Half Blood Prince

This is the sequel to the completed story, Fire Child. This story had been waiting for a little bit. There are other stories that are going to be put up that branch off, I just have to get to them and finish them. Right now though, I feel like an existing being whose only porpose is to watch Queer as Folk and eat ice cream. Anyway, I'm getting off my ass and posting this, finally.

This story is mainly about Heisui and how things are 9 years later in the Fire Nation. If you have not read Fire Child, this story will not make much sense. Enjoy

Zuko, Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, was busy with documents, reading requests from his people and information from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes. He groaned and rubbed his temples as he heard short brisk pacing of feet and crying coming into his work room. He didn't have time for this, he had things to do, and things to memorize before his advisors came to pester him again…

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!" a shrill whine met his ears and perhaps if he was younger and this wasn't his youngest daughter, he would have snapped at her, but he never could. He sighed and turned to look at the dark skinned 3 year old, her large red-brown eyes filled with tears as she stood beside his desk, bottom lip trembling. She would jump into his arms for a hug, but she knew her daddy didn't appreciate it.

"What is it Kasumi?" he asked and he moved his chair back, noting that she was soaked, her black hair weighed down by water, as well as her smoke grey Fire Nation dress. He opened his arms and she climbed into his lap, getting her father wet and slinging her little arms his neck. Normally he hated getting wet, but with his children he tolerated it, "Why are you soaked." She sniffled, a booger drooling out of her nose from being upset

"Urame hit me with a water ball when he missed Heisui!" she cried and sobbed, letting out a wail like the toddler she was. Zuko winced from her loud cry and he shushed her. He knew he couldn't yell at his daughter, it would only make her cry more. He rocked her back and forth gently and while she still cried, she no longer made an ear drum shattering wail, her sobs dying to whimpers.

"I didn't mean to hit her!" A young pale boy with brown hair protested loudly as he ran into the room. He had chased his younger sister to make his own story known; he was 6 years old with blue eyes.

"I told you not to throw water in the palace." Zuko growled angrily at his second youngest child.

"It was an accident!" Urame exclaimed and Kasumi started crying again, "I didn't even hit you that hard!"

"Yes you did!" she sobbed and cried harder and louder. Urame kept denying the force of the water; and after a moment of this Zuko already had a throbbing headache.

"Where is your mother?!" Zuko suddenly exclaimed, but it didn't quell Kasumi's crying or Urame trying to yell over his sister to be heard. Zuko stood, the darker skinned girl still in his arms, and he walked out of the room, his youngest son following. One or two guards looked around from their posts to see what the noise was. Zuko pointed at one of the guards, "You!" the guard was slightly startled by the agitated Fire Lord, but he stood straight, ready for an order. Kasumi's cries died momentarily into a whimper again, catching her breath from all the crying, yet she was still very upset. Urame fell silent as his sister did, glancing at her, wondering if he really had hurt her. "Where is my spouse?"

"I-I believe the library, sir." The guard replied, a little intimidated by the angry Fire Lord.

"Where is my uncle?"

"With La... uh, your spouse." The guard said and Zuko marched off, ignoring the guard's slip up. Urame grabbed onto the bottom of his father's shirt hem and tagged along, and Kasumi whimpered, a new swell of tears starting in the corners of her red brown eyes.

"Hush, it's only a little water." Zuko murmured.

"It hurt." She whined.

"I didn't hit you hard." Urame huffed.

"Did too." Kasumi replied and Zuko entered the library, immediately seeing the two he was looking for. His spouse, Sokka, was lounging in the love seat in the back, stretched out on it, a book on past records of Fire Nation technology, resting against his enlarged belly; the book fascinated him greatly. Zuko let out a sigh; normally he was glad to see his lover, but at the moment, Kasumi started bawling again and Sokka looked up at her cry. Also Iroh was there, and Zuko's first daughter, Juujika; they were playing Paisho, Iroh was teaching her and she caught on quickly. She looked more like a normal Fire Nation girl, pale skin, black hair, but she had blue eyes, which were from Sokka. She was 8 and had started fire bending when she was 6, like her older brother, Heisui, had. Juujika and Iroh looked up and the young girl got up to see what was wrong with her sister.

"What's wrong?" Juujika asked and Zuko sighed, gesturing to Kasumi, who just cried harder again.

"Urame hit me with water, hard!" she wailed and Urame started his defense again.

"I didn't hit you that hard!" he exclaimed. Iroh just chuckled and stood, going over to his frazzled nephew.

"Could somebody take one of them?" Zuko stressed and his uncle approached Zuko's son, prying his little finger's from the Fire Lord's clothes.

"Come, Prince Urame, lets go walk around the graden." He said and Urame followed his granduncle without too much protest, though still stating that he didn't mean to hit her. Zuko sighed and walked over to Sokka, who had taken the time to sit up.

"Kasumi, where did he hit you?" Sokka asked and Zuko set the darker skinned girl on the seat next to Sokka and she grasped her own arm which she had used to try to shield her self from the water instinctively. Sokka rolled up her sleeve and her skin was slightly tinted red with irritation, but not enough to make even a bruise. "You're fine, you just need a towel." She sniffled and Sokka smiled lightly, kissing her forehead lightly, her upset state soothing some. Zuko smiled some and took a seat next to his daughter, though she was still so small he was still shoulder to shoulder with Sokka. Sokka just looked back at him and was met with a soft kiss. Sokka wasn't too shocked by it, the Fire Lord was comfortable about showing affection in public; well, public was his children and advisers, because it was always fun to make his advisers' skin crawl. Kasumi didn't really notice the kiss, she was use to it, and so was Juujika. Kasumi leaned over and pressed her ear to her one father's stomach.

"Daddy, I don't hear a baby!" she announced and Sokka chuckled at his daughter's innocence.

"Maybe it's sleeping," he said and Juujika hopped into Zuko's lap, unlike her sister, she did not wait for a sign of permission. Zuko grunted from the unexpected impact, his daughter made it clear when she wanted attention.

"When are gonna have the baby?" the oldest daughter asked curiously.

"Soon." Sokka replied and Kasumi put her hand to her darker skinned father' enlarged belly. She giggled as she felt a limb press back against hers.

"It moved!" she squealed, "Am I going to have a lil sister?"

"We won't know until the child is born." Zuko said.

"I want a sister!" Kasumi exclaimed.

"You have one, me." Juujika stated.

"I wanna lil'er sister!" Kasumi said and pouted, she didn't like being the youngest.

"We'll see when the baby comes." Zuko said and the two girls fell quiet for a moment... before the subject of it being a boy started up between the sisters. Zuko sighed, they liked to talk so much, and they could never be quiet for long; girls. He felt a head rest against his shoulder and even though he didn't have to look, but he did, seeing it was Sokka, leaning against him, watching their daughters interact with a small, pure, happy smile on his lips. Zuko just smiled also and his hand found his spouse's, their fingers weaving together and meeting palm to palm. Sokka tilted his head up and smiled softly at Zuko, in a particular affectionate mood today, being pregnant he had mild mood swings, Zuko had to say he liked this one the best. The Fire Lord pressed a kiss to Sokka's temple and his lover sighed in contentment, leaning more against Zuko, a small chuckle escaping him.

"You're wet." Sokka Murmured

"Courtesy of our daughter." Zuko grumbled, leaning his head against Sokka's, causing the darker skinned man to laugh quietly, and snuggling against his spouse more.

"I hope its just water."

"Courtesy of our son."

Sokka chuckled and neither could think of where they would rather be.

Cute family time for the first chapter, Heisui is in the next one