"Hey, Skinny!"

The Dai Li agent whirled around, launching his fisted stone glove at whomever dared sneak up behind him. The Blue Spirit tilted his head and the glove flew past his ear, crashing into the wall behind him before flying back to it's owner.

Zuko unsheathed his swords.

"Drop your weapons," came the agent's gruff voice.

"No problem."

Zuko threw them on the ground at his feet then shrugged as Skinny soften his bending stance.

"Skinny... I bet a week's worth of wages that I can take you down with one blow - no swords and no earthbending - just one quick "bam" and you're out."

Skinny shifted his pale green eyes but said nothing as Zuko pulled gold and silver coins out of his pocket and tossed them at the man's feet.

"What about it, Skinny? We get one shot each. I take you down, I get a little extra jingle in my pocket. You take me down, and you get to haul me off to where ever it is you haul people off to."

Skinny pursed his lips together thoughtfully then nodded, unafraid of some crazy guy wearing a stupid looking mask. He tossed out some gold pieces of his own onto the pile then got into his horse stance once again, raising a earthen gloved fist in front of his face.

"On the count of "3", Skinny," Zuko said. "1... 2... 3--"

Skinny threw his glove at Zuko's mask. Zuko ducked low as the glove sailed past his head, making a failed grab for his shoulder. As he rose, Zuko scooped up a large rock that had been laying by his feet, and hurled it at the man. It whistled like a firecracker as it raced through the cool midnight air. Skinny tried for a second go at Zuko, punching his gloved hand outward just as Zuko's rock thwacked against his forehead. Zuko almost felt sorry for the guy when he heard the crack and saw the man fall backward onto the ground.

After a few thoughtful seconds, Zuko collected his money, his swords, and his rock, then gave Skinny a good looking over. Skinny lay unconscious, sporting a purple knot that was as big and round as a gold piece but he seemed otherwise fine. Zuko was certain he'd live to stalk the streets of Ba Sing Se another night.

"That's life, Skinny, and, for once, life is good," Zuko said as he jingled the bag full of money in front of Skinny's dormant face.

He ventured through the back alleys and side streets of the Lower Ring as he made his way home. He smiled as he passed another unconscious Dai Li agent a few blocks away from his apartment and gave himself an approving nod.

"This night job's workin' out pretty well."

"Uncle..."

"Yes, Prince Zuko."

Zuko sighed. "Nothing." He rolled over to face the wall, turning his back to the retired general. "Good night."

"Good night, my nephew."

Iroh yawned audibly before drifting back asleep.

"Uncle..."

Iroh stirred and rolled over to face Zuko. "Yes, Prince Zuko."

Zuko bit down on his lip nervously. "Nothing."

"Whatever it is, Prince Zuko, you can tell me. Perhaps then, we can both get some sleep."

"It's nothing," Zuko reassured in a mumbled voice. "Go back to sleep."

"Uncle..."

"Prince Zuko," snapped Captain Zhao and the young Prince flinched. "Show your esteemed Uncle the respect he is due in the presence of his men and call him "General Iroh"."

Looking up from his Pai Sho game, Iroh shot Zhao a sideways glance. "My nephew can call me "Uncle Iroh" or just "Uncle". He does not need to refer to me as "General Iroh". Ever."

Zhao growled low but Iroh ignored his outburst, pinning his concern on his downtrodden nephew.

"What is it, my young nephew?"

Zuko sighed. Whatever he was going to say to his uncle, he had no intentions of sharing it with the likes of Captain Zhao.

Zuko stared at the cold metal of the deck's floor as Zhao's shadow loomed large in back of him.

"Nothing..." he mumbled as he shuffled off the deck of his uncle's ship.

Iroh shook his head at the nine-year-old memory while the wind howled a lonely lullaby outside.

"Uncle," came Zuko's voice again, softly.

"Yes, Prince Zuko."

"Nothing."

Whatever Zuko had to say to his uncle, he had no intentions of sharing it with the likes of the spider-roach that was scurrying up the wall beside his sleeping mat.

"How is your night job working out, Prince Zuko?"

"It's going well. I have some money saved up. Maybe I'll buy some more knives and swords. I like stabbing things," he said, offering the remark as a half-hearted attempt at humor.

Iroh let out a good belly laugh. "It's good to have a hobby, my nephew."

Zuko returned from his date earlier than Iroh had expected.

"How was your night, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko slammed the door to the bedroom shut and Iroh's face drooped.

"It was nice," Zuko murmured as he slid the door open and Iroh beamed as he looked out the window of their shabby apartment.

He watered the plants and waved to a passerby on the street while he listened to Zuko shuffle around behind the cracked door.

"She has pretty eyes," Zuko's voice came from behind and Iroh turned around to face Zuko. Iroh offered Zuko a cheerful smile but Zuko could only offer his uncle a blank, hopeless stare.

"She's a lovely girl," Iroh said.

"She is," Zuko mumbled. "She has nice hands and I love her messy hair. I just wanna run my hands through it and make it even messier." His uncle was pleasantly surprised by his nephew's straight-forward admission. "She's very pretty." Zuko blushed. "She held my hand and we kissed," he lamented in a tone so somber that Iroh felt as though Zuko were recalling the scene of a public execution rather than the events of a date with a pretty girl.

Iroh winced as he watched Zuko's face take on a dark cast. "But?"

"But I can't see her again."

"Do you like her?"

"Yes. She seems nice."

"Then you should see her again. She's exactly the kind of person you should seek companionship from. If you think that I don't approve of her, you're wrong. You have my blessing, Prince Zuko," Iroh encouraged.

"I know," he whispered.

Iroh's hand caught the door as Zuko tried to slide it shut.

"Please do not shut this girl out, Prince Zuko. Do not deny yourself the gift of her friendship."

Zuko huffed and clinched his fist.

"Every word out of my mouth to her is a lie. I could never tell her who I really am. I couldn't tell her anything about my mother, or Lu Ten, or that you're one of the greatest Fire Nation generals alive, or about that time you changed our course because you thought you needed to buy a new Lotus Tile for your stupid Pai Sho game, or about the time we fought those Earthbenders and you were practically naked..." Zuko chuckled reluctantly at the memory.

"I'd love to tell her how I defeated Zhao in the Angi Kai," he declared. "That's the only thing I've done right since..." Iroh raised a tender hand to silence Zuko but Zuko ignored his gentle gesture.. "...since I can remember," Zuko said, lowering his head to stare at the floor beneath him before raising it again.

"I could never share any aspect of my real life with her so why bother?" His voice roared to life and Iroh grabbed his arm to settle him.

"The life you're living as Li is as real and as important and as precious as the life you live as Zuko. There is no reason why you couldn't share that life with Jin, or anyone else, for that matter."

"But Li's entire existence is a lie," Zuko mourned. "Take away the lies, and Li is nothing."

"Prince Zuko-"

"We'd be holding each other in the darkness and we'd be naked under the blankets, and she'd call out "Li", not "Zuko", and I'd lose my mind," he confessed through clinched teeth.

"Oh, Zuko..." Iroh sighed.

"And if not her, another girl," Zuko finished as he brushed a few strands of unkempt hair from his face.

"It isn't fair to me. I want to be Zuko!" Zuko paused, taking in Iroh's long face. "And it isn't fair to her. She deserves someone who isn't a liar. She deserves someone who... " He hung his head then pushed Iroh's hand from the door.

"Someone who what, my young nephew?"

"Someone who isn't me," Zuko trailed, catching a fleeting glimpse of Iroh's regrettable stare as he slid the door shut.

At the low table in their living area, Iroh looked at the picture of Lu Ten then poured himself another cup of tea.

His day had been both fulfilling and exhausting. The tears he had cried under the beautiful oak tree on top of that lonely hill overlooking the city the would not yield to him were still fresh water stains on the front of his shirt.

"Happy birthday, Lu Ten," he spoke once again.

The memory of those kids earthbending with the ball, and of lifting a broken man's spirit, and of singing to a sweet little baby made the day a bitter-sweet experience for the tired old general. He rubbed the wound, still smarting from Azula's attack, and grunted.

A man Iroh had played cards with the day before had told him that the Avatar had created a magnificent zoo outside the inner-wall and it was open to the public. Iroh smiled as he thought about how wonderful a sight it must have been to see the 12-year-old Airbender Earthbending.

"Now you have only to master fire, young Avatar," he remarked, glad that Zuko wasn't there to hear it. "Then you can restore balance between the nations," he continued. "Defeat the Firelord, and maybe Zuko will finally be able to go home."

Tomorrow, he would visit the zoo but he wouldn't tell Zuko and he hoped that no one else would tell him about the zoo, either. Iroh knew, however, that it was just a matter of time before Zuko found out that the Avatar was in Ba Sing Se and he dreaded the arrival of that fast-approaching day.

"My beloved, Lu Ten," he sighed. "Your cousin is very conflicted. I'm afraid for him," he confessed, wiping away a stray tear. "I couldn't protect you and I couldn't protect him from the Firelord's wrath. I'm not so sure I can protect him, either. Not from himself, anyway."

He pulled a picture of Zuko, dressed in his Fire Navy uniform, out from an inside tunic's pocket. It was a picture Zuko didn't know he had - a picture that Lieutenant Jee had drawn for Iroh as a personal favor to a lifelong friend and it was the only image of Zuko with his scar. Zuko would be furious if he ever found out about it so Iroh kept it hidden inside the hidden pockets of his robes for two long years, wearing it close to his heart.

Iroh thought about Jee and the other men of their crew, music night, sailing the open seas searching for the Avatar, shopping day, sharing war stories and playing games together, and he wondered if Zuko missed their crew as much as he did. He wondered if any of them had survived the siege of the North Pole...

The sea let go its icy grip and Fire Nation soldiers who had abandoned their armor floated to the surface, staring back at Zuko and Iroh with dead eyes cold as the ocean which had claimed the lives from them. Zuko searched for recognition in their lifeless faces, looking for members of his former crew, pulling off their face plates and helmets as they floated by. Zuko used a metal pipe to push away the bodies of dead soldiers who were so bloated by the salty northern sea - dark and sexless - that they were unrecognizable.

"Do not look at them any longer, Prince Zuko," Iroh begged. "Those images will burn themselves onto your memory forever and, when you close your eyes at night, their faces will haunt your dreams like lonely ghosts. The images of their faces will rattle the chains of your memories, forcing you to pay attention, never letting you forget until the day you die."

Zuko rejected his uncle's wisdom and pulled a dead soldier up onto their makeshift raft. When he pulled the man's face plate off, water bugs crawled out of the sockets where his eyes use to be. Zuko made a heaving sound while Iroh grunted and shooed the bugs away with his flame.

Iroh shook Zuko. "Let him go, Zuko." Zuko clung to the man as though he were a mother clinging to her own child.

Iroh grabbed the man from Zuko's clutches and tossed him overboard then looked at his nephew. The color had drained from Zuko's face and his expression was unreadable. His arms were held up in front of him as though he were still cradling that Fire Nation soldier.

Iroh touched his arm and Zuko snapped back to reality, turning his head quickly to stare his uncle down..

"Zhao had no right to take my men from me," he hissed.

Iroh hated that he had no wisdom to offer Zuko. Zuko was right: Zhao was out-of-line and he was a man who had no redeeming human qualities; Iroh was glad he was dead.

"What a disgrace," Iroh muttered as he gave the matter a lingering thought.

"I didn't recognize him," Zuko said simply as he brought his arms to his sides. "I don't think he was one of ours." He stared out across the horizon and watched the ocean swallow the setting sun. "Of course, without any eyes," he noted as he lay down, "it's impossible for me to know for sure," he trailed as he drifted off to sleep.

As the half-moon rose from its watery cocoon to take it's place among the stars, Iroh caught a glimpse of the Avatar's bison, lit by the soft glow of twilight, soaring above them, heading directly into it. He paddled the raft eastward thinking the Avatar could lead them to shelter, grateful that Zuko wasn't awake to see the Avatar fly by.

Zuko arrived home, greeted by the sight of his slumbering uncle, slumped over in front of a cold cup of tea.

"Oh no," he moaned. "Cold tea! Whatever will we do?" he joked as he threw a blanket across the sleeping general's shoulders.

As he picked Lu Ten's picture up, his fell out from under it, drifting slowly to the floor at his feet.

"It's the only picture I have of you," Iroh said, and the two Firebenders locked sad, long gazes as Zuko bent down to pick it up. "It was tucked away in the pocket of my robe when the ship blew up."

Zuko glared at it. "Do I always look this confident?"

"Yes. You have a strong face, with well-defined features. Your eyes tell a story of desire and passion and the unrivaled willfulness and determination of the Firebending master that lurks deep within yourself. Even when worn as a mask to disguise your true feelings of shame and doubt, your face betrays no weakness, my nephew."

"Where did you get it?"

"Lieutenant Jee."

"Oh." Zuko's lip twitched and Iroh wasn't sure what to make of that simple reaction. He certainly had expected more outrage from Zuko over the matter, especially considering the frictional and sometimes confrontational relationship he and Jee had shared.

Iroh took the picture from Zuko and put it away then offered Zuko a weak smile.

Zuko shrugged the matter off, too tired from putting up with stupid tea-drinking customers all day long to fuss over the matter.

He tossed the swords he was so fond of carrying around into the corner then tossed his overcoat into a chair. He gathered up the playing cards, cup, and tea pot, and put them away.

"C' mon, Uncle."

Iroh took his offered hand and Zuko helped Iroh will himself to his feet.

"How was your day," Zuko asked sincerely, remembering it was Lu Ten's birthday.

Iroh was grateful for Zuko's thoughtfulness. "It was quite lovely," he noted, smiling. "I almost got mugged."

"Almost?"

"He had a poor stance."

Zuko snickered.

"And I almost got my head bashed in by a ball made of rock. It's a day I'll remember fondly for the rest of my life..."

"it's nice to know somebody had fun today," Zuko grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I'm going to bed," Iroh said as he padded into the bedroom. "Good night, Prince Zuko."

"Good night."

"Hey, Azula... I bet I can take you down with one blow. No firebending, just one good "bam" and you're out."

Azula glared at her eight-year-old brother with interest while Mai and Ty Lee looked at one another doubtfully. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious," Zuko said with a firm shake of his head.

"Zuzu, I can beat you with my eyes closed."

"Then do it," Zuko dared.

"Why should I even bother?"

"What's the matter, Azula? Afraid? Maybe you're just a bunch of big talk, huh?"

"Please..."

"I'll even stand in one place," Zuko mocked, shaking his butt. "Think you can handle this?"

Azula sighed. "Fine."

"On the count of 3, Azula," Zuko started, knowing full well she'd launch an attack before he ever made it to 3.

Azula closed her eyes. "Ty Lee, count," she ordered.

Ty Lee and Mai exchanged glances then Ty Lee shrugged.

"All right, then!" She chimed. "1... 2--"

Azula shot a fireball and Zuko did a one-handed cartwheel, picking a rock up as her fireball raced passed his ponytail. As he brought himself upright, he spun around, flinging the rock with all the strength he could muster.

Azula's eyes darted open. "Still alive, Zu-UMPH!"

Zuko threw his fist in the air and let out a war cry when his rock cracked against her cheek bone and her unconscious body thudded against the ground.

"Wow, Zuko," Ty Lee cheered. "Great throw!"

Zuko looked at the two girls and smiled. "I know."

Mai looked at him, blushing, and the corners of her mouth went up to form a tiny smile.

Zuko blushed back and rubbed the nape of his neck nervously. "Uh, I gotta go," he said as he sped off into the palace.

 

 

"So ya got busted, did ya?"

Zuko looked up to find Lu Ten smiling at him.

"Yeah..." he said, offering Lu Ten a stupidly happy grin. "I knocked her out!" he bragged.

"I heard," Lu Ten laughed.

"Mom's mad. She said I should stop acting like Azula."

"Pfff! You're nothing like Azula." Lu Ten put his arm around Zuko. "I'll talk to your mother and tell her it was my idea so you can leave your room. I mean, it was my idea, after all."

Zuko put his arms around Lu Ten's waste. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"When are you leaving for the war?"

"In a few days," Lu Ten said.

"But you're coming back, right?"

"Sure. I wouldn't leave you here all alone with Azule," Lu Ten assured.

"What if you get killed in battle?" Zuko's eyes were swimming.

"Zuko," Lu Ten said, putting his hand on Zuko's shoulder as Iroh had done so many times before. "I don't want you to stress over it. I'm gonna be under my dad's command. He's the greatest general alive, probably one of the greatest generals in Fire Nation history, and he's a firebending master. Together, my dad and I are unstoppable. Nothing's gonna happen so don't worry. I'll be back before you can say "Firelord Iroh"!"

Zuko laughed, confident that Lu Ten was right. After all, Lu Ten was always right.

"You couldn't have been more wrong about everything," Zuko hissed. "Happy birthday, Lu Ten," he mumbled before he drifted off to sleep. As his body resigned itself to sleep, his hand fell limp, and the head-thwacking rock he had been clutching fell loose and thumped softly against the floor.

"Happy birthday, Lu Ten."

Iroh placed fruit and Lu Ten's picture under the tree Lu Ten use to climb when he was a small boy, the tree Iroh told him stories under, the tree they sang songs under together and played games under together.

"Uncle," came Zuko's soft voice. Iroh turned his head to watch as Zuko, eleven years old, clad in a Fire Nation uniform that was too big for him, stride toward him. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

"I was just getting everything ready," Iroh said as he lit the candles. "I'm glad you're here, Prince Zuko."

"Me too," Zuko said as he plopped down next to Iroh. putting his pale hand on Iroh's. Iroh gave him a weak smile and started to sing...

"Brave soldier boy... comes marching home..." Iroh trailed as his eyes opened slowly.

"Uncle..."

Iroh felt Zuko's hand wrapped around his own and realized that he was in their cold, damp apartment.

Iroh rolled his head to the side to look at Zuko. "I'm glad you here, Prince Zuko," he croaked.

Zuko pulled a handkerchief from out of his shirt pocket and wiped the sweat from his uncle's forehead then handed it to Iroh so he could wipe his tears.

"Me too," Zuko said in a hushed voice.

Zuko sauntered over to a table where a Dai Li agent sat glaring back at Zuko with the burning intensity of the sun.

"What can I get ya for, skinny," Zuko joked. Skinny's bottom lip twitched at the familiarity of his voice.

Zuko and the man locked eyes, golden eyes to pale green ones, and Skinny offered Zuko a wry smile, lifting the rim of his hat to show off his purple bruise.

Zuko thought about his options. He could be cautious, apologize to the man, give him back his money, and hope that the Dai Li didn't make him "disappear" like they did with that crazy Jet fellow the previous week, or he could be his usual self and not give a damn.

"You ever consider working as a Dai Li agent, kid," Skinny inquired, scratching his stone-gloved fingers against the wooden tabletop. "You could throw rocks at people for a living," he finished.

"I'm not an Earthbender," Zuko said.

Skinny shrugged.

"You ever consider working as a tea server, Skinny," Zuko asked, scratching his neck and yawning audibly so Skinny and the people around them were made aware of just how bored his was. "You can throw tea at people for a living. My Uncle's tea is so good, that people pay me money to throw it at them," Zuko finished, and the man couldn't tell of Zuko was joking or being serious.

Skinny shifted in his seat. "No," he answered.

"You just answered both of our questions, Skinny." Zuko offered Skinny a wry smile of his own. "Want some tea?"

"I hate tea," Skinny grumbled.

"Me too."

Pao stood behind the counter, grimacing. "He scares me," Pao confessed to Iroh as Iroh walked by.

"The Dai Li agent?"

"No! Your nephew, Li. No sane person is comfortable around the Dai Li."

"He's harmless," Iroh chuckled as he watched Zuko comment and stick his nose up at three well-dressed flirty girls who had obviously filtered down from the Upper Ring to drink the best tea in Ba Sing Se with the "unwashed" as one refined gentlemen put it just a day earlier when he glided into the tea shop as though he were the Earth King himself.

"You filthy hog monkey," one of the girls shouted as she jumped to her feet, her finger in Zuko's face. "I never!"

Pao covered his eyes and Iroh let out a weary sigh as the other patrons looked on with excited interest.

"Well, maybe you should," Zuko suggested as she stormed out, her friends quickly following suit.

"Ya'll come back now, ya here," Zuko yelled as he waved them off.

"Harmless, huh," Pao questioned as he uncovered his eyes.

"Well... Most of the time," Iroh concluded.

"It's nice to see my nephew finally talking to the lovely young ladies who come in," Iroh chimed. "I was starting to worry he might always be too shy around girls."

As much as Pao wanted to, he fought hard against the urge to ask Zuko what he had said that had upset the young girl so much. He thought it best if he not know.

[Thwack!]

"What are you doing, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko pulled back and let the arrow go. It sailed across the tiny room and embedded itself into the wall.

"Practicing my archery," Zuko said simply as he launched another arrow across the room.

"You need more practice, my nephew," Iroh noted as he watched the second arrow fly into the bedroom.

"Nah... I just need a bigger picture," Zuko said, pointing to a small picture, stuck to the wall, of a rat with the word "Azula" scribbled at the bottom of it. "Preferrably one that takes up the whole wall."

"Allow me," Iroh offered and Zuko handed him the bow and arrow.

Zuko was sure his uncle could hit Azula right in the face. After all, he was The Dragon of the West and there wasn't anything he couldn't do. Zuko's jaw dropped when Iroh's arrow ricocheted off the wall in front of them.

"Uncle?" he shrieked.

"Oops!" Iroh chuckled as Zuko brought him to the ground. The arrow zipped by just above them and flew out the window.

Iroh and Zuko waited...for something. The sound of glass breaking and a woman's screaming caused the two Firebenders to bulk.

"Oh shit," they both whispered.

They slowly poked their heads up to peer out the window into the apartment across their small courtyard where a woman was glaring back at them, holding up their arrow and a broken figurine.

"You're right, Prince Zuko. We do need a bigger picture."