Hello peeps! New chapter, yay! Anyways, shoutout to Lolcano for the review on chapter 1. Thanks again, and onward to the disclaimer!

DISCLAIMER: I DON OT OWN ANY OF THE AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER CHARACTERS, OR THE SERIES ITSELF.

Enjoy! :3

Chapter 2

The Hurt

My mom got excited for once about the invitation, and insisted on us going shopping for dresses. Now, there is multiple things wrong with that. For one, I'm not exactly, "a dress person." Second of all, shopping isn't really my thing either. And finally, we hardly have enough money to pay for food. I tried explaining this to my mother, but Michi was already at the door with her jacket on.

She's practically the opposite of me, she LOVES anything girly, and so, we often get in fights with each other. Riku wasn't too happy either, but he's a boy, it's only natural.

We were rushed out of the door, and we frantically looked all over town for a dress. My sister must've tried on at least a dozen, but she would always reply, "No, no. This just isn't the one." Mom would agree, and Michi would run back into the dressing room with more dresses on her arms.

As for me, well… like I said, dresses aren't really my thing. I was scanning a few shelves, and saw the one, though. It was beautiful, and I hesitantly pulled it from its place. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to my mother, smiling greatly at me. "Go, try it on!" She whispered, guiding me to a changing room.

"B-bu." I stopped myself, biting my lower lip. I sighed, "Okay." I closed the door, and after undressing, slipped the dress on. I stood there looking at my reflection on the mirror in the small room.

I was jerked back into realization at the knock on my door. "Are you coming or not?" I heard my impatient sister call. "I-I don't know." Maybe they wouldn't like it? What am I thinking?! I shook my head, and after a moment with my hand on the door knob, I opened it.

My mom smiled, and my sister squealed, drawing quiet a few heads. "So?..." I asked, gripping the skirt of it with my hands. "It's wonderful!" My mom said clapping her hands. A client from the store approached us, "Ahh, what as beautiful dress." He said, smiling broadly. "How much?" I asked, realizing how much it must cost. "Well, you're in luck. It's on the house, your father has done many a deeds for me, and I'm sure that I can at least repay him with this." I probably smiled the widest I ever have.

That was, until a certain princess came waltzing into the store. Everyone dropped to their knees as she passed them, much to her pleasure. Her mother and Zuko were walking behind her, two guards following them.

To my dismay, she was walking straight towards me. "Hello, Hikari." She said a smirk that a devil could pull off on her face. "Hello,.. Azula." I forced a smile. "Well? Where's your respect for the princess?" She hissed, obviously wanting me to bow. "Azula! Mind yourself. These are great friends of ours, not servants." Ursa replied, stepping in front of her daughter.

"Ursa, how are you?" My mother asked warmly, touching arms with her. "Wonderful, and you Emi?" "Surviving." My mother laughed.

"Princess Azula, it is a great honor for me to serve you business. What are you looking for?" The same man that was speaking to me earlier asked Azula, bowing to her. Azula scowled at the man, but answered, "I am looking for a dress, to the ball we are having tomorrow night." Her gaze came to rest on me. "I guess your doing the same?" She smirked. Zuko remained in the background, arms crossed in a pout. "Yes, so which dress would you like?" Azula's grin grew wider as she pointed to the one I was wearing. "That one." I felt like I had just swallowed a lemon, resulting in a sour face.

"I-I'm afraid that she has already purchased that dress. I-it's the last one." The man said, sweat dripping down his forehead. "How much is she offering? I'm sure I can triple it." Azula spoke, but she was facing me, and I really felt like punching her square in the nose.

I took a step forward, but felt the same hand on my shoulder as before, my mother's head was hanging. "Fine! I didn't like the stupid dress anyways." I growled changing quickly in the dressing room, and then throwing the dress into Azula's face.

I heard Zuko chuckle slightly, as Azula roared something about me "not disrespecting her." I stormed out of the shop, leaving my family inside, as I ran down the next street. The truth was, I actually did like that dress. A lot. And Azula knew it, I highly doubted that she would even wear it to the ball.

The Next Night

My mother had thrown me into the dress she got for me. It was the only thing she found that she knew was in my size, since I had ran back to the house.

At least my sister and brother looked beautiful, as well as my mom. She had been feeling much better after we got the invite, which was wonderful. We walked to the palace, and I got a weird feeling in my stomach.

Something's not right. I kept thinking all the way there, but I pushed the thoughts in the back of my mind as we arrived. I stepped into the grand room, and felt like butterflies were in my stomach. Or rather they were having a full out war down there. Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai sat at the front of the room in their thrones.

My mom wandered off to see some old friends, and Riku and Michi ran off with their friends as well. Thanks for abandoning me guys..

"Hey." I heard Zuko behind me, and I spun around to see him. "Hi." I muttered leaning against the wall. We stood their in a comfortable silence for a while. "Sorry about the dress. Azula's a jerk." "Tell me something I don't know." I sighed. I scanned the crowd and found Azula with Ty Lee and Mai. As I had suspected, Azula wasn't wearing the dress she had taken from me.

A messenger burst through the doors, and I seemed to be the only one to notice. He hurried across the room to the thrones. I got closer, and pulled Zuko with me. We hid in the shadows as he handed them a scroll, and explained what happened. "A deserter… escaped….. battle….. Minami." As soon as I heard it my heart dropped. Me and Zuko exchanged nervous glances, "Umm.. I should go." I said quickly,and scurried off to find my siblings. I did, and much to their protest managed to round them up, and lead them to my mother. She was talking and laughing with old friends, and I felt rude as I interrupted. "Mother? Sorry to interrupt, but it's getting late, and Michi has a stomach ache." I insisted, and as my sister went to say something, I shot her an ice cold glare, and she closed her mouth quickly. "But darling, the ball has just begun." I glanced behind my back to find the fire lord scan the crowd, his gaze resting on us. "We really should go." I pressed, seeing as he was about to send guards after us. She sighed, but nodded.

After saying by to her friends as I pushed her out the door, my mother chewed me out on how ungrateful, and disrespectful I was. "Please mom, understand. I'll explain once we get home." I said half running- half walking to our house.

Once we got there, I told mom alone about everything I heard. It looked like she was just given the world to carry, and laid down slowly in her bed, trying to take everything in. My mother isn't good under pressure, so sometimes she cracks, and it takes a little while before she can heal again. That's why I'm here, or so I think. So, whenever this happens, I'm there to do the stuff she would normally do, I guess you can say that I play mommy for a living. Plus, I have to take up a normal job, like now I work at a small dining restaurant. I was hoping that would all change, with mom actually going to a party, but it seems not. If anything, things have just gotten a lot worse.

2 Years Later

Me, Michi, and Riku were out taking a stroll. As soon as word got out about our father, we were banished by society, and work was harder to find. But, it was manageable if I tried hard enough. People kept giving us glares, or would stare at us as if we were just a myth. "Um, Hikari, I know how hard work is, I should try to get a job." My brother offered, but I refused. I wouldn't allow him to go threw the same thing as I had. He was now eleven, approaching his twelfth birthday. Michi was ten, and had grown to reach up to my shoulder. I had recently turned fourteen, but it felt like I was much older. Of course I didn't have a birthday party, none of us did anymore. I mean, no one would come anyway, so why actually throw one, only to be disappointed?

All of our money jangled beside my leg in a pouch. I had learned the hard way to keep money on me when a burglar broke into the house while I was gone, and had a too close encounter with my smaller siblings.

I had a long dagger hidden in my belt on my other hip. I prayed I would never have to use it, but nowadays, it would only be a matter of time. "Do you smell that?" My sister questioned, sniffing again. Smoke. That was smoke. My heart stopped for a second as I followed the trail of the dark clouds. Please don't be our house. Please don't be us.

It led straight to our corner. "Come on!" I shouted, grabbing my siblings arms and running as fast as I could to our house. I rounded the corner, only to see our house, burnt to a crisp, and collapsing before my eyes. My heart sank to my feet, and Riku and Michi stood beside me, just as shocked. We were still holding hands, hardly noticing.

All the memories.

Everything.

It's gone.

I knelt down, facing my brother and sister, just as my father had done once to me. "Listen, it's not over. We can get through this. We will get through this." I said, but I was already shaking. Michi ran into my arms sobbing, "What about mom!" She cried. "She might've gotten out. She can still be alive." I said, but I was trying to convince myself just as them.

I pulled Riku into my arms as well, my eyes stinging. "Together. We can do this. We have each other." By now people had come out on the streets to gawk at us and the flaming house. Tears bubbled from my eyes, I quickly wiped them.

We will get through this.

We have to.