Mask
Zuko flopped back onto his bed, his arms crossed sullenly over his chest. He hated this place. He hated living like a commoner. He hated having to work in a tea shop. He hated being forced to pretend to be someone else. He hated being trapped – in this city, in himself.
Zuko sighed, his eyes slipping shut. He'd felt it ever since he'd set foot in Ba Sing Se. It felt like his every move was being watched. The high walls may keep out the enemy but they also kept the people in. It was essentially a prison and it made Zuko feel powerless. He was trapped; he had nowhere to go. He was shunned in every nation for who he was – a banished prince of the Fire Nation. It had become his label. Before he had worn his title with pride and used it to command respect. He couldn't do that now. To reveal to anyone he was a firebender was suicide. The only one who knew who he was (he was Zuko – not Lee) was his uncle and flaunting his heritage would never awe the old man.
It was times like these that Zuko realized that he had nothing. After he was banished he was given a ship and a mission; now he had neither. What little hope Zuko had dwindled as the days in the city passed. His search for the Avatar was over – his one chance of redemption gone. Even if he did find the young Airbender there was no way he could get him back to the Fire Nation. That didn't mean he'd stopped thinking about the boy though. Sometimes he'd even dream of capturing him. Only, in his dreams he never handed the Avatar over to the Fire Lord, no, all he did was hold him and say, "You're mine."
Zuko sat up, his fists clenched and his body taught with frustration. It was one of those nights when he just found the situation completely hopeless. There was only one thing he could do to relieve his frustration. Zuko walked over to the drawer he kept his clothes in. He opened it up then removed the false bottom. He came face to face with soulless, empty eyes. The Blue Spirit Mask. It was his biggest secret, so big that even Uncle Iroh didn't know about it. It was his escape; it was the mask that let him be who he was. Or, at least, who he used to be.
It didn't take long for Zuko to dress in the costume that was like a second skin to him. He strapped his swords to his back before opening the window. It took him awhile to scramble onto the roof but when he did he could see for miles. One would think the sight should be impressive, but then they had never visited Ba Sing Se and seen the houses that were all the same stretching across one district then changing into another style (all of them the same) for the next district.
Zuko stared at the imposing walls for a moment. Growing up in the Fire Nation palace and being surrounded by walls since birth – Zuko should have felt right at home in Ba Sing Se. These walls were different to the ones he knew, though, and this city would never be his home if he had anything to say about it.
Zuko shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. He could only think those thoughts when he wore his 'banished prince' mask. Right now he was wearing the 'Blue Spirit' mask – when he wore this mask he was free and didn't need to think of things such as home and honour. Zuko set off across the city, jumping stealthy from roof to roof. He was not part of the world below; he was a spectator of the show.
A cry for help made Zuko stop short. He looked down at a dark alley where a girl was apparently being mugged by two men. Zuko looked around the surrounding streets but there was nobody nearby. Zuko's hand strayed to the hilt of his sword. He was supposed to remain out of sight but how could he ignore the girl? When wearing this mask Zuko found that his old personality seemed to shine through more than when he wore his other masks. He was strong and brave but also felt compassion. When he wore his 'banished prince' and 'refugee' mask he always seemed to become bitter and less compassionate. Sometimes, however, he couldn't fight his compassionate nature.
The two thugs didn't know what hit them. One of them broke Zuko's fall when he jumped off the roof, the other was dispatched by a series of consecutive blows. When the frightened girl opened her eyes all she saw was her attackers prone on the floor, her rescuer was long gone.
Zuko continued jumping from roof to roof. He felt…proud of what he had done. It was strange – doing things for others without expecting anything in return. It wasn't something he usually did but…It was the mask. It allowed him to do things he normally wouldn't. It gave him freedom in his prison.
Zuko stopped again. Once again thugs were descending upon a helpless girl. Zuko decided that one good deed deserved another. He wasn't the only one who had this thought. As he jumped down onto the street another did the same from the opposite roof. With quick, easy motions, they took out the attackers. They then spun to face each other and froze.
The Avatar. The mere sight of the boy made everything else leave Zuko's mind. All thoughts except those relating to the Avatar were dispelled immediately. That small hope of returning home, of regaining his father's acceptance, was rekindled. He needed to capture him; nothing was more important than capturing the Avatar.
"What's going on here?"
Zuko was snapped from his trance by the harsh voice of authority. He turned to see a group of Dai Li agents watching them suspiciously. This wasn't good.
"Well, you see, these guys were going to attack that girl and my friend and I were just helping her."
Zuko now turned to the Avatar, a look of incredulity hidden by his mask. Why had the Avatar not told the Dai Li he was a firebender? They would have arrested him and the Avatar would have had one less person trying to capture him. So why protect him by saying he was his friend?
The head Dai Li agent spoke again. "You should go home Avatar – it's not safe to be out at night."
The Avatar nodded before grabbing Zuko's hand and rushing out of sight of the Dai Li. Zuko didn't resist, wanting to know what the Avatar was doing. Once they were far enough away the Avatar stopped and turned a glare on Zuko. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"That's none of your business," Zuko hissed, his voice slightly distorted by the mask.
"It is my business if you're going to try and hurt me and my friends," Aang argued.
Zuko turned his head to the side. He didn't need to answer to the Avatar. He didn't need to tell him of his humiliation, of how a mighty prince had been reduced to working in a tea shop. He didn't need to explain his actions to this boy. "If I was going to capture you I would have already done it."
"You could still try." The Avatar's tone wasn't as harsh as before but it was still untrusting.
For some reason this hurt Zuko. Was he really that much of a monster that the normally cheerful and trusting boy would speak to him with such hate in his voice? It was true that the Avatar had good reason to hate Zuko but Zuko never expected to hear such venom in the young boy's tone. Maybe that was because he had never imagined himself talking, really talking, with the boy. The Avatar was a thing to chase, not have conversations with.
Maybe it was for this reason that Zuko did what he did next. "What if I showed you where I'm living – as a symbol of good faith? You'll have the advantage then because you'll know where to find me but I won't be able to find you."
Aang was suspicious of this offer. "How do I know you're not leading me into a trap?"
"You don't," was Zuko's simple answer. "Either way, I'm going home. You can follow me if you want." With that Zuko jumped up onto the nearest roof and began to get his bearings, giving the Avatar time to come to a decision.
Aang was torn. He didn't trust Zuko one bit. For all he knew this was a trap that he was about to walk into willingly. Then again, if it wasn't a trap it could be useful to know where his enemy was hiding. But, if he didn't follow Zuko and just went home then Zuko could follow him and find out where he was staying. He would have to follow Zuko to make sure that he wouldn't follow Aang back to his own home.
Aang stopped that train of thought before he got totally confused. He jumped up onto the roof and waited for Zuko to make his move. Zuko acknowledged Aang's presence before swiftly setting off across the roof tops, making sure to not take the direct route in case somebody other than the Avatar was following him.
Eventually the two arrived at the apartment where Zuko and Iroh were staying. Zuko shimmied down the wall and through the window. Aang did the same except he remained perched on the window instead of actually entering the room.
Aang looked around curiously, not knowing what to expect. The room was small and not well furnished. There were no personal possessions left out – the room could have belonged to anyone. Yet this was Zuko's room. At least, Zuko claimed it was his room. The young prince had removed his swords from his back and hidden them in a secret drawer that he obviously knew about. Now, he was leaning against the opposite wall, watching Aang with hidden eyes.
"Do you like it?"
"Err…" was Aang's intelligent response.
"I hate it," Zuko said matter-of-factly. "I hate everything here. My uncle actually expects me to live here and be happy about it. I don't understand how anyone could be happy living in this prison."
"I can't see you being happy here either – there's nobody to chase or boss around." Aang smiled slightly as he received an invisible glare. He didn't know why but he felt more relaxed now. That was probably because Zuko hadn't tried to attack him yet. He still could though. Aang couldn't forget that he was a firebender and didn't need his swords to do damage.
There was silence in the room. Zuko regarded the Avatar carefully, wondering where his desire to capture him had gone. When he'd first seen the boy it had been all he could think about but now he seemed to have lost the drive to carry out any plan he may formulate. Maybe that was the reason he hadn't attacked. As soon as he tried to attack the Avatar would jump out the window and be out of range before Zuko could do anything. Attacking blindly was useless; Zuko would need to devise a plan before trying to capture the Avatar. For now all Zuko could do was wait.
"So, what are you doing here to earn money?" Aang asked, trying to start a conversation.
"My uncle has a tea shop."
"Really?"
"Yes, it's quite popular. I don't really understand why though. Then again, I don't really understand how people can drink tea."
"Same here; that stuff is disgusting!"
Zuko's shoulders rose and fell as he let out something that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Aang cocked his head to the side at the action. Zuko didn't seem like the laughing type. Then again, Aang could imagine what Zuko's expression was behind the mask. His eyes would be closed; a smug smile would be adorning his thin lips. It disturbed Aang that the picture was so clear and that he knew Zuko's face so well that he could create such a picture.
"What are you staring at?"
Aang blushed, not realizing that he had been staring. "Well, err, you see, I was…nothing."
An amused smile made its way onto Zuko's face. The Avatar was getting flustered for some reason. It made Zuko's chest feel strange when he realized that he must be the one making the Avatar flustered.
Eventually Aang decided to break the embarrassed silence. "I better get going; the others will be worried about me."
Zuko nodded, hoping that the reason he felt disappointed was because his prize was running away and not because he had enjoyed Aang's company. "Perhaps we'll see each other again sometime."
"It's possible." Aang then rethought that answer. "Actually, it's more likely to be probable. We always seem to be running into each other – it's almost like fate is trying to bring us together, probably because I need a Firebending teacher and all the other firebenders are trying to kill me."
Zuko's expression hardened. "Just because we had this little chat doesn't mean that we're friends now. I will capture you Avatar – remember that." As he spoke Zuko closed the gap between himself and Aang. He stood right before the boy, their gazes locked together. For some reason Zuko's heart was beating faster. Aang's eyes bore into him. They were filled with a multitude of emotions and somehow made the hostility in Zuko disappear. "But…maybe, when I do capture you and when we're far away from this city, I'll let Uncle teach you how to firebend." Zuko then leaned forward and kissed Aang.
The small action (combined with Aang's shock) made the young Airbender lose his balance. With a short cry he tumbled backwards, landing gracefully in the trash cans below.
"Zuko, what was that?"
Zuko gripped the window ledge when he heard his uncle's shout. "It's only a cat Uncle!" he shouted back. When there was no further movement he relaxed. He looked back down at Aang who was recovering from his fall. Zuko was relieved to see that the little monk was not hurt. "Sorry!" he shouted down before closing the window and tearing off his mask. It was all the mask's fault this had happened. It had done something to him. It must have, why else would he have kissed the Avatar and then apologized? With an infuriated growl Zuko shoved the mask into the drawer and closed it before collapsing on his bed.
Meanwhile, Aang was trying to work out what had happened. Zuko had…kissed him? It was totally and utterly bizarre. Worst thing was that Aang didn't feel disgusted or violated. Sure, he was shocked, but he also felt…happy?
Aang quickly shook his head. He needed to get some air. And when he got home he was not (under any circumstances) telling the others what had happened. That settled, Aang used his Airbending to jump onto the nearest roof. He then set off back to his friends, wondering what it would have felt like if Zuko had kissed him without the mask.
I'm not sure if this is going to be a one-shot or not so please review and help me decide!