Avatar: The Last Airbender

Part 46 (The Search) [Comic]

Sokka leaned over to Aang, covering his mouth to avoid many other people hearing. "Tell me again, how exactly is boring lecture guy supposed to help us figure out what to do with Yu Dao?"

You were all sitting in a meeting room, a table in the shape of a half-circle around the man speaking.

Aang smiled over at Sokka. "He's an expert on Ancient Earth Kingdom theories of government. The Earth King thinks we should draw on the wisdom of the past to build a society of the future."

Sokka leaned forward on the table, resting his chin on his crossed arms. "Even if the past bores me out of my skull?"

"Yeah, I agree. We need a new way of seeing the four nations, not-"

You leaned around Zuko. "Boys, please," you hissed. "Some of us are trying to listen."

"Professor, can you repeat that last part?" Zuko asked somewhat hopefully, raising his hand.

Everyone looked over at him, seeing you leaning across the Firelord to scold the Avatar and your best friend.

You glared up at Zuko for drawing everyone's attention to you, but there was no true malice behind your expression.

He grinned sheepishly down at you. "Sorry," he whispered.

You sat up straight, keeping your gaze on Zuko before turning back to the old man giving the speech.

He sighed as he stroked his long gray beard. "A teenager is a teenager, apparently, even if he's a head of state." He turned to face your boyfriend. "I was explaining, Firelord Zuko, an ancient Earth Kingdom philosophy: family is in essence a small nation, and the nation a large family." He raised an eyebrow, his expression joyless. "Do you understand? In treating his own family with dignity, a ruler learns to govern his nation with dignity."

Zuko's expression became thoughtful....and sad.

You looked over at him, eyebrows bowing in concern. "Zuko," you whispered softly, now tuning out the speaker. "You okay?"

"I put my father in a prison and my sister is in an institution. My mother's been banished for years. What does that mean for my nation?" Zuko questioned quietly, gaze locked on the top of the table.

You placed your hand on his padded shoulder. "Zuko..." you sighed.

His golden eyes shifted to the left to look at you.

"You did what you had to do. Everyone knows that." You lowered your voice even further, leaning closer to him so he'd still be able to hear you. "And what happened with your mother wasn't your fault." You tried giving him a reassuring smile.

"Yeah." Zuko looked away. "Maybe."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Yu Dao summit seems to have done you some good," Suki told Zuko as he looked into the cell which contained Azula in a straightjacket, visiting Ozai on the other side of the bars. "You're more upbeat than-"

"My usual, dour self?" Zuko finished, looking over at her.

"I didn't say that. I'm- we're glad to have you back, Zuko."

The Firelord's gaze returned to the barred cell window. "Aang wants Yu Dao to be the prototype for a new kind of city, one that unites the four nations."

"That sounds exciting!" Ty Lee piped up.

"It sounds idealistic," Zuko corrected. "But maybe the world could use a little more idealism."