AN: HI So new little short that probably will not continue. I will admit the picture came before the story and well this was what I thought of :) Read and Review please. Hope you like.
MINE
It was fall and school had started for the young boy of ten years. Zuko sat in class now paying no real attention to his school teacher. Who, like all the others, treated him differently. This was mainly due to the fact that he was Ozai's son. Ozai was a man that held one of the most powerful positions in the nation. He was top of the Fire Co. and controlled some if not almost all the jobs that had to do with the lower classes. Teachers were no exception to this.
As a consequence the teachers paid special attention to him. Like his father would care if he was in the front of the class or not. His sister however if they did not give her what she wanted the teacher would no longer be teaching. She was their father's favorite after all. Not that it bothered him if his father's attention was on her it was less of his disapproving looks on him. He gave a sigh. He always was too observant for his own good. Not that it mattered much he wished his father's approval but would go out of his way to avoid him and his disapproval if he could.
He looked up at his new teacher who was introducing the class to a new assignment and what she would be doing for the rest of the day. Normally he would be interested more in what the teacher had to say but today he was a little more distracted than usual. Not that school was boring for him it was just his Uncle Iroh was coming over today. It was something he was always really excited about. He never understood his love for tea but he was the best story teller.
He could not wait to get home and was going to be stuck in the class room until the bell rang. He sighed again and looked up at the clock. 12:30 pm. Still an hour and a half. He turned his head and just stared out the window and watched the lower graders play. He was now an upper grader thus his lunch already came and passed twenty minutes ago. He wished he could go out there again and spend his time outside but he could not so he just watched.
That was when he saw her. A girl sitting cross legged on the cement seat. She was small compared to the Penguinotter that she held close to herself. He could not remember right but he could have sworn that stuffed animals were not allowed but it did not matter. The toy was small compared to the tears he saw going down her checks. Why did she cry? He thought. She was outside and had a stuffed toy with her. Nothing too really cry about but there she sat holding tight to her stuffed toy.
Who was she? He had to wonder and why did she cry so? He sat there then watching her until the bell rang for her to go back in. She did not go though not until someone, Mrs. Yangchan a 3rd or 2nd grade teacher he thought, come out and got her. She left tears still fresh on her face and went inside. Zuko sat there and started at her spot. His mind still on the girl until the bell rang.
'Why would she cry?' Zuko thought 'I should ask my mom yeah she will know why.' Zuko smiled then he had an answer to his question coming to him. So he stood and left now really wanted to go home.
Zuko ran inside his home after being dropped off by the driver. He needed to find his mother to ask her his question. He was exited as he hoped for an answer to his question. He paid no mind to his sister as she made a sneer remark about him moving so quickly. Something about Uncle. That's right their uncle was here he forgot in his want for answers that their Uncle was coming today. Questions could wait till later he guessed. He would greet his Uncle and stay with him a bit and then find his mother and ask her his question.
"Uncle Iroh!" He called as he saw his Uncle on the couch. He did not think he would have to look that far for him and he was right.
"Zuko it's good to see you my nephew." He said holding his arms out for him. "How have you been?" he asked hugging him tight.
"I've been good Uncle how about you?"
"Good. Azula come and give this old man a hug!" Uncle said holding an arm out for her. She stared for a second and went to hug him. It was not what she wanted to do Zuko knew but she would rather do it now then get scolded and have to do it later. "It's good to see you my dear. And how have you been?" he released them both looking at Azula now.
"Been good Uncle now if you will excuse me." She said taking her leave to her bedroom to do Agni knew what. 'Probably to burn more stuff' Zuko thought. It was not forbidden the use of bending it was just rare and even rarer for a family to have all benders. They were just unique family apparently there was a rumor that they were far off decedents of a Fire Nation royal blood line of firebenders. But that was just a rumor. He was no Prince after all and Azula definitely was no Princess.
"Of course Azula." His Uncle said bringing Zuko out of his mind back to what was going on. Azula did not reply just left and up to her room. Iroh turned back to Zuko and smiled. "So what do you want to do Zuko?" he asked as he always had. Zuko smiled back. He did not mind when Azula left he preferred it actually then sharing their Uncle.
Zuko said his good night to his Uncle. They got to spend the rest of the afternoon together mainly Iroh talking of older times. His stories of when he was in a great war. He always loved those stories the most. He smiled broadly at the thought of ever being in a great war being a great warrior like his Uncle.
That was when he saw his mother and stopped. What did he want to ask her? Oh the girl! He rushed to his mother as she walked to sit on the couch. "Mom, Mom." He said as she sat.
She looked up and smiled at him kindly and gestured for him to sit next to her. He smiled back and got up to the couch next to her. He was grateful not for the first time that she read before she went to bed. That always meant he could talk to her and have her all to himself for a small amount of time before he went to bed.
She sat quietly she knew when he wanted to ask something when there was an eager look on his face. He got comfortable and looked at his mother thinking on how to word his question. "Mom? Why would a girl cry?" He asked innocently
Ursa looked at her son for a second wondering where a question like that would come from. "Well there can be a number of reasons why someone, not just girls, would cry, Zuko. Why do you ask?"
He paused "There was a girl at school today in the yard that was crying. She had a stuffed toy in her arms and everything and she was just crying and I don't know why. She was outside and had a toy with her." He looked at his mother for her to answer. He really wanted to know why the girl had been crying. He did not know why he just wanted to know.
"Zuko just because someone has something or is in an ideal place does not mean that they won't cry. It sometimes will make someone want to cry. Anyway did you talk to the girl or ask her anything?"
"No my lunch ends some time after the lower graders lunch starts I did not get to talk to her. I saw her outside the window when I was in class."
Ursa just nodded and looked at her son kindly "How about this then Zuko. Tomorrow when you go to lunch talk to her."
"She has a different lunch though"
"Yes but you share part of your end lunch and part of her beginning lunch together. Talk to her then alright and do not ask her why she cried but try and be friends with this young girl. It maybe that she just wants a friend even if that friend is an upper grader."
Zuko thought about this and it would make since he figured. That maybe she was just sad and did want a friend. It made since. So he agreed tomorrow he would talk to this girl and make friends with her. He looked up at his mother and smiled. "I will do what you said mom. I'll make her my friend. Thanks Mom." He kissed his mother on the check and left "Goodnight"
Ursa smiled lightly "Goodnight" she called after him and picked up her book. She hoped everything came out well tomorrow for her son. He was concerned after all for the young girl he saw outside. He did not even know her and he was concerned. She smiled more he had a good heart a kind heart.
The next day Zuko was even more eager than the day before for the day to go on. He wanted to meet the girl he saw the other day. He was exited. So he sat squirming in his seat waiting till lunch to talk to the girl with the penguinotter.
So when the bell for lunch finally ran he took off got his lunch and sat near the spot that she was at. He did not after all want to take her spot on the cement bench. There he waited. That was when he saw another person. One he did not want to really see.
Jet he was a bully if he had to say it. Of course Jet knew better then to mess with Zuko or his sister. They both where benders after all and also his father well yeah. No one wanted to mess with them. That did not stop him though from harassing everyone else on the playground. It was a wonder that Azula was not friends with him. He guessed though that was because she was an even bigger bully then Jet and would bully him even if they were friends.
Jet looked eagerly around holding out his foot for others to trip on and laugh when they got their faces full of dirt. Zuko really did not like him. So Zuko did the only sensible thing he could think of he kept some not all of his attention on the bully to be sure he came nowhere near him. He settled back into just eating his lunch and waiting for the girl.
The first bell rang for the lower graders to come outside. That was when he saw her come out of a second grade class room. So she was two grades under him. Oh well he thought they could still be friends. He watched as she came over and without noticing him sat on top the bench and crossed her legs. Her penguinotter sill in her arms still held close to herself.
That was when he stood up dropped his lunch into the trash and walked up to her. He watched her and noticed her eyes where wet like she was going to cry again. He moved faster to her he would not let her cry alone not this time. So he stepped in front of her and she gasped at his shadow and clutched her toy tighter to her chest.
She moved back some her legs becoming uncrossed and her eyes watching wearily of him. "What do you want?" She asked her blue eyes staring him down. "You're not going to take my toy it's not yours its MINE." She pulled it closer.
Was that why she was upset the other day? Someone had tried to take her toy? "I Don't want your toy." Zuko said quickly to her "I just wanted to say hi" he stuck out his hand then for a hand shake. That was how he was taught after all to great new people.
She looked at his hand skeptically then back at him. She released one of her hands from her toy. "Hi" she said shaking his hand with hers.
He smiled then. "My names Zuko. What's yours?"
"Katara" She said simply turning herself to face him fully her other arm relaxing slightly.
"It's nice to meet you Katara."
"It's good to meet you to Zuko"
He figured then that they were friends now. Little did he know what the future would hold. The dark secrets and painful memories that were to come and pass over them both. He did not know. He could not have known that she would be one of his best friends. That she would help him in more ways than one. All he knew now was that she was not crying. That she was smiling as they both talked about her little toy in the playground. That they had both made a new friend.