Again I'm sorry for the delay and long wait! Thank God the dreadful exams are over..again. Most of you must be wondering when Kisaki will actually morph into a fox. Well my friends, you will witness this right here in this exclusive chapter…the next one actually. I'm really going to work on it and it might result to two parts. Who knows? Zuko's back and this chap is filled with emo stuff and trip to Kisaki's past on how she found out about the truth. Enjoy the tragedy people!

A tribute and thanks to my fellow and faithful reviwers!

almostinsane Congrats you are the 60th reviewer and the first from the previous chapter. I love your fics! Please do write more and update them too. Thanks for reading. God bless you too.

Sokka: You're welcome Kuya Sokka! Thanks for always being there and reading this fic of my life..haha! See ya in myspace!

candicethelovely123: Well the important thing is that nobody got hurt. Im so glad 2nd quarter exams are over!!! Hallelujah! Thanks for reading.

Kiysta Well dude I do hope you got to finish the last chapter so that you'll understand it. Okay I know you've been waiting for this cause Zuko is back baby! Admit it! You can't get over the former guy with a ponytail!!! Thanks for everything dude! GB!

LadyHailey Awww dude thanks for making it this far with all the chaps you had to catch up with. Thanks for the coloring and all! All credit goes to you

Iceis: Yes I can't wait for FB and then we can get to communicate more! Really I got Domnos right? He won't be appearing in this chapter but I hope you still enjoy this. Once again, thank you tons for lending him!!! Yes we should partner on a fic. You better started cause I'm hardly here. Email me dude…

Again I do not own Bruce Lee quotes! Ask Zuko!

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"A one, and a two, and three…"

WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER AND FALL

WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER AND FALL

FOUR SEASONS

FOUR LOVES

FOUR SEASONS

FOUR LOVES

Zuko stared into the vast ocean, his amber eyes fixed on the heavy waters as if crashed against each other. The full moon was clearly visible in the dark skies and its shimmering image reflected on the waters. The prince took a deep breath and slowly shut his eyes from all the noise and things he had just seen and heard. He brought himself deeper into another dimension where he was sure not a soul will bring disturbance upon his meditation. "One great cause of failure is lack of concentration. I am not a failure to my father's eyes. There is nothing is this world that can stop me for I alone can accomplish my task, my duty, my purpose, my…"

"It's a nice night don't you think?" a voice broke his concentration.

"What do you want?" he knew who it was but he didn't dare turn to look at the stalker.

"Don't you join the crew for music night?" Kisaki asked with a lively smile on her face. She looked refreshed.

"I never do."

"Aw c'mon, it's not that bad. I got to play the pipa and sing and…"

"Not interested." He said firmly.

"Okay then…so what are you thinking of right now?" she felt confident enough to face the prince without any fear this time.

"It's really none of your business." He muttered.

"Sorry for asking." She walked up to the railings and stared into the distance but when she lost interest she turned her eyes to Zuko who was still in a state of dejection. It all made sense to her now. The scar he had on his face was given to him when he tried to do the right thing. Receiving her scar was a different story. His was horrible to look at and much more horrible to know how he received it from his father.

"You seem to have staring issues, don't you?" He glanced at her. "You know how rude that is."

"I…I didn't mean to…" she set her eyes on the ocean once more to hide her guilt." It's just…"

"Just?"

"I was just wondering how you got that s-s-scar…" she paused.

Zuko's eyes burst in anger and disappointment.

"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher." Were his father's last words and the only thing that he remembered was the scorching pain and shriek echoing in the background?

"Let's just forget I ever mentioned that." She regretted what she had just said and knew it was a bad move.

Zuko wanted to change the topic and was engrossed in knowing more about the stranger that had been staying with them. "I know this sounds personal but how were your parents…you know."

Three strong words appeared right away. "Killed? Murdered? Massacred!" she gritted her sharp teeth.

"Yeah."

She wondered why of all things did he have to start with this topic? She wasn't in the mood to explain the truth of her life but if it was one way to bond with the prince she had no other choice since she was given the chance to know about his past too. "I never got to know them because I was just a few days old after I was born. At least that's what my uncle told me." She lowered her head in grief.

"I am very sorry." Zuko felt troubled for some reason.

"My uncle took my brother and I as his own and raised us away from the world." She began.

"Meaning you were isolated?"

"Pretty much. He wanted to keep us away from the war as much as possible. From birth, my brother and I were trained to master firebending."

"That explains why you are so advance for your age." He was convinced.

"I'm not a firebending prodigy if that's what you think." She hated being labeled with that strong term.

"Azula." Was the first thing that came to Zuko's mind.

"Your sister, right?"

"How did you know?" he crossed his muscular arms and gave her a dirty look.

"I have my sources." She tucked in her fiery bangs that were floating in the air.

"You're like my sister. Everything always…came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born."

"I'm sorry about that." She felt guilty for some reason. "I…I'm sorry I made you look like a fool and I'm sorry for…"

"Look, I want to apologize for the other day about my behavior towards you. I wasn't myself…its just that you reminded me so much of my sister." He finally had the guts to bring it out to her.

"Well you sorta remind me of my kuya." She confessed and still could forget what happened between them.

"Your brother, right?"

"You know what that means?" she was only aware now of what she mentioned earlier.

"It isn't that hard to guess."

"My brother and I were as tight as rubber. I mean he's sorta the overprotective type which really bugs me but when we spar together, he means business. And there's this one time, he tried to pounce on me and…

"Pounce?" he was surprise by her vocabulary.

Kisaki couldn't think of a way to explain her brother would attack when he was in his fox form so she thought of an alternative to not make it sound unusual. "Uh…you know tackle but I was able to knock him out with a one of my attacks and his excuse was that he was going easy on me which he never does."

"How often did you duel?"

"Everyday." She forced a smile.

"Isn't that a little harsh?" a grin grew on his face.

"I could call it a workout and at the end of the day we'd end up with aches and bruises." She reminisced the days with her brother. "Good days…now gone…forever."

"No kidding."

"The funny part is that he feels guilty afterwards and only apologized after a fight." She laughed.

"You must be blessed to have brother like that." He couldn't imagine him and Azula that close.

The two kept quiet for sometime and took a few moments of sorting out their thoughts.

"There are times when I wished the avatar never existed." She sighed and rested her body on the railings.

"What makes you say that?"

"If the avatar never existed my family wouldn't have to go through all this…" she paused before she let any more information slip. "I'm not saying that it's his fault…I just wish none of this were true."

"What are you saying?"

"We'd all still be living if he wasn't alive!" tears formed in her red pitiful red eyes.

"Has the avatar brought you any trouble?" he was eager to know more.

"Yes! No! I don't know?" she sobbed with her hands covering her face.

"Until now you still can't get over the death of your family?" a frown grew on him by her affection.

"Why didn't I get killed instead of them!" she choked.

He couldn't imagine such a fate for a young girl with no family or future to support her. He thought that his life would never be compared to others but hers was really something. His heart was in a state of grief and a memory appeared before him again and it was about his mother, Ursa. "Things just happen to be that way and there's really nothing you can do about it." He patted her shoulder to stop her from crying.

"Easier for you to say, you still have your family while I've got…nothing left."

"Uncle was right, were the only family she's got left…wait what am I saying?" "A family that despises me." He clenched his hand into a fist.

"Well at least you still have your Uncle Iroh. I'd do anything to have mine back and my brother too." She tried her best to stop the tears from falling any longer.

Zuko was more than blessed to have his uncle accompanying him in his voyages. If it wasn't for him he wouldn't have made it through the years of his exile. He was still searching for an identity and having to regain back his love and honor from his father was a challenge. It was a good thing that the old man encouraged him even if the nephew was afraid to admit he was wrong (most of the time). He was more than an uncle to him…he was a father who showed great love and the only family he considered. "As you know, I'm not capturing the avatar just so that the fire nation could win this war." He sighed and looked into the distance.

"You're capturing him to regain something you lost?" she wiped the remains of her tears.

"How do you know of such things?"

"Lucky guess?"

"I don't believe in luck." He hated that vile word because he never got anything out of it.

"Same here." She sniffed.

"My uncle said that the avatar gives me hope even in times of darkness. I grow stronger each day meditating and longing to know that the time will come when I will finally grab hold of him."

"The avatar?"

"Who else!" he raised his voice.

"Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." He apologized.

"Its okay, your majesty, I'm really careless with words anyway." She tucked in the loose bangs that was covering her face. "If only I can go back in time and…"

"That's the past Kisaki. Don't dwell on it too much….its a weakness." He looked at her straight in the eye.

The girl couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Did you just call me…"

"What would you prefer to be called then…maggot? Peasant? Low-life scum?"

"I meant…oh never mind."

"Never mind what?"

"It's just that ever since I arrived I seemed to offend you whenever I'm around."

Zuko just nodded his head in response.

"I mean I know I'm just as low as filth or…"

"I thought so too but I've got to admit though you're not so bad after all." He ruffled her hair. He just felt like doing that for some reason. It made him feel better not to mention happy.

"Really?" she wasn't expecting him to say anything like that or do anything to her hair. She hated it when people treated her like that but for him it was an exception.

"I meant you're not bad…for a kid." He scoffed.

Kisaki hated being called that. It made her feel small and helpless. Well her frail and petite figure did prove to give her a juvenile appearance especially the pigtails. "I am not a kid! For your information Prince Zuko, I am almost a teenager." She bragged.

"Really now." He folded his arms and rolled his amber eyes that were filled with enjoyment. Again, she reminded him of Azula but in an innocent manner.

Kisaki was glad that things were sort of working out between them and she wasn't as conscious as she was before when confronting him. "He seems so nice. I guess I was wrong. Uncle Iroh was right, he just needed some time."

The melodic music being performed by the crew filled the air and fitted their moods, both sad and blissful at the same time. The two enjoyed the beautiful night sky that was displayed for them together with the full moon and the flickering stars scattered around. For a second they saw a speck moving at full speed from nowhere.

"Hey look! A falling star! The red-head exclaimed.

"What about it?" it was really nothing new to Zuko since he saw falling stars every night.

"You know the rules silly, you make a wish."

"Really and how old are you again?" he teased and received no response. "Excuse me are you…"

"Oh sorry, your highness, I just made my wish." She opened her eyes and realized that the falling star had already disappeared.

"Mind telling me about it?" he had nothing else to do anyway.

"Why should I? If I do tell you it won't come true." She spoke as if she was a five-year old in a serious tone.

"You actually believe in those things?"

"Not really but I don't think it will ever come true anyway." She sighed in defeat.

"So what did you wish for?" he really wanted to know even if it was childish nonsense.

"I know this sounds shallow but I wish that I could be a normal kid with a normal life and a normal family without worrying about something so important that just pulls you down. I want to start over and relive my life as a free soul with no problems or burdens."

He was very surprised about what he had heard. "Why wish for something like that?"

"Because…because I never liked who and what I am now!" tears filled her eyes once more.

"Kisaki…"

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A young girl about the age of five ran through the forests of an unknown land. She had odd looks that include bloody red hair that were knotted in juvenile pigtails and exotic red eyes. She was anxious to see her beloved uncle who she found sitting on a rock meditating and enjoying the nature around their peaceful surroundings. He too had the same features as she did except that he had an outline of white hair merged with the red locks and pale red eyes yet he looked like he was still in a strong condition for such an age.

"What is that you got there anak?" he saw his little niece running towards him with something in her tiny hands.

"I not telling cause it's a surpwise." She squealed.

"A surprise for me?" he chuckled.

"Yeah. First you open your hand like this and I'll tell you."

"Don't tell me its one of your little tricks again because if it is…" he slowly opened his right hand and set it out for her to reach.

"I gots you a wittle pwesent." She smirked and put something warm and sparky in his palm and closed it.

Immediately after realizing what he had received, he threw the small explosive out of the way before it blew up. "Oh my goodness, Hisaki! You really got me…again." he laughed and was proud that she possessed a gift of explosive firebending that was rare for one to have.

"You're funny, Tito." She giggled.

The man picked her up and set the toddler on his lap and started tickling her, pinching her rosy cheeks and ruffling her hair as a sign of playful revenge. "Hey, you're messin' it up. Stop it!" she tried to escape from his strong grasp.

"You have your mother's charm and beautiful hair and those beady eyes are definitely from your father." He admired her looks.

"Tito, what ever happened to mommy and daddy?" she was dying to know all this time but her uncle always changed the subject, refused to talk about it, or made up excuses.

"I think it is wise if I tell you now." He took a deep breath and knew it was the right time for her to know.

"Tell me what now?"

"Have you ever wondered about your pendant?" he took a glance at it. It was very unusual because the head of a creature was carved on a piece of bone which she always wore on her neck since birth.

"No and what kind of animal is on it?" she examined it this time and never wondered much about it yet she valued it more than anything else.

"The animal is a fire fox and it belonged to your mother and to those who had it before her."

"Weally? Um what's a fawoe fox?"

"I guess you are old enough to hear the truth." He sighed in defeat.

"Twuth? What twuth?"

"The truth about you, us and your parents." His words trembled. "What you are about to hear may sound alarming at first…"

"Tell me! Tell me!" she said with excitement and ignored the fear in his red eyes.

"Hisaki…how do I say this. You are a…"

The talk lasted from bitter seconds to countless minutes or even more than hour. Hisaki's mind had a hard time storing in the information and like most children at her age she could hardly understand what grown-ups like her uncle was trying to tell her. For a moment she thought that he was telling her a fairytale but it didn't sound very friendly because she knew it was reality. Water formed in her eyes after each word was spoken. She was dead quiet for most of the time and she regretted hearing everything he had told her.

"And that's how your parents died." He ended with tears too. He remembered that day clearly. It happened only a few days his niece was born and a group of firebenders spotted them. Like any over-protective mother together with her husband, they decided to keep Hisaki and Hinote hidden with their uncle while they fought for their lives in order to protect their clan even if it meant losing their lives. The man never forgot his sister's words before fleeing away from the battlefield. "Raise them for their purpose."

Her face was filled with tears and anger surrounded her heart. She felt like burning or exploding something. "No, you're lying! That's not the twuth! They're coming back! They're not dead! You said that…why you never told me this before? Why!"

"Because I believe you weren't ready and I was doing it to protect you." He was glad that it was over but seeing her upset and heartbroken truly made things worse.

"I don't believe you or the fawoe foxes!" she yelled with tears.

There had to be an explanation to convince her that it was the truth. "I hoped it didn't have to come to this but…" her uncle took a step back and slowly his body appeared in flames and the transformation began and his body was now replaced in the form of an adult fox not much bigger than a wolf with fiery red fur and pointy ears and its piercing red eyes fixed on the child as if it was going to attack her.

The terrified child slowly backed away in fear and confusion "No! It's…it's a twick! It's not twue!

The fox who was indeed her uncle just lowered his head and ran out of ideas. He wasn't fully prepared for this day.

"Leave me alone! I don't wanna be like a fawoe fox!" she ran away and dared not to look back.

The man immediately morphed back to his human self and called out to her. "Hisaki, you can't run away from your purpose! Hisaki!"

The young fire fox got tired of running for a while and settled under a tree and continued sobbing. A hand rested on her shoulder and she was faced with her brother.

"Little sister, what's the matter?" ten-year old Hinote sat beside his sister and read the look on her face.

"Ti…tito said that mommy and daddy were killed by fawoebenders and that were…"

"Fire foxes." He sulked.

"How you know, Kuya?" she was stunned.

"He told me everything too." He wiped her tears.

It was true and there was no way she could deny anymore. She trusted her brother and loved him so much. If he didn't appear that day she would have done something very crucial to hurt herself. He was always there her in times like this. "But what if I don't wanna…I wanna be normal! I just don't wanna!" she embraced him and continued crying on him.

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Zuko didn't know how to react when Kisaki's arms were wrapped around him and sobbing like there was no tomorrow. He answered her with an embrace and patted her back for comfort. He could tell that she had been through a lot through her childhood years. He missed having his mother's touch when he was in a situation such as this. She told him that if it was alright to cry for a boy because it really helped to ease the pain. "There, there now…I'm here for you kid." Tears slowly filled in his eyes too. He hugged the child closer to him as if she was his own younger sibling.

The old man watched the two from a distance with a huge smile in his face. A smile of contentment and compassion. He would have never lived to see his nephew like this and was more than proud to have him and the young girl too. He took one last look at them and went back to playing more music before the night would end.

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Kisaki tossed and turned in her mat. The memory was haunting her again. She finally awoke and was surprised how she was back in her room. The last thing she remembered was the conversation with the prince and then she started crying and held on to him and the next thing she knew she asleep on the cold floor with a disturbing dream. She walked out of the room for some fresh air on the upper deck of the ship.

It was still dark but the moon and stars were no where in sight. She walked to the spot where the crew had been playing for music night but they were no where to be found. She guessed that they were dead asleep from all the fun that whole evening. She walked up to the railings of the ship and stared into the strong waters crashing against the ship with full force.

The girl had a lot of fears she encountered through her life and it secretly showed her weakness. She was afraid of water and enclosed spaces. There was one nightmare she had wherein she was trapped inside a small cage and thrown into the ocean. But there was nothing worse compared to her burden. She feared that she would fail the fire fox clan if she did not continue to pursue her purpose as the avatar's animal guardian. Tears filled her eyes once more because believed that her identity as a fire fox was a curse to her and her family. From the very beginning she knew how to break the curse but never dealt with it until this day.

"Even if you lose us, you will always be reminded that we are around."

"You're never around for me!" she screamed everything out. "You abandoned me! You left me alone!" tears hit the ground before she did. "I hate my purpose! I hate my life! I hate everything about us!" she gritted her teeth.

"None of this would happen if we weren't…I want to be normal! I want a normal life! I want a normal family! I don't want to worry about something so important that it's also a waste of time! I want to be free…free from this…this curse!" she unlatched the cord of her pendent and held it out for it to be dropped in the raging sea.

"I know…it's all that I have left but if I let go of this all my problems will be forgotten. I…I have to focus, forget and move forward…move on with my life and find a better future. This is my main thing...I'm sorry…" she released her tight grip.

"Believe it or not this pendent belonged to the first female fire fox when it was carved for her wedding and its amazing after all these centuries you manage to have hold of it. It is your identity Hisaki…it makes you who you really are just like your mother and our ancestors."

"Wait! No!" she leaped out of the railings and locked the cord between her teeth and focused on her feet that were grip to the railings. The cold wind blew through her bangs and gathered all the strength to pull her back up. It was an unpleasant landing but she was glad she didn't lose her most valued possession, the only thing she had left of her. She clutched on to the pendent and pressed it against her heart while lying flat on the floor with heavy panting. For a moment she sensed a presence of someone watching her but she couldn't care less.

POV: I thought I had lost it that day. I didn't know it would get to this. How much I dislike who I was…I just wanted to live a life without…you know. I didn't know what to do or think. I had to do something or else I'd go mental or do something that's far worse. It shows how weak I am whenever I think of the past. Zuko says it's a weakness if I dwell on it too much. It hurts but I had to let go. I knew that I didn't have any direction in my life so I decided to leave thus all behind and move on. Who knew making this decision would give me a better life. I don't have to live as a fire fox anymore! I decided to throw away that person and live as a firebender…just a firebender because I am one! I threw my identity away that night but I still held on to what I had left…

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Depressingly good aye? Hope you enjoyed…it may take a while for the next chap so watch out peeps. Don't forget to review! Don't miss the next one because it will explain Kisaki's big secret…thanks for reading and God bless!