(Trigger warning: Violent moments)

Steven was suddenly in a psych ward that looked vaguely Chinese. He was facing a row of bars and on the other side a teenage girl in a straitjacket. She had deep dark circles under her eyes, black hair passing over her face, and messy lipstick.

She had deep dark circles under her eyes, black hair passing over her face, and messy lipstick [https://em.wattpad.com/9eb2cd552e59eb3f656caa2db1c9605cc5aaae71/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f585a6a71362d56686841315535673d3d2d3639363134383534372e3135666634383834386531623934666134333437343137343533382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

"How did you get here, boy?"

Steven: I don't know.

"Wanna see something cool?"

Steven: ... Okay.

"Don't tell the "doctors""

She closed her eyes and her face became resolute. She breathed in deeply, not because she needed to but because it looked cooler that way, and then the room was full of lightning, for just a second.

Steven: Wow!

"It would be better if I wasn't tied down"

Steven: Are you asking me to untie you?

"You got me. I am asking. Now let me out!"

Steven: I don't know if I should...

"You insipid brat! Open this cage and let me out of here! You know you can do it!"

Suddenly she was bucking against her restraints, screeching intimidating noises, and Steven panicked. That is until he heard a more calm and collected voice.

"Well, that failed. Congratulations, you know how to identify an evil queen. Here's your shitty trophy"

Steven: What-?

Then his ukulele and his cheeseburger backpack hit him in the face, then he was gone.

Meanwhile...

The scar stung like death.

"Let this be a lesson to you"

Was it death?

According to the man above him, it was discipline.

"Now go, and repent for your weakness"

And to prove it, he would make sure Zuko never saw home again.

Zuko woke up with heavy breathing.

Mai: Bad dream again?

Zuko: I feel like it means something. Like it's guiding me towards some sort of destiny.

Then Steven showed up.

Steven reappeared in a room where everything was some shade of dark red, from blood red to reddish-brown. It was also vaguely Chinese looking. He turned around and there was a teenage boy behind him in bed with a girl of the same age. The boy had a large burn on his face, long faded by time but still rather nasty, and the girl had perfectly strait freshly cut bangs a slightly intrigued expression.

Mai: Who are you, child?

"I'm Steven, Steven Universe"

"I'm Mai, and this is Zuko, the fire lord. Where is your home?"

Steven: I'm from Beach city.

Mai: And where's that?

Zuko was still speechless.

Steven: Delmarva I think.

Mai: I still don't know where that is.

Steven: It's... in the eastern united states.

Mai: I've never heard of it.

Steven: Then I'm not sure I'm even in the same universe anymore... wow.

Mai: You aren't? Interesting.

She got out of bed finally, and wondered when Zuko would come to his senses.

Steven: Am I stuck here forever then?

"Am I stuck here forever then?"

Zuko was in the western air temple now and had been there for a while.

"Stuck hunting something that isn't there until I die?

His uncle was with him, and he teared up at the sight of this and hugged him.

"Zuko, I swear on my life you will make it home"

Zuko: I swear on my life you will make it home.

There was a long silence.

Zuko: I should help you about Delmarva.

Steven: What?

Zuko: I mean help you get home. Follow me.

He left the room, and Mai followed. Steven came with them.

And Zuko could almost hear in the back of his mind a voice telling him "Follow me and I'll send him straight home. If you swear on your life, you'll do this for me. Trust me"

Later...

Steven and Zuko were outside waiting when a flying sky bison shows up, with several people on it.

Steven and Zuko were outside waiting when a flying sky bison shows up, with several people on it [https://em.wattpad.com/63f484dff4e368f330c563ce54bd5fd21902a2e8/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f55765f5346483063633633647a773d3d2d3639363134383534372e3136313765373462326137323564616531383236323036373330312e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

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Zuko: I have a lot to tell you. Come inside.

Later...

Sokka: Are you sure you two weren't slipped cactus juice or something?

Mai: How could we both have the same hallucination?

Toph: And neither of them are lying, not even the kid.

Steven: Where would you even find a cactus around here?

Aang: So he really did come from another world. Is it anything like the spirit world?

Steven: I don't think so. It doesn't have any spirits in it.

Katara: Do you have any idea how this could've happened?

Steven: I heard a voice before it happened, saying "The universe is my plaything" And then I ended up here.

Toph: I've been having dreams about that.

Then the voice boomed from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

"I guess you figured it out. I'll stop wasting your time. This is getting awfully boring"

And then Toph disappeared.

"If you want to find her again, I guess I could give you leverage. Watching you all just live out your life here is pretty dull"

Then a stone appeared. It was covered in symbols. A ladybug, an arrow, a star, a swirl, a broken moon, a twinkle, and a pyramid.

"This stone will help you find her. But here's the catch: You don't decide where the stone takes you. It does. Touch it and it will send you wherever it wants you to go. When you find her, I'll take you all home. I promise"

Sokka: And why should we trust you?

"Because..."

Suddenly there was a goat in the middle of the room.

Steven: It's Steven jr! I haven't seen him since-

Suddenly the goat's eye popped out, having been replaced with a glass eye. It collapsed and writhed in agony.

Steven: NO!

"You are at my mercy"

The goat coughed up a brick, soaked in its blood. It could barely stand.

Steven: Stop it!

"I can cause you more pain then you ever thought possible"

The goat's stomach started to expand. You could see the shape of something big and spiny jutting out from inside of it. It started kicking its legs uselessly, unable to stand, making sickening noises of agony.

"And I could kill you at any moment and there would be nothing you could do"

Zuko: Stop! You've made your point!

Then the goat was gone.

"You have 2 days to think over your decision"

Steven: You monster! What did he have to do with this... what do I have to do with this?!

"With what?"

Zuko: Fuck you.

"You kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh, I forgot, you never got to meet her."

Zuko: LEAVE!

As he spoke, a massive plume of fire came out of his mouth.

"Just what were you hoping to accomplish with that? I'm not physically here. I might not even exist"

And with that, he was gone. Zuko turned around and Steven looked terrified.

Zuko: Sorry about that. I just feel helpless now.

He put his face in his hand.

Zuko: All this stuff happened and there was nothing I could do.

Steven hugged him hard. He was so short his face was in Zuko's stomach.

Steven: Why is he doing this?

"Why is he doing this?"

Zuko hoped his father didn't hear him ask this, but he wanted to ask someone.

"He wants your lesson to stick"

Zuko pointed to his eye.

"Believe me, it's sticking"

"Then I just don't know"

But Zuko couldn't say that.

So he just kept holding him as he cried.

Later...

Zuko had sent the news about Steven and voice across the world. Soon there were people complaining outside, wanting to know exactly what was happening.

But Zuko wasn't out there.

He was inside, examining Stevens's shirtless body.

Zuko: You look mostly normal, but there's a gem in your bellybutton. Is that normal?

Steven: Yeah. It's kind of like my mom, or what's left of her after I was born.

Zuko: Interesting... Do you feel any different right now? Like there's something inside you or missing from you?

Steven: No.

Zuko: Do you know anything about the voice that might help us?

Steven: No, not really.

Zuko: Mai, hand me one of your knives.

Mai gave him a knife.

Zuko: I need to see if your blood is any different because of this. Hold still, this will only hurt a bit.

He made a small cut on Steven's arm. His blood was normal. He squeezed some out.

Steven: What are you doing?

Zuko: I just want to see if anything strange happens.

He kept squeezing. The skin was getting irritated.

Steven: What would you do then?

Zuko: I'll find out when I get there.

Steven's arm was a mess now.

Mai: You need to stop.

Steven: This hurts.

Mai: Stop now.

Zuko: Okay. This isn't working. I'll go get Katara to fix this.

He left the room. In another room, Katara was drawing sweat from Steven's shirt.

Katara: It could be years before we decipher this. I have literally no idea what to do. Aang is in the spirit world right now

Zuko: Can you get him out? I need to know if he found anything.

Katara: I don't think that's how that works.

Zuko: Did he tell you that?

Sokka: You were the one that dragged his body across the snow in the north pole for miles while he was in the spirit world. He might have nearly died then, and he was still in the spirit world. I don't think you can "wake up" from the spirit world. At least not without trying to.

Zuko: When you're right you're right. Come get me when he gets back.

Later...

It's now the middle of the night. Aang had gotten out of the Zuko is now trying desperately to connect the most vaguely relevant information about the event together.

Mai: You need to come to bed. It's been hours.

Zuko: Give me a minute. I need to say goodnight to uncle first.

Mai: You mean talk to the photo of him in your room for no reason.

Zuko: You can't judge me, because I don't care.

Mai: If I thought you did I wouldn't have bothered you about it.

Zuko: You do love me.

Mai smiled a bit.

Mai: Just go to your crazy shrine already. Try not to fall asleep on it.

Steven: Can I come with you?

Zuko: You can go to bed. I'll take you there. Follow me.

Steven followed him, with only slightly more energy instead of much more energy.

Steven: So... Is your uncle...?

Zuko: Living in his tea shop. I wish he was here, but I know he'd never be happy living in this palace. He's definitely not a fire lord.

Zuko put him to bed and, surprisingly, tucked him in. He was so fatherly and tender about it that Steven half expected him to kiss him goodnight.

Later...

Zuko was kneeling in a large room. It was empty, save for a table with 4 candles and a sketch of an old man.

It was empty, save for a table with 4 candles and a sketch of an old man [https://em.wattpad.com/16debb0ee14c6741be1038ca5ff0410e29da4dde/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f7a654555514369327332746965673d3d2d3639363134383534372e313631383261316330636166316164643430323437343633373330312e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Zuko: Good night uncle... I hope you're sleeping well... I'm definitely not...

He fell asleep.

He was wandering through the western air temple, 13 again.

"Where are you! Show yourself, you old coward!"

He jumped down a balcony and fell to the ground, leaving a crater.

He propelled himself forward for the kill.

He lifted his fist and punched Zuko's skull in.

"Why did you give up on me?!"

Zuko woke up again. It was the middle of the night.

"Are you rethinking my offer?"

Zuko: That was real? ... I guess I have to.

"Follow my instructions"

Meanwhile...

Steven was looking out the window next to his new bed. He was still awake. He saw Zuko.

Shouldn't he be asleep?

Steven jumped out the window and floated down.

Steven: Zuko?

Zuko just walked faster. Steven followed him and soon he was running.

Meanwhile...

"So it's finally you"

Zuko was facing a young boy. Bald, with an arrow tatoo on his forehead.

He shot a stream of fire from his hand.

The boy had to stop it with his spinning staff.

It almost hit a child.

The boy would soon surrender.

Zuko shook this off. What he was doing now was different. He was helping someone else get their life back now.

Soon he found himself in a dark alleyway.

There was an old woman there.

Zuko: Who is this?

"Just some old bag of bones that wasted away her life, earning great power and doing nothing worthwhile with it. She did just enough to be feared but not enough to be admired. She's the kind who deserves most to die"

Zuko: No...

"No? I suppose it's your choice. I'll be here if you change your mind. I can assure you she won't wake up anytime soon"

Zuko stared at the woman for far too long before making his decision. He made a fire shaped as though it was formed with a lighter, and lifted it as though it was a dagger.

He closed his eyes painfully tight, and turned his head.

Steven: Stop!

Steven jumped on him and held his arms back.

Zuko: Stop. I need to do this.

Steven: No you don't. I'll be fine. I don't care if I stay here for the rest of my life, no one deserves to die!

And with that a tear went down Zuko's eye, and he stopped

Zuko: I've been acting a fool, haven't I...

Steven: It's okay if you don't know what to do. I don't know what I'm doing right now either.

Zuko laughed a bit, and followed him home carrying the unconscious woman with him.

The next day...

Aang: We've decided. We have no better option than to do this.

They all reached out to touch the rock, but Mai stopped Zuko.

Mai: You're needed here, running the fire nation. Stay here with the kid.

Steven: I wanna help you.

"The boy goes with Zuko or the boy stays!"

Zuko looked at Steven.

Zuko: Is it okay if we stay here?

The remaining members of Team Avatar looked at each other and touched the stone.

Then they were gone.