1,092AnnaAza and DofD thank you so much for the reviews. i will try to update this as much as possible. i should have the next chapter up pretty wuick because i've been thinking about it all day.
Zuko stared at the house in front of him. It was large, ornamental and looked like anyone's dream home. To Zuko it was a nightmare, a horrible image that continued to revisit his dreams.
"Um, Zuko? Someone's been here," Aang's voice called. Zuko walked closer to see the broken handles on the open double doors.
"The doors have been busted open," Katara looked at him worriedly.
"Yeah, that was me," Zuko moved past them and felt a chill go up his spine as he looked around the dark house. Moonlight shone in through the windows, illuminating a spot on the wall that once a held a photo.
"Why would you anhilate the door?" Sokka kicked at the dust on the floor.
"It wouldn't open," Zuko stated quietly.
"So where do we sleep?" Toph asked.
"There's like ten or so rooms in this place. Kitchen is that way, rooms this way," Zuko began to the right.
"Did you take a photograph off the wall?" Zuko turned to see Katara staring up at the empty space at the wall.
"Yes.."
"Why?"
"I needed firewood and I couldn't stand to look at it." Zuko turned away.
"What was it of? Turtleducks?" Aang joked
"No," Zuko continued down the hall, "it was of my family." He opened the first door on his right. A strong aroma of jasmine filled the room. There was a large fire emblem above the bed; to the right was a portrait of a young man and woman together. To the left of the bed was a larger portrait of the couple a little older with a young boy next to them. There was also a dresser and a desk adorned with old papers and a few more paintings of a young boy.
"This is Iroh's room, isn't it?" Toph smiled. Everyone turned to look at her with confusion. "It smells like him."
"His favorite tea is jasmine."
"I call this room then, I love the smell of jasmine," Suki inhaled the scent deeply.
"Who is the woman in the picture?" Katara eyed the pretty woman who held a young Iroh's hand.
"That was my Aunt Airi, and the boy is my cousin Lu Ten." Zuko pointed to the other painting.
"I didn't know he had a son, why haven't we met him?" Sokka fiddled with the edge of the bed, smiling at the softness of it. He winked at Suki.
"He died…years ago." Zuko looked away, "He was ambushed during the 100 day seige of Ba Sing Se. His wife, Aunt Airi, died before I was born. She got really sick."
"I'm sorry...i didn't kno-"
"Forget about it," Zuko left the room and went to the one across the hall from it. This room was filled with decorative swords and a painting of Iroh and Lu Ten as a 14 year old. A painting of Airi was on the night table. "Sokka, go ahead and take this one. It's close to Suki's and you may find use of the swords.
"When Aunt Ursa lets me," Lu Ten whispered to Zuko, "I'm gonna teach you how to sword fight, that way you will be the toughest general ever! I'll even let you be my top general and right hand man when I become fire lord."
"Are you OK?" Katara put her hand on Zuko's shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
"It's just this place," Zuko pulled away and ventured back into the hallway. He pointed to a few rooms mentioning 'office', 'training room' or 'tea room'. He stopped as he opened a room that smelled of spices and fire lillies.
"No, No, Zuko! That's Mommy's perfume!" Ursa took the small perfume bottle from his tiny hands and placed it back onto the dresser.
The perfume bottle made a small 'clink' as Zuko set it on the table. The room had a large bed with the fire emblem above it. To the right was a painting of a man and woman who were deeply in love. To the left it looked as if a painting may have once been against the wall. The desk only had paperwork piled up on it.
"Wow, she's beautiful," Suki exclaimed at the woman in the painting, "and he's kind of cute too." Zuko quirked an eyebrow.
"She looks familiar…in a creepy way…and he is NOT that cute!" Sokka grumbled.
"Those are my parents," Zuko smirked as he watched Suki and Sokka double take at the painting. Then Suki turned rather red.
"Sooooo, you think the fire lord is hott?" Toph laughed
"Wow, Azula looks just like her…but with more…" Aang paused trying to think, "Evilness?"
"Pretty much. So who wants this room?" Zuko looked about.
"I'll take it and maybe go through the paperwork" Aang flipped through a few pieces of paper.
Outside they came across extremely ornamental double doors. Aang opened them up to reveal a huge bed with a giant fire emblem behind it. The rest of the walls were bare with only a huge desk and a small dresser inside. The room smelled of spices, soot and old people.
"Aren't you coming in?" Toph asked from near the bed. Zuko stood frozen at the entrance. His feet wouldn't move.
"Stand up straight boy! You must learn to use your firebending correctly. How could I have gotten such a useless grandson?" Azulon Sneered.
Zuko slowly walked away from the room and leaned against the cool wall outside. His eyes closed as he tried to push away his awful memories.
"Sugar Queen is taking that room, I can't stand the smell of old people," Toph walked up to him. He nodded and walked into the room up ahead.
"Then this is your room Toph," he opened the doors to a small bed with pink cover, a fire emblem behind it. There was a dresser lined with glass dolls and a small desk with poor handwriting all over the pages.
"What's with the dolls?" Katara asked as she picked one up. It was a pretty brown haired doll with golden painted eyes dressed in a beautiful red gown.
"And what's a 'Zuzu?'" Sokka held up a piece of paper.
"Uh-"
"it says 'went to beach today. Zuzu tried to teach me to swim.' And I can't make out the rest," Sokka turned the page a few times and then shrugged.
"Uh-"
"So this is Azula's room," Aang grinned, "How sweet of her big brother to teach her how to swim." Aang laughed as Zuko turned red from his old nickname.
"She couldn't say my name right at first," Zuko blushed as everyone laughed.
"Zuzu! Zuzu! Zuzu!" Azula clapped her tiny hands together.
"I'm gonna teach you to swim 'Zula, and then how to firebend. I'm gonna protect you from everything and be the bestest big brother EVER!" Zuko hugged his little sister.
"So, Azula liked dolls?" Katara placed the doll back on the dresser. Zuko shook his head in answer and in attempt to clear the memory.
"No, she hated them. She even torched several of them. These she kept because Mom gave them to her."
"I could sit around for hours complaining how our mother liked Zuko better than me," Azula stared into the embers, "My own mother thought I was a monster…..She was right of course, but it still hurts."
"So where are you going to sleep?" Sokka asked. Zuko lead them to the next room over.
"The rest of the ones down the hall are meeting rooms and tea rooms." He opened the door and revealed a small bed with the fire emblem above it. Decorative swords were placed on the right wall almost at the ceiling in attempt to keep them from small hands. The dresser had a few paintings of Ursa, Iroh, Lu Ten, Azula and Ozai. The desk was covered in drawings and calligraphy. The others quietly looked around.
"This was your room, wasn't it?" Katara picked up the painting of Ursa holding a smiling little boy.
"Yes." Zuko brushed dust off the bed.
"So, who's hungry?" Sokka asked as his stomach growled loudly. Zuko smiled at the distraction.
"There's a small town a short walk from here, but you guys will need to dress more fire nation."
"No problem. We already have the disguise thing taken care of," Sokka grinned.
Zuko sighed as he took another look around the room as the rest of the group rushed to get changed.
"Lu Ten!" Lu Ten jumped as his father hollered at him from across the beach. The two girls giggled as the 14 year olds face became beet red. He rushed back to the rest of his family. Ozai was going over some paperwork, while Iroh was trying to get him to 'take a vacation from the work'. Ursa was setting out the final touches of the picnic. Zuko was building a sand castle around Azula, complete with a moat.
"See 'Zula, now the mean waves can't get you!" Zuko smiled at his little sister.
"Zuzu! Play!" Azula pushed down a wall. Zuko pouted.
"Hey little cuz," Lu Ten tickled Zuko's sides as Zuko tried to contain his laughter. Zuko got up and ran toward the waves as Lu Ten chased the little 4 year old.
"Zuzu! Run! Zuzu! Bad Waves!" Zuko heard his sister yell. He laughed as Lu Ten lightly tackled him into the surf. The water splashed around them as they both laughed.
"Are you going to be OK here?" Zuko slowly opened his eyes as the laughter echoed in his mind.
"Azula won't look here," Zuko said simply, "No one in my family can stand to be here anymore."
Zuko walked out of the room.
"including you," Katara sighed as she picked up a piece of paper. 'me and Zula went to beach today. I built a castle. Zula was inside. I protected her. I love my Zula.'
Like i said, i will have the next xhapter up pretty soon. Preview: Sokka and Suki come back from town with groceries and a treat for Zuko to calm him down: FireWhisky!