Forbidden Love: Part Two

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

(Five Years Later)

A brown skinned boy with bright blue eyes chased after his older step-brother. It was more like a quick side by side strut since the elder of the two could barely move around by himself. He needed metal braces for his legs and crutches to move around with his wheelchair- which he used indoors. Now he was walking through theFireNationRoyalPalace's garden with a cherry little companion.

"Zuko!" the little boy shouted and giggled.

"Sota, how was your day?" Zuko had been from The Tower for three years. All the torture he received left him fragile with many needs. But he didn't hate his main torture Mr. Thick. In fact, he felt the exact opposite.

"Fun! I froze bubbles!" Sota declated, "daddy wants me to focus on books. But I want to bend."

Sota was adopted as a baby into the royal family after his father Sokka used him to bargain the safe keeping of the South Pole. But the official version was that Sota's mother Katara was kidnapped and murdered byEarthKingdomrebels. She was however allowed to have her baby before her terrible fate and one of the rebels horrified by her fellow members actions took the baby back to theRoyalPalaceand told the Fire Lord everything.

Zuko sighed. How could he explain to Sota that learning bending in his case was too dangerous? Fire Lord Ozai wouldn't hesitate to destroy the boy if he felt Sota was getting too powerful. Ozai was after all working on a way to kill the avatar without allowing him to be reborn in the next cycle. As long as he didn't know Sota was safe. But the second Ozai dound a solution, Sota was dispensable.

"Sota… good job," Zuko decided to say and the boy cheered.

"Why are your legs sick?" Sota suddenly questioned.

Zuko froze. He always avoided this question but now he knew he had to answer. "Um, I got…a bad disease while visiting the colonies."

"Soto mused. "I hate dis..disea…I hate them!" Sota declared and Zuko laughed.

"Zuko," Azula called, "father wants to see you," she said walking up.

Sota clung unto Zuko. "Don't go, she pinches me."

Azula laughed. "All in good fun." But her eyes said otherwise.

"I have to go but if she pinches you just scream and run inside," Zuko said knowing that would get Azula in trouble.

"Don't you dare!" Azula shouted.

"Then don't pinch him," Zuko said simply and turned to leave.

"Cripple," Azula muttered.

Zuko froze. "Anything else?"

Azula snorted. "Calm down, just go see dad, you two act like babies," she added.

"I'm not a baby, I'm five," Sota declared.

Zuko laughed and left Azula seething.

Zuko soon reached the throne room and came face to face with his father. "Fire Lord Ozai."

Ozai smirked. "If you were a good child before, you wouldn't have suffered as you did. I have seen you with the boy, remember, he's a tool."

"You need him to stop the next avatar from coming," Zuko reminded him, "kill him now and your worst nightmare happens."

"An avatar being born in the Fire Nation," Ozai said, "I haven't forgotten how Avatar Roku was a thorn in Fire Lord Sozin's side for years before he finally killed him."

"Left him to die, but same difference."

Ozai chuckled. "You still don't appreciate your heritage," he noted, "The years of torture didn't teach you everything."

"It taught me plenty," Zuko responded, "don't worry, I don't plan on disobeying you again. Just… be gently when the time comes."

Ozai laughed out loud. "You really do love him don't you? Does he remind you of his whore of a mother?"

"Katara wasn't a whore," Zuko snarled.

"But she's still dead isn't she? Isn't she!" Ozai shouted when he didn't receive an answer and Zuko jumped.

"Yes, she is dead," Zuko said meekly.

"I only removed you from The Tower because I believed that you learned your lesson," Ozai said seriously, "don't make me change my mind."

"Of course Fire Lord…I mean father."

"My brother Iroh died a year ago hating me," Ozai said, "he never forgave me for sending you away. And I'll never forgive you for taking his love away from me," he added.

"Ta…but you hated Iroh!" Zuko shouted, "you never said a kind word to his face!"

"He was still my brother!" Ozai raged, "you had no right to make him choose you over me, no right at all!" he said and heat radiated through the room.

Zuko went silent. He knew better than to argue when Ozai was having his rages.

"Get out! I don't to see you for the rest of the day!"

Zuko bowed his head respectfully and left.

When he was out of sight Zuko stuffed his fist in his mouth to keep from screaming. The idea of returning to The Tower was terrifying. He'd sooner die first.

Jet and a few of his freedom fighter rebels finished their market shopping in disguise. They were in their late teens and early adulthood now but their motives were still the same. Now they were working on their plan to take Katara's child back from the Fire Nation and have him sent instead to the North Pole. It was years in the making and now seemed that they might actually have a chance of pulling it off.

No one was more relieved when they finally left the Fire Nation market to return to their hideout.

"Darri said the North Pole soldiers will reach the pick up point in six months," Jet said when they finally reached empty streets, "we've already used up two moths and if we fail to get him there one time, they'll leave without him."

"Then we have to succeed," Toph said seriously, "if only Sokka hadn't….he was a coward and a fool," she stated, "I knew nothing good could ever come from that kind of relationship."

"Yeah, brother and sister, gross," Smellerbee muttered.

Chapter Completed

Yes it's August 18, 2011, three days later than when I said the sequel will be up but here it is. Well Zuko's back home and the Freedom Fighters plan to take Sota. But will things go as anyone plans. What about Ozai's plans for Sota? Stay tuned and please review.