Happy New Year!

Thank you to everyone who faved/alerted/reviewed to this story! I'm so glad for such great feedback from all of you! After such a positive response for the story in the first chapter (7 reviews?! Did I mention how AMAZING you people are? I've never gotten that many in 1 chapter before!), I couldn't resist writing a second, especially after The Groudon requested it.

All of the scenarios below are continued, expanded versions of the ones from the last chapter in Zuko's perspective, with the exception of the last one, anyway. I couldn't find the inspiration to do the same with the ballroom scenario, so I decided to just go with Alitote's suggestion (you'll figure out what it is when you get to it and before I forget, all credit for said idea goes to Alitote his/herself, thanks for helping me out!). Apologies to anyone whose favorite scenario was the ballroom one, BUT...once I think of a way to write it down, I'll personally PM it to anyone who asks. Fair?

So, without further ado, enjoy!


He'd first been assaulted by a flying tackle.

Of course, Zuko couldn't say that he hadn't been expecting something like that; he'd been expecting it ever since he learned that he'd have to go to Gaoling to get rid of some of the trade problems in the Earth Kingdom. The fact was, only a fool could expect for a nice, normal, conventional welcome from the residence of Toph Beifong—he just hadn't expected it to come so soon.

"We've arrived, Fire Lord. Would you like the palanquin to carry you up to the main house?"

That's strange, I hear running. Is someone coming towards us?

"No, it's fine. I can walk up there myself."

"As you wish, Fire Lord."

...

It's getting louder. Someone is coming towards us! How can the assassins be in the Earth Kingdom? How can they be so spread out?

...maybe Sokka's right; maybe I am getting too paranoid.

"...Your Majesty?"

...

"Fire Lord, are you ill, sir?"

...

But, I can't afford to think like that right now. We need to get everyone out of here—I can't risk other people getting hurt during an attempt on my—

"Oomf! Whoa!"

"Sparky! I knew it was you!"

"Get the guards! Someone's attacking the Fire Lord!"

...

"GET OFF OF ME! ARGH! YOU OVERGROWN, FIRE BREATHING LILY LIVERS ARE SO GONNA GET IT!"

...

"Mrrrgh. How can a blind, tiny Earth Kingdom noble girl beat us? Urgghh...we're the Fire Lord's personal guards..."

"...she's one scary little blind girl..."


It seemed she really didn't care if he was Fire Lord.

He knew Toph understood he had a lot of Fire Lord responsibilities now; she often asked him about what kind of "pointless, prissy stuff" he had to do when she was bored. Or at least, Zuko assumed she understood, he couldn't be sure. After all, wouldn't she try to make it a little easier on him if she was aware of just how much he had on his plate? Or, if nothing else, not bother him so much when he had important decisions to make that impacted an entire country and therefore the entire world?

Probably not, if pinning him down to the floor meant anything.

"—would you—ack!—get off of me?! I've got important—" Shrrrk! "—stuff to—hey!—talk about with your dad!—would you stop that?"

Shrrrk!

"Maw, whatever bore-your-pants-off, noodle-brained talks you've gotta go through can wait. Snoozles and I've been telling you to relax for months now!"

Thu-thud.

"Toph—oh, come on!—you don't get it. Those copper imports are really, really impo—ow!—important! The Fire Nation's been relying on them fo—"

CRASH!

Silence.

"Oh, no..."

"AWESOME! Great job, Sparkles! I've been wanting to smash that stupid vase FOREVER! And it fell on you! Pretend you're seeing stuff and reschedule with my dad, then you've got an excuse to not get it done!"

Silence.

"Hey, Zuko? What's wrong?"

Silence.

"Hey, Sparky! What's wrong with you?"

Silence.

"Zu—"

"This, is why I am never happy."


He hated school.

He hated it. He absolutely loathed it and was convinced that it was yet another example of the spirits' constant taunts via luck that, unfortunately for him, he needed it. He couldn't exactly enforce taxes or make laws without an education, after all. He understood this little fact quite well, better than most would believe him to, as a matter of fact (what, with his uncle's infamous proverbs). But, if Zuko were ever to say that he enjoyed sitting there, drowning hopelessly in utter boredom and near-overwhelming agitation for four hours a day as his tutors droned on and on and on about the stupidest things...

He'd be lying.

"Now that that—predicament, shall we say—has been dealt with, please turn to page three hundred and forty-eight in Heart Amongst The Elements and recite Lao Xing's monologue, Fire Lord."

"Yes, Master Liang."

...

"—O, my Sacred Ubon, what thoughts must thy heart suffer in that wretched ce—"

Klink! Blop! Thump!

"Argh! My papers! How'd they all fall?"

"...what is that, Fire Lord?"

"Oh, um...this? Not sure. Oh! It's that essay you assigned last week about the history of industrialization in the Fire Nation."

"No, no, with all due respect, sire, that...drawing."

"This? Oh...uhh...nothing. Just a...person. That's all..."

"Really? Would it be at all possible for me to see it for a moment?"

"Umm...sure..."

...

"WHY HAVE YOU DRAWN ME AS A BLOATED HOG MONKEY AND LABELED ME AS A 'FAT IDIOT WITH A STICK SHOVED UP HIS—HIS—HIS—'"

"Uh..."

"Fire Lord!"

"Um...experimental...art?"

It's official; I have become Aang.


He didn't blame Toph for running away.

Zuko hadn't had any idea what to expect from her parents before he'd arrived, but he could safely say that whatever it was, it wasn't what he'd ended up with. It seemed that Lao and Poppy Beifong were just as frivolous, petty, and extravagant as any other nobles in the world—though one wouldn't expect it with a daughter like Toph. He supposed this explained why she'd run away though; she was not a dainty, cultured china doll.

But from what he'd overheard (read: eavesdropped on), that's what her parents wanted her to be.

"MOM! I helped you pick out the food, the drinks, the napkins, and the small talk! The small talk! Can't I just be left out of this now?"

"Oh, but sweetums, don't you want to see the Fire Lord? Goodness, he's quite a handsome fellow, isn't he? Perhaps Toph, perhaps, if you behave just so, we'll be able to have you ma—"

WHAT? Okay, no. Too weird. Too weird. ME? TOPH? I—

"MOM!"

"Toph, sweetheart, think of it! In just a few years you'll be sixteen years old, it's high time now that we get you betrothed. Need I remind you how, with all that silly, ill-founded wandering you've done with the Avatar there are hardly any men willing to accept you as a bride? And, now we could get you a match with one of the most powerful men in the world! Think of how marvelous that would be!"

Silence.

This...can't be good.

CRASH! BOOM! CRREEEE! CRREEEEEE!

"TOPH BEIFONG, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"STUPID—UNDERSTAND—SPARKY—MARRY—WON'T—LADY—PRISSY—WHY—SCREWED UP—GRAAAGH!"


He was still her ostrich horse.

Apparently, it didn't matter if her feet had completely healed months ago; it didn't matter if he'd already apologized for panicking and burning her a thousand times over; it didn't matter if she could walk perfectly well on her own. Zuko was still Toph's ostrich horse, bound for life by what she dictated as "damaged and sensitive skin" (or something of the like). It didn't matter if he had better things to do.

Apparently, she was just. That. Lazy.

"Onwards, Sparky! Take me outside so I can see some dirt fly!"

THUD. THUD. THUD.

"Ow! Stop—hitting—me—with—that—purse! Why—do—you—even—have—a—purse? Hey!"

THUD. THUD. THUD.

"Like it matters! Go!"

THUD. THUD. THUD.

"Stop—it!"

THUD. THUD. THUD. THUMP.

"What're you doing? You're not supposed to just crumple up and die! Wooow Zuko, some steed you are."

...

"...everything hurts..."


Zuko groaned. Lady Toph Beifong had not changed.


I hoped you enjoyed reading! Now for some trivia to either a.) clear up some facts or b.) just for my own amusement (all concerning the 3rd scenario with Zuko's tutors since my muse decided to spew out random tidbits for no reason at all right there. We all get those random moments, right?).

-That "predicament" the "bloated hog monkey"'s talking about would be Zuko falling asleep during some such lecture in the last chapter.

-Where have you heard "Heart Amongst the Elements" before?

-The name "Ubon" means "Lotus" in Thai.

...I guess that the first bullet point shouldn't be a trivia fact, huh?

I hope each and every one of you is having a fantastic new year so far!

Reviews are ALWAYS taken to heart and appreciated. Most particularly ones with a bit (or more) of constructive criticism!