Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire [Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic]

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

He took deep and controlled breaths before he began the movement for his advanced firebending form. His actions were decisive but still had a hint of grace to them. In the past, he had let his firebending become fuelled by rage and hatred. He had learnt to use his drive to protect his people to be the force behind his movements. His desires for his people and country made him get up every morning, and although it was sometimes challenging, he knew he was happy. He had practised every form he knew and was up to the last one. Being Fire Lord was a tough job, but practising his bending let him forget the stress and troubles that came with the job for a while.

Zuko was 25 now, turning 26 in a few months, and he had changed from his days as an angsty teenager. He finished growing after he reached 5'8", and his hair had grown significantly and now fell past his shoulder blades. But more than physically, he had changed emotionally and mentally. The angry boy he used to be had somewhat disappeared, replaced by a mature, strong-willed but compassionate man who was reasonably wise for his age, according to his Uncle Iroh. More than likely, it was because of all his experiences that he was more intelligent than most at his age. Being best friends with the Avatar probably helped too. His temper had not disappeared altogether, but he had learned to use it as his strength. He had done his best to harness it for good and make it into passion instead of anger. He was resolute in making decisions that would benefit the Fire Nation and didn't hesitate to stand up for his beliefs. Despite all of this, his moments of uncertainty and indecision were frequent. His Uncle told him that it was the sign of a good ruler to constantly second-guess himself and think over his options.

Things had calmed down in the world as well. He had made peace with King Kuei of the Earth Kingdom years ago. He developed a good friendship with the Water Tribes, thanks to Katara, and Sokka, who would eventually be groomed to be the next Southern Water Tribe Chief. The Northern Tribe had helped to reestablish their southern counterpart, and they had flourished over the last few years. Aang's Air Acolytes were coming along well too. They had started to inhabit both the Eastern and Southern Air Temples since there were so many of them now. Toph's school was doing incredibly well, and she had trained a small group of metalbenders, who were a force to be reckoned with. She would be arriving in the Capital with Aang and Katara in two weeks, who were still happily together. Sokka and Suki were still together, and the two of them were currently in the Fire Nation with the Kyoshi Warriors due to a small rebellion that had appeared in the last 6 months. Suki had been assisting with security in the palace since the war ended, and Sokka used the excuse of 'diplomatic relations' so that he could come and be with her. He and Sokka had become great friends over the years, and he really enjoyed having him here. It seemed that Suki was happy to stay here rather than return to Kyoshi Island, at least for now, and Sokka had come with her as a package deal.

The rebellion was caused by a group known as the Fire Nation Supremacists, who believed that the Fire Nation was superior to all other nations, even though the war was long over. They hadn't made an enormous mess yet, but he was still planning to go to the front lines, where part of their faction was under siege, and meet with Colonel Uzan to see what was happening. The fighting hadn't begun yet, but Zuko had ordered his army to surround one of the Supremacists' bases and see what they did. He had no interest in giving the order for genocide against his own people. He hoped they would peacefully give up after their supplies had run out. Starving them out wasn't ideal; however, if they didn't give up, it was better than killing or hurting them. He wanted to avoid fighting and bloodshed at all costs.

It was dark by the time he finished practising, and the night shift guards bowed their heads respectively as he walked back inside the palace. He always returned their nods, thanked them for their vigilance, and ensured they were well-fed and paid. They were the men and women who protected him while he slept, and he was grateful for their service. He headed straight for his chambers and asked his steward to run him a bath.

When he became Fire Lord, he increased the pay of all the palace workers, the kitchen hands, cleaners, laundry, gardeners, and the guards to ensure they would be loyal to him. After a year or two, they weren't loyal because he paid them more but because he respected them, and they respected him in return. He always endeavoured to be as kind to them as possible, and as a result, he created more jobs because more people wanted to work in the palace. They weren't scared to walk through the hall and step one foot out of line and seemed to enjoy their work. There were more than enough employees, which meant that no one had to slog out long hours, and they got more time to spend with their families and loved ones. The economy in the Fire Nation was better than ever, and with the increased good relations among the four nations, trade was better and benefited everyone.

Once his steward had run the bath, Zuko dismissed him with a thank you and asked him to bring something to eat and then go home for the night. He stripped off his sweat-covered clothes and hopped in the bath that was big enough for 4 of him to fit in. After training for several hours, the hot water helped to soothe his tense muscles. Closing his eyes, he tried to continue his relaxation for as long as he could before the water became too cold. He could quickly heat it back up but decided against it, got out, and dried himself off. Once he was dry, he put on a pair of pants to wear to bed and sat at his small table where a hot meal was laid out for him. He eased his hair out of its tie and let it fall over his shoulders and back.

For a moment, he just stared at his lap, eyes unfocused. It was always like this. His Uncle was in Ba Sing Se most of the time, running his shop, but he visited a few times a year. His mother had decided that she wanted to return to Hira'a; the memories in the palace were too hard to deal with. Ikem and Kiyi had gone with them. He missed them dearly, though he saw them frequently. Aang and Katara visited when they could, and Toph too, but she was usually too busy running her school. Sokka and Suki were here, helping out because of the rebellion. Still, he wanted to ensure they had time to themselves. Zuko couldn't hang off them all the time and be a third wheel. His last girlfriend was Mai; she had gotten back together with Kei Lo, and they were doing well. Though he did miss her for a while, he had gotten over it a few years ago. It was more important that she was happy, and he eventually realised that he missed the companionship and not her directly. Ty Lee had returned to the circus and was delighted too. They were all on good terms, despite all that had happened. He hadn't seen his sister in a few months. Occasionally, he would visit her, but it had been a while. Things had been a bit too stressful, and he didn't want to damage his mental stability by having his sister stir him up. He didn't want to leave her to rot, but sometimes he wasn't in the right headspace to see her.

His eyes narrowed as he felt acutely aware of his loneliness. His shoulders slumped, and he sat in his chair, letting his head roll back, so he stared at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. He just wanted someone that he could talk to, someone that was close by and someone he could confide in and trust. His friends and Uncle were usually too far away, and he never wanted to talk to his mother about Fire Lord stuff as he didn't want her to worry about him. His father... wasn't interested in seeing his father or even hearing his name. He couldn't exactly confide in Azula either.

Plenty of noble families practically threw their daughters at him, trying to get them married into the royal family. But he had no interest in marrying for political gain or monetary gain. He especially had no interest in marrying someone just because their family wanted them to. Some of the girls who had been presented to him didn't seem too sold on the idea, whereas others were scarily desperate to be in the same room. Both options were equally bad. Eventually, he would have to marry as he would need an heir. He had also considered that he could adopt an heir, but that was years later. An arranged marriage or marriage for political gain was off the table, though.

He didn't want anything like that. He wanted to have someone who was strong, intelligent, and patient and could equal out his weaknesses. His temper, though dampened, wasn't entirely gone, and having a woman who could help him keep a level head and support him as Fire Lord would be great. But more than that, he wanted someone that he loved, who loved him back. Someone who could comfort him and he would enjoy spending time with. Something like what Katara and Aang had; they were so happy it was almost sickening. As much as Sokka complained when his sister was affectionate with Aang in front of him, he was precisely the same as Suki. He couldn't deny that he was envious of their happiness and luck in finding their soulmate so early in life.

A woman that he would be happy waking up next to was all he wanted. He had tried to keep an open mind on the matter but realised he might as well wait until the right time. It wasn't like he could get out much, being the Fire Lord. Someone would have to come into his life eventually, right?

After a while, he dragged himself to bed, and maybe he pulled one of his pillows a little closer than usual as he slept...