Siblings in the Shadows
By: Zetjintsu

Normally when Iroh returned to the capital it was at midday, Agni shining down upon all the teeming citizens whom lined the streets to celebrate their war hero's latest triumph. This time however the general had returned to no fanfare. Concealed under a heavy cloak and heavier rain, he silently made his way through the dark streets as he returned unobserved to the royal palace.

Lost deep in thought, he almost didn't notice the argument until he was right around the corner from it. "Take it back Azula! How dare you talk about Uncle that way!" Halting, Iroh cautiously looked around the corner. There was Zuko, fists clenched and teeth bared. Opposite from him was Azula, head cocked back with an expression of amused contempt at her brother's challenge.

"Well, why do you think that failure suddenly disappeared and hasn't been heard from since?" asked the young Princess sweetly.

"I…I'm sure he has his reasons. Maybe he just needs some time to himself after Lu Ten… went away," offered up Zuko, who had in fact been brooding over his mother's own disappearance before Azula had interrupted him. She seemed to have an uncanny knack for showing up exactly when he wished to be left alone.

"Which is just another reason for him to do it," countered the little Fire Princess, a cruel gleam in her eyes. "It was under his failed command that Lu Ten died, and to make it even worse that quitter didn't even avenge him by seeing through the siege our cousin gave his life for," condemned Azula, then leaning in she added with a sinister whisper, "I tell you Zuko, that's more than enough reasons for our loser uncle to immolate himself." Zuko's fists started to shake as Azula began to lecture him, a pedantic finger held aloft to emphasize her points, "Take note for future personal use Zuko; it's a perfectly traditional way for a disgrace to take responsibility for their failures. It goes all the way back to our ancestors being impressed by the Sun Warrior practice of immolating themselves rather than being taken cap…"

"RRHHAAAGGHH!" A triumphant smirk on her face, Azula pivoted out of the way of her brother's oh-so-predictable punch. Ensnaring his feet with her own, the Fire Princess grabbed her brothers arm, then bringing her other hand back to his shoulder blade, shoved him to the floor. Straddling the small of his back, Azula brought her brother's limb back into a painful joint lock. "Argh! Let me go!" demanded the Crown Prince as he tried to squirm free. "Let me go Azula or I'll…"

"Or you'll what?" Taunted his sister as she pulled back further on his arm, making Zuko wince in pain. "Go cry to Mother? Oh, that's right, by now she's just as much a pile of ash as Uncle! Face it, there's no one left to protect a weakling like you!" declared Azula, her eyes widening with a feral bloodlust. She could feel the tendons and ligaments in her brother's shoulder straining at their limit, and how it wouldn't take that much more to tear them apart. "You could always embarrass yourself going to Father, but I doubt he'd even care if I were to rip your arm off!"

"Ergh! Stop joking around Azula! It feels like it's going to break," said Zuko through clenched teeth, sweat beading his forehead as the pain became almost nauseating. Straining to look back at his sister, a shiver ran through Zuko as she responded only with the widening of her merciless grin. The temptation to dislocate his shoulder with one sharp pull was nearly overwhelming, but Azula restrained herself, instead pulling back with an agonizing slowness. She wanted to give the inevitability time to slowly sink in. Go ahead and beg brother, like the weakling you are! Thought Azula as she felt the tendons begin to tear.

"That's enough!" Azula gasped as a strong arm restrained hers. She tried to quickly yank her and Zuko's arm back, but the grip on her wrist was like iron, tightening as she struggled. Turning in rage on whomever dared try take away her toy, the Fire Princess was brought up short by the imposing figure of her uncle.

For a moment their eyes locked, fury meeting firm disapproval. While Iroh gave no outward sign of it, he was deeply disturbed by the sadistic glee he'd just witnessed. Equally disturbing was how quickly his niece replaced her anger and bloodlust with a cold calculating mask. Not breaking eye contact, Azula attempted one more quick tug with her arm. Iroh easily held her in place, his crushing grip tightening proportionally, whereupon Azula immediately released her hold on Zuko. She was testing me, realized Iroh as he firmly picked the Fire Princess up by the collar, setting her roughly down a full arm length from her brother.

"Uncle!" cried out Prince Zuko in relief as he got to his feet, shooting his sister a you're in trouble now look.

Undaunted, the Little Princess straightened out her collar as she coolly returned their stares. "Well, if it isn't our dear Uncle. You showed up just in time. Zuzu attacked me and I was forced to defend myself."

"That's because you-!" started Zuko before his uncle held him back with a hand.

"Indeed, you defended yourself quite skillfully, but your execution was not quite perfect. Do you know what true mastery of self defense is Azula?"

"Your eye sight must be going along with the rest of your once renowned prowess's Uncle, my form was perfect," replied Azula with a piqued eyebrow, not quite able to hold back her irritation at being told she was less than perfect.

"It was not your form that was lacking Princess. Mastery of self defense is achieved when you learn to expend no more energy than is needed to subdue your target," instructed Iroh, looking pointedly at the throbbing wrist Azula had started absentmindedly rubbing. Caught red handed, Azula quickly dropped her arm back to her side and looked away in embarrassment, cursing herself for letting the enemy see such weakness. "Any energy expended beyond that is a waste, and moves you back to being an aggressor. What do you think would have happened If I'd "defended" Zuko with your style of defense?" warned Iroh, suddenly clenching his fingers together in front of Azula's face. The already off balance Princess couldn't help but wince as the motion evoked the recent memory of the general's iron grip, this time crushing every bone in her hand. Zuko watched in awe; this was the first time he'd ever seen someone cow his sister.

"Y-you wouldn't dare! Father would melt the flesh from your bones!" Iroh regarded the little Princesses outburst coolly. Flustered at losing control so badly, Azula took a deep breath to steady herself. She couldn't lose like this. Especially not to someone Father said was such a pathetic failure. "Congratulations General," said Azula as she flicked a stray hair back into place, "You may not be able to win battles anymore, but you can at least frighten little girls for a brief moment."

"Maybe next he can move on to terrorizing baby turtle ducks," suggested Zuko with a snicker. …Wait. Was Zuko of all people laughing at her?!

"Terrorizing… baby turtle ducks?" asked Iroh with a slight chuckle as he looked quizzically between Zuko and Azula, whose face was starting to redden.

"Yeah… *snicker*… she lures them in by pretending she's going to feed them… *snort*… but then throws the bread at them," chortled Zuko. Seeing his Uncle try to suppress his own amusement, Zuko lost it, breaking out into laughter, which was soon joined by his Uncle's deep guffaw.

How dare they laugh at her! "It's not funny you idiots!" seethed Azula, her fists extended tightly at her side. The two of them tried to reign in their laughter, they really did, but all it took was one look at the red faced angry little Princess, and then back at each other, for them to break out laughing even louder than before. Powerless before their mirth, Azula stormed off down the hall, Zuko's taunting "quack" "quacks" and Iroh's booming laugh echoing all around her. They'd pay for this humiliation. Watch your back Uncle, someday I'll have enough power to challenge you…

Reaching the end of the hall, Azula paused for a moment. The laughter was dying down enough for her to get in a word edgewise, "It's also a waste of energy brooding over the dead Zuzu. It'll only turn you into a pathetic weakling who can't move forward," warned Azula, looking back at Iroh with murderous contempt.

"What a brat! She always has to have the last word, doesn't she," grumbled Zuko, glaring at the corner his sister had quickly disappeared around.

"It is scant salve for her deeply wounded pride; begrudge it and you give her victory by sinking down to the same petty level. Besides, there is some wisdom in her advice," observed Iroh as he thoughtfully stroked his chin, "consider it graciously and you rise above her,"

"Mother's not dead!" exploded the Fire Prince. "You're wrong Uncle, I'll never listen to what that liar has to say! Can't you see she was just trying to insult us! I hate her! She's cruel, manipulative, enjoys deceiving and hurting others, and she thinks she's so perfect and has to remind everyone else how pathetic they are next to her!"

"Indeed Zuko, you do have a cruel and very dangerous sister," affirmed the general sadly as he turned away. "It could be worse though."

"Yeah right, Azula has got to be the worst sister in the whole world," groused the Fire Prince. "How could a sibling be any worse?"

"They could not care about you at all," replied Iroh grimly, mentally preparing to announce his return to his newly crowned brother. Though I fear when the time comes she will, like Sozin, choose cruel ambition over any allegiance to affections.

***

A/N: This was originally a flashback written for my other fic Baptism, but I realized that it could also work as a stand alone story on it's own merits. If you liked this you'll probably enjoy Baptism as well. Reviews and constructive critique welcomed;)