Dark Puck - Blood Lines

The following evening, Leilani padded quietly down the hallway to General Iroh’s office and knocked quietly on the door.

He answered it right away — Zuko had insisted going back to work that day, and, by some miracle, had managed not to have another breakdown, thought it was fairly clear he was holding on to sanity by the skin of his teeth.

“Leilani,” Iroh greeted her, opening the door a little wider. “Please, come in.”

“Thank you, General,” she said, offering a smile to the man who had saved her life almost five years previously.  “I… wanted to talk to you about Zuko.”

The old man nodded. “You were with him, right? What, exactly, happened?”

Leilani paused a moment, the closed the door and lowered her voice.  “You remember the storm two nights ago?”

Iroh nodded. “One of the biggest the capital has seen in years.”

“I was out in it,” she explained.  “I never got a chance to play in the storms at the base, so now seemed as good a time as any.  Only I looked up… and Zuko was on the roof.”

“What was he doing up there?” the old man asked, frowning.

“He doesn’t remember,” Leilani replied.  “I saw that he couldn’t stand straight up there, and went over, and he… fell.”

There was a long silence. “Did he jump, or just slip?”

“I’m not sure, and he doesn’t remember,” she said softly.  “It was… hard to tell, but it looked like he was turning away when he fell.”

He sighed. “I didn’t realize it was that bad. Even when he asked me to take over yesterday…”

“His control over his body is too good.  I didn’t notice it was that bad, either, until I saw him up there.”  She hesitated.  “He smashed out his window to get on that roof, though.”

“Did he tell you that, or…?”

“I saw his hand when I pulled him onto the roof.  It was covered in blood and glass.”

“So he finally snapped,” the old man whispered.

“I think so,” Leilani replied.  “He hasn’t had any time to rest or relax since he took the throne except for yesterday.  There’s been no time to allow it to sink in, and I think it’s driving him mad.”

“I think you’re right,” Iroh agreed.

“I also think that if he doesn’t get some time off to recuperate and comes to terms with everything that’s happened since the comet, he’ll try again.”

He nodded. “He could most definitely use some time off.”

“But not alone.”

“Definitely not. Even if he doesn’t try again, it’s not safe.”

Leilani sighed.  “Unfortunately, I can’t see him agreeing to it.”

“I’m still somewhat surprised he actually came and asked me to take over for him yesterday.”

“He did?”  Leilani looked heartened.

“I think Lord Kouji may have dragged him here, but he did ask.”

The girl nodded.  “I see.”

“…We’ll need Kouji’s help to convince him.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard,” Leilani admitted.  “He adores the Firelord.”

Iroh smiled. “That he does.”

“Who should go with the Firelord, then?”

“We’ll discuss that with him once we’ve convinced him to go.”

The young waterbender nodded and fleetingly wished that Katara had not returned to the South Pole.

“Pity Lady Katara went home,” Iroh said musingly. “My nephew cares more for her than he’s willing to admit.”

Leilani blinked.  “General, are you a mind-reader?”

“…no. Why, were you thinking the same?” he asked, eyes twinkling.

She nodded, smiling.

“In any case, she might be able to help us convince him. Even if propriety wouldn’t allow her to go with him…”

The waterbender shrugged.  She didn’t understand propriety — or perhaps wilfully ignored it, given that she had no reputation at all amongst the nobles.  “What of Doctor Chan— no,” she interrupted herself.  “He’ll yell at me.”

“For what?” he asked, mildly puzzled.

“I haven’t told him about the Firelord,” she replied.  “And I asked the doctor on duty who helped me remove the glass from Zuko’s hand not to tell.”

“Aaaaah. No, I don’t think Chang would appreciate that. Besides, my nephew has spent too long resisting the doctor’s advice for him to be much help in this case.”

She nodded, and considered.  “Perhaps Toph?  He doesn’t seem to get on well with Haru.”

“He does seem to get along well with her,” Iroh agreed.

The waterbender thought some more.  “Anyone else?”

“Kouji may want to go with him,” Iroh reminded her. “And he may prefer it that way. The first step is to convince him to go.”

“Spirits help us,” she murmured.

“We’ll need it,” he agreed. “Let’s go find Kouji, shall we?”

“He’s probably with Zuko.”

 

Kouji was not, in fact, with Zuko, but this was only because Toph had dragged him away to catch up on the training he’d missed.

“Hold on a second,” Toph said, holding up a hand. “Iroh and Leilani are coming, they probably want to talk to you or something.”

Sweating, grateful for the break, the boy nodded and reached for a cloth to mop his face with.

“You’re doing better though,” she said. “Loads better. Still not good enough, but better.”

“Thanks,” he said gratefully.  “Earth’s a really stubborn element.”

“It is indeed,” Iroh said, joining them, followed by Leilani.

Kouji bowed.  “General Iroh.  Healer Leilani.”

“We needed to talk to you,” the old man said, bowing back.

“I’m gonna go work out on my own for a while,” Toph said, not wanting to overhear any state secrets, just in case. “I’ll be back to kick your butt some more later, Kouji.”

“Uh-huh.”  As soon as she was gone, Kouji asked, “Is it about Zuko?”

Iroh nodded. “Healer Leilani and I have been talking, and we wanted your input. And your help.”

Kouji nodded.  “I’d be glad to.  What’s up?”

“Leilani? It was your idea, would you like to explain?”

She nodded and took a breath.  “Zuko hasn’t allowed himself any breaks at all in the last six months,” she explained.  “It’s affecting his mental state badly, as you’ve observed.  It’s my held opinion that the Firelord needs some time off to absorb recent events.”

“I agree with Healer Leilani,” Iroh said quietly. “What little time he has spent not working has mostly been when he was too badly hurt to get anything done. And even then, it was a struggle to get him to take that time.”

Kouji winced.  “I remember.”

“So, we think he should… get away for a while. A week or two, perhaps.”

“It’s a good idea,” said Kouji.  “And it might be best to get him away from the palace anyway…”

“What do you mean?” Leilani asked.

“…he’s having nightmares.  Bad ones.”

“Worse than normal, you mean?” Iroh asked.

“He told me he’s only sleeping maybe two hours a night,” Kouji replied.  His hand drifted to his left eye.

“…He told you that story?” the old man asked, quietly.

The young man nodded.  “Only yesterday.  I asked him about the nightmare.”

“That is… one of the things my brother did that I can never, no matter how I spin it, think to justify.”

Kouji shuddered.  “I just can’t imagine a parent doing it to their own child.”

“Or any child,” Iroh said. “Children under sixteen aren’t supposed to fight in Agni Kais, not against masters — some of them play at it amongst themselves. But Zuko was the Crown Prince, and the rules were different for him.”

“…suddenly I’m glad I’m an earthbender.”

Leilani shuddered.  “The Agni Kai is horrific no matter the age of the fighters.”

“Yes, it is,” Iroh agreed. He’d fought a few himself, but only rarely, and he had never killed in a duel.

“So.  Vacation,” Kouji said, wanting to change the subject quickly.  “Where?”

“Somewhere quiet. Without too many people around,” the general said immediately.

Both of the young ones frowned and tried to think of a place.

Iroh considered as well. It would have to be someplace fairly close, as well, otherwise the young Firelord would never agree — it would be hard enough to convince him to take the vacation anyway, if he was so far away as to be practically unreachable, they’d never convince him.

“…I got nothing,” said Kouji finally.  “I haven’t really been anywhere in the Fire Nation except for my parent’s home and the capital.”

“I’ve never been outside Coastline Base or the capital,” agreed Leilani.

“His mother’s family had property on a fairly remote island,” Iroh said after a long moment. “It’s legally his now. That could be an option.”

Leilani nodded.  “He got along with his mother, too, didn’t he?”

“They were always very close,” he replied.

“Going there may have a positive effect on him, then.”

“Perhaps, yes.” Although, given the circumstances under which Ursa left… even so, it’s the best option we have.

“That, or somewhere he hasn’t been.  Or where something good happened,” Kouji said.

“If there’s any place both close and remote enough,” Iroh said.

The children nodded again.

“The main problem, of course, is convincing him to go,” he added.

“I’ll work on him,” promised Kouji.

“If you need help convincing him, let us know.”

“I will.”  He smiled slightly.  “I could use a challenge.”

Iroh smiled back. “Good luck to you, then.”

“Thanks.  I’ll get on that when Toph is done throwing me around.”

“We’ll let you get back to her, then.”

Kouji bowed.  “Have a nice evening.”

Iroh bowed back. “You, too.”

Leilani ruffled Kouji’s overlong hair and laughed when he blushed.  “See ya, kid.”

Toph came back just as Iroh and Leilani left. “Now that State Secret time is over, let’s get back to work.”

“Yes, Sifu Toph.”

 

 

Firelord Zuko sat on his bed, trying to meditate, and finding it difficult, as his thoughts were bouncing around like a rabbaroo on liè.

A soft knock sounded; clearly it was Kouji as he was the only one who bothered to knock quietly.

Sighing faintly, he called, “It’s open.”

The boy slipped into the room and smiled at him, wincing slightly as he cracked his cast against the door.

“You all right?” the older boy asked, noting the wince.

“Yeah.  Just annoyed.  Usually I’m better than that.”  He looked tired, as was normal after a session with the world’s only metalbender.

“Practicing with Lady Toph?” he asked, unfolding himself and standing up.

He nodded.  “She’s brutal.”

“She is, at that.”

“But she said I’m getting better.”  Kouji beamed at him through his unruly mop of black hair.

“That’s good,” Zuko replied, with a valiant effort at returning the smile.

Kouji settled into a chair and considered how to ask Zuko about the off-time.

“…something bothering you?” Zuko asked, perching on the edge of his bed and frowning slightly.

“…not precisely bothering.  Just… thinking, a bit.”

“Oh. Okay, then.”

Kouji hesitated, then said, “I think that you could use a few weeks off, Zuko.”

“No,” the Firelord replied immediately. “Yesterday was… look, I can’t.”

“It wasn’t enough,” was the quiet reply.

“I have responsibilities here. I can’t just walk out on them, even if—”

“Even if you jumped?”

“…that’s not what bothers me,” Zuko replied. “What bothers me is not knowing.”

“You need to straighten out your mind,” Kouji told him softly.

“I need to do my job.”

“You can’t do it with your mind all twisty.”

“I have to,” he replied, a little sharper than he’d intended.

Kouji didn’t flinch.

“Your uncle is here.  You wouldn’t be abandoning your duty to your people by taking some sorely needed time off to come to terms with the last six months.”

He couldn’t seem to come up with a response for that for a few minutes. “What if something happens?” he finally asked.

“You don’t have to go far,” said Kouji. “There’s places close enough where if something went badly wrong, you could return to the palace quickly enough to deal with it.”

“Maybe not in time,” he pointed out. “Even if I’m only a day or so away, it takes that long for a letter to get to me, then another day to get back. A lot can happen in two days.”

“That’s why the General is your regent, isn’t it?”

“If there’s someone alive, of age, and conscious who actually holds the throne, a regent can only do so much.”

“But if you’re on a leave of absence, doesn’t that temporarily increase what he can do, at least until you get back?”  Kouji had apparently been spending time with soldiers.

“Not really,” Zuko said. “That whole ‘divine right to rule’ gets in the way.”

Kouji blinked a few times.  “…wait, what?”

“There’s this whole thing, the Firelord has the divine right to rule. Once you’ve been crowned, you’re stuck with the throne ‘til death do you part. Only way a regent gets the kind of power Uncle Iroh would need if there was a real emergency that couldn’t wait two days to be solved is if the Firelord’s dead, in a coma, or under sixteen.”

“…whoa,” Kouji said softly.

“Yeah,” Zuko said, sinking back onto the bed. “So I can’t take time off, Kouji, even if my brain’s broken.”

“It isn’t broken,” objected the boy.  “It’s just bendy right now.”

“…I’m not so sure,” the Firelord muttered, not-quite-audibly.

Kouji fell silent at that.

“I just… I can’t do this, but I have to. Okay?”

His only reply was a quiet sigh.

“I’m sorry…” Zuko rubbed at his temples, wearily.

“At least try to sleep?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he said.

Kouji nodded and slipped out of the room.

The Firelord managed to sleep for almost two hours. Almost.

 

The Firelord’s exhausted aide dragged himself to Iroh’s office and knocked on the door.

The General answered right away. “…you look exhausted. You should get some sleep.”

“That’s my next stop,” Kouji said with a small smile.

“Good. What’s on your mind?”

“Zuko.  He doesn’t like the idea.”

Iroh sighed. “We’ll go talk to him together tomorrow, then.”

“Mmmkay.”  Kouji tried and failed to cover a yawn.  “I think it’s past my bedtime.”

“Yes, it most definitely is. Go sleep, Kouji.”

“Yessir.”  The boy wandered sleepily away.