A/N - Thank you all so much for those awesome reviews! I'm glad you like this story so much. Really, you have no idea how great it feels reading what you wrote about it and me. And even if you didn't review, thank you for favoriting, following, and reading in general!

Now, I know I said this story was going to be three chapters, but this one ended up longer than I thought it would, so I'm splitting it in half. It's been too long since the first chapter anyway.

I forgot to mention last chapter, I've always thought Lu Ten and Ozai had a relationship like Simba and Scar from The Lion King. You'll see a little more of what I mean later this chapter. Now that I think about it, Iroh would be a good Mufasa...And Zuko could be Kovu...Come to think of it, if they ever had kids, I could totally see Zuko singing We Are One to his daughter and Azula singing My Lullaby to her kid about how they'll kill Zuko and take over the Fire Nation...

Wow, Lion King fits better here than I thought.

One last thing - I imagine Lu Ten as being voiced by Rick Gomez, Zack Fair from Final Fantasy VII, and I can think of The Price of Freedom from Crisis Core as his leitmotif.

~0~

"All right, Zula, your turn!"

Azula jumped to her feet and ran to the center of the training field, making Zuko giggle at her eagerness as she passed him. He headed off to the side and flopped down on the still slightly dewy grass, lying on his back and taking in well-deserved deep breaths. After his big cousin's unrelenting firebending drills, he was winded, but satisfied. Azula stood, straight-backed and ready, in attention position, waiting for Lu Ten's instructions.

"You're ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Sifu," she nodded.

"Defensive stance."

Okay, Azula thought as she moved into position, right leg back, back foot turned, fists up, left one forward, right one by the chin. Perfect.

"Bend your knees, Zula."

Darn it. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance, and she lowered herself into the proper stance.

"Crescent kick, begin - One!"

Making sure to keep her hands up, Azula moved forward and swung her right leg in an arc in front of her. She looked to Lu Ten for appraisal as she returned to defense stance.

"You're getting better," he said. "You're getting faster, you've got good form - "

"What's wrong?" Azula didn't like it when he had to criticize her, but hated it when he danced around it instead of getting to the point.

Lu Ten hesitated, then said, in a more serious tone, "You've got to kick higher. Here - " He stuck his hand out and down, holding it eye-level about two feet away from her. "Get the kick over my hand. Begin!"

Azula tried again, with a little more success, but her heel still brushed over the back of Lu Ten's hand. Not enough!

"Higher, higher...Two!"

She kicked out again, stretching out her leg as far as it would go...and successfully cleared her cousin's hand. Her face split into a wide grin. "I did it!"

"You certainly did," Lu Ten said proudly. "Keep it up, now - Three!"

He had her go through several more repetitions of the kick, and with him giving tips and encouragement the few times she did it wrong and either hit his hand or passed under it, she had gotten the hang of the move in just a few minutes.

"Nice job," he told her. "Make sure you spend more time practicing that one and the spinning hook, so you can keep it that way. Now, think you can try it with fire?"

"I think so, Sifu."

"Try."

She dropped into position, forcing down her nervousness and preparing to call up her fire. Silently she prayed to Agni not to let her lose control of it. In their last few training sessions, she had gotten too enthusiastic and made her flames too large and strong, nearly hitting Lu Ten. He was skilled enough to avoid them easily, and it had only happened a couple times, but still. To Azula, it was a couple times too many to make such a potentially damaging amateur mistake.

"You can do it, Azula!" Zuko called from the sidelines, his voice slightly strained from the push-ups he'd been doing while she worked with Lu Ten. Azula couldn't help it: hearing her big brother's encouragement made her serious expression falter, and she smiled a little.

"I know, Zuko!" she called, and without hesitation she swung her leg forward and brought forth a bright crescent of fire in front of her. It was at a perfect size too, not so big as to be dangerous and not so small as to be weak and ineffectual. Azula smirked with satisfaction as she returned to her defensive stance.

"Very good," Lu Ten said approvingly while Zuko attempted to cheer in the middle of a push-up. "Have you been practicing the other forms I showed you?"

"Yes, Sifu."

"All right then, I want you to show me, as I tell you. Understand?"

"Yes, Sifu."

"Side kick, left and right, begin!"

Azula shifted her weight to the right and kicked her leg out to the left - keep your balance, keep the leg straight, kick with the heel - and shot out a stream of fire from her foot, feeling its heat warm the metal soles of her boots. She shifted to the left, and did it again with her right leg. And she kept going, with each of her cousin's commands: roundhouse kick, front kick, stretch kick, spinning thrust, spinning hook, from the left leg and right leg, front leg and rear leg; bringing forth strong streams of fire with each one. True, she was sacrificing focus on technique for focus on her flames, and Lu Ten had to correct her mistakes several times, but Azula considered it a necessary annoyance to put up with until she could control her bending perfectly, like Lu Ten had said, and be able to practice and fight without worrying about hurting anyone by accident.

"Great work, Zula," Lu Ten praised her. "You've improved, both of you. Now Zuko, come back here so you two can show me your forms."

Zuko dashed into the center of the field and stood in attention position beside his younger sister, excitedly waiting for Lu Ten's instructions. "Which one first?" he chirped.

"Horse stance," ordered Lu Ten, and his cousins obeyed. "Tenoken number two, begin."

Slow and careful and in near-perfect sync, Zuko and Azula fell into archer stance, pivoted and threw reverse punches, and finished with a roundhouse kick and a return to horse stance.

"Not bad, not bad. You move together very well." Personally, Lu Ten thought training them to work together was going fairly well. He'd noticed that they'd get along better after their sessions together, at least. He was proud of how good they'd gotten over the past year, but of course, there was always room for improvement. "Azula, you need to pivot more and Zuko, you need a stronger kick. Let's try it once mo - Ah?"

Zuko and Azula followed their cousin's gaze upward to see a messenger hawk gliding through the air towards them. It came down smoothly and landed on Lu Ten's outstretched forearm, and he took the scroll from its talons and unrolled it.

"Ah...I see," he muttered to himself. He rolled the scroll back up and sent the hawk back on its way, and looked down at his cousins. "Okay, change of plans. We're going to have to stop training early - hey, hold on, hold on!" he said when both kids immediately started to protest. "Listen, my dad wants us to meet him back in the city. He says he's got big news for us."

"What is it?" Zuko asked, his face lighting up with excitement.

"If he knew, he'd have told us, Zuzu." Azula was as curious as her brother was to find out what their uncle wanted, but was far less certain that it would be good news. Uncle Iroh had never interrupted their training before, she reasoned, why would he do that now, and leave all three of them wondering why on top of it?

"Oh, right..." Zuko's enthusiasm faltered for maybe half a second before he perked up again. "So we've got to go see right now! Let's go, let's go!" He tapped his sister's shoulder and they both dashed off across the field like lynx-gazelles on chi-enhancing tea.

"W-Wait!" yelped Lu Ten, scrambling after them but unable to catch up. They had a pretty good head start on him. "Don't go where I can't see you!" He just barely caught the sound of them laughing at him in the distance, and he gave a frustrated huff. "You two don't even know where we're supposed to go!"

Damn it all to the demons' realm, they always did this to him! Ugh...when did I become the mother lynx-gazelle? This better be good, Dad...

~0~

The warm summer wind lazily blew the golden grass around, making the short, sun-dried blades rustle all around Iroh. He had been the only one in the memorial ground for a long while, sitting peacefully in front of a single grave marker, but now the quiet, still atmosphere was broken when he heard something else rustling the grass louder and faster. Iroh turned to see Zuko and Azula running towards him, with Lu Ten striding behind them looking much more dignified.

"You got here faster than I expected, children," he remarked, smiling as they reached him.

"Uncle Iroh! What's your big news?" Azula asked, face flushed and eyes wide with excitement.

"Well, my niece, we - "

"Hey, Uncle, who's that?" Zuko interrupted, pointing to the ink portrait propped up against the gravestone. If he noticed the irritated look his sister shot him, he didn't let on.

"That's my mom, Zuko," Lu Ten told him as he came up behind them, and gave a light laugh at the surprised look on Zuko's face at his words.

"Yes," Iroh confirmed. "My beautiful late wife, Colonel Kei Rin."

"You know, I don't think we've ever heard about Aunt Kei Rin," Azula said, intrigued. "What was she like?"

"I think you'd have liked her, Zula," Lu Ten began, kneeling next to them and looking fondly at his mother's portrait. "She was an exceptional woman, and a brilliant soldier. At the prime of her military career, Earth Kingdom generals issued a flee-on-sight order for her."

"Wow..." Azula was awed. "They almost never do that!"

"Mm-hm, that's right," Lu Ten went on. "A lot of the nobles and other higher-ups didn't like her, though. She would give you only the respect she thought you deserved and not a bit more. Now that I think about it, she could be pretty cold to people she didn't care for. But to her family, she was always warm and kind. When she was home, she'd tell me all about everything she'd seen and done in the Earth Kingdom. I remember we'd stay up really late because I kept asking, 'Mom, one more story; Mom, one more story.' And she'd take a few hours every day before she had to leave again to teach me firebending."

"She did? I thought Uncle Iroh taught you how to fight," Zuko said, quirking an eyebrow.

"We both helped in his training," Iroh said, "but Kei Rin was far and away the more skilled bender. In fact, I believe I first fell in love with her when I saw her perform an absolutely perfect Dragon Whirlwind."

"A Dragon Whirlwind? Even Dad can't do that!"

"Very few people can, it's one of the most difficult firebending forms. At first when I tried to court her, she brushed me off. Kei Rin was a very driven woman, you see, and she thought if she got into a relationship, she'd have to give up her ambition to rise to the top ranks of the military. Once she was sure I wouldn't hold her back, she agreed to give me a chance. I have a sneaking suspicion it had to do with my dashing good looks." He chuckled and gave the younger three a small smile, as if sharing a juicy secret with them. "I used to be quite a looker, you know."

While his cousins giggled, Lu Ten looked as if he'd just mistakenly swallowed a bad squid. "Dad...Ew..."

Iroh joined his niece and nephew in laughter at Lu Ten's expression. "Sorry, son. Anyway, things just went beautifully from there. We served together in the army for many years."

"What happened to her?" Azula asked, adding her aunt to her mental list of people worth emulating.

"Eleven years ago, she fell in battle," Lu Ten said somberly, his eyes narrowing. "She was trying to capture the waterways of the central Earth Kingdom, to try and give us a way into Ba Sing Se. But at the harbor town of Anjing, the Earth Kingdom captain How sprung a trap on her, and managed to kill her in the ensuing fight. Apparently he was promoted to general for being able to finally get rid of her," he added bitterly. Neither of his stunned cousins knew what to say.

"One miscalculation cost us her life," Iroh murmured. "I will miss her every day. Lu Ten," he said, looking up at his son, "your mother would be very proud of you for what you have done, and what you are about to do."

"About to - That's right, Dad, you said you had big news for us. What is it?"

Iroh got to his feet to look Lu Ten in the eyes. "We have been chosen to lead the army to Ba Sing Se, lay siege to it, and eventually capture the city."

Three gasps of surprise came from the younger ones. Lu Ten's lips fell open and his eyebrows shot up nearly into his hairline. "Dad...They picked us to do it?"

Iroh nodded. "You and I were chosen specifically by Fire Lord Azulon. He has placed his complete faith in us to finally take Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation."

Lu Ten's face hardened as his initial surprise wore off. When he spoke, it was in a much more formal tone than his cousins were used to hearing from him. "It is an honor to be selected for such a mission. Before we leave, I must be sure to personally thank Grandfather for believing me worthy to accompany you."

"Lu Ten..." Azula and Zuko were looking up from their big cousin to their uncle with astonishment.

"How about this, you guys?" Lu Ten asked in his normal casual tone, smiling at his cousins. "Soon Ba Sing Se's going to be ours!"

"Yeah!" Zuko's shock quickly gave way to excitement. "The earthbenders won't stand a chance once we let you guys loose on them!"

While the older three laughed, Azula remained silent. It hadn't occurred to Zuko yet, but it was the first thought that had come into her head: her uncle and cousin were going away, and there was no telling when they'd be back. Uncle Iroh went to the Earth Kingdom on military duty all the time, but this was the first time Lu Ten had been farther than one of the Outer Islands. All his other missions only kept him away from home for a couple months at most, but this...In every way, this was huge. Lu Ten was right, it was a great honor, and Azula would put on a smile for her proud and excited family and mean it too, but at her core, she didn't like this at all.

~0~

"The seas are calm today, my son," Iroh remarked, looking out at the gently moving ocean from the wide window of his room. "If it takes us more than a week to reach the Earth Kingdom, I'll be very surprised."

"I won't. Things change quickly, you know."

At the dismal tone in Lu Ten's voice, Iroh turned to see him out on the balcony, leaning with crossed arms on the dark wooden balustrade. He stared out at the hundreds of intricately designed buildings, the wide expanse of red, white, and gold that made up the Caldera, but he wasn't seeing any of it. His eyes, Iroh recognized, had the look in them of one who was somewhere very far away at the moment.

He let out a soft sigh. For the past couple weeks, Lu Ten had been nothing but driven and dutiful, focusing on nothing but preparing himself and everything else for their mission. There hadn't been a trace of sorrow to be found on the prince until today, the morning of their departure. For once, the nineteen-year-old actually looked his age, if not younger, and Iroh felt his heart twist. Paternal instinct moved him to Lu Ten's side, and he laid a comforting hand on his armored shoulder.

"I know, son. This is one of the more difficult things you will ever do, and you know as well as I do that this is far from the last burdensome task you will have to undertake in your life. But, it is for the best...and it will be all right."

"I understand," Lu Ten said dully, neither moving nor looking at his father. "But still...There's so much that could happen, so much...that could go wrong."

"That is true," Iroh admitted. There was no use in sugarcoating it and saying everything would be all right. This was war: one should always be prepared for the worst. "However, we are of the Fire Nation royal family, descended from the great dragons and Agni himself. Strength and desire for victory run in our veins. So no matter what happens, we can and will fight through it, together."

"I know that too," Lu Ten said. A trace of familiar determination was returning to his deep golden eyes as he gazed over the cityscape at the distant rolling waves. "I am ready and willing to do anything to end this war, and unite the world under our nation. Is feeling afraid of what it will take to do that dishonorable, even if it won't stop me from going through with it? This is bigger than anything else I've ever had to do - I mean, I've never even been so far outside of the Fire Nation before. And when we go, even with all my strength and skills, what if...what if I'm not enough? What if I can't take it?"

Iroh gave the young man's shoulder a comforting pat. "The brightest fire can burn through the deepest night. You must burn your fears away, for they will only drag you down. Do not worry. There is nothing we cannot overcome together."

Lu Ten turned to look at him then. He smiled, but it did not quite reach his eyes. "I hope you've got a lot more of those proverbs, Dad. Because I get the feeling that I'll be sorely needing them soon."

"We can do this, Lu Ten. You must have faith in yourself and in us." Iroh gave a reassuring smile, a genuine one, and squeezed the younger prince's shoulder. "We can do this, have no doubt of it. When we have taken Ba Sing Se and won this war, we will return home together."

"Right...We will." Lu Ten straightened up, taking his arms off the carved railing. The uncertainty in his expression was gone, though whether it had been fully extinguished or simply shoved down within the young man, under every other emotion. Iroh suspected the latter, but that would do for now. Lu Ten's eyes - the color of molten gold, like his mother's - once again held the look of the warrior prince, proud and strong and battle-ready as they roved over the Caldera once more before settling on their fleet of warships assembling at the docks.

He reached up and ran his fingers lightly over the hilt of one of the dual blades strapped to his red armored back. He had painstakingly forged those weapons with his own hands, Iroh remembered, during those years he had trained under Master Piandao. Jianhuren, he'd named them: the dragon-claw dao swords. His son took particular pride in the fact that in the entire world, there were no blades at all like his precious weapons. Perhaps one day, Iroh thought, Lu Ten would pass them on to his own child. The mental image made the old soldier's heart lift.

With a short metallic shing, Lu Ten drew one of the swords from its sheath, holding it out in front of him and pointing towards the ocean - to the Earth Kingdom. The sunlight shining on the silver blade, polished to perfection, matched the bright gleam in the young prince's eyes.

"With these blades," he declared, one corner of his mouth edging up into a true, confident smile, "I will bring peace. I swear it." He turned to meet his father's eyes again. "I'll become a son you can truly be proud of, Dad."

Iroh gave an affectionate chuckle. What a wonderful boy the spirits had blessed him with. He'd never know what he'd done to deserve Lu Ten. "You don't need to work for that at all," he informed the younger soldier. "You never have, and you never will. I promise, I shall always be proud of you, Lu Ten."

"Thanks, Dad. That's...It's really great to hear that, you know. Especially right now." He sheathed his sword. Under his father's hand, he was not relaxed, but the worst of the tension had left his body. "We'd better get down to the docks, shouldn't we? It's just about time for us to go."

"Then let us go."

His hand sliding off his son's armor, Iroh turned and started for the door, then stopped and looked back when he did not hear a second set of footsteps behind him. Despite his words, Lu Ten looked reluctant to move from the balcony.

"There is no point in hesitating, my son," Iroh said gently. "The only way to get past hardships is to face them head-on and plow through. It would serve you well to remember everything I've said here. Come, now."

"You're right, I know...Let's go." With one last look at the hawk's eye view of the Caldera, Lu Ten turned and followed his father out of the room, starting for the docks.

~0~

By the time they'd reached the courtyard, the two princes had exchanged goodbyes and such with what felt to Lu Ten like every servant, guard, noble, and (to Lu Ten's embarrassment) concubine in the palace. However, when they reached the outermost courtyard of the palace grounds, the last person to approach them was the last one Lu Ten had expected.

"What a surprise, Uncle. I must say, I didn't think you'd bother to see us off. I'm honored, truly."

The acid in Lu Ten's voice, only thinly veiled by false politeness, had become so commonplace in the last year that there was no way Ozai didn't hear it, but he only gave Lu Ten a short nod of acknowledgement and turned to address Iroh.

"Is it not right that I should bid my brother and nephew farewell? After all, there is no way to know for certain when you'll return home."

"With Agni's blessing, it will be soon," Iroh said, his voice and expression kept carefully neutral. "We estimate that it will take roughly three months to reach Ba Sing Se. There are several strategies Lu Ten and I have been devising to either bring down the walls or find some way to maneuver into the city through them."

"Is that so?"

Lu Ten couldn't tell if Ozai's interested tone was false or not, and if it was genuine, if it was hiding anything. His uncle still looked so smug...Time to take him down a notch, once more before he left. "But surely you knew that already, Uncle? As a prince you should be involved in the war effort, correct?"

The smile plastered on his uncle's face went tight, and he gave a dull chuckle. "Of course you are correct, Prince Lu Ten. I had repeatedly requested permission to accompany you, and fight by the side of my family. However, I don't believe my voice is heard in the war meetings. In Father's ears, it always seems to get drowned out by something."

"Your time will come, brother. Have patience," Iroh assured him, ignoring the slight emphasis on Ozai's last few words. Lu Ten was less compassionate.

"Well, Grandfather would know best, after all. Perhaps he sees that you would be of less use on the battlefield than you are here at the palace."

If Lu Ten hadn't been looking for it, he'd have missed the flash of anger in Ozai's eyes. "Perhaps," he said tonelessly.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say before we depart, Ozai?" Iroh. "It would be poor form for us to be late and make the fleet wait."

"Of course...Brother," Ozai began. "I know we have had our disagreements over the years - " Lu Ten suppressed a derisive snort at the conciliatory tone, but Iroh listened with full attention - "however, as I said, there is no way to know when we will get the chance to speak again. I..." Ozai hesitated for a moment, a contrite expression coming over his face. "I do wish we could have gotten along better in the past, despite our differences. We are brothers, and that will never change. As much as I want to be the one gaining honor on the battlefield, as a prince I must put my nation before my personal desires. You are far and away the best choice for this mission - if anyone can take Ba Sing Se, it is you and your son. All I want to leave you with before you go, is that I wish you the best of luck. Serve the Fire Nation well."

"We shall, I promise. Thank you for your kind words, brother," Iroh said, a smile coming on to his face. "When we return, I will put in a good word for you with our father. You'll not be left out."

One corner of Ozai's mouth twitched upward: the closest thing to a smile he could normally muster. "That is good to hear. Now, you should continue on your way, I would feel just awful if I were to make you late. Farewell to you both." He stepped aside, gesturing to the gate that led down the crater's slope, and strode back in the direction of the palace interior.

As the two passed through the gate and started down the winding stairway, Lu Ten moved closer to Iroh's side. "Father, did you honestly believe all of that?" he asked in a whisper intended less harshly than it came out. "You can't honestly think that was true, at least not completely."

"...I want to believe it," Iroh said quietly. The smile (and Lu Ten realized it might not have been as sincere as he had thought) had disappeared, replaced with a grave expression. "Trust me, I want very badly to believe it. However, you are right. It's too much to hope."

"I don't trust him," Lu Ten growled, glaring back at the gate where his uncle had been. "Whatever we do at Ba Sing Se, we need to do it fast. Nothing good can come of leaving him at the palace unchecked for long."

"Ozai is a cunning man, and he is growing adept at winning influence, but he is not the kind who can garner popularity with the court or with the people as you and I do," Iroh pointed out. "Still, you make a good point. Don't worry, we will be certain to check on the situation at home twice as often while we are gone."

I wasn't thinking of the political web, Lu Ten thought, as his cousins' faces - all wide eyes and nervous frowns looking up at him for guidance and protection - flashed into his mind.

The longer he left the two alone while he fought in the Earth Kingdom, the longer Ozai would have to do as he pleased with them. True, his aunt Ursa would still be there to look after them - not even Ozai would be stupid or arrogant enough to provoke her mother tigerwolf instincts - but it had been the three of them together keeping Ozai at bay for the past year. Princess Ursa was a strong and unyielding woman, he couldn't deny that, but he worried that she might not be enough. Zuko would be fine under her protection, more or less; she'd always been there for him. But he worried about how Azula would fare without him. With her focus on giving her kindhearted, thin-skinned son the love he needed - the love of two parents - he also couldn't deny that Ursa often unintentionally fell short in doing the same for her daughter, who was tougher but no less in need of genuine affection. Azula might have Ozai's favor, but she would never have his love. None of them would.

Lu Ten heaved a deep, harried sigh. It wouldn't do to get overwhelmed by this, he had a mission to focus on. He would do his duty, and then worry about their family issues when he could afford to. I just have to hope that I'll get back in time to undo any damage...I have to put my trust in the three of them to stay strong together.

~0~

As soon as his brother and nephew disappeared through the gate and down the slope, the smile dropped from Ozai's face.

His eyes narrowed, and his lip twisted into a grimace. Spouting all that sentimental drivel turned his stomach, but if it might help divert suspicion from him, then it had to be done. And his brother was no help at all. Put in a good word for him with Father - tch!

So long as Iroh - the great and glorious Dragon of the West, the perfect firstborn who could do no wrong - was still in the picture, he would be worthless in Azulon's cold, pitiless eyes. No matter what he did, he would still be lost in his big brother's shadow as he had been all his life, always lagging behind, running to catch up and never quite making it. If he didn't do something and do it quickly, he would be a meaningless footnote in Fire Nation history at best and forgotten entirely at worst. It was the fate of the second-born, the spare prince who only existed just in case anything happened to the heir (the true son, as far as the Fire Lord was concerned), destined to be an undesired replacement or nothing at all. That was how it had been for every inferior prince, always.

But that was not how it was going to end for him.

A feeling of sweet satisfaction warmed him as he remembered what would transpire at Ba Sing Se. Even if Iroh returned - which was still unlikely - today would mark the last time Ozai would ever see his nephew's face. Iroh was stronger and first in line to the throne, true, and he would be targeted as well, but Lu Ten's death was his highest priority.

If his father were to fall in battle, Lu Ten would grieve, but was strong enough to soldier on without losing his good judgment. More importantly, he would hold on to his new status as crown prince like a starving dog to a scrap of meat, and keep Ozai as far away from the throne as humanly possible. The boy's weak points lay elsewhere, and it would not do to kill either of those yet. Iroh, on the other hand, would break laughably easily if hit in the right place. His brother was hailed as a genius, but he was foolish enough to wear his heart on his sleeve, and make his greatest weakness the most obvious.

He'd been embarrassingly unprepared when Kei Rin had fallen, and had missed his first opportunity to take advantage of her widower's despair and make a bid for the heirship, but everything would be carefully prepared this time. At the thought of the payoff to all his planning, the corners of Ozai's mouth stretched up into a grin, his lips peeling back to bare his teeth. Lu Ten would never return from the Earth Kingdom, Iroh would return broken if he did not die as well, and he, Ozai, would claim his rightful place as Fire Lord. Absolute perfection.

"Farewell to you both," he said to himself, not bothering to hide his gleeful bloodlust when he was alone. "Give Kei Rin my regards when you're reunited."

~0~

As soon as they got close to the Capital Harbor, the scents of salt and seaweed - much stronger than the metallic, fumish smell of the docked war ships - hit Lu Ten with a gust of ocean wind.

"Ugh, right in the face...Obnoxious ocean," he groused, wrinkling his nose. "I'm glad we're not headed for the Water Tribes."

"Come on now, son," Iroh said with a laugh, "perhaps the sea air will be good for you."

"Maybe, maybe not. I haven't even set foot on the ship yet and already I can't wait to get back on solid ground. I don't know why I'm still not used to being on the water."

"A son of Agni through and through, I suppose. Now, we board at the tenth pier, correct?"

"Yes, there's our ship..."

The Fire Nation Capital Harbor at this day of the week and time of the day was, as a rule, always crowded full to bursting and in constant harried motion, and the activity only began to slow down to a gentler pace when the sun began to sink below the horizon. But if it was merely chaotic on a normal day, then today it was a veritable madhouse. Lu Ten wouldn't have been at all surprised if every soldier in the capital was here boarding his or her war ship, along with what looked like their entire immediate and extended families along to see them off. Their ship was at the very farthest pier from the entrance, so the two had to wade through an inhospitable sea of distracted crewmen, tearful goodbyes, and general commotion. His father had suggested that they take the palanquin, but it never felt right to Lu Ten to still enjoy the luxuries of royalty while serving in the army. While he was performing princely duties with his military service, for the duration of his service he was a soldier just like all the others, he reasoned.

When they finally made it to their pier, Lu Ten was momentarily confused when he saw that it was empty save for three people, but his face lit up when he saw who they were, and he nudged his father excitedly. "And there's our welcome committee!"

"You two look well." Ursa came up to them with a smile. "I thought you might be late, you are the last ones to board."

"Come now,dear Ursa, that would be most unbecoming of us," Iroh chuckled, embracing his sister-in-law. "Thank you for coming to see us off."

"We actually got here early. I would have waited just a little, but Zuko and Azula insisted," Ursa explained, inclining her head to her children, waiting expectantly at the end of the pier.

"Ah, I see." Iroh pulled back to look at the pair, who came running to them at their mother's gesture. "Did you think you would miss us?"

"We know we're going to miss you, Uncle," Zuko said plaintively while Azula nodded agreement. "How long are you going to be gone, again?"

"Well...you see, young ones..."

While Iroh spoke with his niece and nephew, Ursa turned and opened her arms to her own nephew. "Don't I get a hug from you too?"

Lu Ten smiled and hugged his aunt. It would, admittedly, be a stretch to say that Ursa had been like a surrogate mother to him since the death of his own, but she had never been anything but kind to him since she'd joined the royal family. Uncle never deserved her, he thought bitterly. "I'll miss you," he said sincerely. "I'll try to come back soon. Can you and the kids write to us? We'll write back to you, let you know how we're doing."

"Of course we will," Ursa assured him. "Be safe, Lu Ten. You and your father both. Remember we have faith in you."

"I will. I promise. Aunt Ursa...can you promise me something? I know you'd do it anyway, so please don't take it the wrong way, but...I only want to be sure."

"Of course." A concerned look came over Ursa's face at the sudden note of poorly concealed franticness in her nephew's voice. "Anything, what is it?"

"Please keep Azula and Zuko safe," he implored her. "I know I don't need to tell you that, so please don't be offended. It's only for my peace of mind, I want all the assurance I can possibly get that they'll be safe when I'm not here any more." He paused for a moment. When he continued, it was in hushed, meaningful words. "Don't let their father get too close. He's poison: allow even a little bit of him into them and he will take over completely. Don't let it happen. With my father and I gone for Agni knows how long, you are the only one left to look after them. Keep them close to you, both of them. Please promise me you will."

"Believe me, nephew, that I would do unbidden," Ursa assured him, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice at the mention of Ozai.

She wished she could not see the monster that had seemingly out of nowhere replaced the man she had loved, but of course that was impossible. Whatever had happened to transform him, she no longer recognized Ozai, but the upside to that was that it would make it easier to fend him off, to cut him out of her life and their children's lives as much as possible.

"I promise, they are safe with me. Don't you worry about us until you return home, Lu Ten. You don't need any distractions. Yourself, your father, and your duty, that's all you're allowed to worry about until your mission is complete and you are safe back here. Do you understand?"

"I do," Lu Ten said sincerely as he stepped back out of her embrace. "Thank you."

"Lu Ten!"

With a start, he turned to see that his cousins were done talking to his father (who was now moving on to his aunt), and were now looking at him with identical expectant looks. At the sight, he had to suppress a sigh and pull a smile onto his face. Now came the truly difficult part.

He got down on one knee to look the pair in the eyes, and put one hand on each of their shoulders. Once again, he was thankful that he'd had the time and foresight to think carefully about the words he would leave them with.

"Zuko, Azula, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Are you listening?" They nodded vigorously, their gold eyes bright and attentive, hanging on to his every word. "Good, because this is very important. When I'm gone, you two need to stick together, no matter what. Stay close to your mother as well, but stay close to each other above all else. You're siblings, so you share a special bond. Whatever happens, he'll always be your brother, and she'll always be your sister," he said, inclining his head to both of them in turn. "You'll always have each other. So you have to look after each other, especially while I'm gone. Remember, you're a team: the only way you win is together. I need you to promise me you'll remember that," he urged them. "Promise?"

"Promise!" the two chorused earnestly, the second he asked it of them, and Lu Ten felt his heart melt. He wrapped his arms completely around his cousins' shoulders and pulled them both close to his chest, holding them as tight as he could. "Stay close and stay safe. Protect your honor, as warriors," he murmured in their ears as they returned the gesture, clinging to him like their lives depended on it. It took him a second to figure out how to phrase don't let your father control you in a way that they'd listen to. "...And no matter what anyone tells you, forge your own paths. Your lives are yours, and yours alone, to do with as you believe is right. Never forget anything I'm telling you here. You might not fully understand now how important it is, but in time you will."

"Th-thanks, Lu Ten," Zuko said, his breath hitching. "I swear we'll remember!"

"I'll never forget," Azula whispered, and he had to strain to hear her. "Never. I promise."

"Good. That's good." It had suddenly become hard to talk - what was wrong with his throat? "Thank you both." Releasing them, Lu Ten stood up and looked down at his cousins through eyes that were suddenly slightly blurring. "I'll be back here before you know it," he assured them, and all three of them knew the words were, more or less, empty.

"While you're away, we're gonna train really, really hard!" declared Zuko, struggling to keep his voice from shaking. He looked up at his big cousin with bright, shining eyes. "And when you come back, I'll be a great firebender, just like you!"

This time, he didn't have to force his smile as he reached down to ruffle the boy's hair. "I know you will. No doubt of it."

"Lu Ten..." Unlike her more passionate brother, Azula was carefully keeping her face a stony mask, trying hard to force down the emotions Lu Ten knew were roiling inside her. Only her eyes, wide and forlorn and quite frankly hurting him inside, betrayed what she was really feeling. "When you get on the ship, and you start to sail out, look back and watch us. We've got something we want to show you before you're gone."

"Yeah!" Zuko added excitedly. "It's something we looked up and learned ourselves, because we wanted to give you a special goodbye! Well, not all by ourselves, Mom and Uncle Iroh had to help us out, since it's kind of a hard f - "

"Shut it!" Azula gave her brother a light push. "Don't give it away! It's a surprise, remember?"

"Well, sounds pretty interesting. Don't worry, I'll be watching," Lu Ten assured them. "I'm sure it's going to be great!"

The sound of a blaring horn from the watch tower above gave him a start, and he heard Iroh's voice from behind him as the older soldier passed. "It's time to go, son."

Lu Ten glanced from his father, ascending the ramp onto their ship, to his cousins, staring up at him and looking as if their hearts were being torn up. He opened his mouth to tell them something, anything else, to leave them with as much as he could, but for a moment he was speechless. "Zuko...Azula..." he started, forcing his body to work with him, damn it, this was important - "I love you both. Even if you forget everything else, don't ever forget how much I love you."

"We love you too." It was taking everything Azula had to keep from crying now, he could see. "Come home fast."

Zuko put a comforting arm around his little sister's shoulders. "You're going to be amazing over there...but we'll miss you."

"It won't be for long. I'll be back soon. He couldn't drag this out any more - his time was up. "Goodbye." It seemed like it took all the strength in Lu Ten's body to turn away from his cousins, and make his way up the boarding ramp onto the ship that would take him away from them. He felt his throat constricting and his eyes stinging, and bit his lip to the point of pain. Control yourself, he internally rebuked himself, trying to bring his breathing back to normal. Pull yourself together! Your men can't see their prince cry, and your cousins can't see their hero fall apart. Get it together!

"Stay strong..." he whispered, unsure whether it was for himself or for his family. "Stay strong...

~0~

As the fleet started to pull out of the harbor, Zuko and Azula exchanged a glance and moved back to the middle of the pier. It was empty save for them (their mother had moved to the end to give them room), so they had plenty of space to give Lu Ten the best possible send-off they could think of. Their cousin had shown them this form once before, as a demonstration of how strong the two of them would one day be as long as they trained diligently, and they had decided that mastering it for him would be the best way to show him agreed that this would be the best way to tell him what a great teacher he was to them as well as say goodbye. Looking out at Uncle Iroh's ship, they spotted Lu Ten leaning on the railing of the stern, watching them expectantly.

It was finally time.

"Ready, Azula?" Zuko muttered, unusual confidence in his tone.

"Ready." If she looked hard enough, she could discern her cousin's expression in the distance. "Let's go."

Simultaneously, the siblings dropped into their ready stances, both taking a moment to breathe deeply, in and out, feeling the heat inside them rising as their fire built up, eager for release. Then they leapt forward into the form, thrusting their fists upward and sending two roaring streams of fire pouring from them, flying out past the pier and out over the water.

Watching from the ship, Lu Ten's eyes went wide and his jaw fell open. A sound of stunned astonishment escaped him as he realized the jets of flame were taking shape as they rose in the air. Long and sinuous, with pointed ends, twisting together almost into one...Dragons, he realized, recognizing the form. The Dual Ascension...I showed them that! I showed them that form!

The memory of the day was clear enough: it had been when he'd first started training his cousins together. In order to show them what they could accomplish as a team, Lu Ten had asked his father to do the form with him. The kids' faces had lit up with amazement as the great fiery dragon burst into being, hissing and roaring as their 'bodies' entwined. At their insistence, he'd let them try, but they were only able to shoot thin ribbons of flame from their hands. This...This was a truly amazing improvement. Even in a year of training, progress like this was unbelievable. He'd never seen such strength put behind Zuko's fire, nor such control in Azula's. How long, and how hard, had they been working at this? Thanks to his uncle's constant jabs at him and his own over-worrying mind, he'd had his doubts about just how much good he was doing for his cousins as their sifu...Those were all erased now.

He had to do something, he thought, right now, to acknowledge this. A show of gratitude to match theirs. But what could possibly - Ah. That was it, the perfect answer. Even if he couldn't speak to them any longer, there was no doubt that Azula and Zuko would recognize his final message for what it was, and understand the unspoken words. It had to be done now, quickly, before he was lost from their sight...

Willing his inner fire to rise for him and taking deep breaths to fan it, Lu Ten took a few long steps back and then raced forward again, making a high jump into his stance. Throwing his hands forward, palms first, he sent great waves of fire past the railing and above the ocean, the force of the blast blowing his hair back and heating his face. With forceful movements of his hands, he manipulated the flames until he had three long, thick prongs of fire, winding together in the air, their ends carefully formed into discernible, serpentine faces. Beads of sweat ran down his face, but still Lu Ten smiled. Despite their distance, his cousins would surely see this. They'd see, and they'd know just what he meant to tell them.

Back on the pier, both siblings' faces had split into delighted grins at Lu Ten's display. "Azula! Do you see that? Do you see it?" Zuko shouted, practically hopping up and down with excitement.

"Of course I do!" Azula was just as excited as her brother, and this time unable to restrain herself. "You get what this means, right?"

Ursa raised an eyebrow. "It looks as if your cousin is trying to outdo you..."

"No, no, that's not it!" Zuko said quickly. "See, whenever Lu Ten teaches us a new move, he always does it for us first, so we'll know what it looks like done right. That form was the Three-Pronged Dragon, and it's the same kind of move as the Dual Ascension. What he was trying to say is, when he gets back, we'll move on to the next level and he'll teach us to do that too! Maybe he thinks we're ready to learn some advanced sets!"

"He thinks we did good." She couldn't see him anymore, not even his dark form behind the radiant flames, but Azula's eyes were still fixed on where Lu Ten was on the ship. "He's proud of us. And he's saying we're going to become even stronger!"

"Well, I'm certain of that." Ursa laid a gentle hand on each child's shoulder, smiling warmly down at them. "Your cousin has every reason to be proud of you. I am as well. You both did a wonderful job today."

Zuko looked back to thank their mother, but Azula's attention was all focused on her cousin's ship. By this point, he had extinguished the fiery dragons, and the vessel itself was now a small black shape fading fast on the horizon. But she knew that Lu Ten was there still, looking back at them for as long as he could, just as she gazed out to him. Just watch me, Lu Ten, she thought, her smile fading into a look of determination. I won't let you down. I swear, I'll show you how strong I can become.

~0~

As soon as his flames disappeared, the smile on Lu Ten's face faded into a hollow, blank expression.

Normally, he was pleased by swiftly-sailing ships, but it seemed to Lu Ten that this one was moving too fast for his liking. Already, the vast land that was his home was so far away that all he could see was a thick dark line that quickly grew thinner. Nothing was discernible, not the palace, not the city...not his cousins...

He jumped at an unexpected touch on his shoulder, and looked over to see his father beside him. At the concern in the older soldier's face, Lu Ten automatically assured him, "I'm fine, Dad."

"I know that," Iroh said. "However, I can see that longing in your eyes. If you don't feel like talking at the moment, that's all right, but it might make you feel better."

"I..." Lu Ten looked back out into the distance. "It's just...I can barely see home anymore. And I don't know when I'm going to see it again...if I ever do see it again."

Iroh's hold on his shoulder tightened reassuringly. "You shall see it again. We will return."

Lu Ten was silent, and did not meet his father's eyes. Iroh gave a small nod of understanding. "I am going to the bridge to confer with Admiral Teitoku. Your input would be welcome and appreciated, when you feel prepared to give it." With that, he turned and left for the opposite end of the ship, leaving his son alone with his thoughts.

As Lu Ten watched, what little he could see of the Fire Nation vanished completely into the distance. Home, to him, was gone now. His father's words echoed in his mind, You shall see it again. His eyes were stinging, and he swallowed hard. It didn't matter that he didn't want anyone to see, these feelings could not be suppressed...

He bowed his head, as what few tears he couldn't fight back streamed down his cheeks.

~0~

Lu Ten,

Everyone's talking about the progress you're making in the Earth Kingdom. Lately I don't hear anything at school except how you took this city or defeated that legion of earthbenders. Zuko was right for once, they don't stand a chance against you! You probably know this already, but people are calling you the Sunstorm. It's like how people call Uncle Iroh the Dragon of the West, right? Those are good titles to have. Zuko said, "If I were an earthbender I'd turn around and run if I heard that the Sunstorm and the Dragon of the West were coming for me!" Of course he would, though.

Lu Ten, what's it like being at war? The girls at school talk about it like it's this great and exciting thing, which I guess it is, but they act as if it's some big game. I don't think they're serious about it like me, even the ones in my bending and martial arts classes, who say they want to fight in the war. Zuko said at dinner one night that it's the same in his school, and he and Dad don't like it either. Mom doesn't think it's too important, though she did say that only the ones who take it seriously will actually get to be soldiers.

Oh, and Zuko told me something else you wrote in your last letter to him that I hope isn't true: You aren't really dating colony trash, are you? Or a half-breed? Dad overheard and he laughed at you, and I don't think you'd want me to repeat the things he said about you. I sure don't want to. But he had a point: you're a prince of the Fire Nation, you shouldn't be lowering yourself like that. I'll be expecting an explanation in your next letter.

I know you're really busy with everything you have to do and all, so you probably don't have that much spare time to do things you don't need to, but can you write back as soon as you can? I wish you were back home now (and Uncle Iroh too) but your letters are the next best thing. Good luck over there (even if we both know you don't need it).

- Azula

~0~

Azula,

Oh, don't worry about it, I'm happy to spend time on letters to you guys. Getting to hear from you and rereading the things you send me is the best part of my day, and Dad's too. As for my title, I don't think I could have a better one. It sounds childish to say, but Sunstorm is possibly the coolest name they could have given me. I'll have to thank whoever came up with it. Do you kids know, by any chance?

What's it like being at war? Hmm...If I had to sum it up in one word it would be "intense." You and Zuko are absolutely right, war is no game. Fighting the earthbenders is essentially trying to fight off the earth that's coming alive around you and wants you dead, in the middle of a raging wildfire. Every battle, you know that each second could be your last. One wrong move could easily cost you your life, so you can't afford to make a single mistake. That's why I train you the way I do - keeping you at it as long as I have to until you get every move exactly right. It's to keep you strong and safe when you two are on the battlefield one day, because I know it's inevitable. You have been keeping up with your training, haven't you? No slacking off when Sifu Lu Ten's away, you know!

And yes, Azula, every bit of what Zuko told you about my choice of partner is true. Listen here, I don't want you to be calling colonials "colony trash." Did you hear that from your father? Just because she's half Fire Nation and half Earth Kingdom doesn't make her inferior at all, so get that right out of your head. To be completely honest, Jun is worth fifty of any of those girls that fawn over me in the Caldera. She's amazingly strong and skilled, and she's the kind that you respect even if you don't like.

When we hired her to help us sniff out the hidden Earth Kingdom strongholds and bases, she got it done faster than any of our best trackers, and she made sure none of them slipped away from us. Jun has this animal called a shirshu, that's blind but can track down anything by scent. I'd heard of them from some colonials before meeting her, and apparently they're next to impossible to tame. I really should ask her how she did it the next time I see her. I honestly think you'd like her, Azula, and you could learn from her too. Some of the other soldiers and I were sparring after a mission, and when we invited Jun to join in, she wiped the floor with all of them, and her fight with me ended up as a draw.

After my duty here is done, I'm thinking of taking her back to the Fire Nation with me. I asked her if she wanted to come, and she said that if I actually manage to storm Ba Sing Se and make it back to her alive, then she'll follow me anywhere. (I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not). I'm second in line to the throne and my father's second-in-command to boot, so even if people disagree with us, there's not much anyone can do about it.

As I'm writing this, we've just gotten through the Patola Mountains. I'd have liked to head up to the top and take a look at the ruins of the Air Temple, but at the pace we're going we don't have time to go sightseeing. Between you and me, sometimes I really, truly wish we hadn't killed all the airbenders. It feels like such a huge loss to have an entire culture wiped out from the world forever. You wouldn't believe how amazing it is over here, Azula, it's so different from the Fire Nation. The Earth Kingdomers are our enemies, but their culture and lifestyle is so rich and interesting that I'm starting to think we could learn a lot from them.

We could have learned from the airbenders too, but we left nothing of them. I understand why he did it, but I still think Great-Grandfather Sozin threw away the biggest opportunity in history by killing them all. Well, we can learn from our mistakes, can't we? When we take control of the Earth Kingdom, we're going to help its people. You know, I think too many Fire Nationals are forgetting that that, and not becoming all-powerful, is the purpose of this war. Azula, you and your brother will help me remind them when I'm Fire Lord, right? Oh...Look at this letter, Zula, I'm getting so long-winded! I really am my father's son, aren't I? I hope this reaches you soon, and I'm looking forward to my next letters from you and Zuko. With Agni's blessing, Dad and I will be back home with you guys before you know it.

- Your cousin, Lu Ten

~0~

A/N - FINALLY DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER GOOD FREAKING GOD I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD TAKE SO GODDAMN LONG.

Okay, quick meaningful name explanation time before we go: Kei Rin. 'Kei' can be read one way in Japanese characters as 'respectful,' and 'Rin' means 'cold,' making her cold but respectful, as Lu Ten remembers her acting to everyone outside her family.

Also, rereading this chapter, I was tempted to name it, "Lu Ten Died Because You Fucking Fucks Tempted Fate So Much It's Not Even Funny."