They See Different

He's been exiled for seven months now, to the day. He counts the sunrises and marks off each day on a calendar. Eventually, he knows he'll stop. Even now, there are too many marks to bear. Seven months on a wild goose chase for a being presumed dead.

He's starting to have doubts. Will his father take him back? Will he ever be crown prince again? Looking closer in the future, will he ever even catch the Avatar?

Somehow, Zuko doesn't think so. He spends all his waking hours hoping, and all his sleeping hours dreaming, yet doubt is always rearing its ugly head.

They're aimless right now. He doesn't want to follow any more bad leads. The North Pole was useless—Zuko never wants to be attacked by a shower of icicles again. The ship turns south. They're skirting the coast of the Earth Kingdom, waiting for who knows what.

One night, the ship pulls in to anchor at a quiet hamlet. Zuko stares out at the water for a long while before exiting his cabin. On deck, Iroh intercepts him.

"Going out so late?"

Zuko mutters an excuse and avoids his uncle's eyes. Iroh offers to accompany him, but the last thing Zuko wants right now is company.

"I'll be fine, Uncle. Just watch the crew."

He walks off the deck with Iroh's eyes still on his back. Zuko wishes he didn't know how much Iroh worries about him.

The town is one loyal to the Fire Nation, it seems. Even though the people wear Earth Kingdom garb, they don't look askance at Zuko's attire. On a few street corners stand Fire Nation soldiers, though whether they're patrolling or drinking it's hard to say.

There's another ship in port, one much larger and grander than Zuko's. He can only hope it isn't Zhao, or any of the other generals loyal to his father. He can't count the beatings he's been subjected to as the men whisper poison in his ear.

"Your father doesn't care about you anymore, you scum."

"Haven't caught the Avatar yet? What a surprise."

"I hear Princess Azula is planning for her coronation."

Always followed by laughter and punches and jeers. Zuko trains every day with Iroh, but it isn't enough. His skills don't improve fast enough to match the stronger generals. Every Agni Kai he fights, he loses.

Not forever, he tells himself. Someday I'll beat them, even just one of them.

It's a mantra he can repeat day after day without believing.

Zuko doesn't want to think about that. He tries not to reminisce about recent events, about his failures—both in Avatar-hunting and in training. He's still on basic firebending moves. Iroh says his technique needs adjusting.

Zuko reaches the edge of the village and looks around. It really is a tiny town, surrounded by woods and beaches. The only sounds are distant laughs—from a bar?—and crickets chirping in the grass. It's hard to feel hopeless out here. The stars are bright, even if the moon isn't out. Zuko takes a few deep breaths of night air and can feel himself calming down. He likes being out here, away from the constant acrid scent of flame that infuses every corner of the old battleship.

He turns into the woods with the intention of going to the beach. A private dip in the water sounds lovely, away from prying eyes and questions about his scar. Before he even reaches the water, Zuko takes his ponytail down.

Zuko slips off his robe and jumps into the ocean water. The cove he's found is extremely private, surrounded by thick woods and high cliffs. In the horizon, the black ocean and sky are one.

He accidentally inhales sea water and coughs a bit, trying to rid his senses of salt. He sits on the sand and relaxes for a moment while his nose clears. Zuko remembers, unbidden, that Azula hates the ocean. No matter how hard she's tried to hide it, Zuko has noticed her fear of drowning.

Of all the things for her to be afraid of, he thinks.

But he doesn't want to think about his sister, far away in the Fire Nation capital, probably feasting and laughing at their father's right hand. The mere idea makes Zuko bitter, and he submerges his face again.

When he drags his face out of the water, there's a rustling sound in the bushes. Zuko looks around, instantly aware. Even in a town loyal to the Fire Nation, there can always be enemies. He hopes it was just the wind, but he's not naïve enough to convince himself.

He stares for what seems like an hour. The bush is still. Zuko forces himself to relax and turns his back, pretending to submerge himself.

The rustling returns. Zuko turns and holds up a hand, ready to bend should the need present itself. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

The bush-dweller doesn't obey the order, though the branches continue to tremble. Zuko clenches his teeth. Abruptly, his comforting nighttime swim has become dangerous. Can't he ever get a day where something bad doesn't happen?

His patience evaporates. Zuko launches a fireball at the bush. There's a cry—of pain?—and a man stumbles out of the now-burning plant. Zuko throws another fireball, but this time the man is ready. He draws the earth up in front of him to make a shield. He's an earthbender.

"What do you want? Who do you work for?" Zuko climbs out carefully onto dry land, his hands stretched out to keep himself protected. "Tell me!"

The earthbender doesn't respond. He lowers his shield to launch boulders at Zuko. Zuko dodges most of them and bursts the final ones with fire. He runs forward, wishing he had brought his swords. He releases more fire. The earthbender jumps back, his mouth twisting. Zuko moves forward again, pressing his advantage. But just as he raises his hand to conjure more fire, he hears a noise behind him.

Zuko tries to turn and catches a glimpse of another man. Of course, there are two of them, is his last thought, before the man's blow catches him hard across the skull and he falls.

Damn.

He wakes, groggy, in a dimly lit room. His head is pounding and he realizes he's upside down. It's a wonder he regained consciousness, he thinks, blinking to clear the stars from his vision. He's not blindfolded, but from his vantage point it's still difficult to make out much of the room. A pair of booted feet cross his vision, and he attempts to yell, but realizes he's gagged. With his hands behind his back, Zuko realizes that he's effectively powerless.

If only he had learned to breathe fire.

But his ears are left open, and when he quiets he can hear snatches of conversation from his captors.

"…Take him to Ba Sing Se. He's royalty."

The sound of someone spitting. "Didn't you see the scar? He's exiled, the one Ozai doesn't care about. He probably wouldn't ransom him. He's useless to the Earth King. Nah, let's sell him."

"Who would want a pampered prince for a slave?"

A low laugh. "You'd be surprised. Some people are sicker than you'd ever guess."

Zuko's not panicked; he's just angry. The comments about his father cut too close to his core. He knows his father wouldn't ransom him. But he isn't cattle. Zuko refuses, point-blank, to be sold like an animal. Maybe he's a prince in exile, but he hasn't lost his pride. With his anger, he can feel fire brewing in his veins. He prays for an opening, any opening, and then he'll teach these men not to disrespect a prince of the Fire Nation.

"Hey, he's awake." Boots cross Zuko's vision again and come to a stop right in front of him. A gloved hand reaches down and grasps Zuko's hair. He tries not to grunt as his captor lifts his body up by the hair.

As he twists, Zuko catches a glimpse of one of the men. Brown-haired, long beard. His only distinguishing feature is a lazy eye.

"Get more of the sedative. We don't want him struggling." The sound of footsteps tells Zuko that the other man is obeying the one who's holding him. Afraid of being put under again, Zuko resumes wiggling, until the man bends his head back.

"None of that now. We want you in one piece for your prospective buyers."

Zuko wants to snarl insults, but the blasted gag's still in place. The man makes as if to drop him, but abruptly he's surrounded by glowing blue light and then he's doing a grisly dance as electricity goes through his veins. He drops like a rock, and Zuko swings back upside down.

A pair of sleek black shoes, emblazoned with the symbol of the Fire Nation, step into his vision. Zuko closes his eyes. This is worse than being captured in the first place.

"Of all the places to find you, Zuzu." Her voice is the same as it's always been, with just that slight edge of mockery. "Imagine my surprise when I visited your ship, only to learn you weren't on board."

A pit rises in Zuko's throat. He doesn't want to imagine her walking among his crew, seeing his uncle. His ship has become his sanctuary, but she can penetrate even there.

"Relax, Zuko. I'm not going to hurt you. You can open your eyes." Her voice has an edge of impatience now. Zuko hears the sound of fire and then hands catch him, and he's standing right way up. He opens his eyes, but his vision swirls and pixilates as his blood flow normalizes.

When his eyes clear, he sees that Azula isn't alone. A handful of Fire Nation soldiers surround her—they're the ones who caught him.

But even as the thought enters his mind, Azula lifts a hand.

"Leave us."

The guards bow and obey. When they're gone, Azula draws a knife from the side of her boot. Zuko can't help but tense as she brings it close to his face, but all she does is laugh and cut his gag away. He coughs a couple of times and then glares at her.

"I didn't ask for your help."

"Thanks will suffice," Azula says. "Forgive me for thinking that you were out of your league, what with the dangling-upside-down thing."

"Azula, what do you want?" Zuko's shoulders droop. He doesn't have the energy to deal with her. It must be past midnight, and unconsciousness hardly counts as sleep.

"Do I always need an ulterior motive?" When he doesn't answer, Azula's smile fades. "Believe it or not, Zuzu, it was coincidence. I was here. One of my spies saw those traders dragging you through the woods. So I helped."

"Why are you out in the middle of nowhere, instead of at home with Father?" Zuko can't keep the bitterness out of his voice. If their roles had been reversed, if he wasn't banished, he would never wish to leave Ozai's side.

This time, Azula's laugh isn't mocking. It's harsh. "You think I want to spend time with Daddy Dearest? You're wrong. Besides, I'm on mission. I'm tracking down a gang of guerilla fighters. They took one of our best generals last week."

Zuko recognizes the glint in her eye. He doesn't envy the guerillas when she catches him. Maybe she'll be merciful. Probably they'll all die screaming.

"I'll escort you back to your ship," Azula decides abruptly. "Come on."

"I can go by myself!"

"Just like you can go swimming by yourself? Right." Azula titters. "By the way, the guards found your clothes."

Zuko remembers that he's only been in shorts this whole time, and he resists the urge to blush. He doesn't want to give his sister the satisfaction. He snatches his clothes from the soldier when he sees them and dresses rapidly before following Azula out of the house, cursing fate.

They're silent for most of the walk. Azula goes ahead of Zuko, her shoes silent against the earth-packed roads of the town. The soldiers bring up the rear, far enough behind them that they're out of earshot.

"How's the search for the Avatar coming?" Azula asks. Zuko can't see her face, but he guesses she's smirking.

"I think you know the answer to that." Zuko sighs. "I'm never going to be able to come home, am I." He doesn't say it as a question. Azula stops and turns to face him. She's not smiling.

"Why do you want his approval so badly?"

Zuko laughs. "That's easy for you to say. You're at his right hand. You're the favorite child. You could never understand how I feel."

"Zuko, Father will never accept you. Not if you catch the Avatar. Not if you singlehandedly win the war."

"What are you trying to say?" Zuko's abruptly furious. "That I'm not good enough? I don't care what you think! I'll do it! I will regain my honor, with your help or without it."

He storms away, leaving Azula in the dust. She doesn't move to follow him, but stands watching his back for a long, long time.

In the morning, Iroh greets Zuko with a bag of gold. The huge battleship is gone from harbor. Zuko opens the bag and discovers a note.

Treat yourself. Try not to get kidnapped without me around.

He's about to snort when he turns the note over and sees something scrawled on the back, far messier than Azula's usually neat hand.

That's not what I meant.

But Zuko doesn't want to think about those implications. He tosses the note into the water and watches it dissolve before the ship pulls out.

He ends up giving the gold to a peasant anyway.

A/N: A oneshot. Unedited. Set in the Snow-verse. Thoughts?