Obsession (Zuko X OC fan fic) - Discontinued

27. Return

I sat on the porch watching the sun rise, mentally preparing myself to say good bye to my new found family. "I'll be back soon, guys..." I sighed.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Deko sat down beside me. "Hey, Azul."

"Deko..."

"Actually you can just call me Ko if you want..." He stared at the sky line. "Won't be long now..." He pulled a half burnt cigarette from his shirt pocket. "Got a light?"

"Always do." I lit my finger on fire for him and he lit his cig.

"Thanks sis..." He took a puff and let out a lung full of smoke. "You must really miss your friends..."

"Oh... um... not all that much. Mostly Zuko... we've kind of known each other since we were little..."

Ko laughed awkwardly. "Yeah... so... I'm really sorry about yesterday..." He took another puff.

"It's not a problem, Ko. There is no way that you would have known... besides..." I shrugged, "we're not even half siblings."

"Step siblings though..."

"Yeah..." I sighed. "Sometimes I wonder how things would be if I hadn't run away..."

"Probably, boring."

"Never would have met Zuko..." I set my hand to the scar on my face. "or Fire Lord Ozai..."

"Or the Avatar..." Ko pointed out.

"The draft is coming this way, you know..." I looked at my feet.

"I do know that." He took another drag. "So... it won't be too long before I'm fighting for the fire nation. What is it like? Fire bending?"

"It's powerful. Fire can be created from passion, fear, rage, even sadness. Only the strongest emotions can create fire... but earth bending is very grounded." I sighed. "Fire can be scary and dangerous if you don't know what you're doing... just being near it is like being in a volcano sometimes..."

"What will they do with me, being a non-bender and all, when they throw me in the army?"

"If they take you at all, the front lines... probably with no training for battle... you could try to run, or you could hope they just throw you into prison, or you can just be sent to the front lines..."

"I want you to take Jo with you..."

"What?" I looked at Ko.

"When you leave, take Jo Jook with you. He's too young to fight but since he's an Earth bender they'll throw him in the front lines. If you have room, take mom and the twins too... for me..."

"Hold on, now. That's a very big request..."

"It's the only one I'll ever ask for, I swear." Ko put out the cig "...but this is important to me. I avoided the draft once but I don't want them all to end up getting caught in the draft like I will."

"You have to come too."

"What?"

"You heard me, Ko. You have to come too."

"Do you have the room and supplies for that?"

"Yes, we have the room..."

"Supplies, Azul?"

I sighed. "we don't have the supplies to support who we have now. You will have to bring your own supplies but I can get you somewhere the draft can't get to you. It's one of the few places still untouched by the fire nation..."

"I'll let mom and dad know..." He stood up. "They'll be excited..."

***

I steered the final way to the Western Air Temple in the cramped war balloon. I landed on top of the temple and folded the balloon into its basket with Katara's help.

Deko looked out over the edge of the cliff. "We're as deep into the fire nation as I would ever chance to go. How is this a safe place?"

"Because if you can't fly, you can't access it."

"None of us can fly..." Dad said. "I'm pretty sure the only air bender left is the avatar."

I smiled. "That's fine." I popped my fingers and stomped my foot. I pulled up hard on the ground and set the large chunk of rock to the side. I looked down the hole to the floor of one of the earth bender rooms below.

Sokka was at the bottom of the hole. "What the..." He looked up. "Azul? What are you doing up there?"

I waved. "Hey Sokka. Katara is coming down first."

Katara nodded and began to climb down through the hole in the mountain until she reached the bottom. She jumped down and reached up. "The twins first."

I smiled at the twins. "Ready girls?"

"That looks scary..." the girls said as they stared down the hole.

"Don't worry," I smiled comfortingly. "It's safe." I lowered the girls down one at a time followed by Deko, Mom, Jo Hoon, Ahool, and finally Dad. I lowered the supplies my family brought and finally myself down the hole and covered it back up. "Everyone, meet Sokka, Katara's brother. Sokka, meet my family."

"It's great to meet you. Welcome to Team Avatar's base camp. Can any of you bend?"

"Ahool, Jo Hoon, and I bend fire," Deko stepped forward, indicating each of the children he named. "And Jo Nee earth bends."

"Great." Sokka smiled. "Benders are of great value around here. Without them, we wouldn't be able to live here."

I looked out and spotted a balloon on the horizon. "Their back."

Katara looked. "Great. Just in time."

It wasn't long before my family had been given the tour of the temple and Zuko and Aang had returned. I brought my Dad into a space in the part of the temple where they had put up me and Zuko as well as the rest of my family. Zuko was waiting for us.

Zuko greeted my with a smile. "I'm glad your safe, Azul."

"Zuko," I smiled. "Meet Jan Ho, my father. Dad, meet Fire Prince Zuko."

Zuko bowed to my father. "It is very nice to meet you sir. I hope this war has not caused too much grief to your family." He righted himself.

Dad seemed a little bit surprised. "It is me who should be bowing to you, Prince Zuko. You have looked after my daughter well. I am just a sick old man who lost her as a child."

Zuko put his arm around my shoulder in a protective manor. "I wish I could say I was the one to keep her safe, but Azul is much stronger than me. She has been the one to save me many times, a debt I have not yet repaid."

"You're on the right side of this war, son." He looked at me with a smile. "You make my little Azul so happy. I'm just glad I could live to see her find someone."

"Dad has what the healers call cancer. They don't know how to fix it." I looked up at Zuko's face. "They only know he won't be around all that much longer."

"I'm very sorry to hear that sir," Zuko said.

"I've accepted it. I've lived a full life with a beautiful wife and healthy children. My only regret was not having Azul and now she's back in my life and happy. Thank you, young man, for bringing joy to my daughter's face."

Zuko kissed the side of my forehead. "She brings joy to me every day we are together."

"Dinner time!" my mom's voice rang across the temple.

"Mother calls," I smiled as I took Zuko's hand and pulled him and my dad towards the gathering place where the fire was lit. After supper Zuko and Aang showed us their new technique, The Dancing Dragon. I told Zuko he'd have to teach me sometime before I was charged with escorting all non-benders to their rooms within the temple.