In Too Deep
Zuko watched, idly interested, as the businessman from the Upper Ring entered negotiations to get Iroh to work for him instead. He wasn't surprised that the offer - an Upper Ring apartment, his own tea shop, total creative freedom - was winning Iroh over so easily. What did surprise Zuko was Iroh's one moment of hesitation...and his spared glances towards Cadence and Zuko.
Then Iroh spoke up. "I must say, your offer is astounding, and I would love to accept, but..."
"But?" the businessman asked, surprised.
"Well, you see, while tea has always been a high class affair, in my travels I've discovered that tea can have unexpected pleasures when drunk on the road," Iroh explained. "I've been working on finding a way to recreate that sensation in a tea shop, to let my customers experience an adventure in every cup."
The businessman grinned widely. "Now that is an interesting idea," he practically purred. "What's the problem?"
"Well, obviously tea on the road is not drunk in bone china," Iroh joked. "So I would need a fine ceramic...but I only know one potter who can craft such cups that are both fine quality and carry the essence of journey and adventure...and he lives here in the Lower Ring. And however carefully they are packed, they would lose some of that essence being brought between the Rings."
The businessman thought for a time. "Hmm...if this potter is as good as you say, I'll give him an apartment and shop in the Upper Ring as well, right across the road from yours."
"Deal!" Iroh agreed eagerly. He then turned to a table in the corner. "Jin, would you be so good as to guide this man to your father's shop?"
As the businessman followed Jin, and his men followed Zuko, Iroh, and Cadence to their apartment to help gather their belongings, Zuko leaned in to Iroh's side. "Uncle, what was that about?" he asked. "I thought you'd jump at the chance of your own tea shop. Why the added negotiation?"
"I wouldn't want your friendship with Jin to be upset by a sudden onset of prestige," Iroh replied with a wide smile. "She's been good for you."
Zuko rolled his eyes, looking away, most definitely not blushing. As he walked, however, he spotted something unexpected. A flier looking for a missing Sky Bison. Walking over, he saw that, indeed, the Avatar was searching for Appa...and was in Ba Sing Se.
Suddenly things were a lot more serious.
Zuko had decided not to tell Iroh, Cadence, Jong, or Zhin what his plan was. He was pretty sure Iroh and Cadence would not approve, and Jong and Zhin would insist on going with to keep him out of trouble. But he knew...he had to do this alone. He didn't know why he felt so compelled, but deep down, he knew if anyone came with him, something would go terribly wrong.
He'd put on the blue oni mask he'd brought from the Fire Nation, the one he'd originally made for Mai back before everything started to change. He knew Mai had the red oni mask she'd made for him, though he didn't know if she'd brought it with her. He was wearing the blue mask now, both to hide his identity and to get some semblance of Mai's cool, calm deliberation to cool his angry heart.
Seeing that the Dai Li were actively watching Aang and his group, Zuko had come to the conclusion that they knew something about Appa's disappearance. Managing to waylay one of the Dai Li agents, Zuko discovered he was correct...and also learned where Appa was being kept...in an underwater facility under Lake Laogai.
Learning that the facility could only be accessed via Earthbending didn't dissuade Zuko too much. Once he'd made sure the agent wouldn't be reporting to anyone for a while, he camped out at the Lake until a Dai Li arrived to enter the facility. Once the tunnel was open, it was child's play to catch the agent off guard and knock him out. After that, it was only a matter of careful exploration and staying out of sight...easy for Zuko after all the tumbling lessons Ty Lee had given him.
When he found Appa, he saw how angry and afraid he was. Zuko didn't blame him. He entered the cell in silence, approaching the massive creature. Drawing his twin swords...he fell into his mind as he tried to decide what he was supposed to do.
He was a Prince of the Fire Nation. From the cradle, he'd been taught that the war was to unite the world under one banner...that it was for the good of the world that the Fire Nation rule all. As long as he'd lived in the Fire Nation, he'd believed that. The good of the Fire Nation and the good of the world had always been the same thing in his mind. That's why he was able to pursue the war - his mission - with such conviction.
But ever since he'd started travelling incognito, hiding from Azula, he'd seen the other side. The healer's burned legs...Lee's lost brother...Jin's lost home... The pain and suffering people dealt with, whether because of the war or those who sought to profit from it...
He no longer believed that the good of the Fire Nation and the good of the world were the same thing. And now he was confronted with a choice: the Fire Nation, or the world.
If he killed Appa here, Aang would likely never learn of it. He'd never know that Appa was dead, and would spend the rest of his life trying to find him. In one strike, Zuko would completely eliminate the threat Aang posed to the Fire Nation, without creating a new threat by creating a new Avatar. This was what his duty as a Prince of the Fire Nation demanded of him.
If, on the other hand, he set Appa free, Appa would seek out Aang. They would be reunited. The Avatar would once again be the symbol of hope for so many people, uniting the world against the Fire Nation. The war would likely come to a swift end as Aang gathered the whole rest of the world under his banner. The suffering caused by the war would be stopped...it would end.
Just turning around and leaving wasn't an option. If he left Appa imprisoned, it was the path of a Prince, but being too weak to act. Same if he alerted Aang to where Appa was, being weak and choosing the path of the world. He had only two choices here.
He brought his hand to his mask, remembering. Mai had always hated how she wasn't allowed to do anything she wasn't supposed to, how she had to be the perfect daughter at all times. The masks had been his idea. As the cool and collected one, he'd made the blue oni mask for her, wearing the red one she made to represent his more impulsive side. Wearing the masks and nondescript clothes, they would race about the town at night, sometimes playing pranks, sometimes watching things they weren't supposed to see...but mostly just having fun together without the rules hanging over their shoulders.
If he took the path of the world, it would mean truly becoming the traitor Azula had painted him as. It would mean forever turning his back on Mai. But if he took the path of the Prince...would he ever be able to look himself in the eye in the mirror again?
Rising slowly out of his minds, he raised his blades...and swung.
As he heard the chains break, he fell to his side. He had made his choice, for good or for ill...and in doing so turned his back on everything his life had ever stood for. His body felt hot, cold, sweaty, chilled...
He hardly noticed Appa picking him up and carrying him out. He barely heard the angry shouts of Dai Li agents. He barely felt the whistling of wind as they flew through the air.
The first thing he was truly aware of was Cadence curled up beside him, and Iroh's words.
"Rest now, Zuko...we will take care of you..."
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And now, the consequences of that choice
I never really knew WHY Zuko fell so ill around that time.
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
This was a great chapter and you managed to make me feel a little tiny bit of what Zuko just felt, so great job mate.
6799858 I believe it due to the fact he is literally being torn in two directions, and that stress just grew to the point he became sick until he finally found peace. Which IS a real thing, if you get stressed out enough for long enough you can become sick. But that is my guess as to why.
6799858 It was an illness of the soul. Zuko acting against all that he used to believe in, it was such a momentous decision, that it caused inner-strife with him. At least, if I remember correctly.
Existential crisis coming early...
Will Zuko try to convince his father that this is the right path as well? And what will happen in the fated battle at the season finale? Will canon reign supreme, or will three face one?
That is, until about 80 years or so pass and an avatar from the water tribe brings balance. A glaring error in an otherwise perfect plan.
OK, so pretty neat chapter. It was like you took the scene from The Promise Part 2 except you took out the example that was a part of Zuko's childhood and replaced it with something that could have but most likely didn't happen in his childhood. But don't worry, it's a fair comparison this time around.
Kudos for bringing up the whole "One nation, one banner" thing. It kind of brings this story full circle somewhat. That's nothing to say of the repercussions of that which must be omitted, but it's no major loss... to some people, anyways. Good luck.
6800285
Except, 80 years in the future, the Fire Nation would rule the entire world. There would be a new Balance.
6800287 Right, right, "a new balance"...
I now understand that all of this is hypothetical, and there is no way that Zuko would know that this is a bad thing... but wait, why would an avatar not show up, especially in straits like those? Aang showed up, and Sozin hadn't even STARTED the war, so why would that stop the avatar from existing?... Unless you mean that this hypothetical, tomboyish avatar wouldn't do anything.
But that also makes no sense, because there's ALWAYS a dissenting opinion, even if enough time passed for complacency to settle in. So even if, as the planets align during a blue moon's summer solstice, Azula's descendants had full utilization of their capacity of humanity, AND they were decent as far as humans go, there's always going to be rebellions of some sort. Heck, just look at Clockwork Consequence; it's ALL about dissent in apparent "utopias".
Speaking of which, I wonder how people in your world behave to radical takeovers.
{Ruler Who Isn't as Much of a Jerk as They Were in Their Initial Appearance, and are Noticeably Inferior in Interest: People of the world, do not be alarmed, I am taking over it!
People of the World: Oh, no!!!
RowaMoaJaTWiTIA,aaNIiI: Don't worry, I have cake.
PotW: Well, we were going to just fight to the last tooth and nail, but I suppose we'll just roll over and accept our defeat with no bitterness behind the deal as we eat it.}
That's what it seems like to me, anyway.
Nothing like internal conflict to weigh one's mind.
6800347
Political balance, not spiritual balance.
Once Ozai took over the world, Sozen's original goal - improving the world by combining Fire Nation technology with Earth Kingdom resources - would kick in. Would there be dissenting opinions? Certainly. But the vast majority of those around after the time gap by the time of the next Avatar would be so used to the new world order that - even if the Avatar sided with the rebellion - they'd have to fight the vast majority of the world's population.
Yes, an Avatar would rise. Yes, the Avatar would be taught to restore the balance of the Elements. But the most efficient way an Avatar could do that would be to approach that time period's Pheonix King and explain the danger of the elemental imbalance to the world as a whole.
...or at least this is how Zuko perceives the possible future.
6800421 Yeah, there's the sanity of certain family members to factor into this as well. Sozin and Azulon were pretty mental. Azula's pretty messed up. But the one who's REALLY off his head is Oza- oh, wait, he's more normal in this version... the part of me who's read You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter isn't looking forward to season 3. I can practically taste what the season 3 finale is going to result in. And it's unsatisfying. That isn't to say that the thing from YCSSWL was badly executed, it was fairly well done... given who the fallen ones were. But the same execution won't work for the kind of fallen one you're executing.
Season 3 was smart enough to leave her fate omitted.
The Search was similarly smart in defining the omission by providing a suitable replacement (I didn't think those things even EXISTED yet!).
And Smoke and Shadows, in smartness threefold, may or may not answer, in totality, her true fate...
My biggest worry is that when YOU define her fate, it becomes something that is not only unsatisfying, or lacks the intelligence from what it should be, but lacks in the spirit of what made her a character.
Dude, what is WRONG with me?! Why am I so. Flipping. SALTY!?... But I suppose the part that's stuck by everything knows that you can't screw it up, and that whatever you decide to do will be the best one. It's a weird thing to put my faith in, but
I suppose all I can do is wish you luck... 8LL THE LUCK!!!!!!!!
Guess Zuko wasn't as deep in trouble as we first thought. Still, seeing this scene makes me somewhat... Feverish in the future chapters to come.
Yeah, not many good puns today. Anymore and I'd be... Kiln myself.
Best part about this story?
It's the most divergent from the original plot of any of these I've read. It's not just "X character tags along behind and experiences the plotline of the game and/or show".
6800532
Well, I'm glad to know I have your faith. It actually makes your neigh-saying my biggest asset for these stories, since it points straight out what I need to keep my eyes out for regarding the story.
And don't worry. Regarding the fate of who I think you're talking about...she will have a choice. Twice. In essence, a total of three 'strikes' if she chooses...poorly.
6799901 It's amazing what you can learn from a fictional character's breakdown.
6800742 Luckily you didn't do something like choose a completely unlikable character to have to see the point of view of for 134 chapters, therefore decreasing the chances I would ever pick it up after putting it down with each succession of putting it down. You have likable-enough protagonists, each going through their own virtues and vices, and developing their own characters as they progress. If I was really nice, I'd be comparing this to Homestuck... but Azula doesn't seem to be as complex as Vriska Serket at the moment, so I'm afraid I can't offer that same kindness.
good job, and interesting changes 2 cannon
Daaaaaaaamn. That was deep!!
You sound like a salesman. But actually likable.
I think I understand.
HEH! Shipper on Deck!
What are you planning?
Clever.
Clever Zuko. wait, Ty Lee has a tumblr?
It would be so easy.
Ah yes, his sickness, born from stress, emotional turmoil, and basically going back on everything he's ever known.
6800567
6800567 What, you couldn't tea-ke it any more? You've had the whole chat's bison you just for those puns alone and now you're breaking down?
Don't get sick of it now!
... I'm honestly impressed that 'bison/ eyes on' pun worked, as an aside.
At least this new balance would be NEW! This is already mauch better than Avatar Cycle stagnation. Zuko? you could have ended this cyclical madness in one strike, why did you choose to let avatar stay active& Why!?
6802076 Nah, not sick of it just my brain not working. That and I have a personal limit to try not to use the same joke twice if at all possible. Which means all the jokes from the previous chapters. Provided I remember them up till now.
6801915 Ty Lee is an acrobat
6802472
I know. It's a joke.
6802481 thought of that right after i posted, sorry
but this way those who did not know have some of her tumbling instances. 
6802516
Fair enough, she IS the Sonata of the Three Deadly Ladies, but less airheaded.
So... in the end Zuko has always been concerned for the balance of the world. He just believed that the Fire Nation was the key to that balance, contrary to all proof that the Avatar was said key. Now though he realizes that the war is causing chaos, disharmony, and unending grief, and the blame could be laid directly at the feet of the Fire Nation. So he had a choice. His Loyalty as a Prince to the Fire Nation, or his Loyalty as a Moral Man to the World. This is what I meant about conflicting Loyalties in my speech about the Elements of Harmony. And Zuko passed the test for Loyalty with flying colors.
If he had chosen the Fire Nation, that would mean betraying the world and aiding in the inevitable enslavement of all but the Fire Nation. If he had chosen the World, he would have aided in destroying the Fire Nation and his home, full of many loved ones. Instead, he chose neither, and created a third path. He chose the Avatar, the choice where he has the best chance of saving everyone.
It's official in my mind now. Tatsurou's Zuko is the Element of Loyalty.
That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
Nobody ever said doing the right thing was easy Zuko, but I think your mother would be proud of you. Now, get snuggle therapy from Cadence.
6802756
not too surprising really - in the show he went to war against himself, resulting in a seeming sickness that left him bedridden for a while - Iroh spoke at length to him about it. Was just before the confrontation under Ba Sing Se iirc
6804835 Cadence can't become an Avatar. She doesn't actually bend the elements, only subconsciously mimics it with her magic. And besides that, the Avatar is capable of bending all elements because he/she is fused with the Light Spirit. There can only be one Avatar, as there is only one Light Spirit. It'd make an interesting plot point, a second Avatar, but unless Tatsurou plans to pull something really out there out of his ass in this story-you know, other than introducing a Luna-be-damned Old One as a plot derailment device-, then it's likely not happening.
Trust me, you are FAR from the first to wonder if Tatsurou was doing that.
6804307 It is, in fact, confirmed that Toph can sense Earth, and metal by proxy, that is not touching the ground. Just watch the underground fights where she first met Aang and you'll see her dodging rocks that were thrown at her. And, as Tatsurou already stated, money in the Avatar world is made of metal, not paper, so yeah.
Good eye though. I hadn't even caught that until you mentioned it.
6806150
How many times has Toph told people roughly what they were holding?
For example, "It's a piece of paper!"
Also, I'm implying that high denomination money - of any nation - is not the same round circle as low denomination money. Pretty sure, once she'd sensed a gold plate of a certain shape changing hands, she'd know it when she 'saw' it later.
6806590
I watch on youtube.
6806700 Avatar is more likely to be in Kisscartoon, since it's not an anime.
6806750 Just checked and it is in fact on kisscartoon. Sorry if I'm misunderstanding your reply.
I think is starbge the fact that and a Dai Lee was taken out by surprise, he is an earthbender they have the same ability of Toph to feel others through the ripples of the earth how that agent didn't felt his steps is a mystery. Unless Toph developed that ability
6810613
That ability is unique to Toph and those who she trains. It required having bare feet in contact with the ground, which the Dai Lee don't do.
6810629 Not necessarily. It is unique to those who trained like Toph, if someone else were to study with the badger-moles they might be able to do the same thing without ever learning from her. Also, Bumi, in his time, may have mastered something similar, but weaker. He is 112 years old and a master of Earthbending, after all. The bare feet thing, though, is true. The earthsense may be usable with palms to the ground too, but the Dai Li have neither the training or equipment to use it.
Hehehehe, another great chapter! Well done man, well done! :D
Bumi is usually barefoot for a reason.
Another big moment traded for another one, this one without a scolding Iroh.
Still left the internal conflict, so that's cool.
Sometimes I see fanfic writers in a similar light as YouTubers. You create decent to great content despite not being professional. Sure there's crap but you can find gold. This is a gem!
8094431
You could almost call it a diamond in the roughs.