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somarielTitle: A Voluntary Prisoner
Rating: T/PG-13
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Chapters: Four, plus an epilogue
Characters: Zuko, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, minor appearances by The Duke, Teo, and Haru
Summary: What if the Gaang had accepted Zuko's offer to become their prisoner?
On the first morning of his probation, Zuko woke early and was doing breathing exercises when Aang came to let him out and bring him to breakfast. Following Aang out to the terrace, Zuko asked the young airbender how his friends felt about letting him be alone with Zuko.
"Well," Aang said, "Katara is completely against it, but Toph and I managed to convince her that the only way to find out if you can be trusted to be alone with me is to let it happen occasionally. Sokka is skeptical but he's willing to give you a chance and Toph trusts you."
"And how do you feel about being alone with me?" Zuko asked.
"After everything you've done in the past, I'm not ready to give you my full trust," Aang said, "but I do trust Toph completely and since she trusts you, I'm willing to give you some of my trust. Katara's lack of trust is at least half the reason that you're getting sealed in at night. She doesn't want to give you an opportunity to kidnap me while everyone else is sleeping."
"To be honest," Zuko said, "I don't know what I'd do with you if I did. When I was trying to capture you before, it was so that I could regain my honor and my father would let me come home again. Given that he tried to kill me when I told him I was going to join you, I don't think he'd accept me back under any circumstances now."
By then, the two of them had reached the terrace and Zuko was immediately hailed by Toph.
"Over here, Firecracker," she called.
Taking the offered seat, Zuko accepted a bowl of rice from Katara and began to eat.
"Hey, Zuko," The Duke said, "after breakfast, do you want to come explore the temple with me and Teo?"
Looking up from his food, Zuko swallowed his current mouthful and replied, "I'd be happy to."
"Just remember," Katara said, "you must have one of them with you at all times."
Biting back a nasty retort, Zuko said calmly, "I remember." Does she really think that I'd forget that? he thought, annoyed. Turning to Sokka, Zuko said, "I forgot to ask this last night. How long am I going to be on probation?"
"We're not sure," Sokka said. "It's going to depend at least in part on what you do and how well you follow the rules that we've set down."
:-:-:-:-:
That day quickly set a pattern for the ones to follow. In the morning, Aang would come let Zuko out of his room and escort him to breakfast. After breakfast, Zuko would explore the temple with Teo and The Duke until lunchtime. After lunch, Zuko would practice his firebending forms on the terrace and perform some pattern dances with his swords while Teo and The Duke watched. Once Zuko finished with his weapons practice, the three of them would explore the temple again until it was time for dinner. After dinner, Aang would escort Zuko back to his room and the two boys would spend a little time just talking with each other before Aang sealed Zuko in for the night.
On the fourth day of his probation, Zuko got a large surprise when Sokka stepped in and turned his pattern dance into a real sparring match. Caught off guard by the unexpected opposition, Zuko was on the defensive for much of the match. It finally ended when Sokka managed to back Zuko up against one of the fountain's pillars and disarm him. Panting with exertion and covered with sweat, Zuko gasped out, "Who…trained…you?" as he sat down on the edge of the fountain.
"Master Piandao," Sokka said proudly, as he sheathed his sword on his back.
"You," Zuko said, pointing at Sokka in shock, "trained with Master Piandao?"
"Yes, I did," Sokka replied.
"Did he know you were from the Water Tribe?" Zuko asked.
"He apparently knew that from the moment I gave him my name," Sokka said, "although I didn't find that out until after I had told him the truth myself."
"He knew that you were from the Water Tribe and he still agreed to train you?" Zuko asked incredulously.
"I was surprised, too," Sokka said, "but when Katara asked him why, he said, 'The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all.'"
:-:-:-:-:
It was around mid-afternoon of the fifth day of Zuko's probation that things changed. Zuko and Teo were trying to open a chest in one of the rooms while The Duke looked out the window.
Suddenly, The Duke said, "Who's that?"
"Who's who?" Zuko asked, looking up from the chest.
"Who's that?" The Duke repeated, pointing out the window.
Letting his gaze follow The Duke's finger, Zuko finally saw who he was asking about. Standing on the next building over and moving towards the terrace was the assassin he had hired. The assassin he needed to stop. "Trouble," Zuko answered tersely. Pulling The Duke in close to Teo, Zuko got down on one knee so that his head was on their level. "Listen closely," he told the two boys. "I need you to go find the others and tell them to keep out of sight, especially Aang."
"What are you going to be doing?" Teo asked.
"I'm going to be dealing with the man that The Duke saw," Zuko said.
"But doesn't one of us need to come with you?" The Duke asked.
"Not this time," Zuko said. "I'm the one who's responsible for setting that man on Aang's trail, so I'm the one who needs to stop him. Now go!"
Zuko pushed the younger boys out the door and into the hall before turning and racing toward the stairs that led up to the top level where all of the buildings were connected. Racing up the stairs, Zuko quickly reached the top level and headed for the stairs that led into the building where he had seen the assassin. Once he reached the level above the one where he had seen the assassin, he scrambled out one of the windows and found a vine that he could use to swing down to the next level and surprise the assassin.
As he swung toward the assassin, Zuko noticed that Aang and his friends were gathered on the terrace near the fountain. Damn, he thought, Teo and The Duke didn't make it there in time. Well, it's not like I really expected them to. I mostly said that so that they'd have a reason not to follow me. Leaping off the vine, Zuko allowed the momentum of his swing to propel him into the assassin's side just as he began to fire, throwing off the assassin's aim so that his shot hit the ledge above the terrace instead of the group by the fountain.
Getting to his feet, Zuko walked toward the assassin. "Stop!" he called. "I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore." Planting himself in front of the assassin, Zuko spread his arms out to block the man. "The mission is off. I'm ordering you to stop."
The assassin simply shoved Zuko to the side and fired again. Tumbling to a stop far to the assassin's left, Zuko got to his feet again and began to run towards the man, summoning fire into his hand as he moved.
"If you keep attacking, I won't pay you," he shouted as he approached the assassin. The assassin's only response was to stop Zuko by grabbing his shirt. Throwing the fireball anyway, Zuko was not surprised when it hit the ground instead of the assassin. "All right," he shouted at the assassin, "I'll pay you double to stop."
Slamming his arms down onto the assassin's arm, Zuko broke free of the man's grasp and executed a side kick to the man's midsection just as he fired again. The impact of the kick had the effect of both knocking the assassin's aim off and knocking Zuko away from the man. Landing on his hands and knees, Zuko half-turned as he rose, only to see the assassin coming toward him. As the assassin fired at him, Zuko created a shield of flame to block the assassin's shot. Blown back by the resulting explosion, Zuko was knocked off of the ledge and only managed to save himself by grabbing a vine dangling down from above.
As Zuko made his slow way back up the vine, he heard the sounds of the battle continuing above him. Finally, just as he neared the top of the vine, the battle ended with the biggest explosion yet, blowing the next building over to pieces. Pulling himself back up onto the ledge, Zuko climbed back into the building through a window and raced toward the terrace.
Reaching the terrace, Zuko walked toward the group of friends. "I'm sorry," he said as he reached them. "I broke the rules you set down by using firebending and being alone. I'll get my things and leave."
As he turned to go, Zuko heard Sokka call, "Wait! Zuko, hold on a minute."
Turning back to face the group again, Zuko looked at them curiously.
"Yes, you did break the rules we set for your probation," Sokka said, "but that doesn't matter. You're not on probation anymore."
"I'm not?" Zuko asked, surprise showing clearly on his face.
"You were off probation the second you tried to stop Combustion Man," Aang said.
"I was?" Zuko said curiously.
"Yes, you were," Sokka said. "That's what I meant when I said that what you did was going to be part of determining how long you would be on probation."
"What would you have done if he hadn't showed up?" Zuko asked.
"If a full month had passed without him showing up," Toph said, "then you would have been taken off probation as long as you had followed all of the rules we set during that month."
"Anyway," Aang said, walking over and giving Zuko a hug, "welcome to the group."
Epilogue
Rating: T/PG-13
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Chapters: Four, plus an epilogue
Characters: Zuko, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, minor appearances by The Duke, Teo, and Haru
Summary: What if the Gaang had accepted Zuko's offer to become their prisoner?
On the first morning of his probation, Zuko woke early and was doing breathing exercises when Aang came to let him out and bring him to breakfast. Following Aang out to the terrace, Zuko asked the young airbender how his friends felt about letting him be alone with Zuko.
"Well," Aang said, "Katara is completely against it, but Toph and I managed to convince her that the only way to find out if you can be trusted to be alone with me is to let it happen occasionally. Sokka is skeptical but he's willing to give you a chance and Toph trusts you."
"And how do you feel about being alone with me?" Zuko asked.
"After everything you've done in the past, I'm not ready to give you my full trust," Aang said, "but I do trust Toph completely and since she trusts you, I'm willing to give you some of my trust. Katara's lack of trust is at least half the reason that you're getting sealed in at night. She doesn't want to give you an opportunity to kidnap me while everyone else is sleeping."
"To be honest," Zuko said, "I don't know what I'd do with you if I did. When I was trying to capture you before, it was so that I could regain my honor and my father would let me come home again. Given that he tried to kill me when I told him I was going to join you, I don't think he'd accept me back under any circumstances now."
By then, the two of them had reached the terrace and Zuko was immediately hailed by Toph.
"Over here, Firecracker," she called.
Taking the offered seat, Zuko accepted a bowl of rice from Katara and began to eat.
"Hey, Zuko," The Duke said, "after breakfast, do you want to come explore the temple with me and Teo?"
Looking up from his food, Zuko swallowed his current mouthful and replied, "I'd be happy to."
"Just remember," Katara said, "you must have one of them with you at all times."
Biting back a nasty retort, Zuko said calmly, "I remember." Does she really think that I'd forget that? he thought, annoyed. Turning to Sokka, Zuko said, "I forgot to ask this last night. How long am I going to be on probation?"
"We're not sure," Sokka said. "It's going to depend at least in part on what you do and how well you follow the rules that we've set down."
:-:-:-:-:
That day quickly set a pattern for the ones to follow. In the morning, Aang would come let Zuko out of his room and escort him to breakfast. After breakfast, Zuko would explore the temple with Teo and The Duke until lunchtime. After lunch, Zuko would practice his firebending forms on the terrace and perform some pattern dances with his swords while Teo and The Duke watched. Once Zuko finished with his weapons practice, the three of them would explore the temple again until it was time for dinner. After dinner, Aang would escort Zuko back to his room and the two boys would spend a little time just talking with each other before Aang sealed Zuko in for the night.
On the fourth day of his probation, Zuko got a large surprise when Sokka stepped in and turned his pattern dance into a real sparring match. Caught off guard by the unexpected opposition, Zuko was on the defensive for much of the match. It finally ended when Sokka managed to back Zuko up against one of the fountain's pillars and disarm him. Panting with exertion and covered with sweat, Zuko gasped out, "Who…trained…you?" as he sat down on the edge of the fountain.
"Master Piandao," Sokka said proudly, as he sheathed his sword on his back.
"You," Zuko said, pointing at Sokka in shock, "trained with Master Piandao?"
"Yes, I did," Sokka replied.
"Did he know you were from the Water Tribe?" Zuko asked.
"He apparently knew that from the moment I gave him my name," Sokka said, "although I didn't find that out until after I had told him the truth myself."
"He knew that you were from the Water Tribe and he still agreed to train you?" Zuko asked incredulously.
"I was surprised, too," Sokka said, "but when Katara asked him why, he said, 'The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all.'"
:-:-:-:-:
It was around mid-afternoon of the fifth day of Zuko's probation that things changed. Zuko and Teo were trying to open a chest in one of the rooms while The Duke looked out the window.
Suddenly, The Duke said, "Who's that?"
"Who's who?" Zuko asked, looking up from the chest.
"Who's that?" The Duke repeated, pointing out the window.
Letting his gaze follow The Duke's finger, Zuko finally saw who he was asking about. Standing on the next building over and moving towards the terrace was the assassin he had hired. The assassin he needed to stop. "Trouble," Zuko answered tersely. Pulling The Duke in close to Teo, Zuko got down on one knee so that his head was on their level. "Listen closely," he told the two boys. "I need you to go find the others and tell them to keep out of sight, especially Aang."
"What are you going to be doing?" Teo asked.
"I'm going to be dealing with the man that The Duke saw," Zuko said.
"But doesn't one of us need to come with you?" The Duke asked.
"Not this time," Zuko said. "I'm the one who's responsible for setting that man on Aang's trail, so I'm the one who needs to stop him. Now go!"
Zuko pushed the younger boys out the door and into the hall before turning and racing toward the stairs that led up to the top level where all of the buildings were connected. Racing up the stairs, Zuko quickly reached the top level and headed for the stairs that led into the building where he had seen the assassin. Once he reached the level above the one where he had seen the assassin, he scrambled out one of the windows and found a vine that he could use to swing down to the next level and surprise the assassin.
As he swung toward the assassin, Zuko noticed that Aang and his friends were gathered on the terrace near the fountain. Damn, he thought, Teo and The Duke didn't make it there in time. Well, it's not like I really expected them to. I mostly said that so that they'd have a reason not to follow me. Leaping off the vine, Zuko allowed the momentum of his swing to propel him into the assassin's side just as he began to fire, throwing off the assassin's aim so that his shot hit the ledge above the terrace instead of the group by the fountain.
Getting to his feet, Zuko walked toward the assassin. "Stop!" he called. "I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore." Planting himself in front of the assassin, Zuko spread his arms out to block the man. "The mission is off. I'm ordering you to stop."
The assassin simply shoved Zuko to the side and fired again. Tumbling to a stop far to the assassin's left, Zuko got to his feet again and began to run towards the man, summoning fire into his hand as he moved.
"If you keep attacking, I won't pay you," he shouted as he approached the assassin. The assassin's only response was to stop Zuko by grabbing his shirt. Throwing the fireball anyway, Zuko was not surprised when it hit the ground instead of the assassin. "All right," he shouted at the assassin, "I'll pay you double to stop."
Slamming his arms down onto the assassin's arm, Zuko broke free of the man's grasp and executed a side kick to the man's midsection just as he fired again. The impact of the kick had the effect of both knocking the assassin's aim off and knocking Zuko away from the man. Landing on his hands and knees, Zuko half-turned as he rose, only to see the assassin coming toward him. As the assassin fired at him, Zuko created a shield of flame to block the assassin's shot. Blown back by the resulting explosion, Zuko was knocked off of the ledge and only managed to save himself by grabbing a vine dangling down from above.
As Zuko made his slow way back up the vine, he heard the sounds of the battle continuing above him. Finally, just as he neared the top of the vine, the battle ended with the biggest explosion yet, blowing the next building over to pieces. Pulling himself back up onto the ledge, Zuko climbed back into the building through a window and raced toward the terrace.
Reaching the terrace, Zuko walked toward the group of friends. "I'm sorry," he said as he reached them. "I broke the rules you set down by using firebending and being alone. I'll get my things and leave."
As he turned to go, Zuko heard Sokka call, "Wait! Zuko, hold on a minute."
Turning back to face the group again, Zuko looked at them curiously.
"Yes, you did break the rules we set for your probation," Sokka said, "but that doesn't matter. You're not on probation anymore."
"I'm not?" Zuko asked, surprise showing clearly on his face.
"You were off probation the second you tried to stop Combustion Man," Aang said.
"I was?" Zuko said curiously.
"Yes, you were," Sokka said. "That's what I meant when I said that what you did was going to be part of determining how long you would be on probation."
"What would you have done if he hadn't showed up?" Zuko asked.
"If a full month had passed without him showing up," Toph said, "then you would have been taken off probation as long as you had followed all of the rules we set during that month."
"Anyway," Aang said, walking over and giving Zuko a hug, "welcome to the group."
Epilogue
