Zuko knew it would come to this. He felt it in his bones when Raizu singled him out during lunch time talking about a whole new approach to get him to make better flames. What was interesting was he said so when father had stepped out for a quick word with his advisors about something. Mother only reminded him of his promise to grandfather about lightning and that they shouldn't stay out too late, and as a compromise—or more likely according to plan, mother got dragged into it as well.

What was scarier was how Azula felt the need to suffer with him in his misery tonight.

"Glad you could join us, Zula," their youngest brother said with a smile. It was weird how he looked more like uncle than any other kid his age.

Azula narrowed her eyes at him. "Nothing crazy?"

Raizu had to think about his answer for a bit before saying, "I don't think it's crazy."

Weird, then, Zuko decided. It was a relief they were out in the garden outside mother's room and under her watchful eye. He knew she would be listening, rather, keeping an eye out for whoever might overhear whatever Raizu would be talking about.

"Well, you both might want to sit down for a while." Raizu walked over to one of the bushes and picked up a stick.

Next to Zuko, Azula clicked her tongue. It was going to be a long night.

"Okay, first off please try not to tell anyone outside of us and mom whatever I'm gonna say, because I do not enjoy father's idea of capital punishment."

Raizu cleared his throat, then brought out a folded piece of paper from his pants.

Azula made a strangled noise, and Zuko prayed he could at least get some sleep after this.

"Right. So. Fire." Raizu put the stick down and raised a finger in the air to light a small flame. "Right. Okay."

Zuko swallowed the lump in his throat.

"First, can you tell me what it feels like for you when you make a fire? It would help if you can point to parts of your body or describe what you're thinking. Anything and everything you can say about it."

That was not a question he ever expected to hear. He wasn't a prodigy like either of the twins, he just knew that fire was fire when he made it. "I… want to make fire, so I punch and make fire?"

Raizu blinked. "Okay, good, this is a start."

It wasn't the answer he was looking for, but even then Raizu never laughed or told him off. He didn't shout like father when he didn't understand or get mad like the tutors, that was just what made Raizu who he was.

"Maybe a different line of questioning." His younger brother picked up the stick and set fire to one end. "Remember that a fire that wasn't made with bending needs to burn something to keep itself alive."

Zuko nodded. "So you're asking what is burned when we bend a flame?"

"Exactly," Raizu said with a smile.

Zuko tilted his head. "You burn Chi?" That was always what grandfather, father, and his tutors always talked about every other lesson. "Is that it?"

Raizu nodded. "And where does the Chi come from?"

"From the air?"

"You skipped a step, Zuzu," Azula added.

"From the body?"

Azula nodded.

"And then we breathe in, so we burn Chi that we get from the air, and you're asking what does it feel like for me to burn Chi?"

Raizu's eyes were shining. That was the right question then. "Yeah, can you describe it?"

Azula closed her eyes and started breathing deeply.

Zuko closed his eyes and started breathing deeply as well. Raizu and Azula always knew best, so he would listen well.

"It feels like something's pulling at my stomach," Azula was the first to say.

Her stomach? Not her arms or legs? Zuko opened his eyes and found himself face to face with Raizu way too close.

"I'm guessing big brother never tried the candle exercise without breathing?"

"No way…" Azula stared at the burning stick, then it glowed brighter a second later.

Azula started laughing. "I can't believe I never thought of that before."

"Right? It's pretty funny." Raizu set the stick in front of him. "You try this time big brother. But start first with breathing, then gradually slow down but keep the fire moving."

"Okay." He focused on feeling for the fire in front of him and found the small and weak thing, he concentrated on it then breathed in.

The fire glowed brighter.

He breathed out and the fire dimmed. He breathed in again, slower this time, and the stick likewise glowed brighter with the same slow pace. He was supposed to pay attention to his stomach, but all he could feel was his stomach moving. And knowing Raizu, it was better to admit to not knowing than wasting time trying to figure it out. "I'm not feeling it."

Raizu hummed. "Maybe it's too subtle?" Then his younger brother smiled. "Well, you won't enjoy it, and we might have to cut the session short, but I have another idea that might work for you, it will be tiring though."

Zuko shrugged. If there was one thing he was proud of, it was that he could always outlast both Raizu and Azula in their exercises, and he was proud that his younger siblings could look up to that. "Sure, if you think it will help."

"Okay, so, its pretty much the same thing as the candle exercise but much, much bigger. I believe you already know how to make a fire stream?"

He nodded.

"I mean, it doesn't really need to be a fire stream but if we need unsubtle then that's about as obvious as we can get. So make a fire stream without breathing, but make sure you don't overdo it." Raizu frowned. "You know what, maybe let's do this in the morning instead? I don't know enough what would happen if you use up too much Chi."

"Let's ask mom then," Azula said. She stood up went to where their mother was keeping watch and pulled her over to where they were sat.

Their mother looked confused for a moment but shook it off just as quickly.

"Mom, Zuko needs help figuring out how to feel his Chi, and my next best idea is to make him do a fire stream for a very very short while without breathing. What could go wrong?"

Mother pinched the bridge of her nose. "Raizu, please be very careful with telling anyone outside the royal family any of your ideas. Anyone else outside the royal family doesn't have as much Chi as you kids, okay?"

Mother sighed and crouched next to him. "Zuko, if someone overuses their sea of Chi then that person could put out their inner fire and die. Make sure you never overdo anything, especially when Raizu says he's not sure about something. And more so when he says he is."

"For the record, I've never tried it myself so I wouldn't know."

"Don't," was all mother said.

"And that's exactly why I think its better we do this in the morning with proper supervision."

"Or…" Azula said, "why don't you make the flame and then Zuzu only needs to make it bigger without breathing!"

Raizu's smile was too big to say no to.

"Okay, that should be fine," mother said. "But better if you and Azula can create the fire together, at least that way Raizu won't get too tired. And only a small stream, please?"

"Agreed," Raizu said too quickly.

"Okay," Azula added.

"Zuko, you only need to add your own Chi without breathing to their fire stream, okay Zuko? It's important you do not make any fire, is that clear?"'

Zuko nodded. It sounded easy enough. "I think I get it."

Raizu and Azula shared a quick look before performing the kata. Azula's form the same sharp and powerful and perfect motion, while Raizu's had a soft grace that would have had their father shouting. A small stream of fire came to life between their hands and shot towards the fountain in the middle of the garden.

Zuko brought his hands forward and concentrated on the fire in front of him, wanting to make it bigger.

Nothing happened at first, there was only the whooshing jet of fire and his own silence. So he breathed in just that tiny little bit until he felt a rush of something, something that was rushing out of his hands, up his arms, through his chest, and down his stomach, and then the fire grew bigger!

It was like when the waves in the sea were pushing against him except the feeling moved up from his belly and out his arms! It was a familiar feeling he knew so well but never could quite remember properly, sort of like the last traces of a dream after waking up.

"I feel it! Raizu, Zula, mom, I feel it!"

The rush reminded him of what it felt like to catch his breath from laughing so hard, a feeling so few and far between that each memory felt like forever the last time. He remembered when Raizu accidentally blew up his and Azula's cake at their last birthday covering the court's children in frosting and sweet bread, he remembered when Lu Ten tried to look cool in front of those girls in Ember Island and failed so bad, he remembered when he finally figured out how to shoot a fire steam when uncle Iroh showed him the form.

It was a feeling rising up from the pit of his stomach and filling his heart full of something big and bright. He started laughing then, and that's when the fire stream exploded outward in strength.

"Wait what!?"

But Raizu's laughter rang out louder than the roaring, now greenish blaze.

"And that my dear siblings is the flame of joy!"