Chapter Two: First Day

-…-

"Flashback Start"

Zuko woke up like any other morning, scowl on his face, gloom hanging about him. He hated being a peasant in the Earth Kingdom, just like he hated his sister, but at least that was less intense than that. (He still had nightmares about her from time to time).

Thinking about Azula just made him even more irritated. He got up and went to look for his uncle. He stopped short when he entered the kitchen. A disgusting aroma was filling the room, and Iroh was standing next what seemed to be the source of the pungent smell.

"What in the world is that disgusting smell, Uncle?"

"Sea prunes, Zuko," Uncle stated as he held up a bowl of purple-colored mush. "It's quite delicious."

"What?" Zuko questioned his uncle's sanity for a moment as he looked down into the bowl. "Yeah… umm, no."

Whatever that mush is, I would rather starve to death. I'm a prince, and princes don't eat such peasant food.

"You should eat something before you go to school, nephew. You won't be back here for several hours, and during that time you can't help with the tea shop."

"No! I'm not eating tha- …. school?" Zuko glanced suspiciously toward his Uncle. Did he even hear him correctly? Today was definitely not a good day.

"Yes. You'll be going to an Earth Kingdom school starting today."

"WHAT? We're supposed to be hiding! The teachers at school probably all know my face from the posters! And I'm supposed to be going to school?"

"That's right, we are supposed to be hiding. What better way to blend in with the Earth Kingdom people than to learn their ways? During my attack on Ba Sing Se, I learned many things about the Earth Kingdom, and it's time you learn some too, nephew."

"But-!"

"The teachers won't recognize your face. I've been watching, and none of those posters have been placed around this area. Only kids about your age will be in your class and they all live close to this area. In fact, Kenna and Suchi are your two of your classmates."

"Them? Why do I have to be around them? It was bad enough having to see them in the tea shop, but now I have to see them everyday in the morning?"

"Come now, nephew. They are perfectly fine, young men. They will help you blend into the Earth Kingdom. After all, we 'are supposed to be hiding', right?" Uncle said with a mischievous smile on his face.

Zuko just frowned all the more. I can't believe I'm being talking into going to school. I finished school already, and now I have to go again? Just the thought of going to school again made him cringe. Azula had always been better than him. Damn, I have got to stop thinking about her! Zuko violently shook his head.

Iroh knew he had won this battle. Now he just hoped his nephew could walk on the right path after this experience. He smiled at the thought and offered his nephew the sea prunes, which he immediately refused. Sigh. If only his appetite would change. Iroh thought as his nephew went to change his clothes, grumbling about something that he couldn't quite make out.

Zuko came out of the room dressed in typical Earth Kingdom clothes. "So where is this school? I need to know in case I ever get lost in this god forsaken city."

Iroh noticed that Zuko had calmed down a little, and told him where the school was located. I would take no more than 30 minutes to walk there. "Oh, and Kenna and Suchi can always show you the way if you ever get lost. They are our neighbors, and they seem to want to be friends with you," Iroh stated as Zuko trudged out the door.

"No thanks," Zuko grumbled as he left. No sooner had he left when he was greeted by the very two people he was talking about. Suchi slapped Zuko in the back and greeted him with a hearty smile while Kenna bow slightly as he said hello.

Iroh watched as they left, sighed and smiled. He hoped that enrolling Zuko into this school would help him open up more. I looked out toward the city as he prepared to go work in the tea shop. Lu Ten, please watch over him.

-…-

Iroh had just made it in time to have Zuko enrolled at the start of school. He lined up with the others in the back of the classroom as he observed around seven people standing in the front of the class. Kenna and Suchi lined up right beside him. Zuko noticed that some people were already staring at his scar. He glared back, running chills down their spines.

Shina looked toward Suchi and Kenna. Why were they hanging out with that ruffian? Why is he glaring at the rest of the class? It's only the first day!

"Look at him, being all high and mighty! I want to take him down a few notches!" Aiko scowled when she looked at Zuko. "No one gets that cocky one the first day of school."

"He doesn't seem all that bad 'cause Kenna and Suchi are next to him, so he can't be that bad. He just … seems lonely? Or maybe sad? Angry? Uhh…" Kimiko kept racking her head to think of more words to describe what she was thinking.

"There's no need to keep thinking about that. You'll just hurt your head," Aiko stated.

"Attention!" one of the teachers yelled across the room. "We will be introducing ourselves and going over how things go at this school. Please listen and make sure you pay attention!"

Why should I listen to a bunch of peasants from the Earth Kingdom? This is such a waste of time. Zuko ignored the introduction of every single teacher. He honestly didn't want to be here, and his classmates also wanted him out. No one liked the glares Zuko constantly gave out. Why do I have to listen to this? The schedules are bizarre …wait, did I hear Earthbending? There's Earthbending that will be taught here?

Anko had begun discussing her area of expertise. She didn't say much except that her name was Anko and that she was an expert Earthbender. Anko … where have I heard that name…? Zuko pondered this for a while, but he couldn't remember why he felt relaxed at hearing the name or why he seemed nervous being around Anko. I guess this school isn't all bad. I guess I should pay attention after all. … Darn! I'm actually agreeing with Uncle here! He shook the thought away and focused on the teachers.

Suchi stared at Zuko. I'm so gonna quiz him tonight on the teacher's introductions and today's lesson. Suchi just smirked at the thought. He was going to have some fun tonight.

Kenna had a worried expression as he looked at his brother. Oh boy, Zuko will have a hard time tonight, Kenna thought.

Introductions continued on, and thankfully the teachers went through there introductions again for those who were … not as fast … as the other children in understanding things. Zuko made sure to pay attention to every detail, but he was disinterested in almost every teacher.

Class started off with the housewife, teaching the students how to survive in a royal house as a servant or when your parents are out and you need to deal with life on your own. Zuko paid attention and because he needed these skills when Uncle was out, and he really didn't want to starve. His stomach was already protesting to skipping today's breakfast.

Ugh. I really want school to be over so that I can get out of here. How did Uncle talk me into this…?

-…-

Meanwhile …

Katara looked over toward the window. "Look, the Inner Wall! I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece." Aang, who was looking out the window looked over towards Katara and smiled.

"Hey, don't jinx it!" exclaimed Sokka. "We could still be attacked by some giant exploding Fire Nation spoon or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp."

"You've been hitting the cactus juice again?" Toph said with a somewhat accusing voice.

"I'm just saying. Weird stuff happens to us." Sokka was making his weird hand gestures. Katara rolled her eyes. Right when Sokka finished talking, a cubby man sucking on corn sits right between Toph and Sokka, pushing them aside. See what I mean? Weird Stuff! Sokka thought as he looked at the chubby man, now slightly pushing him against the man next to him.

Aang and Katara were looking out the window by this time, and looking at the city only made Aang worry more about Appa. I hope nobody's hurting him. I find you buddy, just you wait. Aang only looked down, unable to hide his emotions from Katara.

Katara looked over. "Don't worry Aang. We'll find Appa."

"It's such a big city." Aang said in a hushed voice.

"It's a giant bison. Where could someone possibly hide him?" Sokka looked out the window as they approached the entrance of the Inner Wall. As they passed the tunnel, Sokka thought to himself 'Never mind; they could probably hide him somewhere.'

"Oh." Sokka, Aang, and Katara looked at the endless rows of houses.

As the train stopped at the station, everybody was prepared to get off the train. Toph was the first to get off. "Back in the city. Great." Toph stated with an irritated voice.

"What's the problem? It's amazing!" Sokka's voice was packed full of awe and wonder. It only wanted Toph to gag even more. Bad enough she was back in this city; she didn't want to hear her friends admire it, especially Sokka.

"Just a bunch of walls and rules. You wait. You'll get sick of it in a couple of days," Toph scoffed.

Aang was looking at his bison whistle. He really wanted to know where Appa was. He blew it, hoping that Appa would fly back to him through the sky. "I'm coming for you, buddy." Katara walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "He's here. I can feel it," Aang asserted.

As the train speed off, a woman with a ridiculously wide grin stared at them. She walked over to the gang. "Hello. My name is Joo Dee." She was wearing a typical Earth Kingdom dress and a dark green scarf with the Earth Kingdom's symbol on it. An Earth Kingdom hair pin was placed at the top-back of her head. An eerie feel hung about her, and Sokka couldn't shake it off, but he remained still, trying not to draw attention to himself.

Joo Dee continued. "I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara, and Toph," Joo Dee stated as she looked at each of them respectively. "Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

Sokka took the initiative. "Yes! We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately," Sokka informed as he leaned towards her. That eerie feeling still stuck with him.

"Great! Let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it." Joo Dee turned and began walking.

"Uuh!" Sokka was clearly irritated. He walked over to her, took off his bag, and dragged it behind him. "Maybe you missed what I said. We need to talk to the king about the war. It's important."

"You're in Ba Sing Se now. Everyone is safe here."

Everyone just gave her shocked and puzzled looks. They followed her anyway because it seemed like they didn't have any other choice. They entered a cart being pulled by and ostrich horse as Joo Dee began talking about the lower ring. "This is the Lower Ring." Momo clung on to the ceiling as the others looked out the windows.

"What's that wall for?" asked Katara.

"Oooh, Ba Sing Se has many walls. There are the ones outside protecting us and the ones inside that help maintain order," Joo Dee stated while keeping that ridiculous smile plastered to her face. "This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsmen and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively." Katara looked out the window and saw a man holding a sword and talking to someone. He looked over, flashed the sword and glared at them. Katara widened her eyes in fear. Joo Dee broke her smile. "You do want to watch your step though."

"Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?" Katara questioned. Joo Dee's smile simply returned back onto her face.

"This is why I never came here before," Aang stated with a depressed look on his face. "I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught use to live." He looked out the window, hoping that somehow, he could find Appa among the city walls.

-…-

Class was short, since many of the students still had their family jobs they needed to attend to, but many had stopped their jobs because their parents expected them to be there longer and accepted the fact that their children could not help out with the work load. Everyone was pretty much sick of Zuko by then. Zuko had not suppressed his superior attitude that he carried around him, and that made his classmates only glare at him more.

Yet all the while, Kenna and Suchi were not bothered by Zuko, nor were they hostile at all. In fact, they were extremely friendly, and made Zuko feel uncomfortable to be around them. Zuko didn't know how to accept the kindness. The last time he was shown kindness from others besides his Uncle was when his mother was still around, and the thought of her made him even more melancholy.

I was right. Today was definitely a horrible day. Class was dull and boring; I lost to Uncle in a mental battle (like I always do); I have to deal with annoying peasants that follow me or glare at me all day and I have to work at Uncle's tea shop later. Great. Just great.

Zuko was completely wrapped in his thought as he walked home, Suchi and Kenna trailing right behind him. Suchi crept up to Zuko and pounced right onto his prey. "WE ARE GONNA HAVE A STUDY SESSION!" Suchi bellowed.

"What?" Zuko mumbled in shock as he pushed Suchi away and rubbed his ear. Damn, that was loud. Why are peasants so noisy?

"Suchi! Don't yell into his ear! Sorry, Li. I'll explain. Suchi and I usually talk about the day's lecture and ask detailed questions to each other. We discussed this with your father and he approved, so you'll be having a study session with us tonight. We'll be coming over to your house at night and you'll only be working at the tea shop during afternoon hours.

Less tea shop hours in exchange for more of the annoying peasant's rambling. I absolutely hate this day. Zuko's face held a mean-looking scowl and Suchi only grinned with delight. "Wait till we get home and start practicing!" Suchi yelled as he ran ahead, pumping his fists in the air, and practically leaped and into his house. Kenna gave a sympathetic look towards Zuko and bowed slightly. "See you tonight, Li."

I don't need your sympathy and I don't need your friendship. I'm a prince and I can't associate with peasants like you. I just want to capture the Avatar, regain my honor, and go back home. Then father will love like before. Zuko entered the house right next to Suchi's and Kenna's and changed clothes, preparing to go to work and find his Uncle.

Why does today have to be so unlucky? Why does everything I do always blow up in my face? Zuko left, drowned in his own thoughts as he walked towards the tea shop he and his uncle worked at.

-…-

One Week Later…

Shina, Aiko, and Kimiko were sick of Zuko. They wanted to get rid of him from school and there lives, permanently. They planned it out; they were going to need the Earthbending teacher to unknowingly help them. And somehow, they would get Master Anko to do target practice and bend rocks at fast speeds. But how…? They would figure it out later. But one thing was certain. When this plan was all over, Zuko would no longer be willing to attend the school.

They all looked over towards Zuko, who had his chin on his hand staring at the teacher and listening with a dull look on his face to what the survivalist teacher was trying to say about hunting birds.

"Soon … soon you will fall at the hands of the Yu He!" whispered Aiko. Shina and Kimiko nodded in agreement. "Prepare yourself, Li. This will be the worst months of your life yet!"

"Yes" Shina whispered. Kimiko clapped her hand in excitement.

And with that, the Yu He set their plan into motion.

"Flashback End"

Finally ... FINALLY!

Next is a small preview of what it is to come. Kinda of like a prologue, but more of what will happen in the future.

Oh boy, hopefully none of my AP classes bother me this week.

Thanks for all those encouraging comments you guys have made~! It really helps the morale.

link to the previous chapter : [link]

I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender (c) or Zuko (c).
Though I do own Suchi, Kenna, Shina, Aiko, and Kimiko. Since they are all OC's.

Picture belongs to Sora-ko ([link])

Halloworldsx – the world truly is a sacred place.