Renegaded Spirits

Last place

"So why here? What is this place?" Sokka walked with Zuko as they followed him up a hiking trail until they saw a large vacation house surrounded by palm trees.

"Last place on earth my family will want to go to," Zuko told them as he walked up to the door.

Without hesitation Zuko kicked it open with a grunt, sending some wood flying back but he coughed a little when dust clouded around them.

"Wow it's huge," Suki gasped peaking in the home as everyone was curious of the new place. "It's like a palace!"

"Ember island is a tourist sight, no one questions new people, and no one stays long, my family use to come here every summer," Zuko walked through the halls as there were cob webs on the ceiling and dust covering everything.

"This is your families home?" Katara asked looking at the empty walls.

"Not just my father, but my uncles as well, my grandparents when I was younger too," Zuko explained as there were tons of empty rooms.

"No ones going to think we're here," he nodded.

"Why does it smell like sand and chalk?" Toph asked confused.

"Uh no ones been here for a while, the east side is for guest rooms, west side is uh.. my families side," Zuko gulped a little as aang air scootered down the hall excited of adventure while momo flew after him.

"We'll go make sure he doesn't break anything," Suki tip toed after the avatar as she pulled Toph and Sokka with her.

"Break whatever, it doesn't matter," Zuko shrugged as he was left with Katara.

"It's your families home, you don't want anything broken," Katara looked up at him.

"I would burn this place down if I could," he looked around at the place that he thought he'd never see again.

"Do I get a grand tour?" Katara asked softly.

"M'lady id be honored to be your guide," Zuko kissed her hand gently before intertwining their fingers together and walked down to the west side.

"So why did your family stop coming? Now that everyone's gone," Katara asked looking around.

"My mother and my uncles son died the same year, my father ordered a servant to try taking azula and I here but azula tried burning her hair and I isolated myself in my room for a week here," Zuko explained softly and stopped at a room, he peaked in curiously but didn't step foot in it.

"This was my room," Zuko pursed his lips. It looks smaller.

"I'm going in," Katara smiled as she stormed right in to look around the dark room.

"Aw who's this guy?" Katara gasped picking up a stuff monkey that laid on the red bed.

"Ha, that was sir mon mon," Zuko chuckled a little as he crossed his arms leaning against the door frame.

"Creative," Katara nodded.

"It's my best," he smirked.

Katara opened the toy chest seeing sea shells and rocks that Zuko must've stored away when he was young.

"Mom said every sea shell that's unbroken is a gift from the sea, it'd be rude if I didn't take it," Zuko defended himself from her teasing.

"And the rocks?" She asked.

"They were neat,"

Katara laughed at him as she walked out of the room and took his hand again.

"Is azulas room painted black?" Katara asked.

"Some how no, but if you peak over here you can see it and how she loved to draw," Zuko motioned to the room next to his. Katara gasped looking inside seeing half of a wall was covered in paintings.

"There must've been good memories here," Katara looked up at him.

"There were, my dad wasn't always fire lord, my sister wasn't always murdering, from what I could tell as a child I thought going here made us a normal family," Zuko shrugged a little as Katara walked to a table pressed against the wall with a painting faced down. She picked it up and exhaled softly with an 'oh'.

"She is beautiful," Katara recognized Ursa in the portrait. Zuko stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He watched her fingers trace around his young self in the picture.

"This is you when you were little," she cooed a little as Zuko rested his head on her shoulder.

"I had a weird shaped head," he noticed.

"Ozai has a weird shaped nose," Katara pointed with a giggle.

"Yea he does," Zuko snorted looking at the picture of his family. "I think azula use to be cross eyed,"

"Is it weird that the comet is coming so soon and yet you haven't seen your father yet?" Katara asked touching zukos hands that held her torso.

"Yea, but I have no interest in seeing him," Zuko kissed her neck softly.

"That's fair," Katara smiled up at him when she turned around finally. Holding his face with both her hands.

"Youre perfect," Zuko smiled gently but she squished his cheeks in, causing her to break out laughing that turned into snorts.

"I take it back I'm breaking up with you," Zuko said flatly as she cackled holding his face still.

"I couldn't help it!" Katara laughed as she made his lips into fish lips so he couldn't talk as well.

"This just made my day with your squishy face," she snorted every time she inhaled.

"Kat pleath i beg of you," Zuko said with a lisp as he tried talking through his squish face. Katara smiled brightly and kissed his lips softly.

"I will always remember this, and I will always squish your face," Katara let go to kiss him again.

"I'll get my revenge," Zuko nodded at her.

"Squish!" She squealed pushing his cheeks together again and fell to the floor laughing till it hurt.

"Stop squishing my face!" Zuko cried out as she laughed more.