A/N: Hello, Zuko here.

Just wanna say thank you for the support on the first chapter! This story is certainly a first for me, and feedback of any sort is greatly appreciated. With that said, I hope these beginning chapters aren't too slow for any of you. I like to do a looooot of setting up and introducing of characters before getting into the 'good stuff' as some might call it. But even then, I definitely will try my best to keep each chapter engaging and entertaining!

So here's how I operate. Any review I get, I typically try to respond to, but I am posting this story on FFN as well as AO3. So what I'll try and do is respond to FFN comments here in the author's note, and in the comment section on AO3. I feel things will go way smoother that way, instead of trying to cram every single review into the author's note at once.

With that said, I'll stop wasting time and get right to the chapter!

Jason Chandler: Thanks! And I dunno... Guess you'll have to read on and find out!

Guest: Yeah, I'm trying my best to keep Aang as believable as possible. He's among my favorite ATLA characters, and honestly, it's easy to see why! Just as he was an integral part of the canon series, I intend on keeping true to his character the best I can in this and other stories. And yeah, I felt like Gyatso as his dad just made sense. Those two had a special bond in the show, and I wanted to show that here too.

Jestalnaker94000: Well I'm glad you're giving it a shot in any case! Hope you like the update.

Bay (Guest): Why thank you! Lol. Yeah, Zuko fics aren't for everybody, because really, he's such a complex character to get down. Even my portrayal is not going to be perfect, but hey! Won't stop me from trying, right? XD

Chapter 2: First Day

Upon entering the classroom, to Zuko's dismay, the classroom looked nearly packed with chattering students already. Minus a few empty seats left, it didn't look like he was going to get much of a choice on where he would sit. The students consisted of two types of people: Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe students.

Strangely enough, there were still no Air Nomads in sight… But why was that? Surely Aang wasn't the only student from the Air culture attending this school?

Of course, there were no other Fire Nation students either. But that was to be expected… He and his uncle had to be the only ones from the Fire culture crazy enough to move to a town completely void of any… Or at least, that's how it all felt to Zuko. He didn't feel comfortable or confident in this place at all!

He felt like an outcast… Especially by the way everyone seemed to act when they saw the scar on his face… He heard their whispers, and he sensed their judgement. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were talking about.

Taking a breath, the scarred teen took some steps further into the classroom, and as expected, many of the students ceased their conversations and began to glance over in his direction. Whether it was because of the clothes he was wearing, the scar, or both, Zuko began to increase his pace, spotting a couple of empty seats in the very back row.

Finally taking his seat, Zuko allowed his dark red colored backpack to slip off of his shoulder and onto the floor beside him. He didn't have much of substance in there; just basic school supplies and the essentials.

As Zuko began to pull out a notebook and pencil in case he had to take notes, he noticed a few students still hadn't stopped glancing back at him. They were clearly trying to mask it, but they were horrible at doing so. The scarred teen let out a low groan, his left hand moving up to cover his scar on instinct. He absolutely hated not being able to wear his hood!

Stupid Long Feng… Who did that man think he was anyway!? The fact that he was the principal of the entire school already wasn't a good start for Zuko. And these nosy 'classmates' of his that kept staring at him certainly weren't helping things!

The sudden sound of a backpack landing on the floor beside him snapped Zuko out of his brooding daydream, prompting him to look at the seat adjacent to him on instinct.

It was a guy around his age, which wasn't that much of a surprise since this was a Senior level English class. The teen had darker colored skin and sky blue eyes, while his dark brown hair consisted of some kind of ponytail with the sides of his head shaved off. The blue clothes the teen wore immediately made it obvious that he was Water Tribe.

After glancing for a couple seconds, Zuko looked away, making it a point to not initiate any sort of conversation. If he just stayed quiet, he wouldn't have to get into any situations-

"Sup." Zuko heard the teen to his right begin to talk to him, earning a sigh of response.

'Why does nothing seem to go my way today?' The scarred teen gloomily thought, before he risked another glance to his side.

The Water Tribe teen seemed to have a grin that was friendly, but also one that showed utmost confidence. It was a grin that showed he had been going to this place for a long time, or perhaps that he was just an outgoing and social person.

But Zuko certainly was not. He was the exact opposite of social! He wanted to keep to himself, and not have to be around anybody that wasn't already in his social circle; a social circle that, quite honestly, wasn't that big either…

"You're the new guy, right?" The Water Tribe teen carried on the conversation, much to Zuko's displeasure. "Name's Sokka." He extended out a friendly hand of greeting.

Zuko turned his head a bit to look at Sokka's hand, though not enough to show the left side of his face where his scar was. That was a topic he certainly didn't want brought up in conversation again. Not right now…

After several seconds of Zuko staring at Sokka's gesture and not returning it, Sokka's grin finally faded momentarily, and as he let it droop in defeat. Forcing a cough, Sokka seemed to think of anything else to say during the downtime of waiting for the teacher to show up.

"Hey, those are some interesting looking clothes. Where'd you get 'em? I like the darker red color." Sokka looked over Zuko's Fire Nation robe and sash.

The scarred teen turned his head once more to face Sokka, taken aback by the question. How exactly was he supposed to answer that? That he was Fire Nation? Zuko was no fool… He was aware of the Fire culture's reputation around here, and of how distrusted they were.

Not that this was a one sided affair… The other cultures weren't that trusted back in the Fire Nation either, which is why the divide between everyone was so intense right now. There are two sides, each feeling as though they were wronged in some way, and simply won't let go of that blame and distrust. It has left a prejudice behind that still lingers even to this day.

"I…" Zuko began, immediately cursing himself that he hadn't just stayed quiet. At least then he could have acted like he didn't hear him. "I got them from back home…" The scarred teen finally answered, though as vaguely as possible.

"Home, huh?" The Water Tribe teen pondered for a moment, as if curious. "Where ya from?" Sokka asked another question without missing a beat, after a couple seconds of silence.

Zuko audibly groaned this time. How was it that this guy was able to keep talking? Couldn't he see that he wasn't interested in light conversation?

Zuko's pleas appeared to be answered, when suddenly all chatter in the room silenced when they heard the classroom door shut.

"Good morning, class." A man dressed in a tan colored shirt and pants spoke, wearing a large hat of the same color over his head.

Instantly, this made Zuko do a double take. What kind of sense did that make!? The teacher could wear a hat, but he couldn't wear a hood?

'What a backwards rule…' The scarred teen sulked, as the teacher walked up to the large white board at the front of the room.

"My name is Professor Zei, though you may simply refer to me as 'Mr. Zei' if you would prefer." Zei introduced himself, clearly in a very proper and formal manner. "For those of you that are unfamiliar with me, I hail from the great city of Ba Sing Se, the largest city in our great nation completely designed and constructed by Earthbenders. A wonderful city indeed, for those out there who haven't gone. It is truly a marvel of our world!"

Zuko could only sit in silence along with everyone else as he took in the teacher's words. Ba Sing Se? Sure, he had heard of it, but he had obviously never gone. Just as other cultures aside from Fire weren't welcomed so warmly back in Capital City, those from the Fire culture faced a similar treatment in big Earth culture based cities like Ba Sing Se or Omashu. To put things mildly? Zuko wasn't all that interested in going there anytime soon, if ever.

Suddenly, a glance from Zei was noticed, prompting Zuko to widen his eyes. Slumping down in his seat and looking down into his notebook, Zuko could only hope that he would ignore him and keep prattling on about other things.

'Don't talk about me… Whatever you do, just do NOT talk about me…' The scarred teen pleaded in his own mind.

"I recognize that we have a new face, not only in my classes, but also on this campus today…" Zei smiled Zuko's way, though unlike Long Feng's, his seemed genuine enough. "Please, why don't you stand up and introduce yourself?"

'Dammit…' Zuko mentally cursed, gritting his teeth.

With all eyes now back on Zuko, the teen sighed, before slowly standing up out of his chair. He kept his body turned rather awkwardly when he was on his feet, so that only the right side of his face was visible.

"Uh…" Zuko rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm Zuko. And… yeah."

The scarred teen instantly fell back into his seat, keeping his gaze downward. A few of the students in the class began to laugh, though whether it was because they were making fun of the awkward display or because they simply found the nervous attitude in this situation relatable, he couldn't really say… Though, he had a strange feeling it was more likely than not, the former.

"I see…" Zei tilted his head, obviously not expecting that kind of response. He looked like he was debating to ask Zuko more about himself, but upon glancing at his watch, Zuko was once again spared anything further. "Oh! Well, if we wait any longer, we won't be able to get to the lesson plan! If you all would, please take out your textbooks and turn to the first chapter. Just follow along and take notes while I lecture!"

The class all seemed to groan in unison, not fans at all of having to go over a lesson on their first day back to school, but they begrudgingly complied.

Zuko's shoulders slumped, when he recognized another crucial fact: he didn't have any of his textbooks yet. This was a fact that Mr. Zei appeared to pick up on very quickly.

"Do you not have your textbook, Zuko?" The teacher asked him, the class looking back his way for a moment.

Zuko sighed, knowing that he likely wouldn't be able to get most of his textbooks until tomorrow.

"No…" The scarred teen sighed.

"He can read off of my textbook. I don't care." Sokka spoke up, shrugging his shoulders.

"Hm…" Zei went into momentary thought, before nodding. "Very well. Just try to follow along the best you can… Oh, and get that textbook in."

Zuko gave a curt nod of acknowledgement, before Zei turned back around, beginning his rambling lecture of what the lesson plan would look like in the near future.

"Thanks…" Zuko felt obligated to tell Sokka, letting out a small sigh.

"Yeah, no problem…" Sokka shrugged once again, appearing very laid back about the whole thing. "I usually don't take many notes. I just kinda half listen and wait until the lecture's over."

Zuko cocked a brow, stopping himself from beginning his own notes.

"How will you remember any of the material that way?" Zuko wondered aloud, to which Sokka smirked.

"Hey, it's just English… It's not like it's anything hard like Math. Besides, I'd like to think I'm pretty good at it to begin with."

"In English?" The scarred teen finally got started on taking notes.

"Eh, kinda…" Sokka shrugged. "It might sound weird, but I've always been a bit of a poetry guy."

"Poetry?" Zuko seemed taken aback.

"Yeah. It's always just sorta come to me! You know, there was this one time where I-"

"Is there something you would like to add to the lesson, Mr. Kuruk?" Zei paused his lecture, addressing Sokka by his surname.

"Hm? Oh, nah… I'm good." Sokka sighed, leaning on his hand in boredom, turning away from Zuko.

"Seriously, Sokka, how else are you supposed to learn about the wonderful world of English with your constant chatter?" Zei scolded with a sigh.

"Well technically isn't talking a part of English if I speak it-" Sokka tried to counter, but when met with another questioning glare from Zei, decided to keep silent.

"Anyways, onto the beginning of chapter one." Zei sighed, turning back to the board.

Though Zuko found Sokka's antics amusing enough, it still did little to change his mind on his opinion about this school. As he took notes, bored out of his mind, he silently just hoped to himself that the bell would ring soon.

After what felt like an eternity, the bell did ring, releasing everyone from their first class of the day. Zuko sighed, putting his backpack over his shoulder once more, before stepping out into the hallway.

This was only the beginning of what would be a long day, and an even longer school year. He had six class periods a day, plus the time allotted for lunch in the cafeteria, so Zuko knew the day was far from complete.

"Now where's the Air Nomad?..." The scarred teen muttered to himself.

"There you are!" Aang approached Zuko with his usual upbeat smile and attitude. "How was your first class? Pretty cool, huh?"

"Not really…" Zuko negatively sighed.

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that…" Aang briefly frowned, before his grin returned, trying to keep a positive energy. "Maybe next class will be better! It's Algebra with Mr. Mechanist. I actually have the same class! Interesting coincidence, huh?"

The scarred teen began to follow Aang as the Air Nomad started walking, though he didn't verbally respond. Math was his worst subject… It was going to be anything but 'better'.

As the two of them entered the classroom, Zuko heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Aang!" Sokka waved.

Zuko blinked in slight surprise. Sokka was in this class too?

"Oh, and you brought Zuko!" The Water Tribe teen gave a nod of greeting to him as well.

"I didn't know you and Zuko knew each other, Sokka." Aang grinned, taking a seat behind Sokka, while Zuko sat in the seat beside Aang.

"Well, we do and we don't." Sokka stated the obvious. "He sits next to me in English class."

"Oh, cool!" Aang replied.

Zuko glanced at the two of them for a moment, but maintained his silence, only wanting to focus on the class.

"Hey, Snoozles. Twinkletoes… How's it going?" Zuko heard another voice, this one more feminine, speak to them.

Upon looking up, the scarred teen noticed a girl around Aang's age, if not a bit older. She was instantly recognizable as Earth Kingdom, wearing a dark green shirt and pants, which extended just past the knee. Over her green shirt was a tan colored vest, with a loincloth of the same color hanging down just below the belt attached to her waist. Completing her outfit was the noticeable green and yellow headpiece she wore atop her head, with ankle and wrist guards of a similar design in their respective areas.

While the back of her black colored hair was worn up, very noticeable bangs in the front drooped down onto her face, partially covering her cloudy green eyes. Despite the unexpected initial appearance of her eyes, that wasn't the strangest part to Zuko. No, what he found even more odd was the fact that she was completely barefoot.

But why?

Somehow noticing that he was looking at her, the Earth Kingdom teen turned Zuko's way. Though she appeared to be gazing right past him, the scarred teen knew she had still noticed him. Looking back down at his notebook, he just tried to ignore them, hoping they would carry on their conversation.

"Who's the new guy?" She questioned Aang and Sokka.

Of course it wouldn't be that simple…

"This is Zuko." Aang introduced with a grin. "He's a Senior like Sokka."

"A Senior, huh? In Sophomore level Algebra?" The girl let a mischievous smirk appear on her face. "So I guess that means he's as bad at Math as Snoozles is, huh?"

Zuko cocked a brow, before allowing his pencil to drop onto his desk, glaring at the Earth Kingdom teen with an insulted scowl.

"There were reasons why I haven't passed some of my previous studies…" Zuko growled.

"Sheesh, I'm just kidding…" She quickly shrugged off his aggression, taking the seat in front of Zuko. "He's a ray of sunshine, isn't he?" She then seemed to address Aang and Sokka again.

Zuko could only roll his eyes, instead picking his pencil back up and trying to ignore them. But of course, the conversation kept finding a way to suck him back in.

"Zuko, this is Toph." Aang introduced the Earth Kingdom teen finally, making sure they were on a first name basis. "She's been friends with Sokka and I for quite a long time."

"For a few years at least…" Toph added reminiscently.

Zuko gave a silent nod, but left it at that. He was just determined to be left alone, and so he kept his attention on his notebook.

Mr. Mechanist soon entered the room anyway, and just like Mr. Zei, he seemed to be all business. Only in this case, it was a lot worse for Zuko, since Math was by far the subject he struggled in the most. The same could be said for Sokka who appeared just as lost.

Aang was breezing through his notes, though, never missing a step and even asking questions when he had some.

That was a trait of the Air Nomad Zuko had to envy, but couldn't see himself ever doing. Aang definitely took initiative and was very bright, despite being a couple years younger than him.

Toph seemed to excel just as much as Aang did, only she kept more quiet. She didn't say a single world during the lecture, instead, listening the whole way through.

She didn't use paper or a pencil at all, which was a bit strange. Zuko had to wonder why that was. Of course, judging by the look of her eyes, he had his theories as to why… But he didn't just want to assume.

Besides, it wasn't like he really cared. Like Sokka, Toph was someone he had only just met today and was stuck in class with. Aang, he was unfortunately stuck with, since he was his neighbor.

It wasn't that he hated them or had anything personal against them. After all, how could he? They were complete strangers to him, and he didn't plan on making any new friends. He had plenty of friends already at his old home…

Friends that… he admittedly hadn't heard from in quite awhile, but he was sure that they were just busy.

Zuko just wished to be left alone… He didn't mind speaking when spoken to towards them, but that's all he felt or wanted to feel.

Even if for whatever reason he did desire making new friends, he would be gone after the school year anyway. So what was the point? It was a total waste of time.

The sound of the bell ringing snapped Zuko out of his thoughts, the scarred teen physically shaking his head to return to reality.

"What-"

"You zoned out. Pretty hard…" Sokka chuckled, as he stood to his feet. "Don't worry about it. I do that sometimes too."

"Pft, yeah…" Toph rolled her eyes, standing up along with Aang. "If by 'sometimes' you mean every day."

"Hey, it's not every day!" Sokka protested, walking towards the door with Toph and Aang. "I don't do it on the weekends!"

Toph seemed to chuckle at the Water Tribe teen's mediocre joke, grabbing onto his arm as they walked out of the class.

"Yeah whatever, Snoozles… So what class you got next?" Zuko heard her question him, as their voices faded out into the hallway.

Finally getting out of his seat, Zuko saw Aang patiently waiting on him.

"Ready for third period?" Aang questioned with a grin.

Grabbing his burgundy colored backpack, Zuko exhaled, more ready to go home than anything.

"Come on! It's just down the hall." Aang quickly exited the room, getting the scarred teen to start moving.

As Zuko began to follow Aang, he started to go into thought. It… certainly wasn't a responsible thought, but maybe he could kill some time this way.

"This is Biology with Miss Hama." Aang stopped in front of another door. "As always, I'll see you next period!"

Zuko looked at the Air Nomad for a moment, before nodding his head. Aang then rushed off, getting to his own class for that period. However, rather than going inside, Zuko glanced over at the nearby exit doors, which seemed to lead behind the school.

Casually acting like he was headed to some other class, whenever the coast was clear enough, Zuko slipped out the back doors and into the morning air.

Zuko inhaled the fresh breeze as it blew through his hair, glad to be out of that place, if only for a moment… Seriously, if he had to stay another moment in that place, he was gonna go insane!

The people staring at his scar… The forced conversations he had to have… The bitter memories that wouldn't go away for why he was even here…

All of those were factors for why he was taking this breather.

Walking away from the door, Zuko turned a corner where he was sure it was isolated and sat down on the ground against the wall of the school.

Pulling out his phone, Zuko put his earbuds in, at that very moment the bell ringing, signaling that third period had started.

But Zuko didn't care. He was going to listen to his music and enjoy this temporary alone time…

'I'll stay out here for this period, and then return to meet Aang…' Zuko went over the idea in his head, just as he pressed 'play'.

"Get your hands off of her, you coward!"

The echoing sound of Zuko's own voice was heard in his head… reliving those memories. The memories of what happened that day…

"No, Zuko! Stay out of this!" The voice of his mother, Ursa, pleaded.

"You should listen to her, boy… This doesn't concern you! This is between your mother and I." Ozai's cold voice sent shivers down his spine even now.

The sound of the blow that struck Ursa, the scream of rage from himself as he charged forward, and of the scuffle that followed…

The scuffle that he lost…

Zuko remembered it all in vivid detail…

"You need to learn some RESPECT! Just like your mother…" Ozai growled, as the sounds of flames were heard.

"AGHH!" Zuko heard his own screams, as well as the cries from his mother.

He was reliving it all over again…

Zuko's eyes shot open, as he took some deep breaths. His left hand trembled, moving up to the scar on his left eye, before he brushed it lightly.

Said hand soon fell to his chest, as he tried to calm down and get rid of his now rapid heartbeat. It had all felt so real… Why did this have to happen to him? To his mother? Why did this have to be his life!?

Why couldn't he just get this out of his head…?

Noticing that his song playlist had long since ended, Zuko's eyes widened, checking the time.

"Oh no…" Zuko muttered, before quickly standing to his feet just as another bell rang.

Judging by the time, third period was over quite awhile ago. It would only be just now that fourth period concluded. He not only missed Aang once, but twice now.

Not that he cared about missing the classes, but he still didn't want to get Aang in trouble for no reason. He wouldn't wish any interaction with Long Feng on his worst enemy, and he had only just met him today.

Re-entering the school the way he came, he saw that basically everyone was migrating towards the cafeteria. So naturally, that's the direction Zuko decided to go. Reaching his hand up to the cafeteria door to head inside, the sound of another door slamming shut nearby caught his ear.

At first, the scarred teen thought nothing of it, until the sounds of a scuffle was heard. The noise was faint, but he could have swore it was coming from the bathroom down the hall.

Against his better judgement, Zuko's curiosity got the better of him, and he continued on down the hall to check things out.

Upon making it to the bathroom door, Zuko cracked it open, peeking inside to see what was happening.

"So you think you can rip me off, huh? Is that it?" A student, likely also a Senior, seemed to growl at someone else.

There was a group of three people that Zuko could see inside, and the trio was surrounding someone else, making sure they were cornered against the wall.

The senior in question had spiky brown hair, his clothing more visibly tattered than some of the other students. It was hard to tell where the guy was from at a glance, but it was clear that he meant business.

Completing the trio was a lankier guy with blue clothing and a conical hat, as well as another tall and husky guy who looked physically imposing.

Deciding this may not even be worth his time, Zuko silently closed the door. These things happened from time to time… People got bullied. It was nothing new.

"I wasn't trying to rip you off, Jet… I swear, that's all I have for today."

Zuko stopped in his tracks, as he recognized the voice of the one who was cornered.

'Aang?' The scarred teen thought, before turning around and cracking the door open again out of curiosity.

"Lunch today wasn't all that good…" Jet shrugged, pacing back and forth as the other two that were with him made sure Aang didn't move. "I want the money back that I spent on it."

"You mean the money that you already took from me and those other kids-"

"Shut up!" Jet exclaimed, getting in Aang's face and grabbing him by the shirt.

Zuko glanced off to the side as this occurred. What had Aang done to become the target of this guy anyway? He seemed like the last guy one might expect to pick on. He was just so nice.

But then again, maybe that's exactly why they were picking on him…

"Here, Baldy. Have a taste." Jet smirked, before pouring his milk from the cafeteria all over Aang's clothes.

Aang gasped, before he scowled at Jet. It was clear that he was angry, and justifiably so, but that he was using his discipline to keep a level head.

'What is wrong with these people?' Zuko thought, his eyes now narrowing. That was just completely uncalled for!

"Tastes pretty bland, doesn't it? I thought so too… That's why I want my money back." Jet threatened again.

"It's not your money, Jet!" Aang countered, beginning to grow impatient.

"Ooh…" Jet chuckled, looking back to his friends. "Are we making the little Airhead mad? Longshot, Pipsqueak. Teach him what happens when he talks back…"

The big and burly one known as Pipsqueak cracked his knuckles, letting out a deep laugh. It was clear that he just enjoyed violence. For what reason that was, was less clear. The other one known as Longshot began to step forward as well, looking just as threatening but more technical.

As Aang widened his eyes, sensing that confrontation was inevitable, a voice sounded out throughout the bathroom.

"Let him go…"

Jet and his two cronies turned to face the sound of the voice, and saw that Zuko was beginning to walk towards them.

"Zuko!" Aang smiled in relief, glad to see that someone was here to see this and maybe get some help.

"What's it to you, Scarface?" Jet scowled at the scarred teen, before Zuko stood close to Aang, though not enough for them both to be cornered.

"Oh, I get it…" Jet smirked, before poking Zuko's chest. "You're new here, aren't ya? Well let me give you some advice…"

Jet stepped closer, which only prompted Zuko's scowl to deepen.

"I'm the one who calls the shots around here, and whatever I say… goes." Jet declared, full of confidence. "And if you refuse… me and my Freedom Fighters will beat compliance out of you. Caught up to speed now?" Jet folded his arms, content that would get the point across.

Jet's smirk instantly turned to a scowl when he heard light humorless laughter out of Zuko.

"What's so funny!?" Jet demanded.

"'Freedom Fighters'? Is that what you call it?" Zuko had a hint of a smirk on his face, finding the whole situation humorous.

"Yes, and don't you forget it!" Jet growled. "I'm giving you one chance to beat it. Take too long, and we'll leave you in a bloody heap on the bathroom floor."

"Oh, I'll leave…" Zuko's eyes narrowed. "But I'm leaving with the Air Nomad."

Jet could only laugh at his statement.

"It amazes me that you still think you can call any of the shots. I have business with the Airhead, so no… I don't think he is going with you."

Aang looked between Jet and Zuko with a frown, before he whispered to Zuko,

"Zuko, just go… I can handle it."

"That's not what I saw earlier…" Zuko's eyes narrowed.

"I don't want you to get wrapped up in this too… Just go. I'll be fine." Aang seemed to plead, genuinely not wanting to see anyone else suffer.

"You should listen to him, Scarface… Even though Airhead's weak and pathetic, he at least knows what he's talking about." Jet stepped up to Zuko, before shoving him. "Now beat it!"

"Don't… touch me." Zuko spat, his tone laced with venom.

"Or what?" Jet got in his face. "You think you're scary with that scar on your face? Well, you're not. If anything, all it does is show us the freak you truly are."

Jet used his hand to lightly pat the scar on the left side of Zuko's head.

The punch that followed was instantaneous, landing square on Jet's jaw, which sent him reeling back. Zuko immediately followed up with another punch, this time to his nose, causing it to start leaking blood.

Grabbing Jet by the shirt, Zuko shoved Jet against the stall, a loud banging sound echoing throughout the room and most likely into the hallway.

Pipsqueak and Longshot were caught off guard at first, but soon recovered, closing in on the scarred teen attacking their leader.

"Zuko, look out!" Aang warned, before quickly kicking his leg forward, sending a gust of wind into Longshot, which sent him crashing against the wall.

The attack grazed Pipsqueak as well, but due to his large size, was able to avoid getting flung like Longshot was. Because of this, the large senior grabbed Zuko from behind, pulling him off of Jet.

Zuko struggled in his grip, elbowing him to no avail. Jet stumbled in a daze more towards the bathroom's entrance, just trying to recover from the attack he sustained.

Aang inhaled deeply, before suddenly exhaling with everything he had. This sent a large gust of wind at Pipsqueak, which sent him crashing into the wall as well, and forcing him to let go of Zuko.

Zuko groaned, also momentarily affected by the gust of wind, before he stood beside Aang, the pair backing up towards the entrance as Pipsqueak and Longshot stood up.

"Let's go, Zuko!" Aang exclaimed, wanting to get away from this situation as quickly as possible. However, as the two tried to exit the door, they found themselves blocked by a furious Jet.

"Going somewhere?" Jet threw a punch forward, this time hitting Zuko in the face. His fists now clenching tighter than ever, it was clear that Zuko was beginning to lose all of his patience.

"Agh!" Aang was grabbed by Pipsqueak, the monk using his Airbending to desperately escape the hold.

Looking from all sides, and seeing danger from every direction, Zuko's eyes shut, as his entire body trembled.

"Let him go!" Zuko yelled, blasting a warning fireball at Pipsqueak.

Everyone froze in place, their faces immediately going pale upon seeing the Firebending display. Noticing that Zuko's fists were glowing with hot orange flames and that his patience was all but gone, Pipsqueak let Aang fall to the floor and on his feet.

"What's going on in here!?" The booming voice of Long Feng was heard, as he slammed the bathroom door open.

Zuko's angered expression soon turned to horror, as he noticed that not only could Long Feng see his Firebending, but also certain others in the hallway, which had formed a crowd.

The Firebender immediately allowed his flames to dissipate, mentally cursing himself for losing his cool like that! This is exactly what his Uncle had warned him about! And now here he had basically told the whole school about where he was from!

"Were you Firebending, Mr. Agni?" Long Feng gave off the most devious scowl he ever had up to this point.

"Principal Long Feng! Thank goodness you showed up!" Jet walked up to the principal. "This Firebender went crazy! He tried to burn us for no reason!"

"What!? No I didn't!" Zuko protested adamantly.

"Silence!" Long Feng growled, to which Zuko begrudgingly complied. Noticing the blood leaking from Jet's face, he then questioned. "Did he do this as well?"

Jet merely gave a simple nod, really selling how much pain he was supposedly in.

"That's not true! They were ganging up on Aang!" Zuko defended with a passion. "I was just trying to-"

"I thought I told you to stay quiet…" Long Feng narrowed his eyes.

Zuko's eyes widened, before his fists clenched in anger out of instinct. Though he made sure to keep his cool this time.

"But Principal Long Feng! Zuko is telling the truth-" Aang tried to defend Zuko, but Long Feng cut off the Airbender.

"Not another word out of any of you!" Long Feng demanded, before pointing to Jet, Longshot and Pipsqueak. "You three, out! Mr. Chen, you as well!"

Long Feng then glared at Zuko.

"Mr. Agni, to my office… Now."

"But Principal Long Feng-" Aang tried to speak up once more.

"Out!" Long Feng demanded. "Before you all get detention!"

Aang slumped his shoulders, his frown clearly showing that he felt guilty about all of this. Zuko was getting in trouble, and for absolutely no reason!

"I'm sorry, Zuko…" Aang muttered, clearly feeling terrible.

"No…" Zuko looked to the side in shame. "I'm sorry…"

In Zuko's mind, this was actually his own fault. If he didn't make that stupid decision to go outside instead of going to class, he and Aang likely would have walked to lunch together, and this entire situation probably could have been avoided.

Oh, what was his Uncle going to say when he found this out?

"Today, Mr. Agni." Long Feng pointed out the door, wanting to get Zuko to his office immediately.

Zuko growled under his breath, before stepping out of the bathroom. The crowd out in the hall instantly began to disperse, and walk in the opposite direction of him.

It seemed that knowing he was a Firebender put a lot of them on edge. With the scar, they were annoyingly curious, but with this? They were either going to fear him or resent him.

There were no positives to be had in this scenario. Zuko had messed up big time, in spite of doing a good thing. And now he was going to have to deal with the consequences…