(1) Augmentum | Zuko

Chapter Eighty-Nine

Zuko sits in his dark cabin on his ship, Eevee is curled up in his lap, Houndour resting against the side of his thigh as Zuko meditates. The door at the far end of the cabin opens and Iroh leans in. Zuko does not look at him.

"For the last time, I'm not playing the tsungi horn" Zuko scolds.

"No, it's about our plans. There's a bit of a problem" Zuko's eyes open at this, just as Zhao enters the room behind Iroh.

"I'm taking your crew" Zhao admits, Zuko rises and turns to his feet, knocking Eevee from his lap. He mentally cringes, he didn't mean to stand so abruptly but his surprise got the better of him.

"What?"

"I've recruited them for a little expedition to the North Pole" Zhao informs him, his eyes shifting to Eevee and Houndour at Zuko's feet. The North Pole. Zuko knows why. He knows why Zhao is going North.

"Uncle, is that true?" Zuko asks Iroh.

"I'm afraid so. He's taking everyone" Iroh then puts his arm over his face in woe. "Even the cook!"

"Sorry you won't be there to watch me capture my daughter along with the Avatar" Zhao tells Zuko, but he doesn't sound remotely sorry in any way, "But I can't have you getting in my way again" Zuko charges him in anger, but Iroh prevents him from tackling Zhao, who walks over to inspect the curved broadswords on the wall used – the same used by the Blue Spirit to free the Avatar and to aid Rana in her escape with the egg. Zhao's face suddenly swells in anger as he recognizes the blades. He takes one off the wall. Zuko's face changes too, eyes widening, clearly recognizing the danger he is in. Zuko begins practising with the sword he has removed from the wall. "I didn't know you were skilled with broadswords, Prince Zuko"

"I'm not. They're antiques. Just decorative" Zuko argues, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Have you heard of the Blue Spirit, General Iroh?" Zhao asks.

"Just rumours. I don't think he is real" Iroh offers, whilst looking at Zuko, trying to work out what's going on here.

"He's real all right. He's a criminal, an enemy of the Fire Nation" Zhao corrects as he hands the broad sword to Iroh. "But I have a feeling that justice will catch up with him soon" Zhao moves to exit the cabin. "General Iroh, the offer to join my mission still stands if you change your mind" Zhao closes the door behind him. Zuko looks down at Houndour who gives him a look. They both know what this means. Rana's in trouble.

...........

Zuko glances around at the dreamscape. It's cold, a layer of ice over the grass. He assumes this means that she made it to the North Pole and it is not reflecting in the dream. He doesn't see her though. That doesn't mean she's not here, she's probably just wandered off to find somewhere warm. He crosses the clearing and heads into the trees. He doesn't have to go far to find her. Rana's standing at the river's edge, staring down at the frozen water. She doesn't look happy about it. She's all bundled up. Wrapped in furs. Zuko heads towards her.

"Cold?" He teases a little, she looks over her shoulder at him, her cheeks all red with the chill. There are even little ice crystals on her ears. She hums and nods. Her eyes looking over him, he's wearing significantly fewer layers than her.

"How are you not?" She asks him.

"Because this is a dream and I am nice and warm in my bed" He answers as he reaches her. "I take it you made it to the North Pole" He touches her arms and she nods, shivering. He pulls her closer, wrapping his arms around her. It won't help but still. She lets out a breath and curls into him, clutching at the back of his clothing. "You need to leave the Northern Water Tribe," He tells her quietly. "Zhao is on his way to you, he knows where you are"

"We have nowhere else to go to find water-benders" She argues, looking up at him. His hand pulls back from her back to her cheek. "We can't just leave"

"Need I remind you what happened the last time you faced Zhao" He argues. "You got hurt"

"Yes, and I got better" She pulls away from him a little. She can't in good faith abandon the water tribe to the Fire Nation. Not when they can help. She narrows her eyes at him, wiggling free of him. He frowns at her. "Why are you warning me?" She asks him. "Why bother?"

"You know why" He comments, she shakes her head.

"No, I don't" She argues. He touches her waist and curls his fingers into the furs there as he pulls her closer to him. Her eyes searching his before he kisses her softly. Hoping that it conveys everything that he wants it to. She has to know that he feels something for her. He is sure that she must have seen it. Just as he has seen that she feels something for him. She pulls back first, to look at him, to study his face before she touches the scarred side of his face, curling her palm around it. He leans into her hand and closes his eyes.

"This is a dream" She comments, he opens his eyes to find that she's closed hers. "It's not real" His eyes sadden. She's reminding herself that this isn't real. That him saying all of this and kissing her....is all in her head. He smiles a little and then shifts closer, pressing the side of his head to the side of hers.

"We're bound" He reminds her, whispering in her ear. "Spirit to spirit...this is a dream....and this is real"

...........

Rana lifts the blankets to get up and warn her friends about Zhao, but it is too cold and she dives back into the pile of blankets, pulling them around her.

"No" She argues and pulls them over her head to hide. She doesn't know what to do with the information given to her. In her head, she and Zuko in her dream, have just been that, dreams. But she knows what he was saying about the spirit-bond to be true too. She read the book. She absorbed the information. It's all been real. Moments she thought were safe inside her subconscious were projected to him. She's not sure how to feel about that.