Chapter Text
Katara was starting to worry, after the party was over she reunited with the rest of the team, minus Zuko, she wanted to go and search for him but Sokka stated that he had probably gone and do his heroic ways. That did not eased her tension but still she followed them back into the house, she sat on his bed as she cuddled Tuli, the phoenix chick rested peacefully on her arms.
By dawn she had woken up when the chick had stirred awake and she realized she had fallen asleep on Zuko’s bed and yet he was nowhere to be seen.
She searched for him on the patio, kitchen and bathroom to no avail. She took Tuli and gave it some raw meat, the one she had seen Zuko feed it the previous days. She tried to not to worry about him but it was fruitless, he should really stop just one night and rest, he was a teen just like her, but a part of her knew why he did that, why he risked his life for others.
Still she prayed he was safe, safe to return home with Tuli, to return to her.
--
“DRUK!! Get back here with my shoe!” Azula yelled as the small red lizard rushed out of her room with her show in its mouth. Ever since it had hatched it had proven it was a mischief one. Druk would hide her things, the shiniest ones always, and make a nest under her bed. It was cute but maddening at the same time.
She managed to track the lizard into the kitchen of the train were her friends were preparing to have breakfast. So far no one had complained about the baby dragon but Ty Lee did commented how “Maternity” suited her, everyone laughed at that when the acrobat made said joke.
She really needed to teach that dragon manners, before it started to fly, because she had a feeling that once those wings were matured enough no one would be able to keep the dragon down in the earth.
--
By afternoon it was clear that something bad had happened to their masked friend so they went around and began to ask people, soldiers, they even asked Joo Dee to no avail. All of them said either that the Blue Spirit was a myth or that he was an enemy of the Earth Kingdom. They returned to the house and shared their reports.
“I looked everywhere, there is no trace of him, and people of the Upper Ring don’t have the best opinion about The Blue Spirit” Aang said.
“Yeah the Middle Ring have him in higher standards but they haven’t seen him either” Toph said.
“And the Lower Ring is too vast to look for him in there” Katara said looking down, ever since this morning Tuli hadn’t left her side, she felt as if the phoenix chick felt her distraught state and wanted to ensure that everything would be alright.
“Iroh might know where he is” Sokka said taking her out of her thoughts.
“Wait Iroh is here?” Katara asked.
“Yes, we saw him the other day when we went for our date” Yue said.
“Do you know where?” Katara asked.
“Mmm… no, but it is a start” Sokka said and though she wanted to strangle her brother she knew it was the best lead to find Zuko, she just hope he was doing alright.
--
Inside a dimly lit room the vigilante was chained to the roof, his wrists and ankles were locked by a set of shiny metal shackles and his neck was chained as well with a shiny collar, it made his heart rate to accelerate since it made him relieve the worst day of his life, the day in which he was branded like a coward and whipped till he bled, the day in which he was exiled. He needed, no, he desperately wanted to escape. He started to make his biggest effort trying to rip the chains from their place in the walls.
The door, which was simply a rock panel, slide away letting the imbecile with the ridiculous mustache and long braided hair enter his cell. The man simply saw him and evaluate him.
“Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you, you see, those chains are made from a very rare mineral, platinum, found in the deepest mines in the southern mountains of the Earth Kingdom, I've been following all your movements and feats, I know how strong you can be Don’t try to brawn your way out” The bastard mocked him, Zuko really was holding himself from firebreathing the imbecile in front of him, he could do it but he would miss important details, he should take his time and know his enemy, gather intel on them and destroy them from the inside, perhaps they made him a favor by bringing him here.
“You are going to be my ticket for total control, prepare the chair” Long Feng said as he grinned showing his teeth.