Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Bender or its characters
Pointers: 'italics' means that the character is thinking
Summary: He hadn't seen her since the day he was banished, but he could still remember the way the wind had drifted her away. Zuko x OC
Book 2: Earth
Ba Sing Se
Jiyuu's P.O.V
Just as he had promised me, he had taken me to the Earth Kingdom. When I had arrived, I had went back to my old village and some people remembered me, showering me with compliments of how much I have grown and also doting on me when they see my marks. I had told them how I lived in the Fire Nation, taken in by the royal family. Everyone was so amazed at my story, surprised that an airbender, a poor one at that, and native to the Earth Kingdom had gotten to live the high life. Of course, my story did sound like some fairytale until I told them the end and how I got here.
What I had done, the torture that ensued after defying the Fire Lord. They had looked at me with such admiration for what I had said and done, but I didn't feel like I was worth of it. I had left Zuko, my only friend, alone with his father who was bound to make his life some sort of hell after the Agni Kai. Not only had I done that, but now he thinks I'm dead. Gone forever. Its a horrible thought, losing someone so close to you. I could only imagine how upset he is, especially since that was the day I had ever seen Zuko's tears other than the Agni Kai. He had always seen me shed tears but I had never seen one single tear fall from his. I feel so ashamed like I wasn't worth telling him that I was still alive.
I was going to miss home and the life I had there. Everyday enjoying a new one with Zuko, drinking tea with Uncle Iroh, giving my suitors false hope of me choosing them, and now I couldn't even very much see Admiral Cheng. He had to leave, but he had given me enough money and as well as care for me to carry one here. I thought I would travel, but I found my way back home with empty hope of finding my mother and my father. Nobody has known where they had gone after we had split up at the Fire Nation. I still don't even understand how it happened or why we even went there.
So, I spent many days traveling alone on the road. So much gold that I could feed myself, buy new clothes, and even buy a new weapon. I had found this sword at this antique shop. It was a sword-whip called Souran. It was different and unique, but it also complimented my airbending. So, I practiced with it and kept it with me and what luck did it have because I ran into my father. He owned this flower shop along with my mother, but little did I know that this was just a facade. I had went into the flowershop because I had seen a red and yellow chrysanthemum like the flower pin from the headband that Lu Ten gave me years ago. It was so beautiful and I wanted to buy one, but I couldn't waste my money on it.
My father had said that the flower meant so many lovely things and only true people with ensnared hearts were lured by its beauty. He asked me was there someone I loved and I told them I had once loved someone, who had died years ago. He said he could tell because I was indeed alone and he had seen me many, many times before the past couple of weeks. I began to wonder why he had been following me, but he assured me that it was because he was man who had to do many travels.
They had allowed me to stay at their home seeing that I had no place to go and we played Pai Sho together. He was really good, but still not better than me. After all, I learned from Uncle Iroh and I told him how Iroh had this white lotus tile he would place in the middle of the board and that had shocked my father. As he then asked did I know about the Order of the White Lotus. I told him I didn't understand he told me about how it was a society, an ancient one, that transcends the boundaries of the four nations, seeking philosophy, beauty, and truth. They are devoted to the sharing of ancient knowledge across national and political divides. Their new purpose now was to find each new Avatar and make sure they master all the elements in protect them. I told him that I thought the Avatar was dead and the man said that the Avatar was merely lost.
He had then explained to me how he had a child that he thought was the Avatar, but she was just an airbender and nothing more. I quickly told him that I was an airbender and that's when it clicked. This man before me was no other than Kazu, my father, who I had not seen since I was young. This realization did bring a happy reunion between our family in which I soon learned that I had two little brothers. Ichirou and Jiro. Ichirou was three whereas Jirou was just a newborn, born a week ago. It felt great to be united with my family and meeting my younger siblings, and it felt even better that I joined the Order of the White Lotus as an airbender who is willing to help find the Avatar.
End of Jiyuu's P.O.V
Three years later...
In an Earth Kingdom village, there are people bearing backpacks and other loads walking back and forth over a bridge, either entering or departing the village. Within the village was Iroh and Zuko sitting on straw mats, their stolen ostrich horse behind them. Iroh holds his hand in his hand. A cart festooned with masks for sale are in front of them and another mask is the Blue Spirit. As the cart passes, another pedestrian walks in front of Iroh, who holds his hat out to them and speaks to him, "Spare coins for weary travelers?"
The man throws a few coppers coins into Iroh's hat, joining a dozen already in there. His nephew turns to him in anger, "This is humiliating! We're royalty. These people should be giving us whatever we want."
"They will - if you ask nicely." Iroh explains as he solicits as well dressed young woman, he speaks in a weak voice. "Spare change for a hungry old man?"
"Aww," She says as she produces a coin from her sleeve and puts it in his hat, "here you go."
"The coin is appreciate, but not as much as your smile." He flirts as his nephew slaps his forehead out of frustration. The woman giggles and walks away as a man carrying a pair of broadswords on his back wanders by the opposite direction as the girl.
The man stops and addresses the beggars, smiling somewhat cruelly. "How about some entertainment in exchange for..." Zuko continued to sit in a petulant pose as the man is now holding a gold coin, "a gold piece."
"We're not performers." Zuko says nonchalantly.
Iroh smiles and puts his hand on the ground, "Not professional, anyway." He starts singing, and shifting from one foot another as he rocks back and forth, "Its a long, long way to Ba-Sing-Se," his mouth becomes very wide, "but the girls in the city they look so prett-ay!"
The man was displeased, "Come on! We're talking," he whips out one of his broadswords, "a gold piece here!" He whips out the other, "Let's see some action." Zuko eyes burn with anger, "Dance!" He said as the man pointed his sword at Iroh.
"There you are!" A voice came from out of nowhere, drawing all three of them their attention and also the group who watched. There was a girl standing there with chocolate, slightly tinted red, brown hair and almond-shaped hazel pupils. She had a slender frame, her arms and legs exposed due to her attire. She wore a strapless green shirt, with yellow at the top hem and at them bottom as it exposed her stomach, non-connected long green sleeves that covered her hands, brown shorts under a black skirt that had slits going up to her hips and brown boots. Around her neck was a red ribbon with a red and yellow flower attached to it on the side. Zuko had stared at that flower for a long time, something about it seemed familiar.
"She's a cutie, isn't she Lee?" Iroh said as he elbows his nephew gently, who was preoccupied on wondering why this girl was after the man and why she seemed so familiar to him.
The man gave her a nonchalant look, "What do you want, kid? Didn't I tell you to skedaddle? I'm not fighting no little girl."
"You stole the man's pouch and I'm going to take it back!" She unsheathed her sword as the rest of the people gasped.
"All right fine." He said as Iroh looked in shock, he was going to try to make peace but Zuko pulled the older man back down with him.
Iroh looked at his nephew and then at the young girl who grinned, "This won't last long."
"Tell me about it." The man said cockily as she girl leaped into the air and then her sword had turned into a long sword-like whip, his eyes widen as she then landed on her hands and sword rotated around her, lashing at the man a few times before tying around his feet and knocking him off them. She approached him and her sword retracted to its normal form and the tip of it was at his neck.
"Don't kill me!" He pleaded as she pressed her foot on his neck and searched his pockets for a green pouch.
"That's all I needed." She turned around and then looked at Iroh and Zuko, she dug in her pockets and flipped a orange pouch into their hat, gold pieces spilling out of it.
Iroh grinned and Zuko continued to stare at her, "Thank you, dear." Iroh thanked her as she gave him a nod and continued to walk off. "You should of gotten her name nephew."
"Something tells me that we're going to end up seeing her again." He finally said something as the broadswords man kicked the ground, upset that the money he stole was taken from him. "But didn't she seem familiar to you?"
"She kind of reminds me of someone." Iroh had said as he saw the look on his nephew's face. Whenever Jiyuu's name was mentioned, the molten, gold eyes of Zuko had displayed an open emotion of sadness.
Zuko had looked at his uncle, "Of Jiyuu."
Iroh frowned as he saw that emotion he did not want to see, "Jiyuu died three years ago, Zuko. She just looks like her. After all, she was from the Earth Kingdom, right? So many girls will bear some resemblances to her."
The Prince looked down, "Right."
Zuko and Iroh were on their ostrich-horse, riding through a small cleft in the valley. Iroh is clearly uncomfortable and his nephew takes notice. "Maybe we should make camp."
Iroh, in a pained voice, says. "No, please, don't stop for me!" Iroh lets out several more pained groans. Zuko pulls the reigns of the Ostrich-Horse, stopping it. He and Iroh dismount. Iroh groans and takes a seat on a large flat rock. The Ostrich-Horse perks up, pricking its ears. Clearly, it detects something unusual. Zuko takes a defensive posture. "What now?" Iroh asked, annoyed. Rough Rhinos streak through the foliage around them. Colonel Mongke's rhino stamps the ground forcefully, breaking the surface crust. Cololonel Mongke pulled back on the rhino's reins. Zuko continues his defensive posture. Iroh brightens and places a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Colonel Mongke! What a pleasant surprise!"
"If you're surprised we're here then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps." The man said as he looks stern. He emphasizes his remarks by making sparks with his bracers. His men ready their weapons.
"You know these guys?" Zuko asked.
"Sure. Colonel Mongke and the Rough Riders are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapons specialist. They are also a very capable singing group." His uncle explained.
"We're not here to give a concert. We're here to apprehend fugitives!"
"Would you like some tea first? I'd love some. How about you, Kachi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"
"Enough stalling! Round 'em up!" Colonel Mongke order as the he dark skinned, pony tailed fighter swings his ball and chain at Iroh. Iroh kicks the ball away. The ball, redirected, wraps its chain around the foot of another warrior's rhino. Iroh dodges the fire blasts by tumbling along the ground. He rises back up to swat the rump of the rhino that had been chained. The rhino runs off, yanking the dark-skinned warrior who had one end of the chain attached to his belt as well as its own rider. Iroh waves as he watches them go.
The archer shoots a lit arrow at Zuko's back, but he senses the arrow, turns, and breaks the arrow apart as it approaches him. Zuko then lets a fire blast loose, which burns a hole in the archer's bow, a hand's width above the archer's hand. The blast passes through the bow and breaks the string.
Mongke is seen letting loose fire blast after fire blast at Iroh. Iroh deflects each. Zuko runs up and jumps on the back of Mongke's rhino behind him. A brief duel ensues, with Mongke quickly being kicked off the rhino by Zuko.
Iroh runs up to the ostrich horse, jumps up on the saddle, and rides to Zuko. The Prince jumps from Mongke's rhino into the saddle as Iroh gallops by. The armored warrior, riding in pursuit, throws a grenade at the fleeing ostrich horse. The grenade explodes ahead of the ostrich horse, but Iroh and Zuko are able to ride through the explosion. "It's nice to see old friends."
"Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you."
"Hmm... Old friends that don't want to attack me." Zuko sighs at his uncle's response as they continue on riding through the valley.
Inside the bar at the ice springs, Zuko and Iroh are sitting at a table. "No one here is going to help us. These people just look like filthy wanderers."
"So do we." Iroh said as he pointed, "Ah, this is interesting. I think I've found our friend."
Zuko turned to see an old, bald man sitting at a Pai Sho table. "You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" He asked.
"I don't think this is a gamble." Iroh and Zuko then get up and walks over. "May I have this game?"
"The guest has the first move." The man said as Iroh places the Lotus title in the middle of the board. "I see you favor the white lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways."
"Those who do can always find a friend."
"Then let us play." The old Pai Sho player places another tile on the board. Iroh quickly places another tile as well. Zuko sits down and watches intently as the two men place tile after tile on the board in rapid succession. When they are done, the tiles form the shape of a lotus, with the lotus tile in the center. "Welcome, brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."
"What are you old gasbags talking about?" The Prince asked, very confused.
Iroh looked at hi nephew, "I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game." Iroh rolls a tile over his knuckles and clutches it.
One of the men from before, Xin Fu, stands. "It's over! You two fugitives are coming with me!"
The Pai Sho player, Kazu, turns to look at the former Prince and General, "I knew it! You two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!"
"I thought you said he would help!" Zuko yelled at his uncle.
"He is. Just watch." His uncle remained calm.
"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?" Kazu asked Xin Fu.
"Gold?" One man in the bar said interested. All of the men in the bar look up at the mention of the word 'gold.' Several of them pull out knives and approach the group around the Pai Sho table.
"Uh... Maybe we shouldn't." One of the men with Xin Fu said.
Two men jump in front of Xin Fu. The earthbender spins around and delivers a reverse roundhouse kick, bending a rock from the ground which knocks the two men away. Master Yu enters his stance and bends the earth underneath one of the assailants, causing him to sink into the ground up to his neck.
While the fights broke out, Zuko, Iroh and Kazu are running out of the building. Xin Fu and Master Yu have both knocked out nearly everyone in the bar, but have let their bounty escape. Xin Fu growls and punches both of his fists downward, causing a pillar of rock to shoot out from under one of the downed sandbenders. He yells as he flies through the window and hits a palm tree.
In the a small village near the edge of the desert, Zuko, Iroh, and Kazu enter one of the buildings. Kazu makes sure that no one is watching before shutting the door.
They are in a flower shop. "It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets."
Zuko, annoyed, decides to speak his mind. "Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is this club going to offer some real help?"
"You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts." Iroh apologized for his nephew before Kazu knocks on a door in the back. A small window in the middle slides open and a man peeks through.
"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" The man asked.
"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Iroh answered as the door is opened and Iroh and the Pai Sho player enter. Zuko attempts to follow them, but the door is shut in his face. Iroh slides open the door's window. "I'm afraid it's member's only. Wait out here."
Zuko frowns and crosses his arms. He leans over to a nearby plant and sniffs it. Just then, a female walks from the member's only room and its the same brunette who fought the man earlier. "Your that girl."
"Your that beggar." She pointed at him which made his eyes flash of anger from the term "beggar." She then looked around.
"What are you doing here?" He asked her as she blinked a few times before placing her arms behind her head and crossing her ankles.
She raised an eyebrow, "I live here."
"You live in a flower shop?" He wanted to laugh, but then he knew it would lead to a heated argument. He was too curious as to what this all meant, what his uncle was doing.
"Yeah, but I'm going to be working at my dad's friend Pao's teashop." She said, "And so, we'll be going to the same way."
"The same way?" He asked, confused.
"The lower ring of Ba Sing Se." She answered as the door opened and Iroh steps out.
"What's going on? Is the club meeting over?" Zuko asked.
"Everything is taken care of. We're heading to Ba Sing Se." Iroh answered.
"Ba Sing Se?" He then looked at the brunette hair girl who was looking at Kazu, "Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?"
Kazu then took the initiative to explain, "The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice two more."
"We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city." Iroh further explained as Zuko did a firm nod, understanding even though he wasn't happy about it.
The brown-haired girl then took a step forward, "And I'll be taking care of you guys. I'll be doing all the fighting so you guys won't have to expose yourselves!" She said with a bright grin on her face as she pointed at herself. "I'm one of the strongest here."
"Great. We went from royalty to fugitives and now being protected by a wild, little girl." Zuko rolled his eyes, "This couldn't be even more great."
"Hey!" The female shook her fist as the door opens and man steps inside the flower shop.
"I have the passports for our guests, but there are two men out on the streets looking for them."
"I'll take care of 'em." She said as Kazu then grabbed her arm, "What? I got this, dad."
"Dad?" Iroh and Zuko said in a unison, surprised.
Kazu then looked at Iroh and Zuko and then back at his daughter, "Fen. You have to lead them to the lower ring, you can't waste time by fighting those men."
"But dad, I got this. You know I'm more than capable! I can slug 'em good. Give me just two minutes and they'll be runnin' home to their mommies!" She then punched the air with a good left swing, "Lemme at 'em! I'll show 'em nobody messes with me!"
The man smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm, "Fighting isn't always the answer Feng. You have to remember that. Now, go on and don't give these guys or Pao a hard time."
"Fine!" Feng ripped her arm away from her dad and folded her arms, "See ya, Pa! Let's go guys." She bent down and opened the secret compartment on the ground and led them the way through the tunnel and towards the exit.
By the time the door from the flower shop was knocked down, the room was empty. Save for a circle of mats and a Pai Sho lotus tile in the middle. Master Yu picks up the lotus title, "Some unlucky soul has an incomplete Pai Sho set."
Xin Fu growls angrily and knocks the tile out of the man's hand, "Let's go back to finding that blind girl."
In a ship on the great lake, Iroh was looking out at the water on the ship's deck. "Who would have thought, after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace... as a tourist." He said solemnly and as he says this last bit, he turns to Zuko, putting a flowered hat and a wide grin.
Zuko responds grimly, "Look around, we're not tourists, we're refugees." He sips from the wooden bowl. "Ugh!" He spits over the railing, "I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt... I'm tired of living like this." He leans on the rail despondently.
"Aren't we all?" A boy said and they turned to see a the owner of the voice with a stalk of prairie grass in his mouth and soon adopts a sly grin, "My name's Jet, and these are my freedom fighters, Smellerbee, and Longshot."
Jet steps towards the rail, his companions behind him. "Hey." Smellerbee greets him as Longshot nods.
Zuko was still looking out over the lake, "Hello."
Jet steps closer, "Here's the deal. I hear the Captain's eating like a king, while us refugees have to feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"
"What sort of "king" is he eating like?" Iroh asked, now intrigued.
"The fat, happy kind." Iroh's mouth gapes open, drooling. "You want to help us "liberate" some food?"
Zuko stares down into the bowl of gruel, considering a moment before hurling it out over the rail. He turns to Jet, "I'm in."
"In what?" Feng walks over toward them, "Your not gonna be startin' any trouble on my watch."
Jet then turns to the female, "He's just going to help us eat better food that the Captain's doesn't even deserve."
The female narrowed her eyes at him, "And what makes you so sure that this plan will work? How do I know that if things go sour, you'll ditch him and leave him out to hang and dry?"
"Because, I'm not that type of person. It wouldn't benefit me if he got in trouble." Jet explained as Feng then looked at Zuko, who was giving her a rather fierce expression.
She folded her arms and closed her eyes, "I'll only allow it if I'm going."
"Sure, doesn't bother me." Jet gave her a grin as she pushed past them.
Jet then turns to look at Zuko, "She sure has an attitude, don't she?"
"Most of us do." The Prince answered as he went the same way the brunette went.
"So, Smellerbee, that's an unusual name for a young-" Feng shot him a look, shaking her head as if telling him not to continue.
"What were you going to say?" Smellerbee asked as Iroh looked at Xia and then the younger female.
"Oh, nothing. I forgot what I was going to say."
Zuko, Feng and Iroh are joined by Jet, who calmly sits down with them. "From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall." Jet said eagerly.
"It is a magnificent sight." Iroh added.
"So you've been there before?" asked Jet.
"Once, when I was a different man." The older man looked away with regret.
The Freedom Fighter leader glanced around, "I've done some things in my past I'm not proud of. But that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se, for a new beginning. A second chance."
"A new beginning huh?" Feng mumbled which caused them to look at her.
Smellerbee then spoke up, "Why are you going to Ba Sing Se? And we never really got your name."
The brunette girl had sat up straight and then looked down to her bowl of congee, "I'm going to Ba Sing Se because," she looked at Zuko and Iroh because half of the reason why she was going to protect them, but that wasn't the whole reason. "Its because I want to see it. I promised to do something there when I was a child and I never built the courage to actually go there."
"What did you promise to do there?" Zuko had asked in which Iroh turned to look at him, surprised that his nephew was interested in the conversation.
"I promised to marry the boy I loved there, but he died in the war." Zuko's eyes widened a fraction and so did Iroh, they both looked at each other and then back at Feng who was too busy looking up at the stars. "Its hard to imagine anyway. A nonbender being married to a firebender."
"You fell in love with a firebender?" Jet said with disgust, "All firebenders do is cause destruction and take away families!"
Feng had closed her eyes, "Love doesn't have a shape or preference. You can find love with any person or any bender. But I once felt the way you did, I wanted the whole Fire Nation to fall apart but after meeting some of the people and falling in love with the soldier I realized that you can't just blame a whole nation because of one person. Those soldiers are following the orders of their Fire Lord, but there are some who are cruel anyway but you can't just group all of them. Every bender is not kind nor is every bender evil, Jet."
Iroh smiled at the young girl and nodded her head, "She is right, young one. Not every bender is the same."
The Freedom Fighter's opinion of the Fire Nation did not change, but he did understand what they had meant. "It still doesn't take away what they stole from me."
"Nothing can ever replace loved ones, but time heals all if you let it." She informed him before walking over to the railing.
Zuko had stood up and walked over to her and leaned against the railing beside her. "My friend, who died three years ago, promised to marry my cousin in Ba Sing Se."
"Really?" Feng said in surprise, "I'm sure when I said that, that made you think of her."
"I always think about her." He quickly said as the girl beside him expression had softened, "She died trying to defend my honor. She was twelve when she was sentenced to death."
"How did she die?" Feng asked him as he looked up at the star-filled sky.
"By cliff." Zuko answered, "I remember the day so clearly. It had to be a slow and torturous death if she hadn't hit the rocks, but she must of drowned. Still, she had died like a true warrior with her head held high and she had jumped instead of being pushed."
"She sounds like a person that I would've like to meet." Feng had responded as the Prince looked at her, "What?"
He examined the flower closer around her neck, his eyes narrowing. "Where did you get that flower from?"
Feng placed her hand on the flower pin, "My father got this for me when he went to Ba Sing Se. It was in this old antique shop, I plan to visit there to see if they have other beautiful things."
The Prince then looked away, "I see."
"Let's go back to the group," Feng then pushed herself off the railing as he watched her before slowly joining the rest of them.
Once their boatride had came to an end, they reached the Ferry Landing. Inside to the ticket gate. An Earth Kingdom official, a sour, heavy set woman with a large hairy mole above her eyebrow, looks over Iroh, Feng's, and Zuko's papers dubiously. Her voice was rather unpleasant, "So, Mr. Lee, Ms. Feng, and Mr... umm Mushy is it?"
"It's pronounced Moo-shee." Iroh corrected her.
The heavyset woman looked up from her papers angrily, "You telling me how to do my job?"
Iroh stepped closer, "Uh, no no no." His voice then becomes charming, "But may I just say that you're like a flower in bloom, your beauty intoxicating."
The woman began smiling and was obviously charmed, "You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself handsome." She makes cat-claw gesture and Feng began to cringe, "Raorrr. Welcome to Ba Sing se." She stamps their papers and pushes them forward.
Zuko snatched his papers from his uncle disgustedly. "I'm gonna forget I saw that."
"Oh look, it worked didn't it?" Feng finally spoke up, "Don't get your underpants in a bunch."
Zuko was walking down the street of Ba Sing Se and his Uncle had caught up from behind him, holding a large vase with several orange flowers placed in it. His nephew stared coldly at the floral. "I just want our new place to look nice in case someone brings home a lady friend." He gives Zuko a small nudge with his elbow.
"The city is a prison. I don't want to make a life here." His nephew retorte
"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not. Now come on, Feng managed to get us a job, and we start this afternoon.
When the afternoon had dawned upon the day, Iroh and Zuko had made their way to the teashop. This was the place Feng had told them she was going to be working and that just made Zuko's foul mood slightly lift. It seemed they wouldn't be separating after all. "Well, you certainly look like official tea servers. How do you feel?" Pao had asked them.
"Ridiculous." Zuko answered as he and his uncle were both wearing aprons.
Iroh desperately attempts to tie the string behind his back, but his effort is in vain. "Uh, Does this possibly come in a larger size?"
"I have extra string in the back. Have some tea while you wait." Pao then pours two cups of tea and hands them to his new employees before heading to the back of the shop. Iroh takes a sip from his cup, but quickly pulls it away, his face contorted in disgust.
"Eeow! This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!" Iroh said with a scoff.
Zuko looked at this Uncle as he spoke, "Uncle, that's what all tea is."
"How can a member of my own family say something so horrible? We'll have to make some major changes around here." He replied as they watched Feng come out from the worker's station and then to the front with a tray of fruit pie slices. "Did you make those, Feng?"
The brunette turned to look at them, "Huh? Yeah, I did!" She smiled at them, "You should get working on making the tea, Mushi. I'm just going to serve this as a free sample to the people outside."
"Do you need some help?" Zuko asked as Feng shook her head.
"No, I'll be fine." She then walked out the front doors leaving Iroh to snap Zuko out of his thoughts.
His Uncle had smiled mischievously, "You like her, don't you?"
"What are you talking about?" Zuko's face showed his discomfort at the question. He marched towards the back, "Let's just get to work."
"Nephew, if you think she is Jiyuu the-" The older man began to say, but he was cut off.
"Jiyuu is dead. She's been dead for three years Uncle and if that girl is Jiyuu, why wouldn't she tell me? It wouldn't make any sense." The Prince said as he looked away, "There's no reason to talk about her anymore. She's dead and so is this conversation."
The darkness in the young boy's voice had worried Iroh terribly, he looked down at the pot as he began brewing some tea. People had start coming in, many people talking about the slice of fruit pie that they ate and how good it was. Zuko had watched as Feng came back into the restaurant with the silver tray now empty. She had a smile on her face as she walked toward the counter, placing the tray down. "I did a good job, eh? Aren't I the best?" She grinned cockily as he rolled his eyes.
Iroh had turned to look at the two teenagers talking and the finally took note of the necklace that the girl wore. The flower was the red and yellow flower that his son had picked out for Jiyuu. It was that exact flower.
Flashback
"I am going to send the children some gifts." Iroh told his son as they were in the tent, "I am going to send Zuko this pearl dagger and Azula this pretty little doll."
Lu Ten had turned towards his father with an item in his hand, "Your giving Azula a doll? I don't think she'll like it, Dad."
"Well, it was really the only thing I could think to give her and maybe it will help her be more feminine. More normal." The older man laughed as he then looked at headband that was in Lu Ten's hand. "What is that? A gift for Xiaoli? I really need to pick out something for young Jiyuu. She is such a delicate flower."
His son had laughed, "Jiyuu is hardly delicate, but she is a blooming flower. No, this is not for Xiaoli, its for Jiyuu."
"A red and yellow chrysanthemum? Why, don't tell me you have been enchanted by an eight-year-old." His father teased but was serious all at the same time.
Lu Ten smiled, "Xiaoli had turned me down because she was to be wed to another man." He then looked down at the headband, "Jiyuu will be a great woman one day and I have decided I would wait for her until then. This flower is a sign of that promise, I owe her that much."
"I think she will love the present not because it is beautiful but because it was sent from you." He placed his hand on his sun's shoulder, "Let's get back to trying to break this city's wall. My son will marry here years ahead."
End flashback
Iroh had stared at the necklace then at young Feng as she laughed at whatever was said and annoyed his nephew in the process. "Why don't you get back to work? Instead of trying to get on my nerves." Zuko said as Feng stuck her tongue out at him before going back towards the kitchen. 'I do not know why she is hiding her identity, but it must be for a good reason.' Iroh thought as he then began to pour tea into several cups.
Jiyuu: Japanese name meaning "Freedom"
Souran: The Japanese word meaning "Riot"
Ichirou: The Japanese name meaning "first son"
Jiro: The Japanese name meaning "second son"
Feng: Chinese name meaning "Wind"
Short I know, but there's sooo many ideas that I have in mind. Bwahahaha.
R & R!