Cherish
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Chapter Two: Hating Convention, Hating Pretension
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DISCLAIMER: Nope!
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This chapter was written to La Vie Boheme, from RENT.
To days of inspiration
Playing hooky, making
Something out of nothing
The need to express-
To communicate,
To going against the grain,
Going insane, going mad
To loving tension, no pension
To more than one dimension,
To starving for attention,
Hating convention, hating pretension
Not to mention of course,
Hating dear old Mom and Dad
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A short, stocky, unassuming figure walked down the narrow, twining dirt road. He carried nothing but a brown, leather satchel over his shoulder, and though he looked out of shape, he showed no signs of fatigue, no sweat marks, and no heavy breathing.
Iroh had taken his own advice and dressed in mild browns and sturdy, leather boots, and had packed lightly.
He had to find Zuko.
Iroh had left his queue on a rock outside the palace, a last-ditch effort of being obnoxious that had a deeper meaning that most wouldn't understand. A severing of family ties, and a severing of unity. The very worst insult that a member of the Fire Nation could ever give.
He had to find Zuko.
"Hey, mister, are you alright?" Iroh looked up and ahead on the path to see a teenage boy standing there, his arms crossed, a concerned expression on his face. Wearing shades of green all over, save for his boots, the boy was very obviously a citizen of the Earth Kingdom, with light brown hair cropped short around his ears and eyes the same color.
"I'm fine." Iroh responded, and he was.
"There's no civilization in the direction you've come from-"
"Do you think that I have no stamina, boy?" Iroh inquired, allowing a touch of sarcasm into his voice, and the boy shrunk back, startled.
"N-no, of course not!" he exclaimed, shaking his head furiously, and Iroh actually found himself amused.
Such normalcy, Zuko could have been like that- stop it. He told himself. Past is past. The boy looked up.
"Hey mister, we've got plenty of room, wanna stay with us awhile? My village is right over there, and, I dunno…." He seemed uncomfortable, but Iroh knew better than to refuse his offer. He DID need a break, and maybe these people would know something about Zuko.
"Alright then, but not for long. I'm looking for someone."
"Well, maybe we can help! By the way, my name's Mori." The boy said suddenly, and then stared at the ground. "You come from far away, and people from my village stay fairly close, so you're welcome to stay in exchange for news. Okay, Mr…..?"
Iroh blinked. His name was known, and it was not a good idea to go blurting it around, especially if he accidentally mentioned his wayward nephew.
"I am Hakumei. Simply Hakumei."
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The door burst open, and Zuko glanced up in irritation from where he stood at the counter, making attempts to extract an incredibly stubborn loaf of bread from a pan. He had been able to keep his attention this time, and therefore it was perfect, just stuck. Mori nearly bounced in, and began taking out plates, cups, breads, and different types of pastries out of the cabinet.
"We have a visitor, and he's here!"
"You really don't get out much, do you?" Zuko asked blandly, while Mori seemed to be in such a tizzy that he didn't recognize the jab.
"Hikari, come on, slice that! You've got to talk to this guy, he has all sorts of things with him, awesome things!" Rolling his eyes, as the boy fled again, water and fruit juice in the cups, Zuko shook his head, before he began slicing the bread.
Damnit, he thought to himself, I actually get this perfect and I have to share it. Figures. He knew he was grumbling and being immature, but he assumed that it was just a side-effect of living in a village where they had a visitor MAYBE every couple of years. If that.
"Hikari!" Matsu, this time. "Come on, boy, and meet our guest! Move it!"
"Alright, alright." Zuko called back, slightly exasperated, grabbing a plate for his bread, then exiting the kitchen to enter the living room. He almost dropped it.
Sitting on the couch across from Mori and Matsu was a very satisfied-looking Iroh, munching on a pastry and apparently in the middle of a grand and truly terrifying tale of what he had had for lunch that day. Iroh glanced up.
He dropped his empty glass.
"Uncle?" Zuko stammered, shocked, before shaking himself out of his stupor. "Uncle!" To which Iroh instantly got up and engulfed the boy in a hug, so relieved to find him safe, sound, and above all, somewhat happy. He was shocked when, in front of everyone, Zuko lowered his guard enough to openly accept the affection. Matsu tilted his head.
"Hikari, you and Hakumei know each other?"
Zuko and Iroh glanced at each other, confirming the aliases, before nodding.
"So, Hikari is actually the one you've been looking for?" Mori asked, and Iroh nodded. "How totally weird! Hikari's been here for a few months now, and this the first time we've had two newcomers so close to one another."
"So, my nephew has been living here with the two of you?" Iroh asked, refusing to let go of one very embarrassed prince, and Matsu nodded.
"Yes, he has." The man answered, "He's been working here, as well, and getting training by one of our Benders." Iroh frowned slightly, and Zuko squirmed, and Matsu immediately continued. "Even if Hikari can't bend, there's still much that he can learn in technique that doesn't require the ability, and he's doing it by his free will, no one's forcing him or anything."
"And you're enjoying it?" Iroh asked his nephew, and Zuko nodded, hearing more implied in that simple question that what was vocalized. Already he was beginning to get back what he had lost in the absence of other Firebenders, his attitude, his posture, and his mentality,
"Yes, I am."
Suddenly, the prince realized that something was missing about his uncle. Something very important about him was missing, and he raked him over with his gold gaze, until it finally hit him. Zuko stared at the floor, head reeling. What was going on? What on Earth had happened, that had caused his uncle to do…..that?
All was silent for a bit, until he spoke up again.
"Matsu?" The 'master' was purposefully left off, "Mori? Could we talk alone, please?"
Perhaps because of the notes of desperation in Zuko's voice, Matsu nodded.
"Alright." he murmured, snagging Mori by the back of his shirt and leaving the room.
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"Uncle, what happened?" Zuko immediately gasped, upon the two's leaving, and Iroh smiled sadly, hand going to the place where his queue would have been.
"Language switch, my prince" The man switched to the language of the Water Benders. The last thing he wanted to do was to have others hear this, and the next worse thing would be to have them hear them speaking in their native tongue. The language of the Fire Nation was a beautiful one, but rough, depending on how it was spoken. The very nature of Firebending was one of emotion and passion, and the language portrayed it as such, but it was startling to hear for the first time. Zuko nodded.
"Okay. What happened? What could make you-?"
"Zuko, I want to tell you how your father reacted."
The boy felt a cold, sinking feeling of dread begin to well up in his stomach. Something had gone very, very wrong.
"Yes?"
"He was….angry, to say the least. In a fit of rage, he almost told Zhao to find you and try you for treachery." Iroh said quietly, and Zuko went ashen. The exact opposite of what he had in mind. He could see Zuko's world fall apart around him. "But I convinced him otherwise."
"Convinced….how?"
"He gave me two options. Kill you or go into exile, where you have been as of three months and two weeks ago. You know what I chose. The Firelord also told me to tell you this: If he gets his hands on you or sees you, ever, he will subject you to an Agni Kai." The former general said quietly, and reached out a hand to rest it on the former prince's shoulder. He could feel Zuko shaking, whether in fear, rage, or hurt, or a combination of the three, he didn't know. He squeezed, and leaned forward slightly, watching his nephew's features, and saw something change.
Where had formerly been a slightly jaded but still overall decent outlook on life had suddenly morphed into pure, unadulterated heartbreak, and Zuko turned his back, his face in his hands. Iroh could see him shake.
"You didn't have to…have to sacrifice for me. You didn't. You have nothing now, why did you do it? I'm not worth that." Zuko asked frantically, voice muffled, and Iroh leaned over, pulling the boy to him.
Don't you dare tell me that I have nothing, boy, or I'll slap you silly." Iroh snapped, "I have you, and that's more than enough."
Zuko let out a strangled sob and buried his face in Iroh's chest, clenching his fists in the fabric of his shirt, completely undone. Iroh sat back with a sigh, letting his nephew cry himself out, something he knew he needed, stroking his back and his hair, just like he had done when he was a young child, after a session with Zhao.
"But-"
"No buts." Iroh insisted, wrapping an arm around Zuko's waist to help him to his feet. "What you need now is rest."
"But I need to-"
"No, you don't. Not right now. No more thinking, no more protesting, no more beating yourself up over this, at least for tonight. Now, where's your room?" Iroh slid open the door, only to come face-to-face with a concerned Matsu and an equally concerned Mori, both of whom were staring, worried, at Zuko, who hid his face from them to attempt to wipe away his tears.
I cannot be weak, not here. Not now.
He didn't remember Iroh taking off his boots or Matsu helping him into his bed, and he didn't care about the silver shining in from his window that he usually loved, and he didn't want to think or feel anymore. Not now.
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"What happened?" Matsu asked immediately after his own son went to bed. He and Iroh were sitting at one of the low tables, both of them sipping on some hot tea. Iroh shook his head.
"Family matters. It is none of your concern-"
"Of course it is!" Matsu exclaimed, indignant. "That boy has lived here since we found him, three months ago. He's lived here, slept here, eaten here, and trained here. He's friends with my son, and I think of him as a member of this family, if a temperamental, prideful member of this family. I think I have at least SOME privilege to some information." Matsu was annoyed, and it was obvious, and Iroh changed the subject.
"He will say when he feels the need. But, different topic. How is he? Personality-wise, I mean. Is he pretty good with people, does he have friends, does anyone want to kill him?"
"Like I said, he's got a nasty temper and he still needs a few more lessons in humility, but he's a good kid. As said earlier, he's been working with one of our most talented Benders, Kozue. They get along well, I suppose, Kozue likes him, I know that much. But other than Mori, Hikari doesn't really talk to any of the other kids, they seem to make him uncomfortable."
"That sounds like my nephew…" Iroh commented, allowing a smile to curl his lips. There wasn't a sound from upstairs at all. "And how has his training been going?"
"It's interesting, Kozue came up to talk to me about that the other day, actually. It's interesting that you brought it up." The younger man mused, remembering. "He was really worried about him. Apparently, Hikari had been taking things far too seriously that day, and Kozue was worried about what kind of previous training he had. Having a teacher that didn't fit him, or an abusive one. He definitely mentioned fear, though, and genuine defense, like he was truly going to hurt him, and was curious. I, of course, had no idea what to tell him. A little light on the subject, Hakumei?"
"This Kozue was certainly correct, I'm afraid." Iroh responded with a shake of his head. "I trained Hikari in the beginning, but his father didn't like the way he was progressing, and thought that he should be able to skip basics to get to more advanced skills, and basically just tossed him into a different teacher's lap. The new one was a bully who didn't so much teach as beat him black and blue. Finally, Hikari's father gave up, thinking him a failure, and gave him back to me, thank god." He took a sip of tea, and they remained silent, before Matsu got to his feet.
"Here, I'll show you where you can sleep."
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Iroh wasn't surprised the next morning, when he woke up and checked in on his nephew, that Zuko was awake already. The boy had always been an early riser, almost disgustingly energetic in the mornings, if not particularly cheerful, and Iroh was actually pleased that he was following his normal routine. However, he WAS surprised to walk into the kitchen to come face-to-face with Zuko sitting at the kitchen table, munching on a piece of bread and sipping at a glass of milk. Golden eyes looked up.
"Good morning, uncle." His voice was quieter than usual, more subdued, "How did you sleep?"
"Fine." Iroh responded quietly, "Did you already finish your training today?"
"Yes."
"Good, then as soon as we can, we need to leave." the man said abruptly, and Zuko jolted.
"So soon? Why?" His voice was indignant and confused, and Iroh shook his head. He had hoped it would be easier.
"We are still too close to the Firelord's domain. I fear that we are far too close, and we need to get out. I'm sorry about this, Prince Zuko."
Zuko twitched.
"First of all, what's with the sudden respect? You hardly ever call me prince, please don't start now." Golden eyes stared at the table. "Also, I fear that I might be slipping. This environment isn't becoming, I'm becoming far too lax. Too sloppy. Too comfortable. I'm not meant to stay, I know that, and I've gotten too attached." Zuko shook his head. "When would you suggest?"
"As soon as possible." Iroh answered, and Zuko got to his feet, lacing his fingers together in agitation.
"Well, if we have to leave, we have to leave. I'm not happy about it, but if we have to, I'd rather not talk to Mori and Matsu about it. I always feel guilty." Walking over to a drawer, the former prince pulled out a piece of paper, a pot of ink, and a brush, and began to scrawl out a letter. "It's half-assed-"
"Language, boy, swearing shows bad breeding."
"Sorry, uncle." Zuko murmured, finishing, before dashing quickly up the stairs to grab his things, then coming back down, looking rather depressed. Frowning, he tugged on the collar of his black, sleeveless shirt. "Okay. If we're going, lets go."
And without further fanfare, they did.
And from behind the sliding door, Matsu sighed, and walked into the kitchen, fingering the hastily written letter in his hands.
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Matsu and Mori (you know I don't like using dear),
I'm sorry that this is abrupt, but I have to go. I can't tell you why, and I'm sorry. I can't tell you where, and I'm sorry. But if you go up to my room, go into the top drawer of my dresser and look inside, and that might give you a hint about me and uncle. I don't want you to hate me.
Hikari
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………………
"Uncle! Where in the bloody world ARE you?" Zuko shouted a year later, plunging through the brush of a faraway forest, sending leaves flying everywhere.
"Over here, Zuko. No need to shout or bellow or roar like your father." Iroh's voice was, as usual, mild and mellow, and Zuko was infuriated to see him lounging among the low-slinging branches of a tree, having set up a makeshift hammock between them. His golden eyes flashed.
"You said you'd train with me today!"
"And I did." Iroh responded mildly.
"Shoving tea down my throat is NOT my idea of training." the boy complained, irritated, and Iroh sat up, amused.
"Oh? Is tolerance and learning to face your dislikes not a form of training? You've hated nearly all forms of tea since you were a child, especially lemon, which is why I decided to drink that with breakfast. You should learn to put up with things you don't like, instead of blasting at them blindly or avoiding them."
Zuko remained silent and sulked.
"Besides, insolent nephew, you wore me out yesterday, and if I need a break, you need a break-"
"NO I DON'T." The boy growled, "That's the last thing I need. What I need is to gets stronger, strong enough to go back, grab Zhao by his slimy throat, and squeeze-squeeze-bang-bang-boom-boom until he's finished!"
"Ah, you have so much youthful energy," Iroh mused, "To be young again."
"Argh, you are so frustrating!" Zuko ranted, pacing back and forth, "Do you simply want me to stay like this?"
"No," his uncle commented, sitting up, "What I want is for you realize your own limits, and to learn to pace yourself, and accept that you cannot learn everything in a single week. Silly nephew." He smiled benignly, making Zuko want nothing more than to smack him. Frustrated, the boy ran his hands through his hair that, when let loose, swayed down around his middle back, but was usually tied up in a ponytail.
He was surprised that his hair had grown back so quickly.
"Here," Iroh said, getting up and walking around the former prince, before grabbing his shoulder and steering him over to the hammock. "You said you wanted to learn more than combat alone, correct? Well, you've learned how to fight, how to cook, how to clean, how to socialize (somewhat), how to hunt, basically, how to work. Now you need to learn how to play."
"PLAY? Are you out of your mind?"
However, the boy grouchily allowed himself to be pushed into the hammock, and there he lay, stiff as a stick, glaring furiously at his uncle.
"This is incredibly ridiculous."
"But it's comfortably ridiculous." Iroh corrected him, "And if you stay there for two hours, and possibly learn how to take naps as well, then I'll teach you how to breath fire."
Zuko sulked again, but nevertheless obeyed. He had been wanting to learn breath techniques for quite a while, and if laying still would get Iroh to teach him, then so be it. But it was still hard. Frowning solemnly, he closed his eyes, only to hear a snort, and then a snicker. He opened them and glared at Iroh's back, where the man was laughing into his hands.
"Oh, shut up." Zuko snapped, flushing red.
"Oh, but, you're s-so snort so cute! Going all serious over a nap, just like when you were a kid…"
"UNCLE! How humiliating….."
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He felt a furry something on his face.
He felt deep, warm breaths on his hair.
He felt a large shadow hovering over him.
Golden eyes opened…..
And the always dignified Prince Zuko fell out the hammock, twisting himself up completely.
A large animal that looked almost like a horse was standing over him, and Zuko stared up at it, wide-eyed. Like a horse, almost. It was dusty silver all over with a dainty body structure, but its hooves were large, like those of a draft horse, and feathered, almost too big for it's delicate body. Its ears were larger and slightly more rounded with black at the tips. Simplistic, black and golden patterns covered its back, meant to blend in, and it must have been around six feet tall at the shoulder, much taller than Zuko himself. Large, fluttery wings of the deepest grey were attached to its withers, and there was a row of golden feathers running down its back. With large, green eyes, it stared at him, as if wondering why exactly he had just flailed out of his current position, and why he was sitting on the ground like that.
It growled and ruffled its wings.
Zuko wasn't sure if it was carnivorous or not, but it was better to be safe than sorry, and he got to his feet, and began edging away.
It followed him.
"Uncle?" he asked, shakily, not breaking eye contact with the animal, "Could here for a second?" Iroh obliged in seconds, saw the scene, and immediately burst into almost hysterical laughter. "Shut up, uncle, and give me hand over here! I think…..it wants to eat me." This remark only caused Iroh to laugh harder.
"Zuko, it doesn't want to eat you!"
"It totally wants to eat me- hey, stop. Stop right there, you." He continued to back away as the animal continued to approach him, and stiffened when it snuffled his chest with its muzzle. "Quit it!" It growled again. "Uncle, DO something, for the love of anything you give a damn about at the moment!" Zuko protested, and Iroh rolled his eyes, stepping forward and gently guided the animal away from his nephew.
For about two seconds.
Two seconds later, it was back, growling and snuffling and basically freaking Zuko out even more than he already was.
"Zuko, calm down, it's not going to eat you. She's a , for lack better words, a phoenix horse, judging by the markings, they're very common around here, you know. That's not growling, she's purring." Iroh told him, amused. The boy scowled.
"I don't care what it is, I want it to GO AWAY."
"Don't worry, she's perfectly harmless-"
"Harmless my royal butt- yikes!" Zuko was cut off as the animal reached her head down to lip at a piece of his ponytail, and the boy sulked. How embarrassing. "Go away, you. Go back where you came from, GO." he told her, and shoved, irritated, at her chest (that was, annoyingly, above his head) to try and make her move. She didn't budge, only nudged at his face, until finally, Zuko gave up. "You can deal with it, uncle." he sighed, and flopped back onto the hammock, only to have the animal follow him and hover. He could hear Iroh cackling in the background, and he twitched. "Alright, you thing. Do what you want, just leave me alone, unless you're going to help me get stronger."
"Zuko, she's an animal, she can't-"
The horse snorted and blew a streak of fire behind her straight at the old man, and Zuko sat up, eyes very wide.
"Or….maybe she can."
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"Hiya! Let's go!" Zuko called out gleefully, gripping handfuls of Huôshan's mane as the huge, fluttery grey wings spread out beneath him, and they were soaring over nothing but ocean. Iroh's arms tightened around the prince's waist, and the older man groaned. Flying was definitely not his forte, and he was slowly beginning to regret encouraging Zuko to keep his new shadow, against his will or not. And Huôshan was as much a volcano as her name proclaimed, she was full of energy and enthusiasm, and fire. Zuko couldn't get over it. Not only fast in the air, the mare was fast on her feet as well, and it had been more than once that Iroh woke up to his nephew gone, only to have him return several hours later, panting and out of breath, but satisfied.
She was smart, she seemed to instinctively know when Zuko wanted her to help out with his techniques (she was particularly adapt at breathing fire, as Iroh soon learned) but she also seemed to know when he needed to stop and rest, for at some points, she would immediately cease whatever she had been doing and shove Zuko to the ground with her muzzle and nearly sit on him if he tried to get up.
Just as she had that first day.
It hadn't been long before she had integrated herself into their little group of two, turning them into a group of three, and while she preferred Zuko (the rather unwilling) she was also content to fly Iroh as well, wherever they happened to be going. She was certainly big enough, towering over even the tallest of people.
She was the one who had taught stubborn Prince Zuko how to play.
Temporarily forgetting dignity and decorum, Zuko shrieked at the top of his lungs as Huôshan took a sudden descent, rapidly ascending again, before repeating her little stunt.
"Where are we going, uncle?" the boy shouted over the noise, "You're the mastermind behind this little quest of ours!"
"Tell Huôshan to land, and then we'll talk. I hate this flying thing." Iroh grumbled, and Zuko began cackling at his irritation. Payback was quite the bitch, wasn't it? However, he obliged, parking Huôshan in the tall branches of a tree resembling a pine, and slid off with the ease of one used to doing it. Iroh dismounted soon after, or rather, flailed off, thankfully landing on his feet. Grinning with exhilaration, Zuko leaned up against the trunk, feeding Huôshan a piece of leftover fruit from breakfast. She was an omnivore, but preferred fruits and grasses over anything else, though she also had a fondness for fish.
"So, where are we going?"
"Well, since you're familiar with the techniques of the Earthbenders, I thought that you might be interested in learning a bit about Waterbending, so you might want to start layering up. Or at least get more into practice of heating yourself. Arrogant nephew, I saw you skipping out yesterday when you were supposed to be meditating." Iroh scolded, mildly, but scolded nevertheless, and Zuko rolled his eyes.
"I don't get anywhere meditating, I think it's one of the most useless things ever." the boy griped, shaking his head. "It's not going to help me- Ouch!"
His uncle had actually hit him! It had only been a light crack on the head, but still!
"Don't start. Offense is the not the only form of combat, and it isn't all that will help you. It is what is emphasized most, but it is by no means the only way to fight. Meditation teaches concentration and focus, and if you truly understood that, you wouldn't be complaining! You are still undisciplined and you lack self-control, so I suggest that you listen to those who know more than you do, otherwise you are no better than the father who banished you!"
That struck a nerve, and Zuko looked stunned for several seconds, more shocked and hurt by that than the fact that Iroh had hit him, before turning his back, resting his hands on the roughened bark of the tree, pressing his forehead to it. His breath was shaky as he exhaled deeply, and Huôshan lowered her head to snuffle at the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry." the boy muttered. "I guess I really AM pretty much useless, huh? You shouldn't have to be out here with me."
"Prince Zuko….."
"Don't. I promise, I'll try harder. I swear I will." the fourteen year-old murmured, "Just don't give up on me. Not yet, not now." He didn't protest as Iroh reached forward and took his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
"I have no intention of giving up on you." the old man said firmly, resolutely, "The fact that you can bring yourself to admit the things you lack says enough." There were other things that he could have said, but Zuko could figure them out for himself, and slowly, he drew his nephew away from the tree, and gestured for him to mount back up. "Now, back up on the flying nausea-machine, and we'll get going. Fast as Husôhan is, it'll still take awhile."
He made it look almost disgustingly easy to hop back up onto Huôshan's back, and as Zuko gave Iroh a hand up as well, Huôshan took his lead and took flying leap off out of the tree, huge wings spreading out to ride the thermals.
Iroh couldn't help but be pleased that, though he was feeling awful, in the air, Zuko almost become someone else, free, and laughing just as he had when he was a child.
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"Thank god for firebending…." Zuko muttered, rubbing his arms, rather grumpy. Long sleeves or not, the South Pole was NOT his favorite place to be, and he had even accepted the tea Iroh had offered that morning, if only for the warmth.
It didn't matter, tea was still disgusting.
Grumpy, the fifteen year-old stared out of the cave, watching the snow blow about outside, and blew small breaths of fire into his cupped, then transferred some of the warmth to Huôshan, who was huddled up in the corner next to him, the feathers on her wings and on her back fluffed out to conserve heat. She whuffed at him and he pulled out a cold piece of apple that he had in his pocket, biting off half for himself and giving the other half to Huôshan, who nickered at him and nibbled delicately at it.
Iroh was out, and had been out for several hours, hunting for whatever-the-hell lived out in the freezing Hades called the South, while Zuko was told to practice meditating, which was what he had been doing until a particularly nasty gust of wind blew in. Suddenly, over the noise of the wind and the snow, there was a crash, and a figure stumbled in. Shaking off the snow, Iroh set down two large, white rabbits on the cave floor.
"Well, don't just stand there, nephew. Restart the fire."
Zuko obeyed, sending a small spark from his palm into the pile of wood, setting it aflame.
"Now, keep it low, no use wasting what we have." Iroh told him, and Zuko nodded, concentrating. It wasn't enough to START fires, one had to know how to control those fires, otherwise they would get out of control and cause senseless damage. That was the purpose of the meditations, but it didn't make them any more interesting. While Zuko controlled the fire, Iroh put the rabbits on spits and stuck them up over the fire, watching Zuko keep it together and on a smooth, red heat. Good, he was learning.
Once they were thoroughly cooked, Iroh took them off, while Zuko absorbed the flame back into his palm, shivering with pleasure as he abruptly heated then shivered for a different reason, this time because of the cold. Huôshan nuzzled at him, and Zuko cut her off several strips, which she chomped down. Watching her, Zuko shuddered slightly.
It was more than a bit unnerving, to see what should (visibly) be a herbivore eating meat, and with great gusto as well. At least she was neat about it.
"So, uncle, are we moving tomorrow, or are we staying? I know you mentioned that we would soon, but you never said when."
"Well, I think we'll give it another two weeks." Iroh responded. "It should warm up slightly by then, and then we'll go to sea." Zuko raised a brow.
"In what?"
"A boat."
"What boat?"
"The boat that I'm teaching you to build."
"…….damnit."
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End Chapter 2
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