Zuko was sitting in the front yard of the palace, waiting for Izumi and Nolan to get home. The 14 year old twins were currently at their fire bending lessons, taking their final test of the to see if they have mastered fire bending. While he was waiting, his mind driffted to memories of them fire bending when they were younger...

"Dad will you spar with me?"

Zuko had been walking down the hallway. He stopped and turned around to find his 10 year old son starring at him. "What?" Zuko asked.

"Will you spar with me? You know, with fire bending. In my lessons we are starting to learn how to fight and defend ourselves using fire bending, and are starting to spar, so I was wondering if you would practice with me?"

"Oh, I don't know buddy..." Zuko was quite hesitant to spar with Nolan. The idea of shooting fire at his son, even if it was only for sparring practice, didn't settle well with him.

"It might be better to save sparring for lessons, where you have an instructor who has experience sparring safely and helping make sure others do."

"But kids spar with each other all the time outside of fire bending lessons. I would spar with Izumi, but she is a level below me and hasn't started learning how to how to use firebending for fighting and defense yet."

Zuko sighed. "I'm just not comfortable sparring with you bud."

"How come?"

"I'm just not. I don't want to...feel like I'm trying to hurt you, nor do I want to end up accidentally hurting you. You're my son, I'm your father. I'm suppose to protect you."

"Dad, it's sparring. It's not like you're actually trying to hurt the other person. And even if I get a little burned, I will be fine. It's rare that anyone gets seriously injured during fire bending sparring."

Zuko knew that what Nolan was saying was true, and it was going to be hard to argue. He couls also see that Nolan really wanted to spar, and he didn't want to disappoint his son, but he still wasn't comfortable with the idea. "Maybe when you're a little older or have had a bit more experience." He told Nolan.

"Ok." Nolan replied, defeated.

Zuko starred at his son for a moment, he hated seeing him disappointed and tried to think of a way to cheer him up, when an idea came to him. "Hey, do you want to practice your sword skills at all?" Zuko had recently started showing Nolan how to use swords, using fake practice swords of course.

"Sure." Nolan said, sounding at least a little happier now.

Zuko reached his hand out and ruffled his son's hair "Alright I will go grab the practice swords and meet you out in the backyard." Zuko told him.

"Ok." Nolan replied, ducking away from his dad's hand so that he would have to stop messing with his hair.

It wasn't until Nolan was 11, the topic of fire bending sparing came up again.

"Hey, how was your day?" Zuko asked, standing in his son's bedroom door way. He had heard Nolan come home from fire bending lessons and thought he would go check to see how his day was. Zuko would often check up on kids like this, asking how their day was and such to make sure everything was going well in their lives and to support them if it wasn't. He wanted to make sure his kids knew that they weren't alone, that he was there for them if they needed him.

"It was fine, but..." Nolan hesitated

"But what?" Zuko asked in a caring matter, approaching his son.

Nolan sighed, looking at his father who was now standing in front of him. "Some of the other kids in my class were talking about sparring with their parents and things their parents have taught them when sparring, and I just had to sit there and listen because you don't spar with me. And grant it, I wasn't the only one who couldn't particupate in the conversation, there are kids whose parents aren't benders so they can't spar with them at all. But I don't understand why you won't spar with me. I mean I know you said you're uncomfortable with it, but plenty of other kids' parents do it."

Zuko looked at his son. He hated seeing him upset. He hated more to be the cause of that upsetness. And he certainly didn't want to deprive Nolan of some childhood or father son experience that other kids have.

"This is really important to you isn't it?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah." Nolan replied. "It's just that I don't really have anyone else to spar with. Izumi only just now moved up to this level of fire bending and Aki and Hideo (those were Nolan's two closest friends) aren't benders. Also you're a great fire bender and my dad, I want to learn from you."

Zuko looked at his son "Ok," Zuko sighed, "then I will spar with you."

"Really!?" Nolan said excitedly.

"Yes. I don't want to deprive you of some experience that other kids get with their parents, plus I want you to be able to hi practice."

"Thank you, Dad," Nolan said launching foward, giving Zuko a hug.

Zuko reciprocated the hug. "I'm free the rest of the afternoon, if you want to spar now."

"Ok!" Nolan said.

"Alright, let me go get changed."

When Zuko got done changing, he came back to find Izumi in Nolan's room with him, as while Zuko was changing, Nolan had gone to tell her that their dad was actually going to spar with him.

"Nolan said that you are going to let him spar with you. Can I watch?" Izumi asked

"Sure, why not? " Zuko said, rolling his eyes slightly at how excited both his kids were for this.

Outside, in the fire bending practice area, Zuko and Nolan warmed up and began sparring. Zuko of course took it easy on Nolan, and he let Nolan win one or two rounds, however Zuko still won most of them, including the last one.

Hi

Nolan tripped and fell backwards onto the ground. Zuko stood over his son and held out a hand to help him up.

"I win." Zuko said.

Nolan huffed and took his dad's hand. Zuko pulled him off the ground. Zuko then quickly pulled Nolan in close to his torso, wrapping one arm around him, and giving him a nuggie with his free hand. "Yeah I win! I got you!" Zuko exclaimed.

"Dad! Dad!"

Zuko wasn't letting go, instead he pulled his son even closer to him.

"Izumi help me!" Nolan shouted.

Izumi ran over and jumped on her dad's back. Zuko held Nolan hostage in one arm and use his free arm to reach around and pull Izumi around to his front side. He then trapped the the two of them in his arms.

"You're both mine now!" He exclaimed. Nolan and Izumi were both laughing by this point. Zuko held them close and kissed the top of their heads. He loved both of his children very much.

"Dad will you spar with me too?" Izumi asked.

"Sure, but not right now. I'm worn out. How about tomorow?"

"Ok." Izumi replied

Zuko let go of his kids and looked at Nolan. "You did a good job today, remember the pointers I gave you though."

"Ok. Thanks, Dad."

"Sure thing."

Zuko was glad that he had agreed to spar with Nolan. He liked helping his son and enjoyed seeing him happy. Even though the thought of shooting fire at his son made him uneasy at first, he didn't want to deprive his son of practice or of fond memories with his dad. And once he saw his son's trusting and smiling face in front of him ready to spar, he thought about how he would never hurt his son the way his own farther had him and he realized that no matter what it felt like or what memories it brought up, he wasn't actually trying to hurt his son and never would.

At that moment, Nolan and Izumi got home from their test. Upon seeing their Dad in the garden, they walked over to him.

"I passed, Dad." Nolan said.

"Great job! I'm so happy for you." Zuko said, hugging his teenage son, who though he felt himself too old for hugs, didn't protest his dad's affection.

He turned to Izumi.

"I didn't pass..."

"Izumi, I'm sorry. Come here." He gave his daughter a hug. Izumi had always struggled a bit with learning fire bending. She had caughten up to Nolan pretty well in the last year. They were at the same level in lessons, but she still strugled at was at the lower end of her class. He beant down a little bit to meet her at eye level, "You and I will keep practicing ok?" Izumi, Zuko figured out years ago when she was little, benefitted much from one on one help in fire bending.

"Yeah and I can help you practice too." Nolan added.

"Ok, thanks" Izumi said, with a small smile.

-

The following weekend, a party was held for Nolan to celebrate his completion of fire bending lessons. Izumi was sitting on her bed in her dress for the party, when her mom and dad walked in.

"Hey, it's almost time for your brother's party to start. You ready?" Her mom asked.

"Yep." Izumi said, getting off her bed and walking over to her parents.

"Hey," Zuko put his hands on her shoulders "when you pass the final level of fire bending lessons, we will hold a party just like this for you too. I just wanted you to know that."

"I know, Dad."

"Good." Zuko responded with a smile and the three of them headed to ball room for the party.