A/N: Thank you for making it to chapter five with me. Kind of a calm, filer like chapter. Hope you enjoy. I'm a bit behind on getting this posted. Was distracted by a slight medical calamity – resolved now thankfully – then had a Winter Soldier cosplay that took over my focus, and my Microsoft Word got a little confused about my account details, but I am back.

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Time had passed, but thing remained the same around the palace grounds. The first impressions Zuko had made with his classmates were not improved in the coming weeks. Despite his best attempts, the rest of the students did their best to keep a wide berth between him and themselves. The teacher did nothing to assist. It seemed that the mockery Zuko had made of himself had stuck with the man, and after a conversation with his father, he seemed to grow worst. It appeared it was his mission to catch Zuko into some kind of trouble.

Not that the boy needed help being pulled out and into it. He seemed to find himself in trouble with every other breathe. The soreness in his wrist and along his side was a good indication that he needed to work better on keeping out of trouble. The note in his pocket was a falter in that attempt. He had no desire to see his father's reaction when he received the paper.

"Move faster, Zuko!" Azula shouted from a few feet ahead. She was walking with that new friend of hers, Zuko didn't remember her name just recognized the long braid that swirled around her. The pair were happily chatting away, only bothering to acknowledge the older boy when he began to trail too far behind. Zuko didn't understand why his mother had decided that he needed to pick his sister up on his way home from school. She had said something about teaching him responsibility, but it didn't make the babysitting any less frustrating.

A snicker passed by them. A trio of his classmates were across the street, very clearly pointing at him as they laughed. When they saw him looking, they failed in their attempt to look sheepish. They hid their smiles behind their hands, but the mirth was still in their eyes. Zuko looked away, wanting to press on. He made it two steps but stopped when he spotted Azula standing in front of him.

"Are you not going to do anything about this?" Azula was facing the laughing students, but her gaze shifted onto her brother. It was cold, calculated and like nothing Zuko had seen from her. She had a shine to her eyes that resembled their father.

"It's not worth it," Zuko shrugged. "Mom wants us home right after school."

He stepped forward, making to drag his sister with him. Azula stood her ground, shoving his hand away. She continued to stare the other kids down. Despite her much smaller stature, she was making a clear impression on the group. They dispersed quickly, but not without throwing a few more snickers their way.

"Why do you put up with that?" Azula turned her glare onto Zuko. "You're the prince. You're the Avatar. Why do you always back down?"

Zuko took a step back from her.

"I don't back down!"

Azula only raised a brow and tossed a quick glance at her friend. "You need to stand up for yourself Zuko. I can't always protect you."

Zuko rubbed his sore wrist. "I don't need your protection. Look…. It's just not worth it. I don't have time to fight everyone all the time."

There was a softness edging its way into Azula's eyes. "How many people make fun of you?"

Zuko shifted his bag, refusing to answer. It was embarrassing, being saved and then reprimanded by his younger sister. It was pathetic.

"You should tell someone." The girl with the braided said. She looked at Zuko with wide and kind eyes as she rocked on the balls of her feet. "People are mean. Tell a teacher."

"That's not going to work, Ty Lee." Azula rolled her eyes at her friend. "You need to put them in their place. Teach them to fear you. They won't make fun of you after."

The sharp glint was back in her eyes, and Zuko remembered similar words coming from their father's lips. He didn't want to follow that advice. He didn't want people to fear him. He just wanted to be left alone.

Letting a deep sigh escape his lips, he adjusted his bag, and nodded his head towards the palace. "Mom said she wanted us home quick. We should get going."

He started walking, not waiting for the girls to follow. He heard them shuffling behind him a moment later, conversation going between them. After a few minutes, the other girl said her goodbyes as she was dropped off at her house. Azula kept her eye on Zuko as they went further up the block to the palace grounds.

Arriving home, the pair were greeted to a wonderful reunion. Uncle Iroh and Cousin Lu Ten were in the family lounge area, recanting what seemed to be a truly hysterical story to the rest of the family. Zuko's face broke out into a smile. He hadn't seen the pair in quite some time. Not since six months ago when Uncle had headed back to the front and Lu Ten had went to finish his last year of the academy.

"Lu Ten!" Azula threw her bag on the ground, running towards their cousin. Zuko did the same, colliding with the soldier moments after his sister had. Lu Ten chuckled deeply, wrapping his arms around the pair and lifting their feet from the floor. They were set back down, Zuko moving to wrap his Uncle in a tight embrace as well. Azula stayed by Lu Ten's side.

Lu Ten eyed the pair with a smile. "My, how you two have grown. So big. So strong. You make me look frail compared to you."

"I mastered the scorpion form." Azula smiled wide, pride in her eyes.

"I'm so proud." Lu Ten placed a hand on her shoulder. His eyes turned to Zuko. He gave a dramatic bow at the waist. "Ah. The Avatar. I can practically feel the power coming off of you. How does it feel Zuko, to be the most powerful being in the world?"

Zuko chuckled at the dramatization. He didn't notice the glint returning to Azula's eyes at the attention being so quickly taken from her. Nor did he catch the sharp corners of his father's gaze.

"Don't place such power onto him yet." Ursa stepped in before Zuko could answer. "He's still just a boy."

"He will grow into his power in time." Uncle Iroh gave a warm smile to the young child. "I have no doubt that Zuko will bring much pride to his family in the coming years."

"Yes," Ozai added his voice. His eyes were directed towards his son. "He will be the turning point for us in this war. With a trained Avatar on our front lines, there is no doubt that we will be victorious."

Zuko meet his father's gaze, finding a tightness in his chest at the prospects. Ursa's gaze was tight as she stared at her husband.

"Let's not discuss the war now." Iroh shut the conversation down. He had a similar tightness to his gaze. Placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder, he made note of the bandages he felt under the thin shirt. His gaze caught the bandage wrapped around the boy's thin wrist and the bruise that showed over the top of it. He would need to follow up on this. "This is a time for family."

The tension in the air subsided as conversation moved onto friendlier territories. It carried on late into the night, the family enjoying their time together.

-oOo-

As the night wore on, and the family dispersed into their night routines, Zuko ended up in the training grounds. His father had dropped several hints of his failing bending progress. The disappointment in his eyes when he'd been handed the note from class did not help. His father had sighed heavily, expressing his displeasure when the two had been alone.

Dropping his shirt on a bench, Zuko stood in the center of the courtyard and breathed deeply. His next training session wasn't till the end of the week, and he needed to improve much faster than he had been. He didn't have that long. He'd only slip in his progress if he took a break.

Setting into the first form, Zuko felt the fire rise in his hands. The evening sun cast a soft light upon him as Zuko carefully moved through the forms. His limbs felt strange and heavy as he progressed through the set.

An orange hue had begun to grow dark in the sky as Zuko's fire faded. The final kata finished, he let a soft breath escape him.

Applause danced from behind him. Zuko turned, spotting Lu Ten as he crossed the training area. "I'm impressed little cousin. I've gotten a lot better at those forms."

"They're not perfect." Zuko didn't know why he moved so quick to point out the flaws. He couldn't stop himself. "I don't have enough control of my flame. My stance is still to shaky. My move-"

"-You're doing good." Lu Ten knelt, placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Those are some pretty hard moves, but you're doing really well to learn them."

"Azula mastered them a week ago."

"Well some of us aren't as gifted as your sister. But that doesn't make our progress any less impressive. Besides, you've got something special about you."

Zuko sighed. "Because I'm the Avatar."

"Yes," Lu Ten answered with a smile and a cocking of his head, "there is that. But I was thinking something else. At the end of the day, you're what makes you special."

Zuko wanted to correct his cousin, to tell him that there was nothing special about himself.

Lu Ten seemed to sense his cousin's disbelief. "There are hundreds of prodigies. Generations of Avatars. A nation full of people who can do what we do. But there is only one Zuko."

"There's a boy named Zuko two grades above me."

Chuckling, Lu Ten stood and messed up Zuko's hair. "Alright, smart mouth. You know what I mean."

A set of bells tolled through the city, marking the final moments of the setting sun. There was a set of servants pushing a laundry cart, chatting away happily. Lu Ten threw his arm around Zuko's shoulder, leading him towards the family wing. "Come on, my little firefly. It's growing late."

Zuko nuzzled into Lu Ten's chest, soaking in the warmth that radiated from the older teen. The sun disappeared behind the horizon.