A/N: Again, thanks to The Mountain for going over this for me. Also, thanks to those people who subscribed (woot some people actually want to read this! That's what keeps me going xD), to the people who reviewed, and anyone else who had read this far. Please let me know what you think (message, email, review, other? *shrug*) even if you think it sucks. n.n

Show Off

"This is Zian and Huojin," Zhao explained, pointing to each of the two other boys in their class. They both bowed, and Ozai nodded, not really paying attention. He was anxious but doing his best not to show it.

"You really didn't miss much yesterday," one of the boys said. He was taller and lankier than the other but Ozai had already forgotten his name.

"What did you do?" he asked. Initially he had paid attention to the lessons, but the more he ran the harder it became to concentrate on anything but how tired his calves were. Today his legs were stiff and sore. Even walking up the hill after his palanquin bearers had abandoned him was torture, but he was excited to actually begin firebending.

"Breathing exercises," Zhao scoffed, interrupting the second nameless boy.

"Really? That's it?" Ozai raised an eyebrow. That was the last thing he remembered the boys doing, but he figured they'd moved on after he stopped paying attention.

The second, shorter and squatter boy nodded and spoke before his younger friend could interrupt again, mocking Jeong Jeong's deep voice, "Firebending comes from the breath. If you wish to control fire, you must first control yourself."

The other boys laughed but Ozai shrugged. It sounded reasonable enough to him, if a little tedious. Instantly the boys stopped laughing, stepping into line beside Ozai; their master had entered the training ground. Out of the corner of his eye, the prince could see Zhao glance over, then quickly straighten his back to match Ozai's posture. He smirked. It felt strange, but not unpleasant, for him to be worshiped like he was…well…Iroh, instead of the near invisible younger prince.

"Good morning," Jeong Jeong said calmly; either he hadn't heard the boy mocking him or he was ignoring it.

"Good morning, Master," the boys chorused with polite bows.

"Today we're going to pick up where we left off." Ozai could feel the boys beside him deflate. "Take your stance," the firebender instructed.

Zhao and his friends both took steps backward and raised one of their fists behind them, looking sullen; Ozai quickly moved to copy them. That was easy enough. He had seen plenty of fire bending and his copied stance must have been acceptable, as Jeong Jeong didn't move to correct him, but instead, spoke to the taller boy. "Keep your arm parallel to the ground," he explained, pushing the boy's drooping elbow up. "Your stance must be strong but your muscles must be loose and relaxed or your chi cannot flow properly."

Ozai raised an eyebrow, doing his best to keep his muscles loose without letting his arms or knees droop. It was harder than it sounded to be simultaneously relaxed and strong and the prince was still trying to find the balance when Jeong Jeong resumed his speech.

"Firebending is unique amongst the other bending disciplines. Firebenders must rely on their own energy and strength where other benders simply manipulate their environment," the master explained, examining the boys with a critical eye. By the bored looks on the other boys' faces Ozai had the feeling that the man may have been repeating some of his words from yesterday for the prince's benefit. "If there is no water a waterbender will be powerless; likewise for earthbenders with no earth. But firebenders are never defenseless if they know how to manipulate their own chi."

At those words, Ozai felt his anxiety disappearing and a strong, determined feeling rising up in his heart. Who cares if he set the curtains on fire when he was younger or that his brother was older and got all of his father's attention? He was grandson to Fire Lord Sozin, and the son of Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah; he knew he wasn't weak and this was his chance to show what he could be.

"Breathe in, drawing your chi towards your heart and stomach."

Ozai tried to do as he was told, but how could he control his chi? He didn't even know what it was. He didn't know what it felt like or where it was located to start with.

Nonetheless, he tried and Jeong Jeong continued, "Now breathe out, pushing your chi through your body. When you're bending, this chi is what you convert and manipulate into fire, but for now we will just practice focusing it."

The prince complied. He exhaled, trying to push the abstract, confusing idea that was his chi through his body, but he had no idea if it was working. Perhaps I feel a little…I don't know. Something, he couldn't even finish his thought, since trying to locate the unusual, warm feeling made it disappear.

He breathed in deeply, and then exhaled, again feeling the strange hot sensation that flowed down his arms but it disappeared as soon as he recognized it. How could he control something that only happened when he didn't think about it? The prince frowned.

The sun was high in the sky, Ozai's tired legs were aching from holding the same position and he could still only make the burning appear in his veins when he wasn't trying. Luckily, Jeong Jeong seemed to think the boys had been breathing long enough and released them from the torture. "You may stop," he said. The boys all broke their stance, Ozai still sporting his frown and the other boys looking relieved. "Now you're going to create fire. Stand an arm's length from the boy beside you."

The prince had been hoping for a break as class must have been nearly over, but actually creating fire was good too. Now, he stepped off to his right. He didn't look to the boy at his side, instead keeping his eyes on his master, but he could almost feel Zhao's excitement. He tried to pull his confidence back. I am not weak, he told himself firmly.

"Cup your hands out like you're holding water," Jeong Jeong instructed. Ozai did. "Now breathe, like you've been practicing, but focus the chi into your hands and out past your body. Make a small flame, but don't let it die. Remember not to tense your muscles; they are the pathways for your chi." He took the prince's arm, giving it a little shake to relax the boy. Ozai's jaw was clenched and his muscles were tight with nerves.

He exhaled, trying to relax. He attempted to force that hot feeling back into his chest and then down his arms. Nothing happened. His eyes widened in fear and a ridiculous, terrified thought popped into his head; what if he wasn't even a firebender? Obviously, he was, as proven by the burnt curtains that had hung in his room until his mother had them replaced, but his anxiety made him irrational.

Now he sneaked a glance to the side to see Zhao grinning and holding a small flame. Past him, the tall boy was holding a much smaller one, but at the end of the line Ozai was thankful to see that the chubbier boy hadn't managed to make fire either.

At least I'm not the only one who failed, Ozai thought. Then he winced. Failed. His heart sunk and the small sliver of heat that he had been able to build up melted away. He wanted to disappear.

Jeong Jeong saved him from his self-pity. "Well done everyone. That was a good first attempt. Remember to focus on your breathing." He waved a hand and the only two flames were extinguished; Ozai let his arms fall at his sides, feeling foolish. "That's all for today," Jeong Jeong said with a short bow that was returned by the students.

Ozai's arms were crossed around his chest. He didn't care that he was pouting, or that pouting was for children and girls.

Zhao was jogging alongside the palanquin, wheezing in between his lisps and whistles. "Maybe…it's just…'cause you didn't…breathe enough?" he gasped out. Ozai ignored him, keeping his eyes straight ahead, but the kid never seemed to get the idea. "Or maybe you just...were tired…from running yesterday."

Ozai was very annoyed that the younger boy had done so much better than him; it was one thing if Iroh showed him up, he was much older and more experienced, but a peasant with no training? What would Azulon say? "Do you—oof." The boy's cut off speech was followed by a small thud as his head disappeared from the prince's view.

Despite his annoyance, Ozai felt himself smile. Much to his disappointment, when Zhao caught back up to the palanquin after his fall, he didn't look embarrassed and had no scrapes. They soon reached the gates of the palace and Ozai stepped down from his perch, his friend of convenience leaning over and breathing hard. "I was gonna ask if you wanted me to help you," he offered.

Ozai's first instinct was to insult the boy and tell him that a prince didn't need help from someone like him, but then he stopped. He did seem to know a bit about firebending, maybe he could help? His pause seemed to urge Zhao on. "That'd be funny wouldn't it? I bet everyone would laugh if we told them." Ozai knew he was trying to make a joke, but the smirk and smug look insinuated something else.

The young man's eyes widened and he felt rage bristle up in his throat, filling his head with fire. This boy was making fun of him. A common orphan was making fun of him, a Fire Nation prince. At this point, Zhao was lucky that the prince hadn't yet mastered firebending; if he had the boy would have suffered from some permanently disfiguring third degree burns.

Instead, Ozai just sneered at him, his eyes flashing. "I don't need help from someone like you." Zhao looked surprised, and his mouth opened but the prince spoke before he could. "Well? Go back to your orphanage. If you're lucky and my father doesn't decide to stop giving funds to Mr. Hsieh you might not have to beg on the street anymore."

"What?" Zhao asked, whistling on the 't.'

"Oh, some of the generals say they need more money and supplies for the war," Ozai said simply. He was lying of course, but the anger had clouded the prince's mind; he could only feel rage and the faint shadow of hurt. So, he spoke without thinking or caring what he was saying. Ozai's voice was uncharacteristically cheerful and he smiled condescendingly at the boy's hurt expression. An imperial firebender opened the palace door for him. "Go on then," he said, making a little shooing motion with his hands, before turning and walking inside.

He had one last glimpse of Zhao's face before the door was closed between them. The boy's previously joking or smiling face was twisted into a glare, and Ozai had the feeling that if he wasn't a prince and if there weren't two imperial firebenders and four other servants present he would probably already have a bloody nose.

As he walked through the palace's expansive entrance hall, on his way to his room, he felt guilty for approximately a heartbeat, before he forced it away. How dare he make fun of me? he said to himself, letting the rage return to replace the guilt. Besides, he almost got me kicked out of Jeong Jeong's class. With that, Ozai no longer felt guilty.

As he made his way to his room to get his homework, he did however, feel unhappy. He was suddenly dreading the next day's class; surely Zhao would only work harder to outshine him now and he couldn't even make fire. Ozai was planning on going to the palace gardens, one of his favorite places where his mother used to sit and read. He still needed to get his homework done for the Academy and the garden would be the perfect place, at least until the sun completely disappeared behind the crater walls but when he slid open the door his bad mood only intensified. His brother was sitting beside the turtle duck pond, a small table with a steaming tea pot beside him.

"Hey! How was your class today?" Iroh asked with a smile that only served to annoy Ozai more.

"It was fine," he said, trying to think of an excuse to go back inside. He wasn't able to think of any, even remotely believable, excuses for why he would walk into the garden holding his scrolls and ink, then immediately turn around and go back inside so, he slid the door closed behind him. He was heading towards the bench that was furthest away from his brother when Iroh called him over.

"Come have some tea with me and tell me all about it," Iroh motioned to the area opposite his little table.

"Where's Lan Ying?" Ozai asked, taking the seat offered to him if only to avoid having to think of an excuse to refuse.

"She went to a fancy-lady dinner party with Marquis Chiang's wife," Iroh explained with a smile, pouring Ozai's tea; from the smell, the second prince figured it was jasmine. That was his brother's favorite. "Oh, that reminds me; the chef saved you some dinner."

Ozai nodded sullenly and accepted his tea. "So are you ready to fight some Agni-Kai's for the honor of our family, yet?" Iroh teased with his signature grin. Ozai snorted, staring into his beverage. "It didn't go so well, then?" The crown prince took a sip of his tea.

With a sigh, Ozai shook his head. "No." He wanted to tell his brother that he couldn't even make a spark, but he bit his tongue.

Iroh finished his tea in a big gulp, and then watched his brother, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Come on," he ordered, setting the cup down and getting to his feet. Ozai reluctantly followed. "I'll teach you," Iroh said, smiling.

The boy looked at his older brother for several seconds before nodding. Iroh was a very good bender; he took pride in that fact and he often playfully bragged about his talents. As much as Ozai hated being overshadowed by his older brother, maybe the man could help him get ahead of his classmates, so placed his untouched cup of tea back on the table and stepped into the stance that Jeong Jeong had taught them.

Iroh nodded. He approved the stance, at least. "He showed us this, and how to breathe, and then we were supposed to make a little flame in our hands so we could learn to control it," Ozai finally spilled, his heart sinking back down to the place in his stomach. He'd completely forgotten that he wasn't sure if Iroh knew there were other boys in the class. Even if his brother didn't know, he didn't acknowledge it; Ozai wasn't sure if he should frown in confusion or sigh with relief, so he ignored it.

"Well breathing is the most important part of firebending," Iroh explained.

Ozai sighed out of frustration, "I know. I spent hours breathing. It's the stupid chi. I can't feel it or anything unless I'm not thinking about it."

The crown prince nodded thoughtfully. "It is hard at first to learn to control something so abstract," he said. "Most firebenders rely on their emotions to draw the chi out."

"Huh?"

"Your emotions are made of the energy that flows through your body, and they can be a very useful way to build up the chi, and then use it as fuel to make fire." Iroh inhaled deeply, and when he exhaled his breath was made of flames. "See?" he grinned.

Show off, Ozai thought, but at least now he had something to work with.