Chapter Text
Ozai’s son won’t stop screaming.
Sokka speaks with all the Earth Kingdom residents who are stuck in the Spirit World.
He does not like being here. He doesn’t like that Aang is supposed to resolve a crisis between the realms when Aang doesn’t know anything about the Spirit World, and when they have a mission to fulfil in the real world. He doesn’t like that everything feels blurry around the edges here, like he’s forgetting details while still looking at them.
But Sokka does what he can, because there is no use in sitting here and feeling sorry for himself. He approaches each of Hei Bai’s abductees and tries to reassure them that the Avatar is on his way, and they will return home soon.
And then, from the corner of Sokka’s eye, he sees another figure in the trees.
The second Sokka's eyes focus, there is movement, and Sokka goes to follow. He thinks maybe it’s a child, or someone particularly scared, but they remain just out of Sokka’s view. And then he follows the mysterious figure all the way through to a clearing in the spirit jungle.
“Hey!” Sokka tries again now that the figure is in sight. “It’s okay, you don’t have to run away - we’re going to get out of here.”
The boy has his back to Sokka. He’s about Sokka’s age, based on his height and build, but… Sokka can’t really see in colour at the moment, or at least his eyes can’t interpret the colours, but Sokka is sure that this kid is wearing Fire Nation clothing. Fine clothing, not like the armour that Sokka has been faced with time and time again. There’s a sash around his waist, and silk flowing down from his shoulders. His hair is long and soft, pulled back into a phoenix tail.
“I’m Sokka,” Sokka says, aiming for comfort. “What’s your name?”
The boy has stopped, but he hasn’t turned to face Sokka.
Sokka watches as the boy reaches toward his own throat and removes a long, light piece of material that was draped over one shoulder. He lifts it to his head and ties it, and then turns around. All that’s visible of his face is his right eye and eyebrow, and a hint of a pale cheekbone.
The boy is silent.
“You don’t have to tell me your name if you don’t want to,” Sokka reassures him, attempting to refrain from letting on that he’s hugely freaked out by this whole thing. “Just… Do you want to come back to where everyone else is? The Avatar will be here soon.”
“The Avatar,” the boy says, and Sokka is surprised by his voice. Based on what little Sokka can see of him, he wasn’t expecting his voice to be so smokey and serious. “Avatar.”
“Yeah. Aang.” Sokka reaches up and scratches the back of his neck, feeling a touch nervous. “We’re waiting for Aang.”
The boy is suddenly closer, even though Sokka is sure he didn’t see him move.
“The Avatar will kill the Fire Lord,” the boy insists, his voice as urgent as the look in his eye. “Tear him limb from limb, burn his heart out, rip him apart--”
“Whoa!” Sokka says, stepping back. He lifts both of his hands toward the boy’s shoulders, ready to hold him back if he tries anything, but that’s when Sokka realises that the kid is trembling. “Whoa. Okay. Fire Lord bad, you and I are in full agreement there, buddy. Are you okay?”
The kid keeps trembling and keeps staring at Sokka. The moment stretches out long and thin.
“Zuko,” he says eventually, and then blinks hard as if he’s surprised by himself. “My name is Zuko.”
It seems almost like Zuko is remembering his own name.
“How long have you been here, Zuko?” Sokka asks, starting to worry that Hei Bai’s abductions have gone on longer than the townsfolk thought.
Zuko blinks at Sokka again. “Here, Zuko,” he repeats, and Sokka can’t tell if he’s latched onto the meaning of the words at all.
When the Spirit World fades behind Sokka, everything from the last day turns into a mishmash of colour-not-colour and long threads of time. It’s only after he’s relieved himself (apparently his body still has needs, even if he couldn’t feel them in the Spirit World) and eaten a meal fit for two kings that Sokka remembers:
“Hey, did you guys see Zuko?”
The townsfolk are delighted by the return of their friends and family, but nobody seems to have been waiting for the scared Fire Nation kid who was among them.
Sokka scowls.
“He’s about yay high, wears a silk scarf over his face, really not a fan of the Fire Lord? Surely you can’t have missed him.”
It takes asking five more people for Katara to stop him.
“I don’t think he’s here, Sokka.”
“Then we have to go back for him,” Sokka insists, looking to Aang. “We can’t just leave him with Hei Bai because there’s no family waiting for him out here, Aang. Come on.”
But Aang’s face is troubled. “Sokka, don’t you think there’s a chance he… wasn’t there because of Hei Bai?”
Ozai’s son won’t stop screaming.
He screamed when he died, too.