes! You can’t hide forever!”
“Umm…” Aang stood up, “You’re gonna have to find it on your own, sorry… I wasn’t here!”
Later
Sokka appeared holding a book. “I have good news and bad news.”
Toph smirked. “You’ve overcome your unmanly fondness for shopping?”
“No, I have no- Shopping is perfectly manly!”
“Su-re.”
“Ahem. I may have found a -living-member of the Fire Nation royal family who isn’t completely psychotic!”
Katara looked up from trying to splash Aang. “Who?”
“Zuko!”
“You found out why he was banished?” Aang said.
“Yeah.”
Toph spoke up. “Hate to burst your bubble, but isn’t Zuko the guy who burned down Suki’s village?”
“And threatened Gran-Gran?” Katara added.
“And hired that bounty hunter you mentioned?”
“And tied me to a-”
“Yes, but-”
“And even if he hadn’t, we still don’t know where he is,” Katara said, “He wasn’t here on the Day of Black Sun.”
“That was the bad news,” Sokka held out the book, “But it’s still the best we’ve got. Read this.”
TBC
This is the first part, if you were wondering. There's at least one more part I need to write before actually getting to the actual request. Also, this has not been edited. Or proofread. Or anything. (Partially justified by the fact that I'm sleep-deprived by a combination of insomnia and starting my job today. At 6:00 in the morning.)
Yeah.
Plot: I'm going with her secondary request. It's AU. Jet's alive, and Zuko never got involved in the Crossroads-of-destiny-stuff for reasons to be explained. The gAang (plus Jet) defeated Ozai and Azula on the Day of Black Sun, and are now discovering a fundamental fact of life:
Paperwork sucks.
Sokka wasn’t happy. Sure, they’d beaten the Fire Lord, and no one was dead, and Jet wasn’t hitting on his sister anymore. But peace, as it turned out, was a lot more difficult than war. Most of the Fire Nation, despite the past hundred years of war and tyranny, still didn’t want to be ruled by anyone but a firebender, specifically a royal firebender, and the spirits seemed to agree with them, if the large amount of grouchy house spirits and river spirits and volcano spirits (that one had been fun) were any indication. Unfortunately, royal firebenders who weren’t interested in destroying the rest of the world were in rather short supply at the moment, which is why Sokka was digging through stupid court documents and stupid genealogies of the stupid royal family. Oh, and hadn’t these people ever heard of organization? There wasn’t any method to the order!
“How’s it going, Sokka?” Obviously Sokka needed to work on his scowl, because it hadn’t warned Aang at all.
“Terrible! These people have obviously never had to find anything in here before, or these records would be organized!”
Aang glanced at the papers. “They’re alphabetical.”
“Alpha-
Tomomi, Tsukiko, Umeko, Yasu, Yuzuki…
Oh. Alphabetically…
Well, it was a stupid system anyway.
“So you haven’t found anyone?”
“No. It looks like anyone who might have any claim to the throne is either dead or imprisoned for trying to burn down the Earth Kingdom. There aren’t that many papers left, either.”
“Who’s next, anyway?”
“Umm… Zuko.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep.”
“He’s a bit young to have illegitimate children that could take the throne, huh?”
“Uh huh,” Sokka continued skimming the papers, “Nothing here we didn’t know: son of Ursa and Ozai, brother to Azula, banished… banished?”
“What?”
“’Crown Prince Zuko, son of Ozai was banished following the events detailed in general records vol. 637, under the condition of capturing alive the Avatar.’”
“What was he banished for?”
Sokka shrugged. “Doesn’t say.”
“Let’s find out! What was that book that-”
There was a rumble of earth.
“Come out here Twinkletoes! You can’t hide forever!”
“Umm…” Aang stood up, “You’re gonna have to find it on your own, sorry… I wasn’t here!”
Later
Sokka appeared holding a book. “I have good news and bad news.”
Toph smirked. “You’ve overcome your unmanly fondness for shopping?”
“No, I have no- Shopping is perfectly manly!”
“Su-re.”
“Ahem. I may have found a -living-member of the Fire Nation royal family who isn’t completely psychotic!”
Katara looked up from trying to splash Aang. “Who?”
“Zuko!”
“You found out why he was banished?” Aang said.
“Yeah.”
Toph spoke up. “Hate to burst your bubble, but isn’t Zuko the guy who burned down Suki’s village?”
“And threatened Gran-Gran?” Katara added.
“And hired that bounty hunter you mentioned?”
“And tied me to a-”
“Yes, but-”
“And even if he hadn’t, we still don’t know where he is,” Katara said, “He wasn’t here on the Day of Black Sun.”
“That was the bad news,” Sokka held out the book, “But it’s still the best we’ve got. Read this.”
TBC