Izumi was standing at her parents' bed side. Her mom was currently out of town with some friends, so she would have to wake up her dad for this, not that he would mind her waking him up. She had woken him up numerous times as a child for thing such as nightmares, being afraid there is a monster under the bed, once or twice because of a spider. He never complained about any of it. But the thing is that she sort of got into a fight with him before going to bed tonigh and he yelled at her to go to her room. In which she in turn yelled at him that he was a horrible father, and she had yelled so loud that probably even the guards down the hall, outside the doors of the family living quarters had heard it. Her dad still wouldn't mind being woken up, even when angry he still loved her. She knew that. It was just going to be a bit awkward waking him up for help after all of that. Actually it was going to make the situation extra akward, as the subject at hand as to why she was waking him up, was going to be awkward enough to tell him as it is.

She nudged her dad's arm, "Dad?" "Dad?"

Zuko startled awake, turing to look at whoever had just awoken him. "Mmh? Izumi!?" He said surprised, it had been at least two years since she had woken him or his wife up on the middle of the night for anything. "What is it?"

"I umm...I got my period."

"What?" He now sounded even more suprised than when she had woken him up.

"I got my period. And I um, don't have any pads or anything."

Zuko stared, still taking in the information for a moment. Never in his life did he think he would be the one to have to deal with this situation. He had ASSUMED it would be his wife that would handle this. But just his luck, she it happened while she was out of town.

"Dad?" Izumi said when her father didn't respond right away.

"Yeah, here," he said trying to compose himself, "I think your mom has some pads in the bathroom." Getting out of bed he lead Izumi to his and his wife's bathroom. Izumi was glad that so far he hadn't brought up the fight from earlier.

Once they were in the bathroom he opened up one of the cabinets and pulled out a pad from inside. "Here you go." He said, handing Izumi a pad.

"Thanks. I um, need to go change my underwear before putting this on."

"Right." Zuko said realizing that made sense, though he had no experience with these things. He watched Izumi as she walked out of his room and back to her own.

When Izumi got back to her room, she grabbed a pair of underwear out of her dresser and headed into her bathroom to change. While in there, she wondered if she should head back to her dad's room aftewards or just go to bed. That question was answered when she walked back into her room to find her dad sitting in one of her chairs.

"Hey, you alright?" Zuko asked

"Yeah I'm fine." She replied, feeling a little sheepish and guilty considering that she had called him a horrible father earlier and now here he was making sure she was ok.

"Come here," he said, opening his arms out for a hug.

She happlily obliged, walking into his embrace. He tightened his arms around her and she sat down on his lap. She might be a little old for lap sitting at 12, but it felt comforting to be so wrapped in his embrace.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, for calling you a horrible father."

"Apology accepted." Zuko said squeezing her tighter.

"Hey dad."

"Yes princess?" He use to call her that all the time when she was little. He sometimes still does.

"My stomach kind of hurts." She said pulling out of their hug.

"It's probably cramps. That can be nornal when you have your period. Pain relief medication can help. Do you have any or do you need me to go find some?"

"I think I have some in my bathroom." Izumi got up and headed to into her bathroom. A few moments later she came out with two pills. "I need to go get some water."

"I will get it." Zuko told her, at which he got up and exited the room. Izumi went to sit on her bed.

As he walked down the hall and out of the living quarters to head towards the kitchen, one of the guards who was standing at the enterance to the living quarters hall spoke to him.

"Can't sleep your majesty?"

"No it's Izumi. She woke me up because she...needed something." Zuko wasn't really sure Izumi would want it broadcasted to the guards that she just got her period. It had to be akward enough for her, having to tell her dad about it, Zuko thought.

"I heard the two of you fighting earlier. I have to say Sir, if she thinks you're such a terrible father maybe you should show her what a terrible father actually looks like."

Zuko felt anger rising inside of him. He tried to remain calm though, "She doesn't actually think that, she just said it because she was upset."

"Doesn't make it right. Maybe she needs to learn a lesson."

"How!? By having her father, who is suppose to love and protect her, none the less the only parent here at the moment treat her horribly so that she can't go to them for help? By making her feel uncomfortable around me, if not unsafe? Kids her age say things all the time. I said plenty of things to my uncle when I was older than she is. If it starts to get out if hand I will address it with her, but how I do that, how I discipline my kids, is my decison and my buisness, not yours."

The guard fell silent for a moment, before replying, "My apologies your majesty."

Zuko didn't respond. Rather he simply turned and walked into the kitchen. He couldn't believe what the guard said. And it bothered him that a member of his staff thought that way. It bothered him that anyone thought that way. Frankly he took it as a compliment that Izumi felt safe enough with him to argue with him, to talk back, to say what she said to him. He would have never spoken to his father that way, let alone feel safe enough to wake him up in the middle of the night after doing so. Regardless of what Izumi mouthed off, him being a horrible father, is not a punishment she would have to worry about.

He grabbed a cup out of a cabinet and filled it with water. He said nothing to the guard when passing him on the way back. When he got to Izumi's room he found her laying in her bed.

"Here you go," he handed her the glass of water. She took it, swallowing the pills, and placing the cup on her night stand.

"Thank you."

"Of course." Zuko said, kissing her forehead. "Do you need anything else?"

"No."

"Ok. Do you have any questions about it...your period? If you do you can ask me. I know I'm a guy but I still know some stuff about it." This was a very akward conversation for Zuko, but he wanted Izumi to know that she could talk to him about it if she needed to.

"No Dad. I know what my period is."

"Ok." He half laughed.

As she settled into the covers, Zuko tucked them in around her body, kissing her forehead. "Well if you need anything else or you do need to talk about it you can come get me."

"Ok."

"Goodnight. I love you." Zuko said, turning to walk out of the room.

"Love you." She whispered after him.

Zuko quietly closed the door to her room, smiling. Even if it was awkward, he was glad he was able to be there for her during this milestone in her life. And no amount of her talking back or yelling at him out of anger would have stopped him from being there for her the first night of her period.