A/N: I am happy with the way this story has been received after the first chapter. I love the idea of what if Zuko had been a girl and how would that have changed things with Ozai and Ursa and the relationship Zuko had with Azula. I also wonder what the world would have been like if Ozai had been allowed to remain Fire Lord after his defeat by Aang. I am really excited about the way the story has been framed and I sincerely hope you will enjoy my efforts. If you have any thoughts, ideas, questions or encouragement, write a review and let me know what's on your mind. If you likey, follow or favorite or both! This chapter reveals some of Ozai's intentions for Zuko and we have some guest characters popping in who of course will be just as integral to the story.
Disclaimer: Fanfiction is for gender-bending...
Chapter 2 Unexpected Visitors
The next morning's sun brought the promise of a better day. Zuko felt much happier and her face was not as sore or swollen. Katara's healing ability was a true miracle and Zuko was glad for a friend like her. Zuko and her friends sat around the breakfast table chatting quietly and waiting for her father.
Breakfast was held in a private dining area reserved for the Fire Lord, his family, and their closest friends only. Azula and her best friends Mai and Ty Lee entered the dining room and sat a few seats away from Zuko closer to the Fire Lord's designated spot. Sokka came in a moment later and sat down next to Toph. He was glad to see Zuko smiling again and chatted with his sister and her friends pleasantly.
There were a few empty spaces and the children wondered for whom the seats were reserved. They didn't have long to wait for as the Fire Lord entered so did two other men. In seconds Zuko, Katara, and Toph were out of their seats and hugging the old General Iroh and his son Lu Ten fiercely and talking a mile a minute.
"Ah children, it is good to see all of you happy and…well. No broken bones this time, Zuko? Excellent!" Uncle Iroh chirped happily. Zuko blushed and tried to hide her embarrassment. Lu Ten tapped her arm and winked. He gestured in the direction of the seating. Zuko laughed and moved to return to her seat.
Once everyone was seated again, the Fire Lord greeted them and gave the blessing of the meal. Ozai struck up a conversation with his brother attempting to be pleasant. "So, brother how goes your travels? I heard you have been going around to all the nations spreading goodwill and tea."
Iroh chuckled at his younger brother's attempt at humor. "Yes, how could the world survive without tea? It is one of the few universal languages aside from love and music!" Ozai shrugged neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his brother.
He turned to his nephew. "Lu Ten I also heard that you have been working on a new style of firebending that uses a combination of hand to hand combat and bending. How is that faring?"
Lu Ten nodded. "Ah, yes I have Uncle Ozai. I've taken the use of certain elements like swordplay and melee weapons and combined the movements of using those weapons with their fire equivalents. I have also been working with benders of other nations to do the same with their elements. I've learned so much from studying the arts of the other benders."
At this Azula was shocked, "Why would you need to learn anything from other benders when firebending is clearly superior? It sounds like a waste to me." She said nonchalantly waving her hand dismissively. Lu Ten was not bothered by her statement. He knew his cousin was one of the few who still clung to the hope the Fire Nation would one day rise to it's previous "glory."
He smiled. "Thankfully little cousin, the world isn't so black and white. Your Uncle Iroh and even your father became the highly skilled benders they are today from learning about other forms. I would hope as you go out into the world a little more you would gain insights that may help you see things from the perspectives of others. It will help you in your relations with people."
Azula scoffed at the subtle rebuke and shrugged. "I don't need it if I'm better than you." She clipped. Lu Ten laughed out loud. "Perhaps, but keep in mind you're not the only one with blue fire or lightning, nor have met your match. One day you will discover that for every great strength there is a counter strength and it can be humbling when that happens. Well, anyway, what's going on with you Zu?" he said looking over at Zuko who watched the conversation play out with astonishment.
Azula was taken aback by her cousin's statement and she wondered briefly if there was someone in the world who could counter her skills. She pretended not to care and began talking with her friends once more. Zuko rejoiced inwardly at her cousin's ability to silence her sister and hoped to learn from him while he was there.
"What's going on with me? Uh, well I kind of had a kuai ball accident yesterday. Someone launched the ball and found my face, haha! Um, my cheek was as big as a grapefruit yesterday, but I'm fine now…" she chattered nervously knowing her father was listening. She cleared her throat and stopped talking as her father watched her prattle his eyes narrowing.
Lu Ten raised both eyebrows and put his hand out in front of his father without looking at him. Iroh's shoulders drooped and he reached for his coin purse with a groan. He took out several gold pieces and placed them in his son's hands. Lu Ten closed his hand quickly and winked at Zuko again. She rolled her eyes and smirked at the wager made at her expense.
Sokka watched the exchange and whooped into a laugh. "Nice." Was all he said. Katara and Ty Lee giggled while Azula and Mai rolled their eyes at the common display from the royals. Toph didn't care and continued eating her breakfast.
Ozai cleared his throat and everyone stopped. "I have been noticing of late that my daughter Zuko has developed some curious habits that always seem to result in various injuries on her person. I believe this is the result of a lack of training in decorum that should have come from her mother."
At the mention of her mother Zuko's eyes widened. Ozai continued undaunted. "I have decided that I will be sending Zuko to Madame Hachi's school of elegance." Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee gasped.
They had heard of Madame Hachi's school and knew that she was a no-nonsense woman capable of breaking even the toughest savage girl down to nothing and re-creating a woman of style and grace. Her school was only for the toughest of uncultured cases. It must be worse than they thought if the Fire Lord was willing to send Zuko there.
From the look on her father's face, Zuko knew there would be no discussion about this arrangement and her best choice was to comply with little resistance. "W-when do I leave, Father?" she asked meekly lowering her head.
Ozai smirked. "You will leave tomorrow at noon. You will be sent off by your friends who will also be returning to their places of residence with the exception of Prince Sokka who will continue his diplomatic mission here in the Fire Nation. Zuko your friends may return to the Fire Nation once you do." Zuko stared in shock. She didn't expect to be leaving so soon.
"Father, why am I leaving so early? Don't plans like this normally take days? Have I displeased you that much?" she asked her voiced edged with frustration. Ozai pretended as if she hadn't spoken at all.
"You have packing to do. I have instructions from the Madame for you to take your best clothing as well as items to be discarded. You will be taking all your clothing and deciding there. Do not bother with trinkets and mementos as they will be unnecessary. I have full confidence that the Madame will not fail. Enjoy your breakfast everyone." Ozai said and continued eating as if he had not just shattered his daughter's world.
Katara, Toph, and Sokka looked at Zuko with shock, pity, and sadness. They were not sure how long Zuko would have to remain with the Madame Hachi or if she would survive it. Iroh and Lu Ten gave each other a knowing look. Perhaps Ozai did not realize what he was doing in sending his daughter there. Madame Hachi was a well-known acquaintance of Iroh's and they knew that Zuko would not be the same after her encounter but not in the way Ozai was probably expecting.
Zuko knew she didn't own much in the way of clothing like her father believed. Most of her ceremonial clothes were too small and she was not keen on attending formal functions without provocation, so she had very little formal clothing as well. After packing with her handmaid Kiko, Zuko wanted to spend time with her uncle, cousin, and friends before it was too late.
They decided to have lunch out by the turtle duck pond that was created by her mother long ago. Iroh brought extra bread so that the children could feed the ducklings. Zuko smiled as she watched Toph feed a small duckling from her hand. Toph giggled as the turtle duck nipped and pecked at her palm. Zuko felt someone watching her and she turned to see Lu Ten looking at her intently. He smiled.
"Have you thought much about your trip?" he asked. Zuko had been trying to avoid thinking about it all day and she said as much but then figured she couldn't escape telling her cousin the truth. He always had a way of pulling it from her.
"On one hand I expected such an announcement after the dinner debacle yesterday, but I didn't think Father would send me away so soon. Maybe he had been thinking about sending me away for a while and found the right opportunity. I try not to think about the implications." She said.
Lu Ten watched her curiously. "What would the implications be in your mind?" he asked. Zuko shook her head. It was too personal. Lu Ten stood up and offered her his hand. Zuko raised an eyebrow but took his hand anyway and Lu Ten helped her stand.
"Walk with me," he whispered. Lu Ten ignored the curious stares of his father and Sokka and placed Zuko's arm in the crook of his own. They walked around the massive gardens near the pond, but out of the hearing of the others.
"So, about my question…" Lu Ten began. Zuko sighed. "The implications would be that perhaps I have to accept that my father is disappointed in me and that I don't measure up to his standards. It could also truly mean that I am the child that he never…" Zuko stopped speaking before the tears formed in her voice.
She didn't want to admit that perhaps her father never really wanted her and was trying to find ways to get rid of her without killing her as he wanted to do after she was born.
The story she gleaned from the way her parents spoke of her birth, was that Ozai was enthusiastic about his firstborn until he was told he had a daughter instead of a son. The one concession was that at least she would be a firebender he thought. That is until it was said that she didn't have the "spark" of a firebender in her eyes. Eyes that were just like her father's.
He told the servants to take her away until her mother who almost died during childbirth that day begged for her daughter's life. As an insult to her mother Ursa and a mark of shame for the baby girl, Ozai named her Zuko which in Fire Tongue meant "ancestor robber" and the name in old Fire Tongue also meant "failure."
That's what she felt like over and over, time and time again. Zuko felt like she couldn't do anything right in her father's eyes. Tears welled in her eyes and Lu Ten pulled her close to him. His touch was the catalyst to take her tears over the brim and she sobbed into his shoulder.
"Why doesn't he want me, Lu Ten? Why doesn't my father love me?" She wailed. Lu Ten knew that Ozai was many things, and left much to be desired as a parent emotionally, but despite the beginning and his distant approach to child-rearing, he did love his daughter. Hopefully he would not wait until it was too late to show it.
Lu Ten knew then that perhaps going to Madame Hachi would be the best move for Zuko for it was with Madame Hachi she would learn to love herself. If she could do that, it wouldn't matter who loved or didn't love her, because her love for herself would be constant and true.
Lu Ten whispered into Zuko's hair. "I believe Uncle Ozai does love you though he doesn't realize it yet. Perhaps this journey is not for him but for you, Zuko. This will be a chance for you to find out who you really are and want to be. Don't see this time as a failure; see it as an opportunity to grow."
He sighed as he rubbed Zuko's back in small circles allowing her to cry out her frustration and misery. Zuko's tears subsided and she sighed perhaps in resolution or in relief—she didn't really care. Things were changing and she hoped they would be for the better after her time with Madame Hachi and her school of elegance.
That night Zuko and her friends gathered in Zuko's room for a sleepover. Toph volunteered to do Zuko's hair and Zuko volunteered to do Katara's. Zuko took the time to put Katara's hair in an intricate Gaul-style braid with flowers and ribbons positioned throughout. Zuko figured Katara or Kiko could help her repair whatever damage Toph did to her hair in the morning.
Zuko tapped Katara on the shoulder. "There, all done." Katara looked in the hand mirror Zuko gave her and gasped. "Zu, wow! I love it." Katara said with a hint of awe. "This is much too pretty for bed! How will I sleep on it?" Zuko winked. You'll find a way. I'll refresh it in the morning if your hair gets too messed up." Katara laughed. "I guess you're right. Hey, don't we have to get up early for this trip tomorrow?" Zuko shrugged.
"Yes, I suppose—Ow Toph! You're pulling…Are you almost done? Toph smirked. "Yes, your highness I'm almost done. Hopefully, there aren't any knots…" Zuko looked back sharply. "Knots! Toph are you serious? I want to see my hair." Katara passed back the mirror and Zuko looked cautiously expecting a pure disaster. Zuko was surprised to see a perfectly shaped bun with strands of her long dark hair gently framing her face.
"Whoa! Toph I am impressed. Where did you learn to do this?" Zuko said with her own awe. Toph grinned knowingly.
"I don't like depending on others to do everything for me. I practiced on my maids and they gave me advice on what to do until I could do it all by myself." Katara looked back and smiled. "I guess the moral here is to never judge a book by its cover, yeah?" Zuko rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, OK. Lesson learned. Let's go to bed girls." Zuko said trying to stifle a yawn with the back of her hand. Toph climbed over to the side of the bed closest to the wall. Zuko got in the middle of the bed and Katara took her customary preferred spot on the end closest to the floor. Her reasoning was that she usually had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Zuko whispered to her two friends, "Good night girls. See you in the morning." Toph was already snoring lightly when Katara whispered back. "Good night, Zu."
The night was peaceful and still. A figure crept out of a bedroom into the barren hallway and walked quietly down the corridor careful to step silently and stick closely to the shadows in case there were any guards patrolling.
The night stalker came to a room on the very end of the hallway that was supposed to be unoccupied and stopped. The figure tapped once then twice. The door opened silently, and the person walked in.
Lu Ten sat on the bed in the far corner shirtless with bedhead. The figure stepped from the shadows into the muted candlelight and waited in the middle of the floor.
"Hi there," Katara said shyly. "Hi beautiful," Lu Ten replied smiling.
Lu Ten looked away. "This is getting harder and harder to do, Katara. Every time I leave you, I wonder if it will be the last time we'll be together. I wonder if you'll finally give up and find someone else."
Katara laughed. "Not on your life, Lu Ten, and I do mean that literally." Lu Ten laughed. "Yeah, yeah, get over here already."
Lu Ten held out his hands to encourage Katara to come to him and he pulled her into the bed with him. He draped Katara over his lap so that she was facing him in his arms and his face grew dour. "I don't want to lose you Kat, I'm serious. Father and I are still trying to figure out a way around this damn international treaty so that you and I can get married." Katara nestled herself into Lu Ten's shoulder and sighed. He grimaced.
"It's so stupid. They want us to stay separated so that we don't come together and take over the world, but they also want us to find diplomatic ways to get along and create partnerships. Does that even make sense?"
Katara rolled her eyes. "No, it doesn't, but the councils are afraid of our countries making alliances that could be considered "politically imbalanced". That's government speech for perceived advantages." Lu Ten rubbed his nose along Katara's temple taking in the scent of lilacs and fire lilies in her hair. Katara sighed deeply.
"There's always the potential that we're planning on starting another war. It's hard for some to believe that people in positions of power could want to legitimately be with someone for love. Unfortunately, just like hell, the path to peace is also paved with good intentions." she whispered.
Lu Ten hummed and played in her braid that was so intricately woven with flowers and ribbon. He smiled. "Is that where we're headed, hell? Because it sure as hell doesn't feel like peace yet," he said smirking.
Katara laughed softly. I think we'll be OK as long as we stick together Lu and we don't give up." Lu Ten nodded. "I know you're right. I just can't stop thinking about what I would do if I ever lost you. I don't think I could bear it, my love." He said his eyes sad and heart heavy.
Katara reached up and touched Lu Ten's face. She held his gaze with her cobalt eyes looking into his amber ones. Katara gently stroked his jaw in a soothing cadence, and he closed his eyes and leaned against her hand.
"That's the worst-case scenario Lu; don't think about it so much. I'm here now. I'm here with you. Let's take advantage of that." She said softly.
Lu Ten leaned down and brushed Katara's lips with his own. Katara smiled as she responded in kind to his kisses deepening them and urging Lu Ten with her tongue to grant her entrance.
Lu Ten obliged and without disconnecting slid Katara off his lap and on to the bed. Lu Ten lowered his hand to gently caress Katara through her thin nightgown eliciting quiet moans of pleasure. He gently grasped her thigh and pulled her closer to himself.
They would comfort one another and express their love in the way fate allowed until they found a solution to their marriage problem.
Zuko woke up to the familiar sense that something in her environment changed. She turned her head and noticed that Katara's side of the bed was once again empty. Zuko knew that Katara would be back not long before sunrise, so she turned over and went back to sleep.
As she drifted off in slumber, Zuko hoped one day her best friend and cousin would be able to be together in the way they desired and that their clandestine rendezvous in the middle of the night would one day be unnecessary.