*******A/N********
I've read TONS of stories set in the future in which Zuko had a son. I thought I would mix it up a bit and write one where he had a daughter. I don't own any of Avatar or the characters. Its extra fluffy and sweet, hope you enjoy it!
"Daddy! Are you ready to go?" yelled the impatient child. Fire Lord Zuko stepped out behind the intricately decorated screen, tying his robes. He smirked down at the little girl, and ruffled her dark hair with his hand.
"Be patient, child. Some things are worth waiting for." He said, realizing how much he sounded like Iroh. His daughter rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, only making Zuko laugh harder.
"I heard yelling." Mai said, poking her head into the bedchamber. She smiled lovingly when she saw Lu Lee. "Giving your father a hard time now are we?" she said, raising an eyebrow at the seven year old. Lu Lee scoffed.
"He won't hurry up and I've been waiting for this forever!" She whined, her eyes full of nervous excitement. Mai chuckled and walked over to Zuko.
"Forever, huh? You two better get going then. The palanquin is ready and waiting outside for you two." She said, straightening the collar of his robe. Zuko smiled and kissed his beloved wife goodbye, but pulled away abruptly when he heard Lu Lee making a gagging sound.
"Come on! You can kiss mommy later!" she insisted, grabbing her fathers hand and pulling him toward the door.
"We'll be back tomorrow morning!" he called back to Mai, who was smiling to herself and waving.
Once outside, Zuko took lead of his daughter. He held her pale and dainty hand in his, have to walk lopsided because of her short stature. Every now and then he would glance down at her and grin. She was so much like him. She had his fierce honey eyes and a spitfire attitude to match his, if it was not considered worse. She was impatient, short tempered, passionate and loving. Zuko had never been so proud of something in his life.
"What?" Lu Lee asked, noticing her fathers stare. Zuko blinked, startled from his thoughts.
"Oh, nothing. Your just so pretty." He said, chuckling as she rolled her eyes. They appraoched their ride and Lue Lee decided she would rather get inside by herself.
"Do you need help, princess?" asked a nervous servant as Lu Lee struggled to climb into the palanquin. Zuko was already seated inside, curious to see if she could do it on her own.
"No. I can do anything that's everything all on my own." She said stubbornly, her tiny brows knitted in concentration. The servant smiled.
"She is her fathers daughter." Zuko mused. Finally, after about five minutes of watching her struggle with the task, Zuko finally picked her up.
"Hey!" she said angrily.
"Sorry, I thought you wanted to get going." He reminded her. She still pouted and crossed her arms. He grimaced, understanding her frustration. After all it hadn't been long ago when he was the one becoming upset over the smallest of things. But having a child seemed to help him have better control over his temper.
"When are we going to get there?" Lu Lee finally asked. It had been itching inside her all day. She was very eager to see Grandpa Iroh and everybody else again.
"I don't know. The Jasmine Dragon isn't exactly what I would call close." Zuko admitted. Lu Lee groaned loudly in exasperation and flopped onto her back, arms and legs spread in a snow-angel like manor.
"Lulu, come on. You'll see grandpa soon enough." He promised, offering a comforting hand, which she shrugged off.
"Why does he have to live so far away?" she sniffled sadly.
"Business is better where he lives. More people enjoy tea there. Besides, its not like we're leaving the Fire Nation. He's just in another city." Zuko told her. She sniffed again and itched her nose before sitting up. She didn't have the etiquette of a princess, nor did she have particularly good fire bending abilities. She was hot headed, adorable, and messy.
"Daddy I'm bored." She said after a while. Zuko thought for a moment and cursed himself for not bringing some to preoccupy her during the trip.
"Well I don't know what to tell you." He shrugged. She bit her little pink lip in thought before coming up with an idea.
"Can I do you hair?" she said, her eyes wide. Zuko laughed loudly.
"I don't think that would be appropriate." He told her. Lu Lee frowned deeply.
"Why not?" she asked, tilting her head to the left.
"Well, we're royalty. We have to be proper when we're in public." He said. Maybe it was time to start teaching her the ways of being a princess. He'd wanted her to have a better childhood than himself, protecting her from the harsh rules and regulations. But with every growing day he seemed to think more and more about teaching her. She would be going to the Fire Academy For Girls in a years time. It would be brutal if she wasn't prepared.
"But that's so boring." She inquired, putting emphasis on the last word. He sighed; he didn't want to stifle her spirit or have it crushed.
"It's just the way things are. You're going to rule this nation one-day. Come here, take a look." He said, pulling her into his lap. He leaned over and opened the sheer curtain, revealing the lovely and large estates and shops. Having rarely been out of the palace walls, Lu Lee gasped.
"That's a lot of people to watch over." She said with a nervous gulp.
"It is, and it will all belong to you somebody." Zuko said seriously. Lu Lee looked up at him. "I won't always be here to watch out for you. You're going to have to learn to take care of country."
"But…what if I don't do a good job?" she asked, her gold eyes wide and fearful.
"Don't fret. I'm sure that you will be the finest, most gracious Fire Lord yet." He smiled warmly at her. She gulped again and crawled back inside. Zuko shut the curtain and studied her as she sat quietly.
"Are you okay?" he asked, knowing this was very unusual for her.
"I don't know. I'm afraid I'll end up like aunt Azula." She said, looking at her hands.
"Hey, look at me." he said sternly. He took her shoulders and she looked him in the eye. "You are nothing like her. Don't even think about that, not even for a second." She blinked at him, but nodded.
"I love you, daddy." She said once he had let her go. He felt a grin return to his face. Lu Lee crawled into his lap and nestled her head on his knee, closing her eyes.
"I love you too." he whispered, leaning down and kissing her gently on the temple. She yawned sweetly and began to doze off.
Zuko took time to admire his little girl. He remembered when she was born and how much he had been hoping for a son. He had wanted a son, a prince, a proper heir to the throne. But then the healer had called out, "congratulations, it's a girl". At first, he felt disappointed, but then guilty for feeling that way. The he didn't know what to think. But the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew that she was all ever wanted. Surprisingly, he still felt like himself. He'd thought fatherhood would have some sort of drastic affect on him. But now he realized that he had somebody new in his life to love other than Mai. He had somebody new to protect and to teach and to share things with.
Zuko stroked her down-like hair absently as they traveled. Everybody would be going to Iroh's house for a sort of family reunion. Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka and Suki would all be there. He had been told that Katara was pregnant and Sokka and Suki were getting married. Toph, though having been his friend, he was unsure about. He'd been so busy with everything going on from raising Lu Lee and running a country.
With all this thinking, Zuko found himself growing very sleepy. He figured he had enough time for a short nap before they got to Iroh's. He carefully adjusted himself into a comfortable position as quietly and gently as he could as not to wake his snoozing princess.
LATER
"Sir, we have arrived." Said a palanquin bearer, poking his head in the curtain. Zuko shot straight up, accidentally waking Lu Lee.
"Thank. You are excused." Zuko said with a curt nod. Lu Lee rubbed her eyes with tiny balled fists.
"Huh? Where are we?" she grumbled sleepily. Zuko smiled down at her.
"We're at grandpa's house." He said, watching her eyes expand to the size of the moon.
"Grandpa!" she squealed, jumping out of the palanquin and sprinting in the direction of the house.
"Lu Lee, wait!" he called after her, not having expected this reaction. He hurriedly followed her, doing his best to ignore the chuckling of his guards. Iroh had been waiting eagerly outside the house. He saw Lu Lee running toward him and knelt down to catch her in a big bear hug.
"Grandpa!" she shouted again, throwing herself onto the old man who laughed heartily and scooped her up. She buried her face in his long gray beard and squealed with delight. Iroh looked over to see Zuko hurrying over to them, a worn out expression on his face.
"I think this belongs to you." Iroh grinned, handing over the giddy child to her father. Zuko smiled and propped her up on his hip, something he'd learned from Mai a while back.
"Are the others here yet?" he asked as Lu Lee plopped her thumb in her mouth.
"Yes, everybody is very excited to see you two again." Iroh nodded, leading them into his humble home. Zuko hadn't really seen anybody other than Aang since Lu Lee was born. He found himself nervous and very excited to see everybody once more.
"Zuko!" Katara was the first to shout as they stepped inside. He'd expected her to rush over, but instead she waddled because of her pregnancy. Zuko set Lu Lee down and hugged her as best as he could with her baby hump in the way. Soon he found himself on the receiving end of many hugs and kisses.
"And who's this little lady?" Sokka said, cocking an eyebrow at Lu Lee who was clinging to her father's leg.
"This is Lu Lee. Come on darling, don't be shy." He said, giving her a gentle nudge toward everybody.
"She's so cute! She looks just like you." Suki said, kneeling down in front of her. "Hi Lu Lee. I'm Suki; you probably don't remember me. I haven't seen you since you were a baby." She said.
"Hi Suki." Lu Lee mumbled, pulling her thumb out of her mouth.
"Can I hold her?" she asked, looking up at Zuko who nodded. Suki scooped up the little girl and brought her to the others.
"It's been a while." Aang said, suddenly beside Zuko.
"Yeah, it really has." He agreed, watching everybody fawn over her daughter. "So how far along is Katara?"
"Just about there. I gotta tell ya, I'm really nervous." Aang admitted.
"Trust me, it isn't what you think. But its definitely worth everything." he assured him.
"Hey, Zuko is here. With somebody else…" Toph said, coming out from the back room.
"Its Lu Lee, Zuko's daughter." Katara explained. Toph turned to the little girl and stared at her with blank, unseeing eyes.
"Nice to meet you Lu Lee. I'm your aunt Toph. I don't think we've ever met before." Toph said, extending her hand. Lu Lee shook it firmly.
"Hi aunt Toph." She smiled.
"Would anybody like some tea?" Iroh said, coming back in from the kitchen with a tray of steaming cups. Everybody thankfully took their cup except for Zuko and Lu Lee. Zuko politely declined, and Lu Lee made a face.
"She is definitely your daughter." Iroh chuckled before taking a sip. "So where's Lady Mai?"
"She couldn't come this time. Somebody has to run the country." Zuko shrugged.
"Is Apa here?" Lu Lee asked Aang.
"Yeah, he's out back with Momo. Wanna go see him?" he said. Lu Lee's eyes lit up and everybody filled outside. Apa was lazing around outside, munching on hay as Momo picked cherries from the large tree Iroh had. Lu Lee dashed over a greeted the fuzzy beast with as big a hug as her little arms could muster. Apa roared happily and licked her, accidentally knocking her onto her butt.
"Haha! Momo!" she shrieked joyfully as Momo landed on her shoulder and began to pick through her hair. The three ran around, chasing and charging after one another in a weird version of tag. Apa was slow moving but had the ability to float out of somebody's way whenever Lu Lee got close to catching him. Momo chittered and warbled as they ran around the big backyard.
"She sure is cute Zuko." Katara smiled, one hand on her extended stomach as she watched the shenanigans with the others.
"I know." He said, beaming with pride. He watched as Lu Lee finally flopped onto the ground in exhaustion and Momo and Apa followed suit. Apa nudged her with his nose and she rolled over and cuddled up in his excessive fur. Momo perched himself on her head and everybody erupted in an explosion of "aw's".
"Hey daddy, can I show everybody what I've been learning?" Lu Lee inquired, making her way toward everybody. Zuko bit his lip, still nervous about his daughter's progress.
"Uh, sure. Go ahead." He said, not wanting to discourage her.
She stepped out into the middle of the yard. Zuko's knuckled were white and his nails were digging into his palm. He was terrified she was going to hurt herself. At once he noticed her form was weak, but didn't want to interrupt her. A burst of fire flew out of her hands, scaring her and causing her to fall right on her back. Zuko ground his teeth and bit his lip. He'd always had trouble watching her bend; it made him extremely nervous. She tried again, only this time she lost her temper and got blown backwards, skidding across on her bottom.
"Is she okay?" Suki asked, her eyes full of concern like everybody else's. Zuko wasn't going to wait to find out. He hurried to his fallen daughter. Her fists were clenched and she was scowling.
"I can't do anything right!" she exclaimed, her eyes filling with frustrated and embarrassed tears. She tried to bite them back, knowing crying would only make her feel even more humiliated. Zuko knelt beside her and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, you know that's not true." He said firmly.
"Then why can't I ever get it right?" she said with an angry huff. Zuko grimaced.
"It just takes time and practice. Your actually better than I was when I was older than you." He admitted to her. She looked at him disbelievingly.
"But your so good at it!" she insisted.
"I wasn't always. Trust me, you'll get the hang of it. And if you don't, well then there's no shame in that." he assured her. She was so quick to please and learn. But she got frustrated easily and refused to give up.
"I guess." She pouted slightly.
"Now are you okay?" he asked, looking her over for any cuts of scrapes. She sniffed and nodded and stood up. Zuko took her hand and led her back to everybody. They all went inside and enjoyed a big dinner of roasted sea slug and platypus bear eggs. Everyone cleared his or her plates, including Lu Lee.
"Has Lu Lee ever asked about your scar?" Sokka asked during dinner. Suki smacked his arm and shot him a aglare.
"No, actually she hasn't." Zuko realized. Lu Lee looked up curiously at her father. She'd never really paid attention to it.
"I never notice dad's scar. I always guess that's just how he looked." she shrugged. "How did you get it? asked, finding herself curious now that Sokka had mentioned it. Zuko sighed; he knew he'd have to tell her at some point.
"When I wasn't much older tha you I went to a war meeting which was held in the presence of my father. I spoke out of term and was challanged to an Agni Kai. I didn't know I would be fighting him, begged forgiveness. But he was furious, and in his anger he burned my face and had me banished." he said, trying to say it in a way she would understand. She looked horrified at the thought of a father doing that to his own child. But she knew her dad would never hurt her. Her dad loved her.
"So that's why you had to hunt Aang for so long?" she asked. He had already told her that part of the story. Zuko nodded and she found that the story made a lot more sense now.
"Well, how's about we have some tea with dessert and think up some lighter conversation." Iroh suggested. Everybody nodded in agreement.
Lu Lee found herself growing more and more sleepy as the night went on. All the grown ups were talking about boring things and she was worn out from traveling. By then end of dessert she was practically falling asleep in Zuko's lap.
"I think I should get her to bed. She's had a big day." He said, standing up. The girl yawned and leaned on her dad's shoulder. He carried her into the spare bedroom and tucked her carefully into bed.
"Goodnight Lulu. Sweet dreams." He said, leaning down and kissing her head. Much to his surprise, the little girl grabbed a lock of her father's hair and pulled him back down. She kissed him on the cheek and mumbled-
"I love you dad…"