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Spirit Touched - Chapter 2: Nuktuk

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 AO3

I got impatient and posted the second chapter. Here’s some more tiny Zuko for your soul. And a chance encounter...

Again, this fic is inspired by @muffinlance‘s fic Salvage and fanart that @agent-jaselin did of it.

——————————————————————————————

Zuko stood on the deck and breathed in deeply. The salty ocean air filled his lungs, bringing up the memories of the years he’d spent at sea, making him forget for a moment the cursed situation he was now in. He was forcibly reminded of his circumstances when he stepped forward and tripped over the still too long shirt he was wearing.

“Don’t worry, little prince,” Panuk said, “we’re going ashore today to get you some clothing.” Zuko got up into a sitting position. He crossed his arms.

“Great. More people to see me in this state.”

“Don’t worry, Nuktuk, no one’s going to think you’re anything but a regular toddler,” Toklo said, walking over to Zuko and picking him up.

“Don’t pick me up without asking first- wait, what did you call me?”

“Nuktuk. Isn’t it cute? It’s the name my parents almost gave me.”

“Why are you calling me by a Water Tribe name?” Zuko sighed. Toklo ruffled his hair, which had grown into a soft layer of black fuzz.

“Because as far as anyone in this town is concerned, you’re Water Tribe,” Hakoda said, walking over. “Specifically, a member of the Water Tribe named Nuktuk.”

“Why?” Zuko asked. To his chagrin, it came out as a whine, something that had been happening more and more often lately.

“A toddler on a Water Tribe ship won’t attract attention if that toddler is Water Tribe. It will attract attention if that toddler is Fire Nation,” Hakoda said. He took Zuko from Toklo. “You’ll be coming with me to get clothes.”

“Why do I even need to come ashore?” Zuko muttered.

“If I’m getting you clothes, I need to make sure they fit,” Hakoda said shortly, already marching off the ship, Zuko grumbling wordlessly in his arms.

-----

“He can wear that out,” the shopkeeper said to Hakoda. The shopkeeper nodded at Zuko standing nearby in typical green and brown Earth Kingdom clothes. “I saw what he was wearing when you brought him in.”

“Yeah, Nuktuk here tossed all his clothes overboard when no one was watching him.” Hakoda looked at Zuko. “What was the reasoning you gave for that, again?” Zuko crossed his arms and looked away, his mind racing. What would a child say?

“…I don’t know,” he finally mumbled, failing to come up with something. The shopkeeper chuckled.

“What a classic kid response. ‘I don’t know.’”

Apparently, that was the right answer.

“Thanks,” Hakoda said to the shopkeeper after he purchased Zuko’s new clothes. “Come on, Nuktuk.” Zuko followed Hakoda out of the store. Hakoda looked down at Zuko thoughtfully.

“…What?” Zuko asked.

“When Sokka and Katara were your age, they liked riding on my shoulders,” Hakoda remarked. Zuko scowled.

“I’m sixteen.”

“You’re four.”

“Hmph.” Zuko looked away. “…Are you offering to let me ride on your shoulders?” he asked after a moment.

“If you want,” Hakoda said with a shrug. Zuko’s desire to maintain dignity and his childish urges battled. The childish urges won out.

“…Yes,” he said quietly.

“All right.” Hakoda lifted Zuko and placed him on his shoulders. “Hold on.” Zuko grabbed fistfuls of Hakoda’s shirt. Hakoda began to walk.

From his vantage point on Hakoda’s shoulders, Zuko could see more than he had since the spirits cursed him like this. Actually, he could see more than he could even before he was cursed. It was refreshing to be able to see more than peoples’ legs. They walked past a young woman outside a flower shop.

“Sir?” the woman called. Hakoda stopped and turned to look at her. “Your son is very cute.” Zuko turned red. Hakoda chuckled.

“Thanks. All his mom.” The woman chuckled as well. Hakoda continued to walk.

They spotted Kustaa just as he was leaving an apothecary. Kustaa raised a silent eyebrow at the sight of Zuko on Hakoda’s shoulders. Zuko blushed again.

“Let me down,” he instructed Hakoda. Hakoda didn’t do anything. Zuko sighed. “Please.”

“Well, since you said the magic word…” Hakoda removed Zuko from his shoulders and set him on the ground.

“That was a wise move,” Kustaa said. “The town square is just over there, and you’d hate for anyone else on the crew to see you riding the Chief’s shoulders.”

“Hey, Nuktuk!” Toklo’s voice called. The men and Zuko looked over. Toklo stood in the square, waving something Zuko immediately recognized. “I got you those fire flakes you like!” Before the words had even left Toklo’s mouth, Zuko was running over. He bumped into someone, mumbled an apology, and kept running. Once he got to Toklo, he jumped up, trying to get the fire flakes from him. However, Toklo held them just out of reach.

“Don’t run off like that,” Hakoda scolded as he finally caught up to Zuko. Zuko ignored him in favor of continuing his attempts to get the fire flakes. Kustaa joined them as well.

“We should leave,” Kustaa said softly to Hakoda. “The men Zuko just bumped into were Fire Nation. They were out of uniform, but it was obvious what they were.”

“Thank you for letting me know,” Hakoda replied quietly. He raised his voice. “Toklo, stop playing keep away. You and Kustaa take Nuktuk back to the ship. I’ll wait for the others.”

“Why?” Zuko asked. He grabbed the fire flakes from Toklo and began to stuff them into his mouth happily.

“You’re going to have to take a nap soon,” Hakoda reminded him. Zuko scowled. Kustaa took Zuko’s hand and led him out of the square. Toklo trailed after them. Hakoda looked around, but didn’t spot the men Zuko had run into. He let out a sigh of relief as he sat on a rock to wait for the rest of the crew.

It’s a good thing Zuko didn’t attract any attention from the Fire Nation men. Who knows who they were, and what they would have done if they’d gotten a good look at him.

-----

“You see, Lieutenant Jee, when we enter the village not wearing our uniforms, we are treated much better,” Iroh said as they exited the tea shop with bags of blends recommended by the owner.

“Yes, you’re right,” Jee said with a slight nod. Like the rest of the crew of the Wani, he was treating Iroh gently after the loss of Zuko.

“Hey, Nuktuk!” a voice called. Iroh and Jee looked over. A young man, Water Tribe, judging by his appearance, stood in the town square with bags of food. The man waved a container of something that every Fire Nation child would recognize. “I got you those fire flakes you like!”

Promptly, a young boy, on the cusp of being called a child rather than a toddler, raced past Iroh and Jee, knocking into Iroh. A man rushed after the boy, who was presumably Nuktuk. Another man stopped in front of Iroh and Jee and smiled apologetically.

“Sorry that he ran into you. My nephew can be excitable,” the man said. Iroh chuckled.

“No need to apologize! My nephew was the same at that age,” he said jovially. The man inclined his head slightly and joined the rest of his companions in the square. All except Nuktuk were dressed in traditional Water Tribe attire.

“Rare to see Water Tribe around here,” Jee said softly. Iroh waved a hand.

“Leave them be. They’re clearly a family, probably refugees. Look at them.” The young man that had purchased fire flakes was holding them just out of reach of Nuktuk, making the boy jump for them. Iroh smiled. “They aren’t doing any harm.”

“Yes, sir,” Jee said. Iroh watched Nuktuk thoughtfully. “Sir?”

“That young boy…he’s been touched by the spirits.”

“How- how can you tell?”

“It sticks out all over him,” Iroh said, as if that answer made complete sense. He sighed. “It’s kind of the spirits to bless someone like him.”

“…A war bastard half-breed?” Jee asked. Even from this distance, it was obvious Nuktuk’s skin was too pale, his hair too dark, to be full Water Tribe. Iroh frowned at Jee.

“Yes. But perhaps it would be better to use kinder words when talking about a child,” he said firmly. Jee merely nodded in response. “We should board. We can’t keep Zhao waiting any longer.” The two men walked away, Iroh glancing at Nuktuk every now and then, his heart heavy with memories of Zuko and Lu Ten.

-----

Hakoda knew a toddler bursting with energy when he saw one. Usually, said toddler wouldn’t hesitate to expend that energy. But most toddlers weren’t teenagers two weeks ago.

“You look like you could use a chance to stretch your legs,” he remarked. Zuko, who had been fidgeting nonstop since breakfast, looked up. Once again, he had been assigned to work on nets with Tuluk, as that was the easiest chore for the former teenager, current toddler.

“I’m fine,” Zuko said. He wiggled in his seat, seemingly without realizing it. Tuluk poorly stifled a laugh. Zuko scowled at him. The trademark glare had been taking a gradual decline in efficacy for some time before the spirits intervened. Now that Zuko was a child, the expression only made him cuter.

“You’re more jittery than a polar bear-dog with new pups,” Hakoda said. Zuko wiggled again. “Luckily, you can run off some of that energy when we dock.”

“I’m not going ashore as a child again. The first time was humiliating enough,” Zuko muttered to his feeble netting knots. Hakoda sighed and sat next to him.

“Your current rules include doing what is necessary for someone your age. It’s not healthy to force a four-year-old to sit still for hours on end.”

“It’s a good thing I’m not being forced, then.”

“Are you sure?” Hakoda asked. Zuko eyed him.

“No one told me to sit still.”

“You did.” Zuko dropped his netting and cocked his head curiously. It was an expression to be expected from a toddler who didn’t understand how the world worked. It was less expected from Zuko, whose youthful appearance masked sixteen years of experience. “You’re forcing yourself to sit still.”

“But-”

“I admit, this is the first time I’ve seen a toddler task themselves with behaving so well,” Hakoda continued. “What I said still applies, however. Your body wants to run around, but you’re holding yourself in check.” Zuko picked up his netting again. He played with it.

“There’s not much room for running around on a boat, anyways,” he mumbled.

“Which is why you’re coming ashore.” Zuko scowled. “That’s an order.”

“…Yes, Chief.”

In Hakoda’s experience, a toddler forced to stay still for too long would release the pent-up energy in a potentially damaging way. The likelihood of something breaking went up drastically if that toddler was a bender. Hopefully, by letting Zuko run off the energy on land, they could avoid any firebending outbursts on their very flammable ship.

-----

A few hours later, the Akhlut docked. Under normal circumstances, they would wait longer in between stopping at ports. But as Hakoda watched Zuko toddle down the gangplank, he couldn’t ignore how painfully abnormal the current circumstances were.

“Are you coming?” Zuko asked once he was on solid ground. Hakoda was once again reminded of his own children; that might as well have come from Katara when she was four. He followed Zuko ashore. Zuko crossed his arms. “Now what?”

“Now we find an open place where you can run around,” Hakoda said, heading for the beach.

“How long am I expected to ‘run around’?”

“Generally speaking, children your age only stop when they use up all their energy and literally collapse.” Hakoda glanced at Zuko. “Given your situation, however, I’ll be fine with leaving once I notice you slowing down.” Zuko nodded reluctantly.

“Is anyone else coming?” he asked.

“No. We’re near General Fong’s base. He’s not that pleased with us, so I’m keeping the number of crew who might be spotted by his men to a minimum.”

“Not even Healer Kustaa?” Zuko asked. Disappointment shone in his voice.

“You’ll get to see him soon enough, don’t worry,” Hakoda replied. Zuko pouted. They continued their walk in silence.

They hadn’t been walking long when Hakoda began to pick up on the faint sound of children playing. He looked at Zuko out of the corner of his eye. Judging by how white his already pale skin had become, the firebender heard as well. They turned a corner.

“This looks like a good place,” Hakoda said. They had arrived at a slightly secluded cove filled with young children and mothers. The children, ranging from infants to a few years older than Zuko, chased each other across the sand, playing games Hakoda remembered from his own childhood.

“Good?” Zuko hissed, clearly scandalized. “There’s- there’s children here!”

“Yes, and you are one of them.” Hakoda put a hand on Zuko’s back. He gently pushed the boy forward. “Go play with your peers.”

“They’re not my-” A girl about Zuko’s age ran past, tapping Zuko on the shoulder.

“Tag!” she shouted. Zuko stared after her dumbly.

“Aren’t you going to play tag?” Hakoda prompted. Zuko looked down at his feet. “Do you know what tag is?”

“…No.”

“It’s a chasing game. Whoever is ‘it’ tries to touch someone. If they touch someone, that new person is ‘it’.”

“Oh.” Zuko remained where he stood. The girl that tagged him came back over.

“Are you gonna play?” she asked. Zuko opened and closed his mouth silently.

“Yes, he will,” Hakoda interjected. “But he’s a bit shy and he’s never played tag before. Would you help him, please?” The girl beamed, showing off a gap-toothed smile.

“Yeah!” She looked at Zuko. “What’s your name?”

“Nuktuk,” Zuko mumbled. The girl giggled.

“That’s a funny name. C’mon, Nuktuk!” She grabbed Zuko’s hand and pulled him away from Hakoda, towards the energetic children.

Hakoda watched for a few minutes, ready to intervene if Zuko was too out of his element. But as he’d seen happen before, Zuko slipped into childish behaviors easily. Hakoda took a seat near the group of mothers keeping an eye their children, nodding politely at them before resuming watch of Zuko.

Watching the former Fire Prince run with the other toddlers, the dull headache Hakoda had since that morning began to fade. There was nothing to indicate that Zuko was different from his peers. All Hakoda saw was a young boy enjoying himself. The rare sight was enough to make him smile.

-----

Zuko played for much longer than Hakoda expected. Most people had left the play area by the time the young firebender called it quits. Hakoda quickly got rid of his smile as Zuko trod over, rubbing his eyes.

“Done?” he asked. Zuko let out a yawn and nodded. “You looked like you had a good time out there.”

“Yeah,” Zuko mumbled sleepily.

“Maybe you should try to run around the deck every now and then?” Hakoda probed. Zuko yawned again. “It won’t be as fun as today, but it’s better than nothing. And we can’t just land whenever you need to blow off some steam.” Zuko merely nodded. “Would you like to ride on my shoulders back to the ship?”

“Yes, please, sir,” Zuko said. His voice was thick with sleep. Hakoda lifted the tired toddler, gently placing him on his shoulders. Zuko grabbed handfuls of his shirt and leaned against Hakoda’s neck and head. Hakoda headed for the way they came.

Quickly, Hakoda stopped trying to make conversation with Zuko during the walk back to the ship. All questions received significantly delayed single word answers. Just as he caught sight of the Akhlut, Zuko began to snore. Hakoda chuckled. His buoyant mood vanished, however, as he neared the ship. Two Earth Kingdom soldiers stood by the gangplank, speaking with Bato.

“Is there a problem?” Hakoda asked upon arrival. The soldiers looked over at him, then at Zuko. Hakoda raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

“We were wondering why your ship was docked and didn’t seem to be picking up supplies,” the shorter of the two soldiers said.

“I was trying to explain to them that we didn’t need supplies,” Bato said. He frowned at the soldiers. “Which shouldn’t merit a visit from the Earth Kingdom Military.”

“You’re near an important base. We have to be careful with foreign ships,” the short soldier replied.

“Our ship is clearly from the Water Tribe,” Bato snapped.

“Fire Nation soldiers could have captured a Water Tribe ship,” the short soldier said with a shrug.

“No self-respecting Fire Nation soldier would pretend to be Water Tribe,” Hakoda scoffed. The four-year-old proof he was lying let out a loud snore. Hakoda removed Zuko from his shoulders, carefully, so as to not wake him up. “We had to stop so that Nuktuk could spend some time ashore. It’s not good for someone his age to be at sea nonstop.”

“Why do you have a half-breed child on your warship?” the taller soldier asked, speaking for the first time. Hakoda stiffened. Before he could respond, Bato came to “Nuktuk’s” defense.

“Don’t call him that,” Bato said shortly.

“He is, though. Anyone with half a brain could tell he’s part Fire Nation,” the tall soldier argued back.

“His parentage isn’t important,” Hakoda said, trying to keep a level tone. “Nuktuk is Water Tribe.” The soldiers exchanged doubtful looks. “To answer your question, he’s the lone survivor of his village. We stumbled across him as we left the South Pole.”

“Why haven’t you dropped him off somewhere?” the short soldier asked. “It’s not safe for a child to be aboard a warship.”

“We haven’t had a chance to visit a Water Tribe village since we picked him up.”

“The Earth Kingdom has plenty of orphanages,” the short soldier said.

“We wouldn’t leave a Water Tribe child in an Earth Kingdom orphanage,” Bato said. “He deserves to grow up among his people.”

“Should’ve left him in the Fire Nation, then,” the tall soldier muttered. Bato glared.

“Are you going to let us board our ship and leave?” Hakoda asked before things could continue to spiral. “Nuktuk needs to be put to bed.” The soldiers exchanged another look.

“Fine,” the short one sighed. The two soldiers walked away. Once they were out of earshot, Bato turned to Hakoda.

“What took you so long?”

“He had more energy than I thought,” Hakoda replied. Zuko shifted slightly in his arms. “He really needed this.”

“I can tell.” Bato went up the gangplank, Hakoda close behind. “Did the two of you enjoy yourselves?”

“Him more than me. Though it was entertaining to watch him learn common games.”

“You found some children his age?” Bato asked. Hakoda nodded.

“Other than not knowing what tag was, he fit right in with them, too.”

“Of course he didn’t know what tag was,” Bato muttered. Hakoda snorted. “What?”

“I can see right through you, Bato. You’re getting soft on Zuko, just like the rest of us.”

“…Maybe I am,” Bato conceded. “But if I am, it’s only because he reminds me of Sokka.” Bato’s eyes widened. “Oh! Speaking of Sokka, apparently the Avatar’s sky bison passed over the base not long ago, likely on their way to the North Pole.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The soldiers mentioned it while they were trying to strong-arm me.”

“At least they didn’t stop. I would hate to have missed them.”

“I don’t know about that,” Bato said after a moment. Hakoda eyed him. “How do you think we’d explain ‘Nuktuk’ to them?”

“The same way I explained it to the soldiers.”

“Katara and Sokka would see right through it.” Bato ruffled Zuko’s short, fuzzy hair. “Kid doesn’t know how to act like he’s Water Tribe. Or how to act like he’s a normal toddler.”

“Fair enough.” Hakoda and Bato came to a stop outside the infirmary. “Who knows how Zuko would react to seeing them, anyways?”

“Probably with his first temper tantrum.”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me he’s at that age,” Hakoda muttered. Bato let out a bark of laughter. “Tell the crew to cast off.”

“You got it.” Bato strolled away. Hakoda ducked inside the infirmary. Kustaa took the sleeping toddler from him.

“You really tired him out,” Kustaa remarked. “What did you do, practice hand-to-hand combat with him?”

“No. He just…ran around like a kid.” Kustaa looked at him inquisitively. “We found a group of children his age. After they taught him how to play their games, he played with them. It was like he was a normal toddler.”

“Hmm.” Kustaa set Zuko down in his pile of furs, then pulled out a scroll. He scribbled something on it. “I’m keeping a log of each time Zuko acts his current age.”

“Do you think that might help return him to normal, or at least figure out how the spirits did this to him?”

“It might,” Kustaa said with a shrug. He put the scroll away. “I’m trying to collect as much information as I can. Some of it might be helpful, most of it probably won’t be. But we’re in uncharted waters, Chief. I can’t risk deciding a piece of information wasn’t relevant enough to be noted. It might end up crucial.” Kustaa gently tucked Zuko in, covering him with the blanket he’d worn around the ship before getting better clothes. “Hopefully, we’ll come across a waterbending healer at some point.” The healer looked up, meeting Hakoda’s eyes squarely. “As far as I can tell, that’s the only way we might be able to return Zuko from a grumpy toddler to a grumpy teenager.”

“That’s the only way?”

“Well, there is the possibility that the spirits might decide to stop this test or punishment or whatever it is. But that’s a very slim chance.” Hakoda nodded.

“I’d agree with that. Tell him to find me when he wakes up. I’ll give him a new task to do until dinner.”

“Depending on how much you wore him out,” Kustaa said, “he might not wake up before then. But if he does, I’ll send him your way.”

Hakoda exited the infirmary, only to be promptly accosted by Toklo.

“Chief, did Zuko really play with a bunch of other kids?” Toklo asked, starry-eyed.

“Yes.”

“Aw, man! I wish I was there! I bet it was adorable.”

“…It was,” Hakoda said after a moment. Toklo groaned loudly. A weight settled in Hakoda’s stomach. With the chaos of Zuko being touched by the spirits, Hakoda hadn’t had time to tell Toklo about his brother. He hated to ruin Toklo’s good mood. But he couldn’t delay it any longer. “We need to talk,” he said softly, putting a hand on the young man’s shoulder.

“We do?”

“Yes. Come with me.”

-----

Zuko sat next to the mast, his arms crossed, desperately trying to stay awake. He didn’t need to go to bed as early as the Chief kept forcing him to, and he was determined to prove it. His eyes drooped closed. When someone sat next to him, he snapped his eyes open again. He looked at the person joining him.

“Oh. Hello, Toklo.” Toklo nodded. He was visibly shaken. Zuko cocked his head, confused and concerned. “Are…are you all right?” he asked finally.

“…No, little prince. I’m not.”

“Oh.” Zuko placed his annoyingly minute hands in his lap and looked down at them. “Why?” Maybe it had something to do with why Toklo didn’t join everyone else for dinner. Toklo never passed up the chance to have Zuko sit in his lap while they ate.

“Did you know?” Toklo asked quietly, drawing Zuko out of his thoughts.

“Know what?”

“About my brother.”

“You have a brother?”

“Yeah. And he’s- he’s-” Toklo’s face contorted. “The Fire Nation captured him,” he said in a thick voice. Zuko’s heart plummeted. “They tortured him and then they- they killed him.”

“I- I-” Zuko was at a loss for words. He looked around for some guidance. Everyone on deck was determinedly not watching them. He swallowed and put his hand over Toklo’s. “I’m sorry.” Toklo choked back a sob. “Do you- do you want to go somewhere less out in the open?” he asked finally. He couldn’t stand the idea of Toklo losing any dignity over this. Toklo nodded and stood. Zuko got up as well. He took Toklo’s hand and led him belowdeck.

Those on the deck waited a reasonable time before going down as well. The first to stumble across Toklo and Zuko was Panuk. They were curled up in Toklo’s hammock, Toklo holding onto Zuko the same way Zuko had held Seal Jerky the first day of being spirit touched.

“Should we move him?” Panuk asked Kustaa.

“He’ll be fine for now. The first time he gets up to pee, he’ll go to the infirmary,” Kustaa said with a shrug. Panuk looked at him.

“The first time?”

“Oh, he’s been waking me up at least twice each night so that I can take him to the latrine.” Kustaa snorted softly. “At least we don’t have to get dressed and then walk through the snow in the dark like back home.”

“Yeah.” Something contemplative flashed across Panuk’s face. “Zuko wouldn’t be happy if he had to do that.” He watched Zuko and Toklo sleeping. Kustaa finally sighed.

“I’m going to get one last thing to eat before bed. Do you want anything?” he asked. Panuk shook his head. “All right. Sleep well, kid.”

“There’s an actual child on the ship, and you’re still going to call me ‘kid’?” Panuk asked. Kustaa chuckled.

“Look on the bright side. At least you don’t have people mothering you like Zuko does.”