Façades [A Zuko x OC Story]

1 - The Avatar Returns

Something has felt off all day, my mind has been racing with thoughts of the Avatar. Though we have heard of no signs of him since the day of his supposed return I can sense that we will be meeting him soon.

"Li Mei." Shyu's voice knocks me out of my trance. Falling out of my meditative state I glare at him, "Can't you see I'm busy." I grumpily reply, cracking my shoulders and back.

"Yes. But, the head Fire Sage wishes to speak with you." Shyu replies briskly. I jump up off the floor grumbling, "What could he possibly be mad at me for this time?" I march off down the halls towards the main room of our temple, practising firebending movements along the way to pass the time.

"Li mei! No firebending in the halls! You'll burn another hole in the wall." The head Fire Sage orders pointing at the large hole in the wall caused by my previous firebending accident.

"That was different. I'm just practising movements. No real fire. See." I demonstrate my movements for the fire sage while he folds his arms tightly across his chest. The fire sage barks at me, "Now is not the time for your foolishness, Li Mei! I need to speak to you about the Avatar. Please walk with me."

I walk at a steady pace behind the head Fire Sage while he begins talking ahead of me, "We have heard news that the Avatar will be coming to the temple to speak to Avatar Roku on the Solstice." He glances back at me, "Here at the temple, we understand your dislike for Fire Lord Ozai and the Fire Nation but if you decide to help the Avatar upon his arrival we will not hesitate to turn you in, to the Fire Lord." He stops his walking and I almost walk right into his back, "You must remember that we are housing you here because of your banishment and the Fire Lord's orders, not from the kindness of our hearts. Do you understand that?"

I slump my shoulders and bow my head, "Yes. I understand sir. I will not help the Avatar upon his arrival."

"Then you are dismissed, Li Mei. Now get out of my sight, and try to do something useful for once. No firebending!" He scolds me before turning the corner of the hall leaving me alone again.

"Do something useful for once." I mock the Fire Sage's voice, "Yeah, I'll try that." Someone snorts a laugh from behind me. I whip my head around and see Shyu smiling at me. "What are you laughing at?" I ask.

"You can be funny when you aren't trying," Shyu returns, "And don't worry, I'm not going to tell on you for disrespecting your elders. Because, well, I don't really like him much either." I smile at his response.

"Well, maybe I'll tell on you for allowing me to say such things, Shyu."

"You wouldn't!" A look of false shock strikes his face. I stick my tongue out at him. We both laugh at our own idiocy as we continue towards the back doors of the temple. "Want to practice firebending with me?" I cock an eyebrow at him as I slide open the back doors.

"You're just asking for trouble. So, yes. I will practice with you."

I swing a few fire-covered fists at Shyu though he manages to dodge them all. He swings his right leg at my ankles but I manage to get away from his attack by flipping backwards, but he blasts fire at the ground where I am about to land, making me fall not so graciously on my back to avoid the flames now licking at my sides. A hand reaches down into my field of vision, "You're tired today Li Mei. What's got into you?"

"I haven't been getting a lot of sleep recently... The Avatar. I can't stop thinking about him." I grab his hand and pull myself up.

"Me too. I don't know what to do once he gets here. I don't know who to trust." Shyu looks down at the ground.

"I do," I look off to the ocean, "And it's not the Fire Nation." I turn back to look Shyu in the eyes, "And you'll know too once the Avatar gets here."

The sun is beginning to set when the head Fire Sage bursts the door open, "You two idiots get in here. It's the Avatar. He's here." I glance at Shyu and we both run to the door and scurry after the head Fire Sage.

"We are the Fire Sages. Guardians of the temple of the Avatar" The head Fire Sage says to our guests. I lean over slightly so I can see the Avatar with my own eyes.

He's a boy - no older than 12 - dressed in air nomad attire with a tattoo of a blue arrow on his forehead pointing down towards his nose. He's accompanied by what looks like two water tribe kids. A boy with a ponytail who looks close to my own age and a younger girl with her hair in a braid with two small loops of hair at the front.

"Great! I am the Avatar!" The young Avatar speaks.

"We know." The head Fire Sage replies, punching a blast of fire at the Avatar and his friends.

"I'll hold them off. Run!" The young Avatar sweeps his leg across the ground, sending out a blade of air. Before I can react I'm swept off my feet by the wind blade, landing on my butt.

"If the Avatar contacts Roku, there's no telling how powerful the boy will become! Split up and find him." The head Fire Sage commands.

Now is my chance to talk to the Avatar and get out of this temple!

I chase after the Avatar and his friends. "Hey, wait!" I yell when I round the corner but I simply seemed to scare his friends more. I continue to follow them through the maze of halls, "Come back!" I shout right before we reach a dead end. I catch up to them and they all hold their arms up defensively.

"Wait!" I yell holding my own arms up in peace, trying to catch my breath, "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help you." I walk slowly towards them. The water tribe boy leans towards me in a defensive manner pointing his boomerang in my face, "But you're Fire Nation!"

"Just because I'm Fire Nation doesn't mean I don't know what's right and what's wrong... I know what your purpose is here, Avatar."

"You do?" The bald boy replies surprised, "Yes. I do. You want to talk to Avatar Roku. I can take you to him." I step closer to the group still with my arms raised in a peaceful manner.

"How?" The bald boy asks, watching me as I walk to the wall beside them. I slide the lamp on the wall revealing a small-sized hole. I place my hand over the hole, closing my eyes and focusing my fire into the opening revealing a secret passage behind me, "Through here." I gesture to the newly formed passage. I can hear the head Fire Sage's voice echoing from down the hall, "Find him."

"Trust me or not this is your only way out of this hall," I say once again gesturing towards the passage. The Avatar looks at his two friends before he slides into the passage the two of them follow him. I slip into the passage last. Sealing it behind me.

"Why help us?" The Avatar asks from behind me as I lead them through the caverns. "Because my heart does not lie with the Fire Nation."

"Where does it lie?" The water tribe boy asks.

"I'm not sure yet," I reply curtly. The Avatar asks another question, "How did you know I was coming?"

"A few weeks ago, the eyes on the statue of Roku began glowing," I answer looking back at the three, "That's when we were at the Air Temple. Avatar Roku's eyes were glowing there, too!" The water tribe girl finally spoke.

"Once I saw the eyes of Roku I knew," I stop in my tracks and face them, "The Avatar had returned."