Thanks to the few of you that took the time to review. To you reviewing is just 30 seconds of your life but to me it means so much more. And I appreciate that. Just a note for the story: I will try to address the 3 canon ships (Kataang, Maiko, Sukka) because, well, they are canon. However, that doesn't mean they'll be the ships in this story. Anyway, here is Chapter Two.

Chapter Two: Acceptance

The Fire Nation ship had long arrived at the docks of Fire Nation territory. As the royal Fire Nation siblings made their way out and to the palace they were cheered upon by a gigantic crowd of Fire Nation citizens. Peasants, noblemen, and every other kind of person. However, Fire Lord Ozai was not in sight. He waited in his throne room at the palace. Ozai's Angels made their way ahead of Zuko, who trailed far behind. The primary cheers for the girls were extremely loud. As the Fire Nation prince made his way to the palace he received much more appreciation than he had expected as well. Maybe things would be back to normal, he thought.

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Zuko appeared before his father, alone, but not afraid. He would be ready for everything his father had for him. Nervousness was not going to control him. He bowed respectfully and placed his forehead on the ground, not far from the base of his father's throne.

"Well…my son, you have returned home. You have been away for a long while and you surely have changed" he spoke, showing no emotions.

"Father, I am glad to have come home" he replied in a low voice, nearly a whisper.

"By slaying the Avatar, you have more than just regained you honor. You have earned the love of many" he said proudly, and much to his son's surprise.

But…what? I didn't kill him. It was Azula. Why would she do that? Why for me…? he thought to himself. "It wasn't easy, father" he said bravely.

"I never would he thought you would, my child. Maybe your life has some use after all" Ozai replied. "With the Earth Kingdom fallen and the Avatar slain, victory is within sight for the Fire Nation!" he yelled proudly. "Many regards to Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, the strongest Nation in the world."

"You will rule the world, father" Zuko said with fake happiness and a faked smile on his face.

"Yes…I will" Ozai returned, a smirk on his face. "Every Nation in this world will live under my command and the Fire Nation will be unstoppable. Any wrong moves by the others and they will see their precious empires come to an end" he said, power-obsessed. In reality, this man sickened Zuko. His viciousness along with his evil heart made him despised by all, except for his near perfect daughter, Princess Azula. And that was only because she was the same way, Zuko learned.

"What about…" Zuko paused. He wished to ask about his uncle but he didn't want to let on that he cared for him. If Ozai learned about his, he would surely kill the prince. But more importantly to him, he didn't want to let his father hurt his beloved uncle.

"Feel free to ask me anything, my only son" his father clarified.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it father" he replied.

"As you wish. You shall attend a ceremony that will be held for you in a few days" his father said to him.

"What…? But I don't deserve it" he whispered, truly feeling he didn't deserve any celebration.

"Slaying the Avatar and not deserving a ceremony? My child, you deserve more! You saved the Fire Nation many soldiers by giving us a major advantage and a boost in his morale."

"Thank You, father" he whispered.

"You can go now" his father informed him.

He left after giving a final bow. He had much to think about.

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Zuko's first order of business was to find his sister and figure out why she had lied to their father just he would be accepted. He barged into his sister's room rudely and saw her lying in her bed. He didn't care much what she was doing because the situation was urgent. She didn't bother to look back at him.

"Why? Why would you do that?" he commanded.

"Of what do you speak, my dear brother?" she replied sinisterly.

"You told father that I killed that Avatar didn't you?"

"I may have" she answered calmly. "Can't this wait until later?"

"No! I need to know why you did it. So answer me!" he pressed.

"Well, you seemed so nervous about whether or not father would accept you. I figured that if I told him you killed the Avatar then he would have to accept you. Therefore, you would have nothing to worry about" she finished.

"You're planning something aren't you? There is no way someone as selfish as you would do this. You have an ulterior motive and I am going to figure out what it is."

"If you say so"

"Don't hide it!" he spat viciously.

"Say whatever you like…ZuZu" she teased.

"Don't call me that! Whatever you're up to, I'm going to make sure it fails."

"Whatever. Why must you think of me this way? Can't I get a thank you?" she replied in an evil tone, smirk on face.

He said nothing and with that he left the room, slamming the door behind him as he left.

"He's pathetic…" Azula whispered to herself.

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He was confused. He walked through the halls of the enormous palace of the Fire Nation. It had been three years since he was here. He remembered all the things he used to do in this place when he was younger. He would be forced to play games such as hide-and-go-seek with his sister and her friends. He remembered the various ponds in the garden. Very large gardens, he remembered. In those ponds were the turtle ducks he would feed everyday. He would go to them when he needed to be alone. He figured this would be the time to re-live those moments.

He left the back entrance of the palace with a piece of bread in his hands. He started towards the largest of the ponds that lit the bright green grass with a beautiful shade of cerulean. He could hear the turtle ducks quacking from a distance away. They must've been hungry, he figured. He eventually reached the small hill he would have to cross and stood at the top of it. He was surprised to see someone down there.

Ty Lee heard feet shuffling on the grass behind her and turned to see who her visitor was. "Hey, Zuko!" she greeted him with a big smile on her face. She looked relaxed. Maybe the turtle ducks helped more than just Zuko.

"Hey…so what are you doing here all by yourself?" he wondered, trying not to sound surprised.

"I can ask you the same thing, can't I?" she replied playfully.

"No, because you're here too" he informed her.

"Oh..." she giggled. "So what are you doing here?"

"You first" he demanded.

"I come here all the time. The turtle ducks are so cute and it's just so peaceful here" she said to him, her smile never fading.

"Same here" he replied bluntly. She was here for the same reason he was. He took a seat about ten feet from her and lied down on the grass. He broke tiny pieces of the bread and threw them into the pond. The small creatures swam quickly over to the bread to get a piece of it. When he was finished he rested his head on his hands and stared up at the sky. However, he quickly closed his eyes. A few minutes had passed and neither of the children spoke. Ty Lee was the first to break the peaceful silence the two were enjoying.

"So you finally came back home, Zuko" she started. "How long has it been?"

He waited a few seconds before answering her. "About three years"

"That was a long time"

"Yeah" he replied in a bored tone.

"What did you do? Where did you go? There must've been plenty of things to do in three years"

"I just tried to capture the Avatar, that's it" he said in a whisper.

"But you finally got him. Or rather, 'Zula did" she said. When he didn't say anything she went on. "Are you happy to be back now? Everyone missed you"

"It's good to be back. I can finally relax now. And who's everyone? Was I really missed?" he wanted to know. He was betting annoyed. He came here to be at peace.

"I meant Mai, your sister, and me" In all honesty Ty Lee did miss Zuko during his three year absence. She would laugh unstoppably every time the girls forced Zuko to wear a dress when he lost whatever game they played. It was fun to pick on him, especially when he and Mai were with each other. She thought they were really cute together. Azula and Ty Lee wouldn't let him hear the end of it. "Without you around we hardly played anymore. It wasn't as fun as when you were around"

Zuko nearly smiled. They missed me he thought to himself. "It feels great hearing that" he said without showing any hints of emotion. "Did you miss me?" he wondered. It didn't matter much to him but he was curious.

"Of course I did Zuko! Whenever one of your best friends leaves for three years you have to miss him" she said joyously. Her smile couldn't possibly get any bigger, Zuko thought. She was really open about how she felt about others, unlike himself. "Did you miss me?" she teased him. She liked making Zuko uncomfortable. She giggled at his nervous face all the time.

"Umm…I don't know…Maybe. Yes. I mean no! Wait…I don't know" he tried. He didn't want to hurt her but he didn't want to show affection either. The two had sat up now.

"It's a yes or no question" she stated. She looked at him with an expression of curiosity.

Zuko came to the pond to relax. He didn't come for being put into uncomfortable situations.

"Well? Did you miss me or not?" she asked again.

"I'm not really sure…" he said. She still looked at him as if that answer wasn't enough. "Okay, fine…I did?" He wasn't completely sure. He was friends with the girl before his banishment but they weren't exactly best friends forever.

"Yay! ZuZu missed me!" she chirped and tackled her friend to the floor with a hug.

"Hey, I said don't call me that! And no hugs. 'Kay?" he told her. What bothered him more than anything was the name his sister had given him. Her face would come into his mind whenever he heard it. That's why he didn't like it. And because it sounded like something one would call a baby. And he really wasn't a big fan of showing affection. It just wasn't him.

"No way! You definitely need to be hugged more" she answered. Ty Lee eventually broke the embrace and stood up. "I have to go now, Zuko. See ya around!" she dismissed herself.

"Wait!" he called and the girl turned back to look at him. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about where…my uncle is…would you?" he questioned. His amber eyes pierced through her gray spheres. She couldn't escape him unless she gave him what he wanted.

She knew, of course. Fire Lord Ozai had told Azula right in front of Mai and herself. However, she couldn't tell him. She would put her own life at risk and threaten her friendship with the fire princess. "No…sorry, Zuko. I don't know" she answered untruthfully. She didn't want to lie to him but she had no choice. She looked away from him.

Zuko sensed that she was hiding something. She was nervous, her voice sounded uncertain, and she avoided his gaze. He knew that she knew. He would find out here and now. Zuko smirked. "Ty Lee, you suck at lying"

"W-What? I'm not lying…" she said in a choked voice and continued to stare at the ground.

"Then why do you sound like you aren't sure of what you're saying?"

"I know what I'm saying!" she retorted.

"Why aren't you looking me in the eye?" he questioned.

"That doesn't mean anything…really Zuko, I can't say I know"

"Wait…what can't you tell me?" he demanded.

"That I know where you uncle is. No! I mean-" she was cut off.

"I knew it! You do know where he is" he said. He tricked her into telling him. "Tell me"

"Zuko, I would, but I'm not supposed to. Azula told me not to tell you" she said truthfully.

"She won't know. I'm not going to ask you again. I have to know" he replied. In his eyes Ty Lee could see hurt. She could see the longing. He looked guilty about something. Then it was gone. It was there long enough for her to see but not anymore. She felt guilty herself. She knew the two may have been very close and she was keeping the two from seeing each other.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But you have to promise that you won't tell anyone I told you, ever!" she said sadly.

"Very well" was his reply.

"He is…" she paused. Her pity for the prince was greater than her fear of the princess. "He's locked in a cell in the lowest level of the palace.

"Thank you…Ty Lee" he responded. He felt better now. Things were starting to look up. He looked back to Ty Lee who was looking down at the ground beneath her feet. She looked somewhat scared, unsafe in a way. She was afraid of what Azula would do if she found out that she told Zuko.

"I'll make sure no one finds out. And if my sister does, I'll make sure she doesn't hurt you" he said, trying to make the girl feel safer.

She forced a smile and looked up at him, "Thanks, Zuko" And with that she left him standing alone by himself in the gardens. He had a lot of thinking to do. And to help himself with that he lay down in the grass and closed his eyes.

XXXXXXXXXX

The GAang had landed about an hour ago by an unidentified Earth Kingdom town. It was small, like a village, but many people resided in it. They group needed to restock on supplies and Aang had to figure things out about had happened in his absence. The first thing they needed to do was to change their clothes into Earth style clothing. The problem: they had no money.

"I'll go and see what they have in the shops!" Aang said excitedly.

"Wait! Aang you can't go. We have no money" Katara stopped him.

"Oh…well we can go see, right?" he said to her.

"Well…" she paused. She couldn't let Aang know that the world thought he was dead. If he started hopping all over the place, people would see his arrow and figure that the Avatar was indeed alive. And they couldn't allow that because the news would spread fast and the Fire Nation would be soon notified. With them knowing that, Aang would no longer be a secret weapon that could be used against the Fire Nation because they would be prepared for him. She wanted to tell him but she was afraid of his reaction. She decided she would tell him later. "Cover you head, okay?"

"Why?" the boy wondered.

"Because…it's a new style! Everyone covers their heads, like this!"she lied, gesturing to herself. She took one of Sokka's shirts and wrapped it around her head.

"Oh, cool!" he yelled in excitement as he wrapped his own shirt around his head. However, Katara's plan backfired as the arrow on his back showed.

"Wait…you also have to wear a shirt" Sokka added. "Take mine. I don't follow trends and fashions much"

"Thanks, buddy!" he responded. And with that he entered the village and ran through the streets, entering every shop he saw. Katara, Sokka, and Toph let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close" Sokka said.

"Yeah"

"No kidding"

The three children spent the rest of the afternoon doing small jobs for enough money to buy clothing. Toph had her clothes already. Aang and the water siblings needed some. Eventually they had the money and purchased whatever they needed. They had made more than enough money so they gathered some food as well. The group gathered back on top of Appa and the great beast flew into the night.

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Zuko lay in his bed waiting for the right time to head out. Everybody else was sure to be asleep by now. He put on a black cloak to cover his head and to help him camouflage into the darkness. There were no guards in the halls so Zuko picked up his pace. He reached a well of stairs and turned back to see if he had been spotted. What he saw a single guard walking through the halls. Zuko had avoided him without even knowing he was there. He let out a sigh. Close one.

He descended all the way to the absolute bottom of the building which was sure to be the prison room. The hallway leading to the cells were narrow. About thirty yards ahead of him he saw a guard sitting on a stool. He could see everything and no one would be able to get by him without being spotted. Damn it! Luckily for Zuko, the guard was asleep because he had not stirred.

Zuko approached the guard and attempted to sneak by him. When he got past him he tripped over a line of cups that clanked loudly against the cold stone floor. He was sure the guard was now awake.

"Hey…Hey! Where do you think you're going!?" he yelled as he stood up, sword ready to strike. Zuko was quicker than the guard and got a grip on his wrist. He pulled the wrist up to the guard's throat and slammed him against the wall. He sent a vicious knee into the gut of the man who let out a groan of immense pain.

"No one is going to hear about this!" he whispered with more venom in his voice than a rat viper had in its body. "And if you knew what was best for you than you will sit here with your mouth shut!"

The guard didn't need to reply or be told again. He sat back down and gave the prince a vicious glare. Zuko made his way past the few cells in his sight and reached the last one. All of them were empty except this last one. Zuko saw a small, thick body curled under a blanket. It was surely his uncle. He was sitting up, meaning he had to be awake, much to Zuko's desire.

"Uncle!" he whispered. He didn't turn back to look at his nephew. "Hey, look at me!" Still nothing. "I had to. I didn't want to but I had to. I had no other choice. You should have come with me. I restored my own honor and if you didn't let that water tribe girl escape you may have restored your own also. It was your fault!" Iroh still did not look at him. He hadn't moved at all either. "Fine! Stay in there and rot till your death! I don't care!"

Zuko left his uncle and exited the prison hall. A single tear rolled down Iroh's eye. Zuko quietly strode back to his room as quickly as possible but keeping his stealth also. When he had got to his doorway he gasped.

"Hey ZuZu…where have you been to?" Azula said to him with an evil smirk on her face.

End Chapter Two

Well, I love how this chapter came out. It was so fun to write. Here you get a Ty Luko moment and one with the GAang. Hope you liked it.

Lemme know what you think. Any suggestions, advice, anything? Feel free to send me anything.

Later!