My name is either Bryan nor Mike, nor Nickelodeon, nor Viacom, thus I clearly bear no ownership of Avatar The Last Airbender. If I did, it would've happened a lot like what you're about to read, and Momo would've been a member of the dark side...

A tile was all the admission he needed, and when his was recognized he was immediately treated with the greatest reverence. The flower shop stood inconspicuously; so good was the disguise that no one in the village even considered it might have been a front for anything, particularly a secret organization. However the secret sect, buzzingly active below the surface of the small town, was an organization bound by good will and strong values, based on a dedication to beauty and knowledge. Those who knew of it either trembled in fear at the name, or smiled at the prospect of a safe haven, hidden away from the heart of strife and destruction that was the Fire Nation.

The man entering the back room of the shop couldn't be called old yet, but he was certainly aging. Remains of black hair swam in a sea of flyaway gray, and though he bore the subtle stance and demeanor of a warrior, the paunch on his belly was much the more noticeable. All in all he would have been far better at acting as though nothing were out of the ordinary, if the baby he carried hadn't been wailing so desperately, and the boy he was with hadn't been complaining so loudly. He tried to shush and comfort the baby, and he gave the boy a look that said 'Quiet child!'. As they were escorted through a labyrinth of halls and rooms, a woman approached the man and bowed deeply "Oh Grand Lotus, may I say that it would be my honor to care for the children while you meet with the other great masters?" he smiled at her, gently declining "I'm sorry my dear kind woman, but if I were to be separated from this infant, I would have no further reason for being here, and if I were separated from this boy, I am afraid he would misbehave terribly. Thank you though, for you bounding generosity", and they again bowed to each other, and he threw he a wink as the boy began to complain again. She beamed at him, thanked him, and then left him to continue following the young man who was his guide.

Eventually, after seeming to have delved underground, and through long stretches of disorienting tunnels, they reached a door carved into the stone of the wall, which bore the mark of a lotus flower. The man's escort backed away in a bowed position, leaving him to enter at will. Enter he did, and immediately his expression seemed to change as he recognized old friends and colleagues. He received a nod and a grin from them each and greeted them all by name. They were each great masters of their trade; Jeong Jeong the Firebender, Piandao the Swordsman, Pakku the Waterbender, Bumi the Earthbending King, MacMu-Ling the poet, the Mechanist, Pathik the Guru, Hakoda the Warrior, Wu the Clairvoyant. Had they been in their own homes they would each have been sporting different nationalist colors, but here, as a symbol that their friendships transcended all race and origin, they wore indigo and white.

Their happy reunion was broken when the child began to cry again and the boy began shooting out questions that escalated into the bizarre. The man sent the boy a final warning glance, and he finally quieted. The group all sat, finally together for their meeting, and the man began to speak; "Hello, and thank you all for gathering so swiftly. This is my nephew, Prince Zuko of the Fire nation. As you may know, I have been watching over my brother Ozai for months now, and I see great malice and viciousness in his heart, dark ambition. I thought that he might grow a heart, but he has become like his forefathers; he is cruel and biting like Sozin, and he is merciless like Azulon. Ursa begged me to take Zuko to a safe place where he cannot be corrupted by the greed and rage of his father. The only problem is…I don't know where to take him…"

At this MacMu-Ling rose, "I could take him in. My school is for girls, but he could be the exception; I would raise him as though he were my own son, and no one would question it," she sat and there was silence for a moment. Jeong Jeong rose, "I could take him. I could teach him pure Firebending so that he needn't know the corruption of hate-fueled rage!" this was mulled over for a moment, but the man spoke up "If our goal were to teach him pure Firebending, I would be the first to volunteer. I would take him to the Sun Warriors, and have him learn from the Dragons. But for now, our only objective is to get him somewhere safe, where he can stay hidden for many years". Now Pathik rose, "I would take the child, and raise him as a monk. He will be able to calm himself and keep his inner balance; a difficulty for most Firebenders" there was an approving hum to the small room. Pakku and Hakoda both rose at the same time, and Hakoda beckoned Pakku to speak first; "I believe that Zuko would make a fine son of the Water Tribes. He may not be surrounded by his natural element like he would be in the Fire Nation, but if they come searching for him, our city is great, and our warriors are excellent. Protecting him would be of no consequence to us," he bowed and sat.

Hakoda remained standing, "I agree with Master Pakku's words…mostly. I think that Zuko should be housed in the Southern Water Tribe," there was a murmur and some apprehensive 'hmms', but he continued strongly "now hear me out. I think that, should there be great searches for the Prince, our small southern village is the last place they will think to look. In the earth Kingdom they will first try Omashu and Ba Sing Se. In the Fire Nation they will comb their islands and villages. They will plunder the remains of the Air Temples. But when they think of the Water Tribes, they will first go north. Outside our small congregation of huts, little is known about us 'savage Southerners'. The world knows that our village is meager, shriveling, weak. In their eyes, there will be no logical reason for us to have taken the child there; it is the one place that wouldn't be worth the bother for them to even think to search. Which is why it is our best option," he shrugged sheepishly, embarrassed at his own gusto. The man glanced at him analytically, "and where will he go in your village Chief Hakoda?" him in question spared not a second of thought, "He can stay with me, General. My wife is expecting our first child very soon, and we plan to then have another. He will have companions to grow up with, friends, allies; a family".

Finally the man rose, smiling, "I had a feeling that this would happen," he looked towards the young chief, who was worrying his hair beads. "I have been thoroughly convinced by Hakoda's persuasive argument, and I trust him when he says that Zuko will have friends and family in the south. Thank you all for your incredibly generous offers, and may I excuse us? We have much to discuss," He bowed to the group again, ushering the child out of the room, and Hakoda followed him as he left. Pakku stood too though, and stopped the young chief, glancing at him with what could have been considered a sneer; "You are still wet behind the ears, and you have a large mouth for one so young!" his unruly expression became a smile "but I can tell that you are a wise leader. There haven't been any Waterbenders in the Southern Tribe for over thirty years, but I have a feeling that that is about to change. If your children turn out the way I think they will, send for me. I will teach them our art," and his hand rose puling water out of the very air. Hakoda stood breathless as the air shimmered and vaporized, then liquefied. It wound up frozen in the shape of a penguin, and resting in his hands. Pakku touched his shoulder, "It is a good deed you are doing, young one. Go well". Hakoda began to bow, and instead Pakku caught his arm in a traditional Water Tribe style grasp of the forearms. They shared a smile, and Hakoda left again to follow the man.

The three settled themselves into a smaller room across the hall. The man extended his arm, "I know that we have met as comrades, but allow me to introduce myself properly; as a friend. I am Iroh, Dragon of the West, Eldest Son of Azulon the Fire Lord, General of the Fire Nation Army. You can just call me Iroh," Hakoda's mouth was agape for a moment, "Wow, I knew you were important but…wow…". Iroh laughed lightly into his sleeve, and removed his small burden from its bundle. He presented the baby to the chief, "This is Zuko. Allow me to explain his circumstances in a bit more detail. In the Royal Fire Nation family, there has always been a deep underlying admiration of mercilessness, emotionlessness, malice, and conniving logic. My grandfather waited for years for the perfect opportunity to stab his best friend, Avatar Roku, in the back. He waited patiently, scheming and plotting, for the day where his powers would be at their greatest, so that he could destroy the air nomads and take control of the world," Iroh's eyes closed, and both the younger man and the boy were astonished to see a single tear fall on each side of his face.

"There is a great propensity for evil that streaks its way through my family like a terrible plague. I myself was not always a doting older man, I was a monster once; brutal and ferocious. But this dark past of mine has allowed me to see that each of us has the ability to change, the ability to harbor both terrible evil, and wondrous good. I have always been good friends with my brother's wife, Fire Lady Ursa. When she discovered that she was pregnant with Zuko, she immediately came to me for advice, frightened that her husband would turn her child into a puppet through which he could do awful things. She decided not to announce her condition at all, and instead went on a 'tour of the earth colonies' for a year. No one knew the truth except her and I, and her closest servant. So now, after a bitter departure from his mother, whom he only met for a few days, here he is; sad, confused, lonesome. I have tried to comfort him but he is so young, only a few weeks, and I haven't had to care for a child in a long time. It is so sad, I spent several days with Ursa before I left with Zuko. Honestly, I think those were at once the happiest and most sorrowful times of her life. I cannot imagine losing a child-" the boy at his side interrupted him "Dad he met you and baby Zuko, aren't you going to introduce me?" Iroh chuckled and rested his arm around the boys shoulders. He glanced up at the bewildered young chief "Hakoda, I am sure you have been confused about this mysterious cyst on my side. This is my beloved son, Lu Ten" the boy butted in again "When dad becomes Fire Lord, I will be Crown Prince!"

Iroh reprimanded him jovially "My son, let's not boast our position. It could easily be someone else's," he glanced down at Zuko, only snuffling quietly now, and his face fell, as did Lu Ten's. Moving his hand to cover his son's, he looked back up at Hakoda "I am afraid young man, that I must ask another very painful boon of you…I fear also for the life of my own son in the Fire Nation. The momentous ambition for power has engulfed my brother completely, and I worry that his gross selfishness will know no bounds. Will you…take my son into your village as well? He is only eight now, but he will be a man soon, and will be able to take care of himself then," Iroh fell to his knees, prostrating himself openly while Lu Ten and Hakoda sat apprehensively. His groveling was heart wrenching, and the Chief quickly made an end to it, "Please don't kneel for me. It would be my greatest honor to take your…two sons…into my home and protect them. Know with ease Iroh, that should the time come, I will protect them with my life!" he wasn't expecting the crushing embrace, and he certainly wasn't expecting to be let go so soon either, as the man quickly made his way to his son.

Iroh sat on one knee before the boy, who was trying to hold back tears, and rested a hand on his cheek "My son, the heart of my life, don't worry. You will be safe and happy with Hakoda and his family. And you heard him earlier, they have a son on the way; that will be two little brothers for you to play with. I will visit you every chance that I can, and we will both be content in knowing that the other is alive and safe" they met in a hug that lasted for several moments. Hakoda was surprised to find tears in his eyes, and he discreetly wiped them away with the back of his hand before taking baby Zuko in one arm and Lu Ten's hand in his. They all shared a final parting glance, and it was filled with sorrow as father and son waved goodbye to each other. As he led Lu Ten through the caves and back up to the flower shop, there was a heavy stillness in the air; a stagnant pool of anxiety and anguish that was waiting to be broken. The young man looked down at the boy next to him at the same time as he was looking inquisitively upwards; "Well…son…I've never been good at lighting the camp fire, now I don't have to be!"

For a moment Lu Ten remained deadpanned, and Hakoda feared he'd made an irreversible faux pas. Then the child began to giggle softly, "Your jokes are as bad as-" his face became stone "…you have the same sense of humor as the great General Iroh". They both sighed for a moment, and then the elder took the initiative. He knelt next to Lu Ten and placed a hand on his shoulder; "Listen, I know that this must be very difficult for you. I was like a shell for the years that my father was away at war, and I can only tell you that…it's better to be apart and know that you will see each other again, than to have to leave for ever. It's alright to miss your father, and he doesn't have to become some distant figure to you either. It's good and healthy to remember where you come from, it makes you strong. We will try our hardest to make our house a real home for you. We may have no shared blood and we may come from vastly different parts of the world, but for the time you are with us I will treat you as nothing less than my own son, as will my wife Kya. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, we will be there for you. You don't have to think of me as your father, because yours is still alive and well, but if you want to you can. Goodness, this isn't the right place for a conversation like this…" he stood, and began walking, when he felt the boy tug at his sleeve. Lu Ten's face was flushed and tear-streaked, but he looked happy "Thank you Hakoda…dad?" they shared a smile, and continued up and out.