Issue #1

MOP: Sorry about my Spanish skills.

Zuko could tell that strange girl was following him. Well, skipping in his general direction. He had tried to evade her by dodging about the small desert town, but she was persistant. She reminded him of himself, when he still had a ship to chase the Avatar in. That was before Zhao took everything from him, and before Azula made him an outcast. The follower wasn't just persistant like himself, she was persistant like Azula.

Zuko slipped into an alleyway and waited for her to come in after him. Then he turned to face her.

"You've been following me." His statement demanded an answer.

"Yeah. I was hoping I could catch you with your uncle around."

He touched his broadswords. "You better not be a bounty hunter."

"No. I'm from the Fandom. I'm Tu-len."

"What's that?"

She rolled her eyes, but not at him. "Tu-len is a stupid name that MOP made up for me."

"No, I meant what's 'the Fandom'?" asked an annoyed Zuko, who was wondering how an inatamite cleaning tool could name someone.

She looked reserved. "I'm not sure I can tell you. You might go into a state of shock or something bad."

"This is nonsense." He pushed past her and walked off.

"No! Wait! I'll give you a waffle!"

He spun around. "What is it you want?"

"Have a waffle first – with moonpeach syrup!" she added in a tempting voice. He looked her over with wary fear.

"We can share it. Come on." She skipped into a nearby restaurant, with a reluctant prince behind her. He noticed that she was wearing fuzzy, pink shoes, but since she didn't look like Ty Lee he ignored it.

The restaurant was small, and its residents were few, but the decor was festive. A green zigzag was painted on the adobe walls, and red chilli peppers hung on pegs. A group of men in foreign costume sang a vivacious tune in another language. Tu-len beconed him to a booth. He sat down, nervous.

"What do you think?"

"They have big hats."

She turned and called to a waiter. "Eduardo! Usted sirvame una galleta especial, por favor!"

The dark man furrowed his brow before nodding. "Sí, seňorita." He disappeared into the kitchen.

Zuko surveyed the room. "What is this place?"

"La Cocinita por Gringos," was her simple answer.

His golden eyes kept vigilance.

Then the food arrived. What Tu-len proclaimed a "waffle" appeared to be a square pastry drenched in moonpeaches and a dark, sticky substance. Tu-len cut it into pieces and offered him some. He refused. She insisted. He leaned away. She insisted.

So he ate some of the waffle. Then he ate all of the waffle.

"See, I told you it was good."

"No, you never told me that. You just shoved it down my throat. Then I told you it was good."

"Yes, I suppose."

As Zuko looked at the empty plate, his eyes narrowed. He didn't look at her. "You haven't explained anything yet."

"Yes, yet. How do I say this... I know everything about you."

His eyes shot to her face.

"No, not everything. I do know how you got your scar, though."

His lip curled.

Her hands went up. "I'm just making it clear. I'm from the Fandom. I know stuff, but I can't tell you how. Now, down to buisness. Disclaimer: MOP and fellow fanfiction authors do not own, or claim rights to, any and or all of the Avatar: the Last Airbender of Nickelodeon(c) characters, trademarks, and other products of creativity. All recreations are false in nature while borrowing said trademarks for personal, non-profit use."

"So we're dealing with lawsuits and TV networks?"

Tu-len gave a grim nod.

He went serious. "Alright."

"Here is Issue #1: Zuko, your dad is an evil psychopath out to conquer the world."

"WHAT?" He tried to stand but hit his knees on the booth table and released a grunt of frustrated pain.

"I'm so sorry, Zuko."

"I'm getting out of here." He moved to leave.

"No! I'll tell them who you are!"

He froze. He hadn't expected that. Looking away, he asked in a calm voice, "What is your point in telling me this?"

"Oh, practicaly everyone in the Fandom wants you to know. They think you can understand it."

Zuko slammed his fist on the table. "I won't!"

"Ninguna violencia, seňor," Eduardo warned.

"I'll let you think about that one later."

"You're done?" His look was pleading.

"No," Tu-len gave a malicious smile. "It's time for Issue #2."

Issue #1: Zuko and his Father

Fact: Guys love their daddies – even if they're evil manics out to conquer the world. Oazi is Zuko's dad. Oazi is his DAD. Zuko realizes that his dad is cold at times, but he doesn't get the whole "evil dictator" thing yet. It will be a slow realization. There won't be a, "hey, maybe I'm wrong about my father, I'll be good now, and badgermoles fly", unless, of course, the creators of Avatar are replaced with Sokka.

Zuko was born loving his dad and thinking he was great. That image is embedded inside him. Traveling the Earth Kingdom has shown him another side of the war, but that's a small start to a long, long journey of painful discovery that you cannot write in two paragraphs. To be a man, Zuko believes he must be a man in the eyes of his dad. That means more of the Zuko we know and love, so don't mess him up.