“Zuko, remember that plant that I thought might be tea?”
“You didn’t.” Zuko stared at his uncle’s back furiously.
“I did.” He turned around without a trace of guilt, face swollen and blotchy. “And it wasn’t.
Zuko recoiled. “Yah!”
Iroh kept his voice level, scratching the blotches determinedly. “When the rash spreads to my throat I will stop breathing.” Then he whipped out a branch tipped with a spray of pinkish berries. “But look what I found! These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade plant. That, or macahoni berries that cause blindness.” He popped a handful into his mouth.
“What are you doing!” Zuko grabbed his uncle’s arm and pounded his back, but it was too late. Iroh had already swallowed. “Are you crazy? We need to get help.”
“But where are we going to go?” Iroh whimpered. “We’re enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives from the Fire Nation.”
“If the Earth Kingdom, discovers us, they’ll have us killed.” Zuko mused.
“But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we’ll be turned over to Azula.”
Zuko glanced at his uncle speculatively. “Earth Kingdom it is.”
“No!” Iroh snatched his nephew’s wrist. “You could be killed! If these are the bacui berries I’ll be fine, I don’t want to risk you!”
Zuko grabbed his uncle’s wrist with his already imprisoned hand and pulled. “Come on.”
Iroh didn’t move. “We wait.”
~*~
The sun moved lower down the sky before Iroh’s vision began to blur. “Nephew,” he rasped.
Wordlessly, Zuko helped him to his feet. Iroh’s feet faltered. His breathing came hoarse and shallow, and Zuko kept supporting him. The evening fell over them, and in the distance, village lights glowed on the horizon. Zuko’s shoulder ached, and all he could hear was his uncle’s noisy broken gasps. They got louder before they stopped entirely.
~*~
The air from around the fire hit him hard in the chest, flinging him hard into the street. The moan came out of his mouth choked and small, and he closed his eyes. The battle kept up around him. Fire ripped through the air above him. That was it. It didn’t matter anymore. Azula was going to capture the Avatar, bring him home, lock him away, drag Zuko along if she felt like bothering, get the throne. He closed his eyes and did his best not to care.
There was a scream before the sounds stopped, except for a couple of whining groans. Zuko kept his eyes closed and sighed.
“Hey, that guy’s heart’s still beating.” Zuko didn’t pay attention until a foot dug into his ribs. He opened his eyes, then closed them against the setting sun. Pulling his feet under himself, he levered his way to his feet shakily.
“Toph, get back,” the Water Tribe girl yelled, but Zuko had already shifted into a bending stance.
Stomping her foot, Toph opened up the ground beneath him. He fell until she stomped her foot again, closing it around his shoulders. “Don’t even think about it, Sparky.”
Zuko snarled. “Where’s Azula?”
“She ran off.” Toph cocked her head and smirked. “Why? Thinking of following her.”
He squirmed. “No.”
The Avatar skidded to a halt right in front of Zuko’s makeshift prison. “Are you okay? I saw you go flying, she must have hit you pretty hard.”
“I’m fine,” he snapped. “Just let me out.”
“Don’t you dare, Toph,” the Water Tribe girl called. “You have no idea what he can do.”
Zuko glared at her, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Maybe we should take him with us.”
“What? No!” The water arched around her and lashed the air.
The Water Tribe boy squeaked. “Are you out of you’re mind?”
“Hey, you have no idea how skinny he feels.” She folded her arms.
The Avatar looked from the earthbending girl to the Water Tribe pair and back again, biting his lip. “Alright, let’s get him on Appa.”
“No!” Zuko howled, but Toph brought her arms back and pushed. The earth surged up and plopped him down in the bison’s saddle.
The Water Tribe girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she climbed in next to him. “That girl, Azula, said you were family?”
“She’s my sister, so?”
The Water Tribe pair shared a look, and the girl uncorked her waterskin to heal the burns on the boy’s arm and chest.
S2, Iroh dies, leaving Zuko without his influence
“You didn’t.” Zuko stared at his uncle’s back furiously.
“I did.” He turned around without a trace of guilt, face swollen and blotchy. “And it wasn’t.
Zuko recoiled. “Yah!”
Iroh kept his voice level, scratching the blotches determinedly. “When the rash spreads to my throat I will stop breathing.” Then he whipped out a branch tipped with a spray of pinkish berries. “But look what I found! These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade plant. That, or macahoni berries that cause blindness.” He popped a handful into his mouth.
“What are you doing!” Zuko grabbed his uncle’s arm and pounded his back, but it was too late. Iroh had already swallowed. “Are you crazy? We need to get help.”
“But where are we going to go?” Iroh whimpered. “We’re enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives from the Fire Nation.”
“If the Earth Kingdom, discovers us, they’ll have us killed.” Zuko mused.
“But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we’ll be turned over to Azula.”
Zuko glanced at his uncle speculatively. “Earth Kingdom it is.”
“No!” Iroh snatched his nephew’s wrist. “You could be killed! If these are the bacui berries I’ll be fine, I don’t want to risk you!”
Zuko grabbed his uncle’s wrist with his already imprisoned hand and pulled. “Come on.”
Iroh didn’t move. “We wait.”
~*~
The sun moved lower down the sky before Iroh’s vision began to blur. “Nephew,” he rasped.
Wordlessly, Zuko helped him to his feet. Iroh’s feet faltered. His breathing came hoarse and shallow, and Zuko kept supporting him. The evening fell over them, and in the distance, village lights glowed on the horizon. Zuko’s shoulder ached, and all he could hear was his uncle’s noisy broken gasps. They got louder before they stopped entirely.
~*~
The air from around the fire hit him hard in the chest, flinging him hard into the street. The moan came out of his mouth choked and small, and he closed his eyes. The battle kept up around him. Fire ripped through the air above him. That was it. It didn’t matter anymore. Azula was going to capture the Avatar, bring him home, lock him away, drag Zuko along if she felt like bothering, get the throne. He closed his eyes and did his best not to care.
There was a scream before the sounds stopped, except for a couple of whining groans. Zuko kept his eyes closed and sighed.
“Hey, that guy’s heart’s still beating.” Zuko didn’t pay attention until a foot dug into his ribs. He opened his eyes, then closed them against the setting sun. Pulling his feet under himself, he levered his way to his feet shakily.
“Toph, get back,” the Water Tribe girl yelled, but Zuko had already shifted into a bending stance.
Stomping her foot, Toph opened up the ground beneath him. He fell until she stomped her foot again, closing it around his shoulders. “Don’t even think about it, Sparky.”
Zuko snarled. “Where’s Azula?”
“She ran off.” Toph cocked her head and smirked. “Why? Thinking of following her.”
He squirmed. “No.”
The Avatar skidded to a halt right in front of Zuko’s makeshift prison. “Are you okay? I saw you go flying, she must have hit you pretty hard.”
“I’m fine,” he snapped. “Just let me out.”
“Don’t you dare, Toph,” the Water Tribe girl called. “You have no idea what he can do.”
Zuko glared at her, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Maybe we should take him with us.”
“What? No!” The water arched around her and lashed the air.
The Water Tribe boy squeaked. “Are you out of you’re mind?”
“Hey, you have no idea how skinny he feels.” She folded her arms.
The Avatar looked from the earthbending girl to the Water Tribe pair and back again, biting his lip. “Alright, let’s get him on Appa.”
“No!” Zuko howled, but Toph brought her arms back and pushed. The earth surged up and plopped him down in the bison’s saddle.
The Water Tribe girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she climbed in next to him. “That girl, Azula, said you were family?”
“She’s my sister, so?”
The Water Tribe pair shared a look, and the girl uncorked her waterskin to heal the burns on the boy’s arm and chest.