A/N: The title has something to do with one of the sons of Zuko and Katara. His name is Daiyu, which, in Chinese, means black jade. He has three other siblings, two girls and a boys. He's the oldest, 14, though. His brother and oldest sister are twins, 12, Qui and (Autumn and Mild). His two sisters: Xia (12, a twin of Qui) and Kuri (10) (Rosy Cheeked and Chestnut
PS: "Xia" is pronounced, "Zia or Z-ah" not "Sigh-ah or Sy-ah" and Zuko's nickname for kuri is her name meaning.
I just thought you might want to know. It gives off their personalities.
The Tale of the Black Jade
Chapter One
"Is Kuri going to the ball tonight?" Qui asked Rou, his best friend, as they turned the corner. "I mean, she is the youngest."
"You two forget you're young yourselves," came a sigh. Both boys jumped, before realizing it was only Xia, their third contender. "Look," she said, jabbing a finger in both of their chests, hard. She was the tough, tomboyish princess in the palace, while Kuri was timid and shy. "Be nice, behave, or I promise to castrate you both by sundown."
She brushed past them, hitting both their shoulders as she did so.
"Did Daiyu tell you to say that?" Qui called after her. His friend said nothing. He was.. Well, his name: Mild.
"No, I didn't," came a bored voice from behind them. Both boys spun to see Qui's older brother. He was always like that, popping up out of nowhere and scaring them nearly out of their skin.
"Happy birthday, Daiyu," Qui said hopefully and sincerely. Daiyu sighed. Always the troublemaker.
"Not working," he told him as he followed the route his sister had taken, walking backwards and pointing at his little brother. "And, really, Qui, be nice to Kuri. She's the only one in this family that actually likes you."
And just as quickly as the elder prince had come, he'd disappeared.
"I hate it when he does that!" Qui exclaimed, stomping his foot to the marble. "Stupid guilt trips! Not to mention the freaky disappearing thing?" He looked to Rou for guidance. His friend merely shook his head.
OOO
Even though they were twins, Xia and Qui couldn't be more different. Of course, their genders, but also their appearance. Qui had dark brown hair, while Xia's was stubbornly black. Xia's eyes were blue, while Qui's were gold with a blue ring on the inner edge of the iris–so faint you could barely see it. Xia had light skin, almost as white as her father's, while Qui's was only a couple shade's lighter than his mother's. And, of course, they bended different elements.
There was a theory that whatever color eyes you had, signified your element. Well, Xia only bended water, but Qui was... unique. Fire was his primary element... and while he was horrible at it, he could slightly–ever so slightly–bend water. It had freaked Aang out at first, meeting someone other than the past avatar who could bend more than one element, but he'd gotten used to it.
Xia, on overelaborating, had black hair, startling blue eyes, and pale-ish skin. She had full lips, like their mother's had filled out, and her cheeks were usually flushed due to her constant finding something to be angry with, or training. But she always kept her hair in a braid, seeing as the only thing different between her and her sadistic aunt were her trademark blue eyes. So, yeah, she bended water. She was the only water bender besides Qui... but he really couldn't do that much.
Kuri bended fire. She had a medium skin tone, like Qui's. (None of the royal children were as completely dark as their mother). Her hair was brown, and she had gold eyes, of course. Usually shy, she kicked ass when she bended fire, and it was no understatement. When she wanted to be, she was probably the best bender in the group. The prodigy.
Daiyu was the most predictable bender in the group. He had gold eyes, so he bended fire, and his hair was black with brown streaks–or highlights, whatever you wish. He had pale skin, so he looked remarkably like his father, and like Xia.
Except for the eyes. Which is why they always had friendly competition. Water against fire, sister against brother, princess against prince.
Of course, it was all play. They had what some people might call a love/hate relationship, but really, it was just proving which element was better, not which daughter or son. But just who was quicker, wittier, and overall the better bender.
Because neither of them were prodigies, but Xia was close, as well as Daiyu.
So Daiyu followed his younger sister out to the training arena. As he walked, he thought. Kuri was the family baby. She was always being watched out for, as if she couldn't protect herself... which was truly ironic, seeing as her and Qui were the only prodigies.
But it was true. Kuri had almost died when she was born. And then the Partners in Crime, Qui and Xia (Mostly Qui), had dared her to ride a wild hog-monkey. Daiyu had arrived just in time to save her, and they told their parents that she had fallen from the tree they all hung out on.
Another time, Azula had tried to execute the child. Again, It was Daiyu to the rescue, along with the rest of the royal family. Kuri had escaped with a burnt wrapping along her arm. For some odd reason, it was in the shape of a dragon, wrapping it's snakish form from her wrist to her shoulder. Kuri was personally proud of the mark, often wanting to wear short sleeves, but Zuko, their father, utterly forbade it. He didn't want to be reminded of the time he had nearly lost his youngest daughter... for the second time to his knowing.
OOO
Daiyu entered the training arena. Xia was already dancing with her water. Dancing was probably the thing Xia did best. What the people admired her for.
She guided the water back to the ducts before addressing him. "Happy birthday, brother. I don't know why you're here. I don't want to kick your butt on such a special day. Only two more years, you know, until you can marry. Until you start training to be Fire Lord. Until–"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Daiyu sighed, rolling his eyes, but smiling all the same. "No, what I came here to ask is if you knew when Rei and Aaliya are coming."
"I don't," she said seriously, calling upon her water again. "They sent the letter two days ago, so I'm guessing sometime today or early in the morning tomorrow."
"That wouldn't make father happy," sighed Daiyu. The Avatar and Lady Toph had a daughter named Aaliya (nicknamed Aali), who was Xia's best friend: a tomboy and troublemaker, yet could be ladylike on special occasions. She wasn't blind, and bended air. She was an only child, which was why she came to visit often.
Rei was Daiyu and Xia's cousin. She was the daughter of Sokka and Suki, and usually lived at the palace, but had accompanied her father and mother to visit the avatar, and then bring them to the Fire Nation Capital in time for Daiyu's fourteenth birthday celebration... hopefully.
The only reason Sokka tolerated living in the middle of the Fire Nation, in the Fire Nation Capital, was because Katara had made a bet with him. Daiyu couldn't remember the exact terms, but it must have been something along the lines of : "You'll never be able to do it. Stay in the Fire Nation for over -insert number of years here- years."
The thing was, Uncle Sokka always lost bets.
"Not this time, though!" The warrior had said determinedly when a nine-year old Daiyu had pointed this out. "I'll show your mother that I can win a bet!"
Daiyu remembered pulling on his earlobe (as he always did when he was little) as his uncle stalked away. Very much confused, he turned around to tell his mother the recent events.
But Sokka had lost the bet, unable to deal with the scorching heat. So five years ago, he, Suki, and Rei left for Kyoshi island. The came to visit about every month, maybe more–
"Hello?" Xia called, snapping Daiyu back to the present. "Focus, much?"
"What?" he snapped.
"Qui just came saying they would be arriving in an hour or less."
"Who would be arriving?"
"Ugh. This is why I am so glad to have a sister." The oldest princess sighed. "Rei and Aaliya, remember?" She knocked on his forehead, he batted her hand away.
"Don't aggravate me." he growled.
"Oh, I'm way past that. You look as if you could kill–AGH!"
He had pushed her into the nearby pond, and Xia glared at him as she picked herself out. "You imbecile! This was my best dress!"
"Oh, rubbish!" Daiyu countered, mocking her vocabulary. "You have plenty more in that wardrobe of yours."
Before he knew it, a water-whip had racked his side. He scrambled back, but the line was already strewn tightly around his waist. "XIA!" he growled, before raising his body temperature. The whip melted away into a mist. As Daiyu got up to smirk at his sister, he realized she was already smirking.
"What the–?" She jerked her head downwards. Daiyu followed her gaze and saw a block of ice incasing from his knees down. "No fair," he said quietly.
"You said yourself, tough guy," Xia argued. "We don't have to play fair. Fair is for babies, remember?"
Daiyu cursed at himself. Why, oh why had he said such a thing? He knew Xia would never forget it. She had a memory like an Elephant-bear.
He punched the air unexpectedly, and fire lunged at Xia. She dodged nearly all of them, for she was nimble and lithe. She spun and created a wave of water, and threw it at where Daiyu was still immobile.
But he wasn't there.
"Over here," came the bored voice. "Next time," he continued, his head snapping to where she stood, "use more ice."
Xia fell backward as fire signed her arm. When they would duel like this, injuries were mandatory, but if they were too serious, both the royal children would get in serious trouble.
"Ow!" she hissed, peering at the wound before getting back up. A single arm gash, stop her? No way. She created a wave larger than her first and thrust it at Daiyu, who sputtered and gasped as the water crashed down on him.
The thing about Xia and Daiyu dueling, was that it was a lost cause. They were equally matched, except with different priorities. While Xia was most determined, Daiyu was strong. While the princess was nimble and lithe, to help her with speed, Daiyu's brawn aided his power. And their elements were opposites, therefore, equally matched.
But they dueled anyways, just for competition. Just for fun.
As soon as Daiyu could see where his sister was, he sent a fireball at her. As it began to scorch her dress, Xia doused it and began to fight her brother. Just as she fell back for a wound to her other arm, making it difficult for her to bend–The Avatar, Aaliya, and Toph walked into the "battlefield".
Toph began to laugh, Aang shook his head, and Aali just smirked. "You too never stop," she said in an exasperated tone, mimicking her father. Kuri ran into the clearing and yelled, "Who won?!" Then, realizing they had visitors, blushed and averted her eyes.
"No one," said Daiyu grumpily, glaring at Aaliya. She shrugged.
"So Rei is here too?" Kuri asked in a small voice. Aaliya nodded. Kuri ran off to meet the thirteen year-old, for she was the only one that treated Kuri entirely as an equal, though her sibling tried... and failed.
Daiyu glared at his sister. It didn't bother him that they looked like idiots. It didn't bother him that he'd almost gotten his ass whooped on his birthday. What did bother him was the fact that she carried herself as if she'd won, which, clearly, she had not. She obviously labored more injuries. In fact, he had but a few measly scratches on himself He held his chin high as he smirk at her.
Noticing this, she shot him a look and pointed at his chest. "We'll finish this later," she decided at last, brushing her soaked and singed dress off and following Aali into the palace.
Daiyu sighed, and took a walk through the gardens. Suddenly, he heard giggling and parted some nearby bushes to reveal his brother and Rou. With a bored look, he leaned down. They still hadn't noticed him.
"Watcha doing?" he asked Qui in his best Zuko-voice, who jumped and turned to Daiyu with wide eyes.
"Oh. Dai, it' just you." He said dissmissively, features relaxing back into their regular crafty thinking face. The eldest prince raised a thick eyebrow.
"Just me?" he asked in mock hurt. "Hmm... I wonder how Father would react to whatever you two are doing. Agni forbid it be anything noble or honorable." Daiyu turned on his heel and began to walk towards the palace.
"NO! Wait!" he heard Rou wail. The prince smirked as he heard Qui cuff the mild child. Daiyu turned around to witness the scene.
"What he means is," Qui was quickly saying, glaring at his twin, "is.. Um... is-is–"
Daiyu mockingly turned his head to one side. For once, his younger, trouble making brother was at a loss for words. Daiyu smirked. He was enjoying this.
"What he means is... what?" the teen asked. Qui licked his lips and stared at Daiyu with huge, sincere eyes.
The older boy looked at the younger boy for about two seconds, leading Qui into the abyss of false hope. Then Daiyu took a deep breath through his teeth and sighed it out. "Hmm. Still not workin'." he informed Qui, smirking as he began to walk towards the twins. "Now, tell me what it is, exactly, that you're doing, and maybe–maybe–I won't tell Dad."
"Fine," Qui huffed, crossing his arms and giving Rou a nod. The boy nodded back and lay out a map that had recently been rolled up. It was a banner for the circus, looking for two boys of the age of twelve that had acrobat expertise. Daiyu sighed.
"You idiots want to join the circus?" he asked incredulously.
Qui grinned. Daiyu wrinkled his nose. He knew that grin. It meant trouble.
"Not join it!" the boy said enthusiastically. Also not a good sign. "Create havoc within the walls! See, if we get in– "
Daiyu closed his eyes. Maybe he hadn't wanted to know abut this. This was one of the most idiotic things yet. The eldest prince began to count to ten. One... Two... Three...
"Da-Daiyu?" Qui asked nervously.
Four... Five...
"Um... Rou, maybe we need to leave." Rou's voice now.
Six... Seven...
"Daiyu, are you okay?" Qui asked yet again.
"I'm not sure you want to know the answer to that question, Qui," Daiyu said calmly, though he was burning with anger. Qui knew him all too well.
"RUN!" he shouted to Rou. "Run for your life!"
Eight... Nine... Ten...
They both took off in the opposite direction. Daiyu smirked and opened his eyes. Gone.
Xia came running up. "Wha'd I miss?" she asked impatiently. Daiyu's smirk widened–if that were possible.
"I was just about to kill Qui and Rou for trying to sabotage the circus."
"Oh!" Xia grinned her evil, I-want-to-beat-somebody-up grin. "Can I do it? Please? Pretty, pretty, pretty please?"
"Knock yourself out," Daiyu said dissmissively. Xia's evil grin turned maniacal.
"Yes!" she shouted and took off running in the direction of her annoying brother and his equally annoying friend.
Daiyu scanned the ground, quickly finding what he'd been searching for. The scroll for the circus had been left in the Devil-Duo's fleeing, and now Daiyu had just what he wanted. Proof.
OOO
Zuko was reading a scroll in the breakfast hall when a poster from the circus was slapped on the table in front of him. He stared at it for a moment and looked up at who had put it there. It was his eldest son, Daiyu.
"Good morning, Dai. Um... is there something you need?"
He could see the impatience on his son's face. "Look at the poster," the boy insisted, and sure enough, there was loads of impatience smothered on those four measly words. Zuko scanned the poster more carefully until comprehension dawned on him. He looked up at his son sadly.
"I'm sorry Daiyu, but there are three problems with your proposition–"
"But you haven't even heard it yet!"
"Nah-ah-ah," Zuko chastised. "Don't interrupt–it's rude. And as for not hearing your proposition, I don't need too. I'm a father. I know these type of things." Daiyu raised an eyebrow, his classic signal that clearly stated: I seriously doubt that.
"Anyhow," Zuko continued, picking up his mug of coffee and sipping on it. "There are three problems with you wanting to join the circus."
Daiyu's eyes widened. "But I don't–"
"What did I say about interrupting?" Zuko asked sternly. Daiyu took a deep breath and sat down in the nearest chair. "Now, first off, this poster is asking for two boys. You are one boy. Second of all, they need twelve year olds, not a thirteen year old young man about to turn fourteen this very day. Thirdly, you have no acrobatal expertise."
"I know," Daiyu said between clenched teeth. Zuko didn't notice, returning to read his scroll.
"That's is why you cannot join the circus." he finished. "Besides, it's completely out of character for the first born son to join a traveling carnival."
"I know. I don't want to join the circus!" Zuko heard Daiyu growl.
"Then what is your problem, Dai?" Zuko asked, lowering the scroll to look at his son.
Daiyu was slouched over in the chair, an elbow on the table and his thumb and index fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked about ready to slam his forehead to the mahogany, so Zuko said, "Stop that, and be sensible. Now tell me what you are proposing."
"Think about it, Dad," Daiyu said firmly. "Two twelve year olds, who have acrobatal expertise, in this palace. Any ideas?"
Yes, Zuko did have ideas. And they hit him full force, like a tidal wave. "You don't mean Qui and Rou...?"
"Yeah, I do. And get this; it gets worse... way worse." Daiyu scooted closer to his father and whispered, "They don't want to join the circus, they want to pretend to so they can sabotage it!"
Zuko came very close to refurnishing the classic Sokka-forehead-slam. Not just because of what Daiyu was telling him, but he was feeling very... clueless, right now. At least more than normal when it came to his children. He looked at Daiyu seriously and asked, "What do you propose we do?"
Daiyu smirked, another one of his signature smirks that had many meanings. "I've got a couple of ideas," he said with a sly grin.
OOO
Soon Daiyu was conversing with his waterbending sister, Xia. She was grinning that grin again. "So... it's up to you and me?"
"Exactly. Maybe, if she wants too, Kuri can help." Daiyu told her. Xia scoffed.
"We'll never get her away from Dad, especially at night and especially since he knows when we're leaving. The first thing he'll do when we're gone is check her bed."
"We might need her though, Xi," Daiyu protested. "We could get her out somehow, I'm sure."
Xia gave him a look. He smiled one of his rare sincere smiles. Xia caved, saying, "Oh, alright. But if we get in trouble, I blame you."
Daiyu grinned. "Perfect."
Xia raised an eyebrow and gave him a long look. "I'm not gonna ask. I have a different question. Isn't your birthday celebration tonight? Isn't everyone who's anyone gonna be there?"
Daiyu gin slipped off his face. "Exactly the reason to avoid it." he said seriously. "I think we can afford to miss a little party." The grin was back in place.
"Ok." Xia said. "When do we leave?"
"At sundown, slightly before the devil-duo does."
OOO
Qui would probably have to be my fave. His character will grow more defined throughout the story, as will Kuri's. She's cute! XD.
Okay, so since this isn't my first story (as I have another account) please R &R for me. Hasta lavista!
No. I am not spanish.
LD.