Avatar: The Son of the Sea God

Family Reunion

Zuko clenched his teeth as three cloaked figures rode into his camp. Their lizard mounts kicked up a thick cloud of dust, causing Iron to sneeze into his teacup. 

"What do you want!" He shouted angrily at the first rider. An girlish laugh (faked, he knew) echoed through the marsh.  

"That's no way to greet your dear sister, is it, Zuzu?" Azula flipped off her hood, smiling malevolently. "Besides, do I really need a reason to visit family these days? Who knows, maybe I've even missed you!"

Zuko glared at her, brows narrowing. 

"Cut the act, Azula." He knew she was just trying to get him to lose his temper. "What do you want from me!?"

Azula laughed. "You can't possibly believe I'd want anything from your-" she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "-filthy little entourage!" The rider behind her pulled off her hood.

"It's not THAT bad, Azula! Remember the sludge?" Ty Lee remarked, shuddering. "My hair has never been the same since."

"Ughhhh... We're here to capture the Avatar for the Fire Lord." Mai said, clearly bored. "Now can we please get out of this swamp?" 

Zuko was fuming. 

"Wha- no!" He yelled angrily, gesturing wildly with his hands. "You can't do that!" Azula narrowed her eyes.

"Actually, we can. After your recent failure was reported to the capital, Dad decided you weren't going to succeed at your task, so he sent a more-" she paused as if searching for a word. "-capable team."

"HOW DARE YO-" Zuko's outburst was interrupted by Iroh.

"Congratulations, Princess Azula, we wish you safe travels on your journey." Iroh said calmly, shushing his nephew's attempts to interject with more salt. 

"Will the old guy ever just shut up for a bit?" groaned Mai. Azula snapped her fingers.

"C'mon girls, we've got a bison to catch." With a flick of the reins, the lizards scurried off into the forest.

---

Zuko turned to his uncle, annoyed. 

"What was that?!" He exclaimed. "'Safe travels'? You do remember she tried to kill you once, right?!" Iroh sighed.

"Prince Zuko, we both know that if Azula wishes to hunt the Avatar, there is nothing we can do to stop her." He said, sipping his tea. "Besides, that means we no longer have to chase him around the world."

Zuko clenched his fists, furious. 

"Without the Avatar, my father will never accept me back home." said Zuko, pacing angrily in circles. "I must restore my honor!" Iroh threw his hands up, exasperated.

"And what kind of parenting IS that?! Banishing your child to search for someone no one has seen in a century?!" Iroh turned to his nephew. "Prince Zuko, do you really want to return to that kind of life?"

Zuko kicked a rock. 

"It's not your job to make my decisions for me." With that he stomped into the trees, leaving his uncle alone with the crew.

"But it is mine to protect you." Iroh whispered softly to himself, staring at the white lotus tile in his hand.

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A\N: Ok, I'm back... I took a break, intending to abandon this story, but inspiration hit and here we are! I am, however, going to be less consistent with updates, giving myself more room to breathe. Recently, this fic  really blew up, so I'm glad I decided this when I did. Thank you so much for all the support and wonderful messages (I try to respond to all of them).

XOX, Rainy💙