::~ So here's the second chapter! It's going to take me a while

::~

Zuko swam quickly to the object. It was a simple letter. " Uncle, look! It's a letter, that my mother left!" Zuko exclaimed. Iroh swam over to him. " What does it say, nephew?" Iroh asked. Zuko turned away from him and tried to decipher it. Zuko's face was furrowed in concentration as he pulled the piece of paper close, and read it.

" It's kinda hard to read..." Zuko said absent-mindedly. His mother had dissapeared when he was merely in the Third Coral, so after that, his father thought that it wasn't fit for him to go to school, so he simply left. His uncle had taken it upon himself to teach Zuko secretly, so he knew what he was doing when he became King. Zuko reckoned he'd be in the Twelfth Coral by now.

Iroh was nervous, and turned around, just in time to see a large mouth with several rows of teeth behind him. " AAAH! SHARK, WE'RE GONNA DIE!" he yelled, as he swum quickly and ran into Zuko. The shark broke through the window, and accidentally bit wood. Zuko pushed a crate at it, but it was on their heels in an instant.

Zuko and Iroh swimmed up, and were about to make their escape when the shark bit through the wood, and blocked their way. Zuko and Iro swam in the other direction, with Iroh screaming like a crazy fish.

" Uncle, will you be quiet!" Zuko yelled, as he continued to swim, clutching the piece of paper to him. THe shark was biting through the wood, advancing upon them quickly. Iroh reached the porthole first. He tried to push himself through, but to no avail. Zuko swam up behind him and with alot of effort, pushed his uncle through, and then went through himself, but the shark was gaining on them.

Iroh was screaming, and Zuko tried desperately to think. He had to get rid of the shark before they became it's breakfast. Zuko spotted an anchor nearby, and hoped that the shark wasn't smart. He stayed at the onther end of it, just near the hole at the top of the anchor. " Hey, you big brute! I bet you're as strong as a clownfish, and even dummer yet!" he yelled, taunting the shark. The shark gave him a look, and started to charge towards him.

At the last moment, Zuko swimmed up and the shark's snout was trapped in the hole of the anchor, and it was unable to move. Zuko sighed in relief, and then started to swim up to the surface of the ocean. Iroh floated in front of the shark, taunting it. " You big bully! And you simply must clean your teeth, I know a tea herb that'll keep that breath away..." Iroh said. The shark snapped it's jaws, and Iroh was frightened away.

" Uncle!" Zuko snapped, and Iroh began to swim after him.

" Coming!" said Iroh, good naturedly.

::~

Above the sea, a sea gull with binoculars was perched on a rock, humming. The sea gull then took the binoculars and placed it on it's head. " What's the point of having this thingy?" Aang, the seagull said. He tried waddling, and fell flat on his face.

" Aang! I'm back!" she heard a baritone voice call out to her. Aang stood.

" Heyy, is that you Sifu Hotman?" Aang said, walking all over Zuko's face. He pushed him off and set him back down on the rock.

" Yeah, it's me." Zuko answered.

" And his uncle!" Said Iroh. " Hi Iroh!" said Aang, as usual, in a bright way. Zuko rolled his eyes.

" Aang, do you think you know what this is?" Asked Zuko, getting right down to business. Aang took the wet piece of paper, and scrutinized it.

" Hm." said Aang, pensively. Zuko tapped his fingers, waiting. " Hm." Aang said again.

" What is it?" Zuko asked, getting impatient.

" It looks like a sheet of music..." Aang finally answered. " But oh well! What do I know?" Aang asked, giving the paper to Iroh and walking away, humming. Zuko swam a bit far off, trying to remember something. Then it hit him.

" MUSIC! My father is going to kill me!" He said, true fear etched on his face. Iroh looked frightened as well.

" Now now, Prince Zuko. I'm sure your father will understand, if we talk to him civilly." Iroh said. Zuko nodded, and started to swim away.

" Farewell little seagull!" Iroh called out, as he dissapeared behind Zuko in the ocean.

::~

" You called, father?" said Azula, Zuko's younger sister. Ozai sat on the throne, proudly looking at his daughter.

" Azula, it appears that your urchin of a brother is gone and missed the performance. Do you know of his whereabouts?" Ozai asked, his trident glowing dangerously. Azula pretended to act innocent.

" Why, would he do such a thing! Knowing my brother, father, I'd think he's at the surface."

" THE SURFACE?" Ozai bellowed. A few rocks fell from the throne.

Azula cowered slightly. " Not only that, my lord, but I distinctly heard he was looking for mother."

Ozai's reaction was deadly.

::~

" Father, please forgive me, I didn't think-"

" OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T THINK. YOU NEVER DO! I'm ashamed to call you my son!" Osai bellowed. Iroh intervened, on behalf of his nephew, who couldn't look his father in the eye."

" Brother, listen to him. It was not his fault, the poor boy simply wanted to see his mother-"

" Shut up you miserable guppy! I haven't given you permission to speak. And as for you-" he pointed at Zuko. " You, are a disgrace. The mention of your mother in this palace is the highest offence!" Ozai yelled. Azula stood by his side, smirking. Zuko clenched his fists.

" Father, it's not my fault! Azula said-" Zuko said, trying stand up for himself. His father cut him off, however, and gave him a murderous glare. Ozai spoke in a low, but dangerous tone as he said his next few words.

" Azula was born lucky. You were lucky to be born."

Everyone gasped. And as if it weren't enough, Ozai stepped to a new low.

" Your a disgrace to this family, just as your pitiful mother was." he said, glaring at his son. That did it for Zuko. No one insulted his mother, who did all she could to make him fit into a family that cared nothing for him.

" She is not a disgrace! She was the only other person that truly loved me! And I'm going to find her!" Zuko yelled at his father. Ozai sneered.

" We'll see about that." he said, and with a wave of his trident, shot a beam at Zuko's face. Azula gasped. The screams echoing through the hall that night were not to be quelled.

::~

Cries were all that were heard, coming from the prince's room. Iroh was the only one allowed inside, as well as some nurses that would ease the pain. Iroh looked as if he was on the verge of crying himself. " What will happen to him?" Iroh asked a nurse that passed by. Her face was grim.

" Sir, if he doesn't die, I'm afraid the skin won't be able to survive. He will have a deep scar. We have put him on some medication, that will help ease the pain. He is resting now, and won't be up for about three days." she said softly. Iroh looked down, dismayed.

" That gives me enough time to pack his things. It appears that his father has seen it fit to ban him from the palace as well."

The nurse looked at the poor boy, sleeping with a frown on his face. The poor boy did nothing to deserve this.

::~

A/N: I know, it's so sad. I feel so bad for Zuko, but he had to have his scar. I may have changed the time line for a bit, like making Zuko eighteen when he was scarred at thirteen, but I had to. Oh, and btw, the characters are older and I guess you can figure out their ages by knowing Zuko's age. So sad! :'( But please review!