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Chapter 2 : Tea Loving Uncle and Agni Kai

Naruto had glared with hatred at his father during his coronation, something both Azula and Zuko had noticed.

A few weeks later, Iroh came back from the siege of Ba Sing Se and to everyone's surprise, did not challenge his younger brother for the throne. It appeared that the war had taken its toll on the aging man, councils of war and military strategy were not among his interests anymore. Instead, he spent his days reading books, drinking tea and playing Pai Sho. After a few month the former general realized his grief was as strong as ever, and that time could not heal the deep wound in his heart. So he finally decided to leave his personal room and wander around the palace, in order to clear his mind. His footsteps ended up leading him to the training grounds, where Crown Prince Naruto was resting after what seemed to have been a harsh training session. At least, that's what Iroh assumed, considering the burnt and destroyed dummies spread all over the ground. What caught the old General's attention though, was Naruto's facial expression; he was angry, VERY angry. But at the same time, he looked sad and exhausted. Iroh remembered seeing his oldest nephew taking care of his siblings, but who was taking care of that boy ?

"Hello dear nephew." He greeted. "What caused you to feel such violent emotions ?"

"Hello uncle." Naruto politely answered.

But that was the only answer he gave, other than that, he kept to himself. Iroh realized that he needed to get a little closer in order to crack his nutshell.

"You know, when I left the palace, you were but a five year old menace that spent his time pulling pranks on all the servants. I remember my father had to hire investigators in order to discover the culprit of all those catastrophes."

A small smile appeared on Naruto's tired face. Those were good times. But he had to stop pulling those pranks after Fire Lord Azulon's harsh punishment. Plus, he needed to be an exemple for his siblings.

He answered in a sigh :

"I remember. Mother actually laughed when I got caught. She said that she should have known it was me."

Iroh chuckled, it was the first time he did in a long time.

"And now here you are, the Crown Prince of our Nation, a model for its new generation."

"A model, huh ? People don't know anything about me except my bending and my looks, how does that make me a model ?"

"Your hard work and your dedication to your studies are well known." Iroh assured. " Is it what is on your mind young one ? All the expectations that were put on your shoulders ? "

"Not really." Naruto answered while his uncle came to sit next to him. "I'm not that worried about my training and my studies… "

"Then what is it that worries you ? "

A deep, long and tired sigh escaped Naruto's lips, he rubbed his eyes in order to prevent them from closing themselves.

"I can't… I mean… When Mother was here, she mostly took care of Zuko while I was taking care of Azula. It wasn't perfect but it was the best way to prevent any conflicts between them… To deal with Zuko's insecurities and Azula's constant need for love. But now that she is gone… I can't do it all by myself. Azula is very possessive with me, so when Zuko eventually joins us, she gets jealous and angry. And Zuko… well since he is not as good as us at firebending and lacks self-confidence… He feels out of place… like he is bothering us… bothering me… I think Father traumatized him."

The Dragon of the West frowned.

"What do you mean ?"

Naruto then proceeded to tell him about the event that occurred during one of his training session with his little brother, how Ozai berated Zuko for wasting his eldest's precious time with his weakness.

When he heard this, Iroh's eyes narrowed in rage.

"That is not a way to treat your own child."

Naruto sighed one more time.

" I know… What I don't know is what to do… I promised Mother that I would take care of my siblings and I love them both so much… I don't want to disappoint any of them…"

Naruto's sincere feelings and worry towards his siblings quickly soothed his uncle's ire, Iroh put a contorting hand on the blond's shoulder.

"I think you're trying too hard, nephew. You try to fulfill the roles of Mother, Father and Big Brother at the same time. No one can do that, no matter how gifted they are."

Naruto grew desperate.

"Then what should I do, Uncle ? "

Iroh did not answer right away, first, he calmly stroke his beard with a thoughtful look, and examined his nephew from head to toe.

"Well… I believe that the first thing you should do is to take care of yourself, Prince Naruto. You are in no condition to do anything properly, why don't you take a bath ? Relax in order to let your worries and your anxiety go away, replenish your chi with positive thoughts and emotion. Perhaps then, with a clearer mind and a healthier body, you'll be able to take the right decisions."

Naruto frowned before actually taking the time to ponder his uncle's words. His muscles ached, he had a headache and he was feeling sleepy, Iroh was right, how could he take care of Zuko and Azula if he couldn't take care of himself ?

He looked at his uncle in order to thank him, but then, he noticed that said uncle looked as tired and hurt as he was, if not more.

"Maybe you should take your own advice, uncle… Pardon me, but you look like crap."

Iroh widen his eyes when he heard that, but a chuckle quickly escaped his lips.

"Perhaps you are right, perhaps we should both take care of ourselves. How about this; we'll both clear our heads and make ourselves healthier, and then you'll join me for a cup of tea in the gardens. It has been a while since I've shared a cup of tea with anyone."

Naruto agreed and left to bath and clear his mind, his uncle had been, that ended being the best thing to do. All the stress he had accumulated on his shoulders was washed away by the steam, the hot and perfumed water reminded him of the baths he used to take with his mother and siblings as a child, back when everything was simpler.

When he joined his uncle in the garden, he was pleasantly surprised that the former general had settled a Pai Cho board on their garden table. The only person he ever played Pai Cho with was Azula. A new opponent sounded both refreshing and challenging.

Uncle and nephew spent hours talking and playing while drinking Jasmine tea, and for once in a long time, Naruto forgot about all his obligations and Iroh did not think about the failure of a father he was.

"Is Azula really as possessive as you say ?" He inquired curiously.

Naruto sighed with a smile.

"When she introduced her friends Mai and Ty Lee to me, Ty Lee immediately gave me googly eyes, she drooled, stuttered and blushed every time I was near her. When Azula understood what was going on, she wanted to burn Ty Lee to the ground for checking me out, I talked her out of it but it still came pretty close."

Iroh seemed as amused as he was disturbed by this story.

"My wife Amaya used to do the same with each and every girl that dared come close to me." he chuckled. "Your sister must love you very much to go so far at such a young age."

"I love her too, more than anything… But sometimes… I can't help but wonder if I'm not… controlling her life through affection… I don't want her to build her life around me. I want to be part of her life, but I don't want me to be her life if you understand what I mean."

Iroh nodded.

"I understand. You are wise beyond your years to worry about such things at such a young age. Unfortunately, Azula's life is her own, you cannot decide for her. And personally, I understand why she loves you so much. As long as she doesn't bother you or make you uncomfortable, it should be fine. And if she crosses a line, you should tell her as you've always done. Do not try to make her happy with all of your decisions. You are the Crown Prince, you are expected to marry, have heirs and continu the family line. Even though you still have time, it is something that Azula must understand and cope with, one day or the other."

Naruto simply nodded and drank a sip of his tea.

Iroh smiled in return and asked :

" Please do tell me more about this young lady, Ty Lee, is she lovely ?"

Naruto shamelessly answered : "Very lovely, but she is barely older than Azula. "

"I see, I'll have to wait at least five more years before asking again."

"Actually…" Naruto hesitated. "Could you give me some advices about the ladies ? Azula can't make them all go away since Father realized what she was doing, and I don't know how to respond to their advances."

A nostalgic smile appeared on Iroh's bearded face.

"Well, if it's only diplomatic meetings like feasts or parties, I'm sure I can help you protect yourself without being rude to all those beautiful huntresses."

The Dragon of the West suddenly saw his nephew getting embarrassed, the blond scratched the back of his head for a dozen of seconds before finally spilling what was on his mind :

"Well… What if I'm interested in one of those girls ?"

Iroh was barely able to suppress a laugh.

"Haven't you being educated in the art of courtship ?"

Naruto lowered his head in embarrassment. " Not really." he admitted. "Father wants my education to be focused solely on firebending and politics. I know how to have heirs but I don't know how to court a girl. Father said he'd take care of my wedding but… I want my future bride to be happy…"

Iroh's facial expression turned serious, he had a bad feeling about this.

"Prince Naruto… What has the Fire Lord taught you about the process to have heirs ?"

The blond's face was red as a tomato, he pulled out his index finger of his right hand and made an 'O' with his index and thumb of his left hand. Then he inserted his index in the 'O'.

Iroh frowned in dismay. Being given 'the talk' by Ozai was outrageous.

"That's it ? That's all he taught you ? "

Naruto cocked his head to the side.

" What's left to learn ? How to make twins ?"

The blond's naive question lessened his uncle's anger and earned an amused chuckle. " No my boy, but the process to make heirs is not just a process. It's a special and very intimate moment that should be shared and cherished with a person you trust and like. Your marriage will not be a happy one if you content yourself with the bare minimum."

Naruto scratched his chin in curiosity.

"Then what is it that I need to learn ?" he asked.

Iroh let out a resolute sigh. "I'll personally teach you what you need to know regarding courtship."he promised. "As for the more… intimate matters. I believe I have just the solution for you." His look suddenly grew serious. "But before I give it to you, I want you to swear on your honor that you will never, ever, use whatever knowledge you'll learn before you fifteenth birthday. "

Naruto was more than wise enough to listen to a trustworthy elder on an important matter regarding growth.

"I swear on my honor."

(-)(-)(-)

That night, Iroh went to Naruto's bedroom in order to bring him a copy of what would become his nephew's favorite book, by far. 'Love among the Four Nations' by Avatar Kushina of the Fire Nation.

After he brought it, and made the blond promise to not tell anyone about it, the old man left in order to give his nephew all the privacy he needed to perfect his education.

Naruto was mesmerized by the content of his new book; according to its content, Avatar Kushina had been born during a time of peace, and her time among the Air Nomads had taught her true freedom. She spent years traveling around the World, in order to uncover and transcribe the many ways of love and pleasure among the four nations. Needless to say, her lovers were numerous, of all genders and age (as long as they were old enough). Some described her as the 'Whore Avatar', but to many others, including Naruto, she was nothing more than a free woman that roamed the World in order to solve the insoluble equation of love. The Fire Prince was surprised when he read that Kushina ended up having five children from four different fathers because her third pregnancy gave her twins, and that she married a woman in her forties. He was even more surprised when she wrote that love is the one element that is limitless, that passion should be enjoyed and explored to its fullest, and that as long as people were consent, there was nothing wrong into exploring the ways of flesh and love.

In her book, Avatar Kushina wrote many advices regarding the men and women of the four different nations. It was very specific, each profile was precisely pinpointed in every region of every country. Her number of lovers must be more than impressive. If Naruto was honest with himself, he had never burned so much from the inside, and he was the Blessed Fire Prince ! However, the most interesting part was the vivid details regarding the thousands of ways of couplings that were invented across the world. Naruto now understood why Iroh made him swear not to try anything until he was old enough, excited and horny as he was right now, he could have ended up doing something he would have regretted. Fortunately, the numerous warnings written in the book regarding the importance of your partner's feelings were enough to prevent the boy from getting ahead of himself.

When Naruto realized how late it was, he hid his new book and went to sleep. But when he was in his bed, he dreamed about a life similar to Avatar Kushina's. Not necessarily a life filled with pleasure of the flesh and a thousand different lovers. But a life of freedom and travel, where he could meet people from different culture and learn from them as they'd learn from him. Yes, that was the kind of life that he wanted to live.

(-)(-)(-)

The worst day of Naruto's life happened when he was fifteen.

At the time, he was no longer a boy and had turned into a strong built handsome young man, the most coveted young man in the Fire Nation. His unique looks made him so handsome and exotic that even Azula couldn't keep all the noble girls at bay. Not that he needed her in this endeavor, after all, his uncle had taught him well in the art of courtship and how to resist seduction. Two years after their talk in the gardens, Iroh had finally mourned his son and started to live again. At Naruto's request, he started overseeing Zuko's personal training, something the second born prince was very grateful for. And when Azula had learnt that her tea loving uncle had defeated Naruto at Pai Sho, she challenged the old General to a game that ended up in a cruel defeat for her. But Iroh soon learned that Azula was a very competitive princess, and once every three days, she'd barge in her uncle's chambers or during his afternoon cup of tea in the garden to challenge him again. But she never won, just like Naruto.

Deep down, Iroh was very grateful for his niece and nephews. Despite their very different demeanors, he had found purpose in teaching them all.

That is why, when Naruto turned fifteen, the Dragon of the West advised him to travel to the ruins of the Ancient City of the Sun Warriors, in order to discover the true meaning of Firebending.

Unfortunately, it was during his travel that a certain war meeting happened.

And when he came back, he was told by his sister what had happened, and that their brother had been forced into an Agni Kai.

Naruto had been partially reassured when Azula told him that it was an old General that Zuko had insulted, he eased his worries by putting his faith in his brother's hard work despite his lack of skills. But no training could have prepared Zuko for this trial.

On the day of the Agni Kai, Naruto took his place in the stands with Azula to his left and his Uncle to his right. His sister rolled her eyes in amusement when she saw how worried he actually was.

"Oh relax. Zuzu might be terrible but he's been trained by you and uncle, I'm pretty sure he can handle an old man."

"Uncle's an old man and he can't handle him." Naruto pointed out.

Iroh huffed in indignation while his niece and nephew gratified him with very large amused smiles.

"It was a compliment, uncle. " The blonde assured.

Iroh muffled something in his beard. "I'm sure it was." he grumbled.

Azula lazily crossed her legs. "You know, I'm sure that they were more interesting things to do in this lovely afternoon than to watch Zuzu burn an old man."

Now it was Naruto's turn to roll his eyes.

"And how would you react if I missed your very first Agni Kai, sister ? "

"Point taken." She acknowledged.

Zuko walked out onto the arena, noticed his brother's encouraging look, and took his position facing away from his opponent.

But when he did so, he failed to see Fire Lord Ozai strode out arrogantly onto the dueling grounds. Naruto couldn't believe his eyes, even Azula looked a tiny bit worried.

" Uncle ?" He whispered in panic. "What is going on ?"

Iroh was just as horrified as he was.

"It appears that because Zuko spoke out of turn at the Fire Lord's strategy meeting, the Fire Lord considered that it was his own honor that had been tainted."

Naruto immediately tried to stand up in order to stop this, but his uncle and sister grabbed each of his shoulders.

" No, Prince Naruto." Warned Iroh in a pained and alarmed tone. "You cannot stop an Agni Kai, especially one between the Fire Lord and a prince. It would only cause more dishonor and pain." Naruto was mad in anger and shaken by terror, his gritted teeth turn into fangs and his whiskered marks deepened. He sat down but he didn't calm himself.

Soon, the Gong was struck, and when Zuko turned to fight his opponent, he paled in horror when he saw his father standing in front of him. Naruto almost blemished when he saw his brother throwing himself to his knees and begging their father for mercy.

"No…" The Crown Prince murmured in horror.

He fought tears of rage as he watched Ozai humiliate Zuko before the whole capital.

"You will fight for your honor." The Fire Lord boomed.

" I meant you no disrespect !" Zuko cried. "I am your loyal son. "

" Rise and fight, Prince Zuko." Ozai insisted as he continued forward steadily.

"Get up Zuko." Naruto whispered. "Fight him, get burned a little and be done with it…"

" I won't fight you." The second prince replied. "I won't."

"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher." Ozai snarled as he reached forward for his son's face.

Zuko reopened his eyes when he felts his father's palm on his face, something he hadn't felt since childhood. For a second, he thought the Fire Lord was going to show him mercy.

The flame that incinerated the left side of his face proved him wrong.

Zuko's scream of pain resonated inside Naruto's skull as the worst sound he had ever heard, and for two full seconds, he was paralyzed in horror and despair. That was until he realized that Ozai wasn't going to stop. He exploded in rage.

He jet-stepped onto the dueling ground, grabbed his father by the wrist and pulled the flame off his brother's face.

The silence of a graveyard fell upon the arena, Ozai could not believe the audacity of his eldest as Zuko passed out. In the stands, Iroh's jaw had hit the ground and Azula had started to shake in anxiety. But as Ozai was about to berate Naruto for interfering, he saw. He saw his firstborn's rage, he saw his whiskers, his fangs, his claws and the pure hatred that was shining in his crimson red pupils. He felt his son's inhuman strength crush his wrist, and he felt like a hippo-cow in front of a starving Dragon.

"End this, Father." Naruto whispered in a demonic tone. "Or face me in an Agni Kai if you dare."

Ozai was arrogant and powerful, but he wasn't a fool. To challenge his eldest in the kind of spiritual state he was in, meant death. So the Fire Lord regained his composure, and motioned for the blond to release him so that he could put an end to his spectacle. And Naruto did. The Gong was struck and the Agni Kai was over.

Naruto did not spare a glance at his father, he picked his brother up and carried him out of the arena. But his father wasn't done with his brother.

"Prince Zuko dishonored himself by refusing to fight ! He has shown shameful weakness ! As Fire Lord, I hereby banish him from the Fire Nation !" Naruto stopped in his tracks.

" I will only allow him to return if he captures our nation's long lost enemy : The Avatar ! Only then, will he regain an honor worthy of a Fire Prince ! "

Once Ozai was done, Naruto kept going, he never turned back and no on saw his tears.

He had failed to hold the promise he made to his mother. He was a failure.

(-)(-)(-)

When Zuko awoke at the Royal infirmary, the first face he saw was Azula's. The Fire Princess rose her eyes from her book.

"Finally awake Dumb-Dumb ?" She tried to tease, but the heart wasn't at it.

Zuko's head was burning in pain, he tried to put his hand on his face but his sister stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

She frowned at him. "Don't mess your wound up." She reprimanded. "Naruto did not challenge Father in front of the whole court to save your life, for you to make yourself worse."

Zuko's eye widened in shock.

"Naruto did what ? "

Azula crossed her arms and legs.

"Father was going to kill you, he would have done so had Naruto not stopped him. Naruto grabbed Father's wrist before his flame melted your skull down. Father did not dare cause a scandal, for he would have had to face our brother in an Agni Kai if he did, so he let Naruto take you to the infirmary, but he banished you. "

Zuko's mind was confused by the pain and the drugs he was given, all those information were too much for him to assimilate in such a short amount of time.

Azula had to wait a few minutes for her second brother to regain enough sense.

"Why are you here ?" he asked in a whisper.

Azula rose an eyebrow.

"That's your first concern ?"

Since Zuko didn't answer, she decided to humor him.

"Naruto stayed by your side for two days." She explained. "Since he hadn't eaten, slept or even drank, I took watch so that he could take care of himself. He went to rest three hours ago. So I am not going to wake him up." She coldly informed him.

Zuko simply nodded in sadness.

" Why does Naruto bother ?" he whispered.

Azula frowned.

"You're even dumber than I thought, Dumb-Dumb." She scoffed. "He loves you, Agni knows why but he does. You really expected him to let his beloved idiotic little brother die screaming in front of him ? Is that the kind of man Naruto is ? "

Zuko lowered his head in shame, Azula had a point, as always.

"You know, it's kind of funny." She added even though she wasn't amused. "Naruto believes himself to be a failure. "

Zuko's only eye almost shot up. Naruto, a failure ? His overpowered, blessed, loving big brother considered himself a failure ?

Zuko could not believe it.

" W-why ? " he stuttered.

"He promised Mother he'd take care of us and protect us." Azula replied while taping the left side of her face with her index. "He failed."

Zuko did not answer, nor did he really react, he was just dumbstruck.

Considering her duty done, Azula stood up and started leaving.

But her brother called her back.

"Wait… You said Father banished me ?"

The Fire Princess rolled her eyes and turned back. "Yes, Father said that to regain an honor worthy of a Fire Prince, you needed to find and capture the Avatar. "

The scarred Prince's only eyebrow rose up.

"The Avatar ?!" he almost screamed.

Azula nodded.

"Yes, Uncle's been gathering a crew to help you in your search." She informed him. "He said he would come with you to guide you and continue your training."

Zuko took a few seconds to understand his new situation and simply nodded.

"Thanks Azula."

Azula expected many reactions from him, but a 'thanks' wasn't one of them.

"That's it ?" She asked a bit surprised. "You've just learned that you're banished and that you're sent on an impossible quest… I expected tears to be honest." She admitted with a smirk. "But I guess that once Naruto becomes the Fire Lord, he will just revoke your banishment…"

"No." declared Zuko with a new fire in his only eye. "I won't be the failure of a brother that Naruto needs to protect for the rest of his life. This quest is perfect. " He said genuinely. "I won't embarrass Naruto ever again, and once I return with the Avatar, I will prove my worth to our people and earn the right to stand by his side."

Azula looked at him for a second, before a chuckle escaped her lips.

"It could work." She admitted. "But your plan has a massive flaw, genius; the Avatar is gone."

"How do you know ?" Zuko retorted. "Did you see to that yourself ?"

Azula opened her mouth to retort as well, but ended up biting her lower lip.

"Fair point." She conceded. "But what if he actually is ? What are you going to do then ? "

Zuko looked away.

"Then I'll find another way to regain my honor." He begrudgingly said. "But I refuse to stay like this forever. "

Azula shook her head in amusement, before she turned her heels and started to walk out.

"Well I wish you luck on your journey then."

"Wait, Zula."

The Fire Princess rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"What ?" she almost spat.

"I'm sorry. " Zuko said. "I'm sorry for being jealous of you."

Azula frowned, before she chuckled.

"What for ? You were right to be jealous. I'm the one who shouldn't have been jealous of you. I'd rather be Naruto's favorite than Mother's."

She left and didn't turn back, leaving Zuko alone with his new goal in mind.

(-)(-)(-)

When Naruto went to say goodbye to his brother at the docks, he saw him standing near the ship that had been given to him for his quest. With their Uncle standing next to him.

"Zuko." he greeted with a small smile despite the bandage around his little brother's eye.

Zuko bowed with respect. "Prince Naruto." He said, not knowing that he'd hurt his eldest by doing so.

" Here are my last advices. " The blond said with authority. "Listen well for I will not repeat myself."

The Scarred Prince straighten himself up.

"Listen to Uncle." Naruto almost commanded. "You're not a man yet, you would be wise to listen to a trustworthy elder that cares about you in order to become a decent person. Uncle helped me a lot, I know he will help you too. "

Zuko nodded while Iroh bowed in a thankful way.

The blond smiled to the Dragon of the West and kept talking.

"No matter what happens to you during your travels, do not dishonor yourself."
Zuko gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"I'm already dishonored." He almost spat.

"As a prince, not as a man." Naruto corrected. "Do not be unnecessarily violent, do not disrespect someone that hasn't disrespected you, always be polite, especially with the many ladies you'll meet around the World."

Zuko puffed in embarrassment while Iron chuckled.

Naruto pointed an accused finger at his brother's torso.

"If you get married, you'd better send me an invite or I'll crash your wedding." He threatened. "And don't you dare make me an uncle too soon, I'm not ready to fill Uncle's shoes."

Zuko face was now redder than his brother's pupils.

"Naruto !" He cried in embarrassment while Iroh was holding back a laugh.

The blond didn't let his little brother complain, he pulled him in a hug and hold him tight.

"Please take care of yourself little brother." He whispered while fighting the tears that threatened to invade his eyes. "I love you."

Zuko failed to fight his own, he cried freely while returning the hug.

When the two brothers separated, the youngest turned his back and went aboard his new ship. Naruto looked at him for a second before he pulled a book from his sleeves and gave it to his uncle who recognized it and hid it in a hurry.

"I made a copy for Zuko." Naruto explained quietly while looking around. "I'm trusting you to find the right time to offer it to him."

"I will." Iroh said with a wink before putting a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I'm going to miss you Prince Naruto. I'm proud of the young man you are."

Naruto pulled his uncle in a hug. "I'll miss you too, please take care of Zuko."

"I will."

Iroh was about to board the ship when Zuko reappeared suddenly, judging by the expression on his face, it took him a lot of courage to come back.

"Naruto." He called. "I'm not your failure."

The blond widen his eyes in shock.

"You've always been there for me, you've made so many sacrifices for me…" The second prince stopped himself before he ranted for too long, there was only one thing that he truly wanted to say. "I'm proud to be your brother. I promise to make you proud."

For a few seconds, Naruto didn't move nor did he say anything. Then he gave Zuko a thumb up and the giant goofy smile that all of his loved ones adored, appeared on his whiskered face.

"I Believe it." The Crown Prince said while preventing his tears to fall one more time.

It became harder to do so when his little brother returned his thumb up.

Iroh silently thanked the Spirits for giving him the chance to witness such a lovely moment between two members of his family.

Naruto stayed on the docks until Zuko's ship was nothing more than a dot on the horizon, when he was sure that no one was watching him, he finally let his tears flow.