To Lose or to Gain: Iroh's Child
Burning

Zuko still didn't understand.

Not understanding honestly frustrated him, though in the back of Zuko's mind he wasn't sure why. He understood certain individuals took issue with Lu Ten and by extension his uncle yet Zuko also understood there was honestly no reason for anyone to do so. Ozai possibly having something to do with the whole matter also didn't make sense given the fact Lu Ten and uncle were family and in Zuko's mind, he knew that one shouldn't treat family like that.

"Unless of course your Azula," Zuko thought to himself more than once, knowing full well that his sister never treated him like family, but in the back of his mind, he found himself wondering if she actually understood what family was.

"Zuko, focus."

"Sorry uncle," Zuko muttered. He took a deep breath and corrected his stance. In the back of his mind, he didn't feel as if he were making any progress with his bending despite Iroh insisting he actually was.

"Show no one but myself, Akira and Hideki, at least not until I'm ready for you to do so."

"Perhaps you should head off to your regular lessons? You do look as if you're getting a bit overheated," Iroh said.

Zuko's eyes blinked. He looked up at his uncle, the sweat dripping from his body. "I'm..."

"A good Firebender takes care of mind, body, and soul young man." Iroh let out a laugh. "And bending isn't the only studies you need to keep up with, so be off with you. I'll see you at the next meal. Perhaps next lesson you could spar with Akira? You seem to like that?"

"Yes sir." Zuko quickly bowed, before hurrying off to his lesson. One hand wiped the sweat from his brow away. His gait remained smooth and a smile remained on his face, the thought of getting to spend some time with his two friends exciting him as did the fact his uncle let him practice with Lu Ten's blades.

He still remembered how the two swords felt in the palm of his hands when uncle placed them there, along with the feeling of receiving yet another of Lu Ten's prized possessions. In the back of his mind, the small things filled some of the small aches he felt from the loss of his cousin, yet what Iroh said sometimes when Zuko found himself doubting the fact he felt happy despite Lu Ten's death helped.

"He'd want us to be happy, taking care of each other, but I'd rather he be watching us from the Spirit World seeing us live our lives to the fullest. Your job, Zuko, is to do just that."

Zuko felt as if nothing could ruin the moment.

He felt...

"Zuzu."

Zuko stopped in his tracks, not turning to look at the person he knew was nearby. He'd not sensed her, or more of, he'd not tried to do so given the fact he'd always been on alert for her presence lest she decided to pull some kind of stunt which more often than not involved flames being bent in his direction just so she could see him squirm.

"Azula."

"Well, you seem quite sunny today. Did you happen to get the good news?"

"What good news?" Zuko swallowed, still not turning to look her in the eye, but more than alert to the fact she might send a fireball in the direction of the back of his head. He didn't turn, feeling that might provoke his sister to do just that.

"My mother is going to have another baby which means I'm going to be a big sister."

"Oh." Zuko's eyes blinked, hearing how Azula emphasized that Ursula was her mother and that the baby would be her sibling. He turned then, looking at her, thinking about what Azula said to him. "She's my mother as well, and the baby..."

The look of anger on Azula's face said plenty. "Just because she's your mother doesn't mean you're my brother, does it? And it doesn't mean that the new baby is your sibling."

"Mother says otherwise."

Azula narrowed her eyes. "When did she tell you that? She didn't tell father until recently, but you were away when she told him, weren't you? So how could you know that."

"It..." Zuko's eyes blinked. He then said, "I guessed."

Which was of course the truth, that he'd guessed. Azula's hands clenched, a few flames licking out of her hands. "What do you mean you guessed? You haven't been around here as much as father and I have, so..."

"I don't know!" Zuko protested. "I can't explain it, but you really shouldn't be here Azula. If u..." He frowned, his mouth twisting. "How am I supposed to refer to him in front of you?"

"Boy, you are dumb." A laugh escaped from Azula's mouth, only for her hands to remained clenched. "I don't get how you figured out there was a baby on the way before me."

"Don't know."

"You've already said that!"

"And you'll get in trouble if you stay here!" Zuko protested.

"Father won't..."

"I'm not talking about being in trouble with father Azula!" Zuko stated.

"Fire Lord Azulon is old," Azula rolled her eyes. "And Uncle Iroh, well, he did abandon our armies to mourn dead dumb..."

Zuko sucked in his breath, wanting to lash out at her, to bend at her. "Stop! Don't talk about Lu Ten like that! He didn't' do anything wrong!"

"He didn't do anything wrong?" Azula narrowed her eyes. "He went and died dummy, but you've got to be really dumb..."

"You don't know anything Azula!" Zuko protested, his voice rising as his eyes closed. "People don't just die because they're dumb! That's dumb!"

"It is not!"

"It is too!"

"It..."

"What is going on here?"

Zuko turned to look at his teacher, the one who Iroh brought in to enrich his math and science skills. "I..."

He glanced back at Azula who glared at the man, who continued speaking. "Princess Azula, why aren't you at your own studies?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "I finished for the day. I'm not dumb like dumb-dumb here."

"Don't refer to your uncle's heir in such a manner and be off with you," the man snapped. "Or do you want me to have one of the servants fetch your uncle, even your grandfather?"

A set of sparks came out of Azula's nose but the words had the effect Zuko's tutor wanted. She turned and went away. Zuko swallowed. "Thank you, I guess?"

"You guess? You were running late for your lesson, so I came looking for you."

"I'm sorry that..."

"For what? General Iroh did forewarn me that Princess Azula might be a problem, but I do need to ask what she was up to that got you so riled up."

"What?" Zuko turned, not wanting to tattle on her, unsure if he should consider her his sister anymore.

"He asked me to, so will you tell me or will he be asking you later?"

"She said Lu Ten was dumb for dying."

"Well, she was wrong about that, just like she's wrong about you being dumb in regards to your studies. Not to mention..." The tutor lowered his voice. "...has it that Princess Azula's tutors stop teaching when she tells them she's done, not when she actually is. Or at least that's what I've heard from some of her previous tutors."