42 – The Meaning of Life

By: Iroh's Tea Shoppe Girls

Disclaimer: As the finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender grows closer and closer, we still don't own it.

What had made Lu Ten's death even worse for Iroh was that no body was found. Not only did the old general have to grieve his son's death, he wasn't even allowed to be completely certain of it.

Little did he, or anyone in the Fire Nation know of Lu Ten's true fate. Indeed he had fallen in battle. But his badly injured form wasn't quite dead when it was found by an Earth Kingdom woman.

Lu Ten was nursed back to health by a woman whose appearance seemed to change every so often. Her name was Joo Dee, but he couldn't for the life of him describe what she looked like beyond her over-enthusiastic smile.

He wasn't going to die, but he never seemed to get to the point where he could leave. The days passed like they were minutes, Lu Ten wasn't even sure what year it was when he spotted someone who reminded him of himself when he was a teenager. He beckoned the youth, and heard the most disturbing thing.

"Yes father," the boy said with a smile. "Whatever you need, I can get it for you. My seventy-three brothers are sure going to be jealous."