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Zuko could swear he recognized Chit Sang from somewhere. He was 100% certain he had seen the man before the Boiling Rock. But for some reason, he couldn't place him anywhere.
While they were in prison, he was focused on escaping, so he didn't pay attention to the older man, but once they got onto Azula's ship, he finally got a good look at him, and a spark of recognition ignited inside him. He just wished he knew why.
He tried to remember on their way back to the Western Air Temple, but absolutely couldn't.
Chit Sang was faced with a very similar dilemma.
Chit Sang watched the boy sending fire blasts into the engine and he was fairly certain he was staring at the Crown Prince.
But from the way, the Prince was avoiding him, Chit Sang guessed he was the only one who recognized the other.
He would admit it took him an embarrassing amount of time to recognize Prince Zuko, but in his defense, he hadn't seen him since he was 13. And his focus, up to that point, had been directed at other things.
Zuko had grown up quite a bit in the past three years, but also Chit Sang had never seen him with the scar. Of course, people in the Fire Nation knew he had one, but Chit Sang had no idea what it looked like.
Suddenly the Prince turned towards him, catching him staring. "I'm sorry, Your Highness," Chit Sang said, embarrassed that he was caught basically gawking.
Zuko's eyes widened. Well, his good eye widened, but the other one stayed in the scowling position; it didn't seem like that eye could move much.
"You recognize me." It wasn't a question, but Zuko was suddenly eying Chit Sang suspiciously. "Of course, I do." Chit Sang then bowed to show gratitude to the boy and Zuko didn't know how to react.
"Um, pl-please don't do that. There's no need for you to bow. I'm not much of a prince anymore."
Chit Sang straightened, sensing the discomfort in Zuko's voice. "You'll always be a prince to me, Your Highness." Zuko let out a frustrated growl, before turning back to the engine.
If he didn't keep sending fire blasts into it, the ship would come crashing down, and he'd end up hurting everyone in the process. And he couldn't hurt his friends the day he finally gained their trust.
Zuko faced away from Chit Sang when he asked. "I committed treason, didn't I? I was banished by my father, stripped of my title." He sent another blast, this one stronger. "Now - now I'm just Zuko." He deflated a bit, but his expression remained impassive.
Chit Sang sat down near the Prince. "Do you know why I was in jail?" He asked. He really wondered if the boy actually had no idea who Chit Sang was or if he was just good at hiding it.
He saw Zuko rolling his eyes in the engine's reflection before he responded. "I only met you two days ago, how would I know that?" Chit Sang chuckled at that response.
"Because two days ago wasn't the first time we met." That seemed to catch Zuko's attention. So his gut feeling was right!
He turned his head around, raising his still-existent eyebrow.
Chit Sang sighed. "I was there in the war room when the general wanted to send the 41st to be slaughtered." He smiled sadly.
Zuko's eye widened. Chit Sang used to be a guard? Zuko must have passed the man a dozen times daily. The numerous encounters must have left some conscious memory of him for Zuko to recognize him now after all this time.
"I know what you did, Prince Zuko." Chit Sang continued his explanation. He noticed the slight shift in the Prince's posture as realization struck him. "Everyone else didn't care; they wanted to send children into battle only for them to be killed." Chit Sang froze for a moment to catch his bearings. "But you cared. You stood up for them."
Zuko was no longer looking at him and Chit Sang could see the scowl plastered on Zuko's face. "After I learned of your banishment me and a couple of other guards stood up to the Fire Lord." He sighed. "Not a lot of us survived. And the ones who did were sent here."
Once he was finished, he waited for the teenager to respond.
The room was silent for a long time, the only sound being the Fire blasts Zuko was sending into the engine; the sound of fire meeting metal. But Chit Sang still waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And then Zuko spoke up, so quietly Chit Sang wouldn't have caught it if the room hadn't been silent. "Why?"
Chit Sang furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean why?" He genuinely didn't get what the boy was asking. He already explained everything.
"Why would you go against my father? Everyone else claimed I was in the wrong, why were you different?" Zuko asked, voice tinged with sadness.
"Because my brother was in the 41st."
Zuko's head snapped up at Chit Sang's revelation, his good eye widening with a mix of shock and confusion. "Your brother?"
Chit Sang nodded, his expression somber. "Yes. My little brother, Hota. He was barely sixteen when he was drafted into the 41st division."
Zuko's gaze softened, the harsh lines of his face easing just a bit. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, genuine regret in his voice. "I didn't know."
Chit Sang offered a small, sad smile. "You couldn't have known. But what you did... it meant a lot to those of us who had family in the 41st. You showed courage and compassion when no one else would."
Zuko's expression remained conflicted. "But it didn't change anything. I was banished, and my father still sent those soldiers to die."
Chit Sang shook his head. "It changed everything. It showed that there was still hope and that not everyone in the Fire Nation had lost their humanity. And for that, I will always be grateful."
Zuko turned back to the engine, his shoulders slumping a bit. "I wish I could have done more."
Chit Sang reached out, placing a hand on the young prince's shoulder. "You did what you could. And now, you're still fighting, still trying to do the right thing. That's what matters."
Zuko looked up at Chit Sang, the fire in his eyes burning with a renewed determination. "Thank you," he said, his voice stronger.
Chit Sang nodded his own resolve hardening. "Always Prince Zuko. Always." He smiled at the prince. "Anything for my favorite charge."
With that, Chit Sang moved back to the chair, but Zuko's mind stayed on those final words: 'favorite charge'. Where had he heard them before?
He turned around to the adult man sitting behind him. He revealed to Zuko that he was a guard, which meant that they had probably seen each other before. Chit Sang even said that they had met before the prison.
He knew that part wasn't a lie because, subconsciously, Zuko had already known that he had encountered this man in the past.
Zuko tried to visualize the brawny man in a guard's uniform while repeating the words in his mind.
It took him another couple of minutes to finally piece everything together, and when he did, he pivoted and stared at Chit Sang.
The man was startled by the teenager's sudden movements. "You-you were my personal guard," Zuko whispered and Chit Sang smiled. "I was."
Chit Sang watched as the revelation seeded itself into Zuko. "It was another reason why we stood up for you." Chit Sang admitted. "You were always this kind, caring boy, so much unlike your father and sister."
He smiled as he remembered how he and the other guards and staff members would gush over the Prince and vowed that they would keep him safe, especially after Lady Ursa had disappeared.
Obviously, they all failed. They couldn't keep him safe from the Fire Lord.
Zuko’s expression shifted, a flicker of warmth breaking through his hardened exterior. "I had no idea," he murmured, the weight of Chit Sang’s words settling inside him. "All this time, I thought I was alone. I never knew anyone cared about what happened to me."
Chit Sang’s gaze softened. "You were never alone, Prince Zuko. We may not have been able to protect you from everything, but we never stopped believing in you."
Zuko turned back to the engine, focusing on the rhythmic blasts of fire. The task at hand gave him a sense of purpose, grounding him amidst the turmoil of his emotions.
Chit Sang's eyes lingered on Zuko for a moment longer before he stood up. "We all have our battles to fight. Just remember, you’re not fighting yours alone." Zuko didn't say anything, but Chit Sang could tell by the way his shoulders relaxed, the Prince was grateful.
Zuko continued feeding the engine, each blast of fire more precise and controlled than the last.
With renewed vigor, he turned his attention to the window, looking at the horizon, the flames reflecting in his eyes.
From the shadows of the ship’s hull, a pair of keen eyes watched the interaction between Zuko and Chit Sang. A figure stepped forward, revealing himself as Sokka. Based on the giant smile plastered on the boy's face he hadn't overheard their conversation. "Hey Zuko, food's ready. You should take a break for a moment." Sokka suggested and Zuko stepped away from the engine and allowed the other firebender to take his position. He hesitated, staring at Chit Sang for another long moment. "Go, you should eat. I can keep the ship going," he assured the younger boy.
Zuko nodded before turning around to face Sokka. The boy threw an arm across Zuko's shoulder and started rambling about Suki and Hakoda. He hadn't stopped talking about the two since their escape.
Before leaving Zuko grabbed his prison tunic. It was hot in the engine room so he needed to take it off. He just hoped it wouldn't smell of smoke too badly. He also hoped he brought more than one pair of his normal clothes. He was pretty sure he did, but he couldn't have been certain until they returned to the temple.
But right before they were about to exit the room, Zuko looked back at Chit Sang and smiled.