The Adventure Continues

A family picnic in the gardens. Zuko couldn't remember the last time his family had gotten together like this. Before his mother's banishment and Zuko's own exile, before everything changed. After such feverish spanning the final years of the war and the signing of the Yu Dao Treaty, he had expected things to calm down somewhat. Instead, things were as busy as ever. Rebuilding, preparing for the wedding, meetings, Avatar duties, which never seemed to stop.

So to be able to sit back and relax, even for a day, was an immense relief.

Uncle Iroh chatted with Ikem. His mother was braiding Kiyi's hair.

His mother, along with Ikem and Kiyi, had come for the wedding. Then there was introductions and reintroductions to Mai's family. He could do without his new father-in-law, but Michi was pleasant enough to deal with, as were her siblings.

"Zuzu, can teach me more firebending?"

Looking up, Zuko saw his half-sister practically bouncing in place. Hard as it was to hear that name, Kiyi so bright and cheerful, he could bury old hurts for her sake.

He gave a glance over to their mother, who gave him a nod in return, then turned back to Kiyi. "Alright," he replied, hopping to his feet. "Let's go."

Walking into a more open part of the gardens, he walked Kiyi through the same steps Uncle Iroh had once led him through, seemingly a lifetime ago.

Kiyi had been disturbed by the changes at first. It had taken some coaxing, but she had eventually come around. Having, as she had put it, a "cool big brother" had made the transition a little easier, but she still tended to shy away from their mother at times.

Zuko wasn't sure if it was a matter of desperation that he hadn't cared in the slightest, or that he was so thoroughly inoculated against the weird that it had not warranted a second glance.

"Remember:" Zuko said, "firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles."

Behind him, he could hear his uncle laughing. That brief moment where Kiyi was distracted was enough for her to trip, and Zuko caught her before she could face-plant

"Still, as with any form of bending, footwork is often a crucial factor."

"How do you do it, Zuzu?"

"Hm…" He made a show of tapping his chin. "This is something of a recent discovery for me, but it's referred to the Dancing Dragon. It was a style of firebending that firebenders of ancient times made use of, inspired by the dragons themselves. Here. Follow my movements."

"Where did you learn it?"

"Poking through ancient temples," Zuko answered after a pause.

"This seems really hard."

"You'll get there. Keep it up, and I'm sure that you'll be a phenomenal firebender in no time."

"Thanks, Zuzu!"

Zuko watched Kiyi dart off to watch the turtle-ducks. "Yeah."

"You'll make a great father," Mai said. Noticing him tense, she looked up at him. "What's on your mind?"

"It was, what? A year ago? I was still an exile, just finally catching up to the Avatar. Still chasing after impossible dreams. Now? The war's over, we're married, I got my surviving family back together…"

"And it's getting a little bigger."

Zuko's eyes instinctively flicked down to her abdomen. She hadn't started showing yet, but after the initial bout of morning sickness, news had quickly spread about the birth of a new heir to the Fire Lord.

The notion of being a husband was easy enough to handle. Maybe it wasn't the runaway romance some stories talked about, but he and Mai had worked well together, and that sense of stability was something both of them were needing. Being a father on the other hand…

"After all of that we went through, I still worry I'm going to screw things up."

"Well, at least you have plenty of experiences in dealing with father figures, good and bad. And we can help you with figuring out the rest."

The sound of approaching guards dispelled the mood, and Zuko turned to face them.

"I believe I asked not to be interrupted."

"Avatar Zuko," the man said, making a quick bow. "Sorry to interrupt, but you have an urgent message from the Southern Water Tribe."

Zuko quickly scanned through the missive, then handed it to Mai, who read it with Iroh.

"Get a ship ready to depart tomorrow morning," said Iroh said. "I'll make sure you have everything you need."

"Of course, sir," the messenger replied.

"Thanks, Uncle."

"What was it?" Ursa asked.

"A spiritual anomaly in the South Pole," Iroh replied.

"It seems like we'll have to cut this vacation short," Zuko added.

"You're going to have to leave."

Zuko swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Yes. But it'll take time to get a ship ready. For now…for now, let's just enjoy the moment."

A/N: Not sure if I got this the way I wanted it, but I've spent the last few months kind of in a rut, and I'm trying to get myself back out. Onto other matters, in case you're wondering why a completed story is being updated, I would like to announce that the next part of the Legend of Zuko is going up (and if it's not, it should be up shortly). See you around and, as always, constructive criticism is always welcome.