Upon his departure from Capital City, Iroh leaves Zuko his aide to help him stay on track. She's remarkably helpful, but reads him too well, forcing Zuko to finally face his fears. On top of that, The Kyoshi Warriors struggle to locate the New Ozai society, while assassins continue to try to infiltrate the palace. Will Zuko embrace Kaori and her help, or will he push her and his friends away and retreat further into his own thoughts? An exploration of Zuko and his trauma, and its projection onto his relationships with others. Takes place about five years after the end of the show. May turn romance eventually, I'm seeing where it takes him.

The fire navy ship loomed over the dock, the rising sun casting a looming shadow over them. It was a fairly chilly morning, the beginnings of autumn biting at the warmth of the summer. Iroh stood before him, waiting.

"Uncle-"

"I cannot stay here forever, nephew."

"Why not?" Zuko demanded, crossing his arms. "You're a member of the royal family-"

"Zuko." Iroh said, silencing him. "I am not Fire Lord. You are. My place is no longer here in Capital City. You must take what I've taught you, and stand on your own, to prove to your nation that you do not need my help. You are ready."

Zuko sighed, his shoulders slumping. He didn't need his uncle to do his job for him or help him… he needed him because… he didn't want to be alone. He didn't sleep the night before, he'd stayed up, trying to imagine his life without Uncle beside him. He'd been his only true family, true friend, for as long as he could remember. He had Aang and the others, yes, but they had their own lives, and came and went.

He was going to be truly alone.

Iroh pulled him into his arms, and Zuko melted, trying not to remind himself it could be months before another person so much as looked him in the eye, nevermind embraced him.

"I will always be here for you. Always. Never hesitate to summon me if you need." Iroh pressed, Zuko's face in his hands. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Zuko said, tears pricking in the back of his eyes.

Iroh smiled, caressing his cheek with his thumb. "You are to do great things, my boy."

Zuko smiled sadly, and Iroh turned toward the ship.

"Kaori?"

Zuko's eyebrows furrowed. "Your aide?"

"She's your aide now. She has been with me since I rejoined the white lotus, and knows much about your role from my ramblings." he smiled, "She'll be a great help to you."

Zuko looked over his shoulder at the young woman coming down the dock from the ship. His cheeks grew red, looking wide eyed at his uncle. He'd never had an aide! He'd never had friends his own age nevermind a servant that would constantly be by his side! He thought back to his introduction to Aang's group, cringing. This was something he wasn't good at.

"Uncle," He grit between his teeth.

Iroh laughed, "You worry too much, my nephew, look at the big picture, hmm?"

Zuko rolled his eyes.

"She's very kind, and knows her way around nobility. Perhaps even better than you."

Zuko frowned, and Kaori walked up behind Iroh. Zuko had seen her many times before, but never really paid her much attention, given she was usually around when Iroh was helping Zuko with some stressful situation. She was maybe a year or two older than Zuko, her dark hair well past her shoulders in perfect curls. She wore the travel garb of the royal family's servants, a small bag on her back. Her dark eyes met Zuko's and he quickly looked away. He wasn't used to people doing that since he'd become fire lord and all of his friends had left.

"Kaori, if you would, I would like for you to stay as Zuko's aide in my absence."

Iroh had always treated his servants as equals, a practice Zuko was trying to enact. But he was raised in a family where the servants were furniture, pets, even, and it was taking a lot of practice for both him and his staff.

"I'd be honored, General." She said, her eyes finding his.

"Wonderful. I think he would be very grateful for your assistance," Iroh said with a pointed look.

"Yes, um, thank you, thank you for… agreeing to help me." He struggled, his ears burning.

"Be sure to write, both of you." Iroh said and embraced Kaori, "Don't be afraid to tell my nephew off, it does him good once in a while. " he winked, and Kaori laughed.

"Don't get in too much trouble without me," she retorted.

"No promises." Iroh replied, looking at Zuko. "Remember what I said. I'm always happy to return."

"Yes, uncle."

Iroh got onto the ship with the help of a crew member, and the horn sounded. Kaori stood awkwardly before him, and his eyes widened.

"I… I've never had an aide before." He said, clearing his throat.

She looked up at him, "I think we should start with your routine, your schedule. Once I understand that it will be easier for me to help you prepare."

"Sure, of course," he said, and began walking back up the hill toward the palace. She walked a few paces behind him, her footsteps nearly silent.

One thing Zuko was good at, it was being alone. His entire life, even when he wasn't physically alone, he felt alone. His mother had been the only person to truly understand him, to care about him. Once she'd gone, it had taken quite a while for him to change his mindset to one of a soldier on a battlefield rather than a child with his family. His father made no effort to fill the gap Ursa's departure had left, Iroh taking the lead instead. But Iroh was grieving and dealing with the consequences of Ba Sing Se, his own mind often occupied. He also wasn't present for family dinners, and meetings with Zuko and his father. There had been no more buffer. So Zuko retreated into his own thoughts, hiding in his own mind. It'd been easiest that way, but Zuko now realized it had also destroyed his ability to effectively communicate with others. Instead of words, he used violence. Curiosity, sadness, fear… he'd turned them all to rage. His anger was the wall that allowed him to continue to hide in his own mind, comfort in the silence.

He'd been working to reverse that, putting words to his feelings and communicating them to others. He had a journal that he forced himself to write in when there was no one to talk to, still making himself put words to the feelings. He didn't want to feel isolated anymore. In fact, he craved some sort of companionship, true companionship, and he couldn't have that if he was constantly yelling and pushing others away. He was still learning, speaking was hard for him when he'd spent a decade shouting. Especially since the pressures of being an eloquent fire lord had begun to bore into his mind, making him question his every word. And now Uncle was leaving... he'd be putting a lot of miles on his journal.

They walked through the garden to the private hallway to Zuko's wing. Two of the kyoshi warriors stood guard there, one of which was Ty Lee.

"Ty Lee, Roja, this is Kaori. I'm sure you know her from my uncle's stay, but she's my aide now and is free to enter and leave any time of the day."

They both nodded and welcomed her before holding the door for them. She followed him into the foyer, a large chandelier over their heads before the dual winding staircases.

He looked at her and she was looking up at it, her eyes sparkling in awe.

"So, this is my wing. Since you're my aide, your room will be in here, too." He said, hoping to please her.

"Its beautiful," She said, her expression kind.

Zuko half smiled and led her up the stairs.

"My room is here," he said, pointing to the first door, "My office is just there across the hall, and my bathroom there." he said, pointing to the door beside his bedroom. "The sitting room is at the very end and is attached to the library. And this…" he said, gesturing to the last door before the sitting room. "Is your room."

The room had been empty, serving as a guest room for Sokka, Toph, or Aang and Katara when they visited, but there were more guest rooms on the other side of the wing. This room was made for the aide, sharing a door with Zuko's office.

She opened the door, peering inside. It was spacious, having its own bathroom and kitchenette. It was fairly bare as far as decor, but Zuko would fix that.

"Its been empty, but I'll be sure to-"

"Its great, Fire Lord, thank you." She said and set her bag down on the floor.

He scratched his neck awkwardly. "Take all the time you need, I'll be in my office."

"I can settle in later. I'll join you." She said, shutting the door. He handed her the key to the room, and she followed him into the office.

He reddened. It wasn't messy it was… disorganized. His stress was apparent in here, that was for certain. He had a very large mahogany desk before a wall of floor to ceiling windows. On the side the wall was lined with bookshelves, the books pulled out and shoved back in every which way. His desk and the bottom shelf were stacked with paperwork, maps, letters, and orders.

She whistled in awe, and he reddened. "I haven't had much time to organize." He explained, his tone irritable.

"We're going to make some," she said, her voice far off as she fingered through the stack of papers. He frowned, the Fire Lord in him not wanting her to see the confidential paperwork. But he was aware that the more she knew the more she could help him, so he bit his tongue.

She stopped, sighing. "I'll have to take a look at this later… what's on your plate today and tomorrow?"

Zuko frowned. She sounded like a disappointed mother and he wasn't pleased. He took a deep breath.

"I have a governor's meeting at three, and dinner with General Dao at six."

"For what purposes?"

Zuko sat on the couch. "The governor's meeting is routine to discuss to unravelling of my demilitarization protocol, and dinner with the general is about foreign aid."

Kaori nodded, her dark eyes deep in thought.

"I would like to sift through your files, with your permission, Fire Lord," she said, "So I myself can be prepared for the content of the meetings as well."

She waited, and he shied away from her gaze. "Sure. I was going to do some of that paperwork…"

"Here," she said, standing and gesturing to Zuko's chair. She grabbed a stack of paperwork and sat on the couch. He rose, returning to his desk, and she split the pile, giving him the top half.

He frowned and she began sifting through her half of the stack. He completed some of his paperwork, but was distracted by her presence. Was she judging him? She had to be. He was young, inexperienced, and it showed. He looked like a fool. He reddened. Why would Uncle do this to him? He wanted him to learn to stand on his own, and yet he forced him to show his hand to this woman he barely knew. He groaned and she looked up at him for a moment before returning to her stack. She began sorting the paperwork into piles, asking an occasional question. A half hour before Zuko's first meeting, she presented the piles to him.

"This folder is for you to review in order of urgency." She said and set it down on the desk. "This is for you to sign and pass in order of urgency. This one is what other governors and government officials have signed for your reference. All of these are separated by date and topic. Your to do folders have the dates on them as well."

He looked up at her. "Thank you." He said quietly.

"I've set aside the materials for your meetings today that I felt were relevant."

He nodded, rising. "Thank you, Kaori."

"Of course." She said with a half smile.

She grabbed the file for the meetings, and followed him from the office.

Thanks for reading! Please review. Next time: Zuko and Kaori have lunch.