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Chapter Text

Izumi was always naturally observant, she knew this as long as she could remember. She could tell at the drop of a hat what type of tea her uncle drank at breakfast based off the smell of his breath during their mid-morning pai sho game, or what forms her father worked on that day based on how he walked to the dinner table. Izumi was certain her analytical skills would have been the most valuable asset in battle, should one ever arise. But ever since her father became Fire Lord long before she was born, there were no more battles to be fought. At least, not ones she could quite actively participate in yet.

Everyone got along now, and she was set to inherit a peaceful nation that worked with the other four around the world. But until then, she was determined to utilize her skill set to make the world an even better place. There was plenty for her to do in the Fire Nation, but when everything was being handled by the Fire Lord and unable to be passed off to her for now, she felt as if she had to find a use for her skills outside of her home. 

So that's why she confronted her father about joining the United Forces during their afternoon lessons the day before the Harvest Festival.

His only eyebrow shot up and he frowned. "Are you sure? Military service is very serious."

Izumi nodded and replied, "I've thought it over and I know that I would be a great asset to the United Republic. I won't be Fire Lord for at least another thirty or forty years if you age as well as Uncle Iroh, so I think it would be a great way for me to help the people around the world."

Her father smiled and he took a sip of his tea. "If you are determined, I won't stop you."

"Thank you, Father!" she exclaimed as she bowed to him. When she left the room after their lessons were finished, her cursed observant nature didn't miss the way his face fell slightly before the door closed entirely.

Seika was certain her mother was going to kill her.

After all, she left without saying goodbye and her little note left on her mother's desk would not likely quell her ire. But Seika couldn't help herself; she wanted to join the United Forces despite her mother telling her numerous times that she couldn't. What else could she do as a waterbender in this world? Build ice huts and heal minor scratches for the rest of her life? Unlikely.

No matter what her mother insisted, it just didn't seem right to not go out an pave her own path. After all, she was the daughter of the most powerful waterbender in the world. Being denied a chance to make a name for herself without her mother's influence could change her whole life!

It started with the United Republic. As she sailed north to Republic City to sign up as a new recruit for the United Forces, Seika was sure she was on the right path. After all, this was where she could make a name for herself, where she could make a difference without the shadow of her mother looming over her. It was what she endured in the Southern Water Tribe as long as she could remember, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, the attention she received wasn't always positive.

Here, she could endure it because it would be of her own merit, not because the people that claimed to love her mother because they believed Seika was a bastard child and thought negatively about her mother because of it.

But she knew that wasn't the truth. When Seika asked at the age of fourteen, her mother sat her down and sighed, weariness showing on her tan face and in her dull blue eyes. She told Seika that she and Seika's father weren't allowed to be together, so she ran away before Seika's father knew that Seika existed. Though, she claimed that he would love Seika so much if he knew she existed, it was just his people wouldn't allow it.

Seika believed that in the United Republic, no one would care about that. Maybe there she would find her place. Maybe it would be where she finally belonged.

Izumi showed up to the registration early in the morning, one of the first people to arrive in order to sign up and officially join the United Forces. Many eyes were on her, pointing and whispering as she strode forward, her glasses and crown situated in her top knot catching the light as she walked with her two guards behind her. She quickly felt out of place - like she normally did no matter where she went - but she steeled herself as she climbed the stairs to the table where she would sign in as a new recruit.

The man at the table blinked a few times before standing and giving her a short bow. "Princess Izumi! It is an honor to meet you! How may I be of service to you today?"

"I'd like to register for the United Forces," she replied curtly, deciding to skip over the pleasantries.

The man's eyes bulged and the other people around started whispering louder. "R-really? Well, since you are of age you do not need parental permission, but we do ask that you relinquish all tokens of status. We are all equal on these planes."

Izumi nodded and quickly pulled her crown out of her topknot, then handed it carefully to one of her guards. "Where do I sign in?"

As the man showed her where she was to sign in and where she needed to go next, her guards retreated back to the carriage they rode in and they left her alone. This was part of the agreement, and she would stick with it. Her father was very protective of her, but she insisted that she did this alone. He said she needed guards, but she said this was the military, she wouldn't need them. So he conceded by saying they were to escort her to the registration table. After she relinquished her crown, they would leave.

And they followed his order.

Izumi signed the papers and was quickly showed to where she needed to go next, all while she lamented internally. Her father was always so protective because he was afraid he'd lose her, just like he lost her mother. Though he never said it outright, Izumi knew that was why. Her mother never was around, and Izumi never had any living memory of her. When she asked her father the day she turned fourteen, he looked so downtrodden as he looked out the window towards the seas beyond the caldera, and he told her that her mother left.

And that was it.

Unfortunately, Izumi couldn't glean any information out of Uncle Iroh or Aunt Azula - at least reliable information out of her. She would look at Izumi, almost always mutter something about water, then change the subject. It was frustrating that no matter who she asked, she could never get a clear answer to her heritage.

She sighed as she walked with the soldier towards the room where she was to wait and then be sworn in with the rest of the recruits. She sat where she was told, handed a packet of information with forms to fill out, then was told to read over the information and fill out the forms while she waited for everyone else. As she did, one by one people filed into the room and were handed their own packets. The room was quiet for the most part, filled only with the sounds of pens scratching against paper and an occasional sigh or cough. After a while, there were two people murmuring between themselves, causing Izumi to glance in their direction to find out what was so interesting that they had to break the silence.

One wearing Earth Kingdom green was murmuring to the other, who was staring at Izumi openly with wide golden eyes - although her Water Tribe clothing rose a few questions in Izumi's mind. There was something strangely familiar about her, from the slope of her nose to the way her lips parted with shock as she continued to stare. Her attention was enough to make Izumi squirm with discomfort at her lack of discretion, so she shot a glare at the girl and brought her gaze back to her files.

Before any more attention could be diverted to the rude Water Tribe girl, a General came into the room and began the swearing in process. All of the recruits stood, swore their oaths to the United Republic, and were then escorted to another room where they would be divided according to gender and prospective job, then get fitted for their uniforms for training. Izumi caught sight of the Water Tribe girl again from across the barracks, their eyes meeting again as they were measured and handed bundles of clothes and supplies that would last them through the four months they were to be staying there.

With a frown, Izumi made her way to an open bunk, mind running through as much of her life that she could remember for that Water Tribe girl's face. Unfortunately, all she could think of was her father and how that girl had the same kind eyes that he had.

Seika's heart was racing erratically. That girl - Princess Izumi of the Fire Nation, according to her new friend Lin - looked so similar to herself that it made her head hurt. Why did it seem like she already knew this girl despite never leaving the South Pole her entire life? And why did they look exactly alike?

She had to get to the bottom of it, and quick.

The first night of training, while everyone was supposed to be asleep, Seika snuck over to where she knew Izumi was sleeping in her bunk and quietly shook her awake. Izumi's eyes shot open and quickly a fist full of flames was a foot away from Seika's face.

She blinked a few times before grabbing her glasses and putting out her fire. "What do you want?"

"How do I know you?" Seika immediately said, deciding it was better not to beat around the bush. "You look like me. And I feel like I know you from somewhere."

Izumi's arched brow shot up skeptically and she laid back down in her bed, back turned to Seika as she said, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Now go back to bed before we get in trouble."

Seika grabbed the water from Izumi's glass beside her bed and whipped it at the back of her head. The princess shot back up and steam hissed out of her nose. Seika glared right back and replied, "There's something. Don't tell me you don't feel it, too, because you looked at me like you saw a ghost."

Izumi sat up again and huffed. "I have no idea."

"Are you kidding?"

The glare Izumi gave Seika reminded her so much of her mother that it made her skin crawl. "What do you expect me to say? That I remember crossing paths with you four years ago in Ba Sing Se?"

"That's not possible," Seika remarked instantly. "I've never been to Ba Sing Se. I've never even left the South Pole."

Izumi groaned and smacked her forehead before pinching her nose in irritation. "It was just an example. And I've never been to the South Pole."

Seika sighed with defeat and sagged against the pole of her bunk. There had to be something! Looking at Izumi was almost like looking in a mirror, minus the glasses and shorter hair. Seika had always had lighter skin than her mother and the rest of her family, and her golden eyes always stood out compared to the sea of blue that surrounded her. But Izumi, she and Seika would fit in together like -

"Sisters...?"

Seika blinked and looked right at Izumi, who's eyes had widened with shock and realization as she stared right at Seika.

"What did you just say?"

Izumi's eyes widened as she shook her head and murmured, "It's not possible. Father said that she was gone..."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Seika hissed. There was no possible way that they were sisters. Her mother had said her father couldn't be with them. That his people would not accept them being together so she had to run off without him knowing of Seika's existence! However, the thought of Izumi being her sister wasn't far off. They seemed to be the same age and were definitely identical in their appearances. That would have to mean -

"Twin sisters," Izumi muttered again as she leaned closer to Seika and deepened her frown.

"Stop cutting off my thoughts," Seika snapped as she leaned back. "What are you saying? That you and I are twin sisters?"

Izumi squinted and her lips formed into a pout. "What's your name?"

Seika scowled and replied, "You don't know it?"

"How could I when the first thing you said to me was 'how do I know you?'" Izumi snapped, her voice dripping sarcasm when she imitated Seika's earlier question. "You know mine, but that's a given because a lot of people do."

Seika's frown was deep when she folded her arms and replied, "It's Seika."

Izumi hummed and nodded her head. "Okay, Seika, on the count of three, we are going to say our birthdays. Okay?"

She blinked a few times at Izumi's abrupt order, but Seika nodded and took a deep breath. "One..."

Izumi's voice broke in nervousness. "Two... three-"

"The thirty-first of May."

"The thirty-first of May."

Seika's heart started racing and she scooted closer. "No way..."

"It makes sense," Izumi stated, mostly to herself under her breath. "Your appearance being similar to mine, despite your clear Water Tribe heritage. It would also explain my tanner skin compared to my family and my tendencies to enjoy being in the water. It would also explain why my mother isn't around, because she was with you."

Seika felt her breath get stolen from her lungs. It would also explain her golden eyes and her lighter skin, as well as her aversion to the cold despite growing up where it was freezing all the damn time. And why her father wasn't around. Because he couldn't. Not when he was the Fire Lord and her mother was not from the Fire Nation. It would explain why her mother said he couldn't instead of saying he wouldn't be with them. But why...

"You're still the Princess despite not having a Fire Nation mother..."

Izumi's eyes dropped and she opened her palm to reveal a bright flame. "I can firebend and am the daughter of the Fire Lord. There's nothing that can prevent the Fire Sages from revoking my status merely because the heritage of my mother is unknown. From what I can recall, my father has told the sages that my mother died during childbirth and he kept me a secret from his people because he wanted to focus on raising me without outside influence. He hates talking about her."

"Just like my mom hates talking about my dad," Seika mumbled, the realization crashing down on her. "It makes sense..."

"They wouldn't have been allowed to stay together eighteen years ago," Izumi stated evenly, as if she was reciting something from a book, "not when tensions from the war were still high. My father wouldn't have been allowed to be with a woman who was not of Fire Nation blood, not back then. Because the Fire Sages would have wanted him to ensure his line with a firebending heir."

Seika snatched Izumi's hands and held them tightly between hers. Izumi's eyes widened and she looked at Seika like she grew another head. "But now he can! Since you're alive, there's nothing stopping your fire dudes from preventing him from being with someone he loves! Has he remarried at all?"

Izumi shook her head and said, "There was one woman, Lady Mai, but she bailed when I was eleven. I never found out why, but I knew that she and my father were set to marry before the war was over. My mother got between them."

"Our mother," Seika corrected with a giddy grin. "And she's never been with someone else. According to Grandpa Hakoda, the Avatar wanted to be with her but she turned him down. And that was around the time she came back with me. I don't remember any of that, but her status of being unmarried with a child makes people look at us poorly."

Pity flitted across Izumi's features and her fingers squeezed Seika's. "I'm sorry... I feel like this is something I should fix."

Then, an idea formed in Seika's mind. Something devious and sinister, and - if it worked - genius. Izumi would probably be against it, but it was the only way Seika could meet her dad and probably bring him and her mom back together. Being apart had made them miserable enough, it was time to fix the wrongs of the past because of someone else's prejudice.

"Izumi," Seika stated with as much resolve she could, catching her twin's attention. "We should switch places."

Basic Training for the United Forces takes four months, so while they were training for their prospective positions, Izumi and Seika decided to learn everything there was to know about each other. Izumi had initially been reluctant - okay, outright adamant that they didn't do it, because honestly what if their parents didn't want to get back together? - but Seika was quick to convince her to agree to the plan. There was something about her twin sister that was sinister in her charm, in a way that reminded her of Aunt Azula. That in itself made her shiver and she chalked it up to familial resemblances.

As the months progressed, Izumi learned all that there was to know about Seika's life in the Southern Water Tribe, down to each and every family member, their habits, and her own preferences in food, music, and clothing. At the same time Izumi taught Seika everything about herself - which was a longer list due to her status as princess and her upbringing in the Royal Court - and warned Seika of their keen Uncle Iroh and the likely presence of Toph, the Avatar's old earthbending master and her dear friend. Toph always visited during the late spring and early summer months so she was more than likely going to be bothering her father to the end of the earth.

And speaking of the Fire Lord...

"Don't stare," Izumi ordered sternly. Seika tilted her head in confusion, so Izumi sighed and rubbed her temple. "Father has a scar. Given to him by his father. I know I am his daughter so he won't think much of it, but don't stare at him strangely because you've never seen it. It'll be a dead giveaway to your identity because it doesn't faze me anymore."

"Where is it?" Seika asked, her usual perky demeanor sobering up.

"His left eye."

Seika nodded with understanding and dropped her chin to her chest. "I suppose I didn't expect that... Mom doesn't ever talk about her old friends. The only people I know that were part of the group are Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki."

"I've met Sokka once," Izumi responded, causing Seika to look up from her lap. "He came to the Fire Nation for a diplomatic trip back when I was eight. He was nice to me, but he yelled at my father that night in his study. I guess now I know why."

"You think he recognized you?"

Izumi nodded and pulled off her glasses to rub her eyes. "Since he knows you, he probably instantly realized who I was, and then who your father was by extension. Now that we know, it's not hard to connect the dots with all of the facts and circumstances. I'm surprised they kept it a secret for so long."

"I suppose that's what happens when you seclude yourselves at the end of the earth," Seika sighed, mostly to herself, and Izumi could see the blur of her body stiffen as she cursed under her breath.

"What?"

"Your glasses."

"What about my glasses?" Izumi asked as she put them back on.

Seika was staring at her with a thoughtful frown. "I don't wear them."

Izumi's stomach dropped and she cursed as well. "It'll be a dead giveaway if I wear them around mother and you don't wear them around father..."

Seika's thoughtful look screwed for a moment and it looked as if an idea crossed her mind. After all, Izumi knew that same look would cross hers when she struck gold.

"What if I heal you?"

Izumi's eyebrow shot up in skepticism. "What."

Seika pulled a tendril of water to her hands and grinned as it started to glow. "My mom is the best healer in the whole world, and she's taught me everything I know. You've seen me bend, so you know how good I am. And this includes healing. I can see if I can heal your eyes and then we won't have to worry about me wearing your glasses while you go without."

Izumi's lips pursed and she said, "So then how do you explain the lack of glasses to my father?"

"I can tell him that one of the medics healed my eyes while training because my glasses were in the way," Seika stated with pride. Izumi had to admit, she had it all figured out. "It wouldn't be a lie in the slightest. I just would have to neglect to tell him who the medic actually was."

"Alright," Izumi conceded after a long moment. "Do what you can. If it doesn't work, I can always tell mother that I got my eyes tested and they said I needed them."

Seika grinned as she brought her hands towards Izumi's face, ready to start. With a steeling sigh, Izumi closed her eyes and let the water encase her face.

There was no fancy ceremony for graduation. The new members of the United Forces were given their certificates, shook the hands of the officers that taught them, and were sent on their way. Each new soldier was permitted a month-long leave before reporting to their duty stations, which gave Izumi and Seika plenty of time to meet their parents and possibly convince them to meet each other again.

After the ceremony, Izumi and Seika met up in the bathroom outside the auditorium and quickly swapped identifying items. Seika took Izumi's gold bracelet and her bag, while Izumi took Seika's tribal necklace and her belongings. They both pulled their hair into the neutral styles of the United Forces, but could easily change the looks based on their new destinations.

Seika looked at Izumi - her twin - and saw her exact reflection. Seika had cut six inches off of her hair to match Izumi's length and Izumi no longer needed the glasses that separated truly them. When they turned to each other, Seika grinned.

"Ready?"

Izumi took a deep breath and said, "As ready as I'll ever be. Don't forget everything I taught you."

Seika pulled her into a hug, which was quickly reciprocated, and said, "Same for you. Let's bring them home, okay? We'll figure out the rest when we get there."

After pulling away, Izumi nodded and picked up Seika's bag off the floor. After one last hug goodbye, the girls left the bathroom separately and headed out. Seika watched Izumi head towards the Water Tribe Consulate in the northern part of Republic City, where she would be able to request a ship to take her back south to their mom. Seika was told to stay near the entrance of the United Forces compound, where two Imperial Firebenders would be meeting her to escort her back to the Fire Nation ship waiting for her.

As time ticked on, her hands started to sweat and her heart started to race. What if he didn't like her? What if he figured her out immediately and cast her out? After all, he didn't come running to meet her and be a part of her life. What if it was deliberate because he hated her? What if he really didn't know that she existed?

Seika swallowed the tears that already threatened to spill and she tightened her grip on her bag.

"Princess Izumi!"

Her head snapped up and she was greeted with two men striding towards her, one short and incredibly muscular and the other about the height of Grandpa Hakoda with sideburns that would likely stick out of his helmet if he had been wearing one. Instead, both were wearing more casual clothing for sailing than the armor Izumi described them to wear. The insignia on their chests told her that she wasn't to suspect them of being impostors, however.

"Hello!" she greeted as politely as she could. After spending four months in Izumi's company, she felt she could imitate her sister at the drop of a hat. So far, it proved to be working.

They both bowed at the waist when they reached her, and the taller one straightened first before saying, "It is good to see you, Princess. I'm sure you had a good experience?"

She nodded and gave them both a slight smile, humor threatening to spill out at the thought of what she learned. Channeling her inner-Izumi, Seika said, "I did. Are we ready to depart?"

The short one said, "Of course, Princess. Are you eager to go home?"

Seika was surprised with how friendly these guards were with her. Perhaps it was because the Fire Nation had truly changed in the past twenty years, or Izumi had established friendships with these men. Seika searched her mind for the answers among the many things Izumi had taught her and her eyes went to the taller one.

Captain Jee, Izumi told her of this one. He served under our father during his banishment. Very loyal and noble, would die for me. Close to retirement, but chooses to be the Princess's bodyguard. Unmarried, no children. But he's fine with that.

Seika looked to the shorter one.

Lieutenant Ling, she recalled. Newer to the Imperial Guard, but smart and honorable. Rose through the ranks quickly due to his diligence and intellect. Has a fiancée at home, will be taking a vacation at the end of the summer in order to marry her.

"I think I am," she declared. Soon, they were embarking towards the ship that would take her to the Fire Nation, and back to her father. The anticipation lodged itself in her throat and she swallowed before looking over her shoulder towards the direction Izumi had gone.

Oh, how she hoped things would go as smoothly for Izumi as it did for her...

Izumi reached the Water Tribe Consulate without much fuss. When she arrived inside, a man at the front desk noticed her and stood up.

"Seika!"

She blinked a few times before going towards him and saying, "Yes?"

The man settled into his chair with a relieved sigh before running his hands through his wolf tail. "The whole Water Tribe has been in a tizzy ever since you ran off."

Oh, right. Izumi cursed to herself. Seika had mentioned her rather hasty escape from her home, so Izumi was prepared for the fallout. With a deep breath, she said, "I apologize. I know I left a note, so I don't understand why there was such a fuss."

The man frowned and replied, "Master Katara was furious. No one could leave because the harbor froze over, so she couldn't chase you down and bring you back. What were you thinking?"

Right as Izumi was going to fib her way out of explaining herself, someone else called her 'name' from the other side of the atrium. She turned towards the speaker and her stomach instantly dropped. It was Sokka - or rather, Uncle Sokka since she was now Seika of the Water Tribes.

When he reached her, he towered over her exactly like her father would when she was younger and got in trouble. A disappointed frown was firm on his face and Izumi knew this was the time to act as if she was caught stealing cookies instead of defiantly staring him down like she would in her own home.

"Seika, look at me."

Izumi did as he said. When she did, she was surprised to see Sokka smiling fondly down at her. Before she could react, he was sweeping her into a spine-popping hug and cradling her head to his chest.

"You're reckless, kid," he murmured to the crown of her head. Sudden suffocating warmth filled Izumi's chest - reminding her of how she felt when Iroh would hug her or when Aunt Azula would give her praises - and she hugged him back. Sokka pulled out of the hug and gave her a wide grin. "Your mom is going to whoop your ass when you get home."

Izumi knew Seika would say it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, so she channeled her sister as best as she could and shrugged indifferently before grinning up at her uncle. "Yeah, I know. But you'll be there to bail me out, right?"

The look on Sokka's face was fond, and it made that tight warmth grow in Izumi's chest.

"Let's get on a ship back home," he declared with a Cheshire grin. "I've been waiting here for you to get out, since they wouldn't let me talk to you while you were training. So you and I are going to sail home with some of the best waterbenders in the United Republic so your mom doesn't freak out any more. Got it?"

Izumi nodded sheepishly and followed Sokka to his office, where he grabbed his bag and straightened up his things before closing the door and locking it soundly behind him. When he grinned at her and extended his elbow for her to grab, Izumi grinned back and took it gratefully. So far, this was going to be a piece of cake.

She was only hoping Seika was having as good of luck as she was.

When the ship arrived on the shores of the Fire Nation, Seika was made aware of two things: one, people were very respectful and cautious around her, and it was hot. Living in the South Pole and then spending the winter and early spring months in the United Republic didn't give Seika much opportunity to experience true heat. But even now, at the peak of spring, the air was moist and warm and she could only imagine how much hotter it would get during the summer months.

She already loved it.

There were more guards and a carriage waiting for her at the harbor, something else Izumi warned her would be there, and Seika politely nodded her thanks as she stepped inside. She knew all of the doting would become less awkward for her in time, but she would just have to deal until her month here was up.

As she rode in silence up the mountainside, Seika was keen to take in all of her surroundings. All her life, she only saw white, grey, and blue. But now, in the fields of the Fire Nation, explosions of colors met her eager eyes. Luscious green grass sprawling along the hills, pepperings of orange flowers along the road, vast arrays of red and gold decorating the buildings they passed...

It was unlike anything she had ever seen.

They reached the top of the mountain and Seika was stunned to see the vast city inside the caldera: the capital of the Fire Nation. In the center of the city was the palace, where her father was waiting for her. Well, waiting for Izumi. But he didn't need to know that it wouldn't be her arriving quite yet.

The descent was quick - probably due to Seika's nerves and her anticipation - and soon they were pulling through the iron gates of the palace. It was larger up close, and less intimidating than what she learned about in her classes. Perhaps what she was taught was outdated, or the palace had gone through some renovations in the twenty-three years since the end of the war.

Seika's eyes dropped to the grand staircase and standing there were three bodies, one she recognized as Master Toph based on her hair and the casual way she was standing, and the other two unfamiliar to her. One was short and with white hair and a long, bushy beard, a portly fellow with a wide grin. And the other was tall and completely formidable in his stature. Even from this distance, she could already see the gleaming gold flame that rested in his top knot, and the heavy mantle that rested on his shoulders.

As soon as her mind processed his identity, the carriage stopped.

"Presenting, Lieutenant Izumi of the United Forces, Princess of the Fire Nation."

Seika groaned and quickly straightened out her uniform top before climbing out of the carriage. The second her feet hit the cobblestones, the three figures on the stairs started descending towards her. When they were close enough, Seika put on her Izumi mask and bowed slightly to them.

"Master Toph, Uncle Iroh." She paused and glanced up at the man in the middle. "Father."

His smile was crooked, like Izumi said it would be, and his eyes were bright with joy. And just like Izumi told her, she did not stare. Though it was hard, she kept her focus on taking in his appearance. He was a whole head taller than her - about the same height as Uncle Sokka - and his black hair streaked with minute traces of silver, but even in his age he still radiated good health and strength.

Just like a leader should.

As she straightened up out of her bow, he took another step forward and, in a voice rough from use but still clear and calm, he stated, "Welcome home, my daughter."

Seika swallowed the butterflies that threatened to erupt out of her chest, and instead she smiled up at her father. Her impulsiveness overpowered her need to remain in character, and recklessly she jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly, causing his breath to rush out of his chest and a laugh to rumble against her ear. He quickly hugged her back, his arms wrapping around her shoulders and and pulling her close. She was enveloped with the smell of citrus and spice, something that vaguely tickled the back of her subconscious, and she breathed it in eagerly.

"You missed me that much?"

Seika could only nod as they ended their hug and he smiled widely at her. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize," he remarked before leaning down slightly and brushing his thumb against her cheek. She froze and her eyes went wide as he pulled away with a tear on the tip of his thumb. "I missed you, too. But I have to ask, where are your glasses?"

Seika swallowed and said, "They were getting in the way, so a waterbender I met offered to heal me. It worked."

She noticed Toph narrowed her sightless eyes, but she tried not to let slip her worry regarding it. After all, it was the truth. Though, she knew of Toph's prowess as a bender and how she could see through the earth. If she was worth her meddle, she would have been able to figure out Seika was not Izumi the moment her feet touched the ground.

"Fire Lord Zuko," Iroh piped in, causing Seika to finally break her eyes off of her estranged father. He did the same, smirking knowingly, and quietly beckoned Iroh to continue. The seasoned general merely smiled and said, "Why don't we bring this reunion inside? I'm sure the Princess has much to tell us about her journey the past few months."

"Yeah," Toph commented. "I'm sure she has lots to tell us."

Seika's fear of being ousted too early churned her stomach and she nervously nodded as her father made his way inside. The walk was mostly quiet, as assumed by what Izumi told her, and Seika nervously wrung her hands together as they made their way to a study where they could enjoy some tea.

A hand rested over hers and Seika snapped her head to the owner, who's milky eyes were looking right at her.

"Yes?"

"How'd you pull this off?"

Seika swallowed. "I'm sorry?"

Toph snickered and elbowed her in the ribs. "Come on, kiddo. You and I both know I know your secret already."

Seika sagged with defeat and glanced to her father, who was chatting with Iroh. Knowing they wouldn't be overheard, she whispered, "How did you figure it out?"

"Izumi has a lighter stride than you," Toph remarked casually. "And you walk exactly like your mother. Seems that you two met, then?"

Seika nodded and glanced at the two men again. "She's on her way to mom right now."

Toph hummed and hooked her arm with Seika's. "Well, let's hope that your dad doesn't catch on too quick. Who knows what would happen."

Seika looked up to her father again, who was now glancing over his shoulder at her and grinning before looking back to Iroh. With a sigh, Seika replied, "I hope so."

Sailing on a Water Tribe ship was nothing like sailing on a Fire Nation cruiser. The ship they were using was much smaller than she was used to, but it cut through the water just as fast. The waterbenders on board helped direct the currents that sped up their travels, and a trip that usually takes two to three weeks would now take only six days, plenty of time to practice her best Seika impression and cover stories.

After all, from what Seika told her, Sokka and Hakoda were both so very keen that any hole in a lie would be sniffed out before she could cover it up. Luckily for her, she grew up with Azula and occasionally Toph, and spent many years in the court where lying is second nature. She could handle some good lie-detectors for a month, no problem.

A knock on her door jarred her from her thoughts and Izumi went to open it. Outside was Sokka with two bowls in his hands.

"Time for supper!" he declared with a grin so gleaming she was sure she could see her reflection in it. "Can I come in? I'd like to catch up without everyone else breathing down our necks."

Izumi nodded and let him in, and soon they were sitting across from each other at her little table and digging into the stew that he brought. It was nothing like what she ate at the Fire Nation palace, but it was rich and hearty, exactly the type of food she knew the Water Tribe would need to eat in their extreme conditions. She ate is quietly, answering Sokka's questions about training between bites, and was about halfway done with her bowl when he pushed his empty one away and propped his elbows on the table.

"Okay, kiddo, something's up."

Her eyebrows shot up. "What?"

He frowned and the dim lighting made his blue eyes look sinister. "Look, I know that you're still mad at your mom, but you don't need to be short with me. I thought I was your favorite, no matter what."

Mad? Seika didn't tell her that she was mad at their mother! What should she say? Play along? Act dumb? Well, she was already doing that by not answering, so she quickly took another bite of her stew and pushed her bowl away as she chewed. Sokka was looking at her suspiciously now, and Izumi couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to test her. After all, she was an impostor. She had every right to be paranoid.

When she swallowed, she shrugged and said, "Sorry. I've done nothing but think about it for the last four months."

Sokka hummed and his fingernail dragged against the table absently. "She only wants what's best for you, kiddo. So when she said you couldn't go, she didn't mean that you couldn't leave at all."

Oh, Seika had mentioned this. "Well, there's more to life than freezing to death. I wanted to see the world."

"Which is what you told me before you snuck out," Sokka replied, causing Izumi to meet his eyes. He smiled and said, "You should understand where she's coming from. She's wiser than you give her credit for, and she's been through more than you can imagine. Just promise you won't shut her out when we get back?"

Izumi shook her head and sighed, "I promise."

"After all, you haven't seen her in a long time so I doubt you will," Sokka added, his tone almost hinting with that offhanded comment.

Izumi's eyebrows pinched together and she frowned. Why would he say it like that? "What?"

Sokka's smirk was knowing and he leaned forward on the table, his arms crossing on the wood as he said, "It's been a while. What, ten years, since I saw you? It's been longer for her."

Oh, no. "What are you talking about? I saw you before I left..."

"Come on, kid, I know you're smarter than that."

His expression screamed that he caught her, and she couldn't fight the disappointment that flooded her heart. Izumi dropped her head and gnashed her jaw together. How did he figure it out so quickly?

"Seika came to me the night she left," Sokka remarked, causing Izumi to lift her eyes to his, "and she told me that she wasn't mad at her mom anymore, but she wanted to leave regardless. So I let her take my ship."

"Oh."

"A simple difference, but enough to spoil your lie," he said as he narrowed his eyes. "Plus, Seika is not even half as polite as you are, so I figured you out almost immediately at the Consulate."

Izumi bit her lip and tried not to cry. The jig was up. She was found out before she even got home, and by the first person who actually knew Seika. How on earth would she convince her mother that she was the right child when she couldn't even do it for Sokka?

"I have half a mind to take you back to the Fire Nation and stop this little scheme," Sokka started, causing Izumi to snap her head up and start to argue. He silenced her with a sharp look, then relaxed before saying, "But I know how much Katara misses you. After I saw you in the Fire Nation back then, I knew something was up so I asked her. She told me everything, and I had half a mind to take her back to the Fire Nation and fix it, but she was adamant even as she cried about how much she wanted to be with you, too. She's always been so self-sacrificing, and if you and Seika didn't exist I'm sure she would have just done it with Aang. She never does what she wants, only what's right, or what she thinks is the right thing. So that's why I won't rat you out."

Her eyes widened. "Really? Why?"

He smiled and replied, "Because you're my niece, and my sister is an idiot. I want to see how long it will take for her to figure it out."

The ship arrived in the icy waters of the South Pole that evening, passing the cloudy mountains that housed the Southern Air Temple and through the ice flows that typically protected the Water Tribe from hostiles this time of year, and Izumi started to squirm. Sokka was understanding, after all he was now a willing accomplice in her and Seika's scheme, and he helped fill her in with what Seika couldn't.

Such as the fact that Chief Hakoda was out of the tribe for the next month or so in the North, so he was coming back to be interim Chieftain. He would have come back sooner, but he had duties to uphold in Republic City that he couldn't skimp on, plus he was trying to catch Seika before she disappeared again.

He only fished out the wrong twin.

They finally reached the harbor of the Southern Water Tribe the following morning, with bells from the watchtower ringing through the frigid air to signify their arrival. Sokka patted her on the shoulder and went below deck to grab their things, all while Izumi took in the new sights in front of her.

Nestled in the snow and up against the mountains was a city - not quite as large as her home, but comparable enough considering the almost-annihilation of the tribe for the past century. It was as sophisticated as the Northern Tribe, but with a homier feel that Izumi attributed to differences in culture. There was a large ice palace at the back of the city, right at the base of the mountains, and she assumed that's where she would be staying once they arrived at the docks.

Speaking of, there was one person standing in front of the crowd that had gathered there. Her arms were crossed and even at this distance, Izumi could see the frown on her face.

That could only be one person.

The ship was moored at the dock and the gangplank lowered, and Sokka headed down first as a buffer for his sister's ire. Right as his feet hit the dock, she came stomping over and opened her mouth to say something, but he silenced her with his hand up and said, "Look, Katara, don't yell at either of us. We're back, right?"

When he removed his hand, she huffed and glared at him before looking over his shoulder to Izumi, who was descending the gangplank. Her eyes were a stunning blue color, one neither she or Seika had. Her skin was dark and her hair thick and pulled into an even thicker braid. She still looked young, despite being almost forty. The only thing showing her age was the single strand of gray hair at her temple that was weaved into her braid. It was so short that it seemed like it only started growing as gray months ago.

Probably four, when Seika left.

Izumi swallowed and approached her. As she did, her mother's face softened and she finally smiled. The look stole Izumi's breath away.

"Welcome home, Seika."

"Hi, mom." She couldn't say much more when her heart threatened to burst from her chest.

"You're lucky I don't ground you for the few weeks you're here," Katara remarked as she took another step forward. "But you proved that my word doesn't do much with holding you back, pup."

Izumi couldn't help herself and laughed as she nodded. "I'm sorry, mom."

Katara swept her into a hug and Izumi immediately melted. Her whole body relaxed into her mother's arms, aching for this touch for her whole life. She clung on tight and took in every sensation: the cold air that was repelled by the warmth of her mother's arms, the smell of leather and wood smoke that seemed to cling to her and waif out with every breath, the way her chest swelled with an unnameable emotion and she instinctively squeezed her tighter.

"Whoa, pup, are you okay?"

She nodded and nuzzled her face into Katara's shoulder. "I missed you."

Katara's arms readjusted to a tighter grip and she whispered, "I missed you, too, sweetheart. Why don't we get back home and you can tell me all about your trip, okay?"

Izumi nodded and glanced over her mother's shoulder as they separated to see Sokka giving her a knowing smile. Together, they walked to the palace at the back of the village, greeting villagers that called out to her first and chatting about her training. It was easy to slip into the role of Seika, elaborating on what they learned and easily leaving out mentions of her sister or how she was, in fact, not Seika but instead the twin that was left with Fire Lord Zuko almost nineteen years ago.

For the next few days, Seika was thrilled to learn so much about her father. Despite the stories she heard of Fire Lord Zuko, he was not the intimidating man he was pegged to be in history lessons. In fact, he reminded her of a polar bear dog: big and ferocious, but also soft and caring when in the right circumstances. He was always like that with her, warm smiles and easy conversation. He asked about her time during training, where she would be stationed, if she made any friends...

It was easy to answer the first two, but when it came to the last question she had to artfully lie. Luckily, she could easily replace Izumi with Lin, but that also made it seem like she made only one friend the entire time she was there. If he thought it was strange, he never mentioned it.

Zuko was an attentive listener, always asking questions to elaborate and giving feedback. Seika didn't realize it, but with her desire to meet him, the man she imagined he would be like to be wasn't nearly as amazing as he truly was. He was kind and intelligent and awkward as hell, enough that any intimidating characteristics he had were quickly voided when she thought about him making bad jokes to ease her anxious mood. There were mannerisms of his that she saw in Izumi, and others she saw in herself - especially the way he bit his lower lip when he was deep in thought. That was something Seika always did without thinking about it.

It was more than amazing to spend this time with him, and Seika was cursing the day that they would have to part again.

But there was a plan, and she had to do her part. And it started with Iroh.

They met for tea after breakfast, and a pai sho board was waiting for her when she entered the study. Izumi had warned her that Iroh would want to play, and having only played with Uncle Sokka she was sure she would be able to keep her head level enough to get some answers.

Ginseng was the choice of tea for the day, and they were settled comfortably before the game started. Iroh made the first move, and Seika quickly followed with her own.

"Interesting," Iroh commented before he took another sip of tea. As he made is next move, he said, "I've never seen you use that strategy before, dear niece."

Seika almost panicked, but she knew how to lie out of this. "I played with a girl when we had free time. She taught me a lot of different strategies."

"Would she, by chance, be from the Water Tribes?"

This time, Seika did feel a little nervous. Iroh was looking at her over the rim of his cup, golden eyes sharp and bright as he stared her down, and she swallowed past the tightening in her throat. "Y-yes. She was very insightful with different methods of playing. She says she learned from some of the best strategists the Water Tribe had to offer."

"Is that so?" She noticed Iroh glanced into his cup before drinking.

"Mhm." Seika placed another piece down and quickly went to take a sip of her tea. As she reached down, she noticed the liquid inside her cup was starting to quiver.

Oh, no.

"Now," Iroh said as he set down his empty cup and folded his hand together in his sleeves. Seika met his eyes and he grinned. "Tell me how your mother is doing."

Her heart froze and she knew her jaw dropped. Him, too? How?

Iroh merely poured himself more tea and stated, "Give an old man more credit. I may be old, but I'm not stupid."

Seika opened her mouth, but he held up a hand to stop her. "And before you accuse her, Toph did not tell me anything. I first suspected you were not Izumi when you looked at your father like it was the first time you'd ever seen him. Then there were other things."

Seika hung her head in shame at being caught again and she murmured, "How?"

"You were just subconsciously bending our tea, so it became obvious," he said casually, causing her to cringe at her lack of control. "Also, when I realized you were without your glasses, I figured it out despite your explanation. Not many healers are capable of healing eyes, and the one that could happens to be Izumi's mother."

"I healed her," Seika stated as she pulled the tea out of her cup and held up with her bending. "After all, I learned from the best and we needed to be convincing."

Iroh hummed as she gracefully bent the tea back into her cup. After a beat of silence, Seika sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Are you mad?"

"Oh, my dear, of course not," Iroh sighed and he reached across to take the hand she had clenched near her teacup. The warmth of his skin instantly soothed her and she looked up to meet his smiling eyes. "I've always wanted to meet you. My nephew told me of his predicament back when your mother first informed him she was with child, or rather, children... This whole time, I've been waiting for you to come to us. He wonders about you and your mother all the time."

Seika inhaled unevenly, not realizing that she was starting to cry, and said, "He doesn't know yet. I don't know when I should tell him I'm Seika and not Izumi."

"When you feel it is right, dear niece," Iroh replied. "Only you can decide when it is the right time. Until then, enjoy the time you spend with him. Because I can be certain that the moment he finds out that you are not the princess, he will want answers."

"Do you think he'll want to switch us back?" Seika found herself asking quietly.

Iroh's hand squeezed hers and he said, "If my nephew had his way, he'd keep you here, haul your mother and Izumi back here himself, and smack some sense into all three of you. Then stay together as a family."

"That may or may not be part of the plan." Seika smiled and continued, "All I've wanted was to meet my dad. Izumi and I thought that we may be able to bring him and mom back together, but right now all I care about is knowing him and him getting to know me, not me disguising myself as Izumi. Mom coming back would just be a plus now that I've gotten to know him."

"Family is the most important thing to Zuko." Iroh removed his hand from Seika's and poured her some more tea. "All he ever wanted was the love and security of a family. Your mother leaving with both of you girls hurt him deeply. I would keep that in mind when trying to reunite them."

After they both took another drink of their tea, Iroh murmured over the lip of his cup, "It's about time this nonsense ends."

After a week, Izumi settled into Seika's routine pretty well. Since she was just visiting, there were no chores to be done and she spent a lot of time sitting in on meetings with Sokka and the council or watching Katara teach bending classes. Izumi was astonished at how easygoing her mother was, compared to how Seika would moan and groan about how strict she was or how she always was ruining Seika's fun. At night, when the day had settled down completely, Katara would sit with Izumi in front of the fire of their sitting room and ask her about her training or her friends, or they would talk about world matters that Seika would be involved with now that she was a lieutenant in the United Forces.

Izumi figured it was a divine intervention that they had picked the same job so she didn't have to make up what the position entailed.

"Do you know where you'll be stationed?"

Izumi nodded and sipped some tea. "I'll start in Republic City and get assigned to a ship. Most likely one that patrols the seas north of the archipelago, since there have been recent reports of pirate activity."

"Is that something the United Forces usually takes care of?" Katara asked as she set her cup down on the table. "I thought those were Fire Nation waters."

Izumi didn't miss the way her voice changed when she mentioned her father's country. She quickly brushed it aside and said, "Those waters are typically shared by the United Republic and the Fire Nation, but Fire Lord Zuko requested assistance from the United Forces for that sector because he's been dealing with more pirates in the waters south of the mainland, as well."

She also didn't miss how Katara's eyes flinched when Izumi directly mentioned the Fire Lord, or how she started fiddling with a ring on her left hand. Quickly, Katara tore her hands apart and clearly faked a yawn as she patted Izumi on the leg. "Sorry to cut the conversation short, but I'm going to head to bed, pup. Would you like to sit in on a lesson tomorrow? I'm certain the little ones would like to see you again."

Izumi smiled and nodded, then silently watched her mother stand and quickly shuffle to the hall that led to their bedrooms. Soon, her smile fell and she chewed on her lip. She thought casually mentioning the Fire Lord would have roused a bigger response, but she was unsuccessful. But she supposed it would take more than just mentioning his title to get her to finally speak.

The next morning when she arrived at the lesson, she was continuously bombarded with questions from the children that Katara taught. Izumi regaled stories from training - mostly exaggerated for effect - and grinned as the little kids ate up her stories like they were told by their hero. Perhaps Seika was that to them.

"Seika?"

Izumi lifted her head to her mother as she approached.

"Would you like to help me with a demonstration?" Katara suggested, causing the kids to spring up and cheer with excitement.

Izumi's stomach dropped and she felt her heart slam against her ribs in fear. She couldn't bend water - clearly - so she'd have to somehow lie about why she couldn't. Obviously telling her mother she just couldn't wouldn't suffice, but panicking wouldn't help her either.

Too bad she already was and had to think quick.

"Sorry, mom, but I'm not really feeling like it today."

Katara stopped and frowned as the students all protested in disappointment behind her. "Seika, you haven't bent in front of me since you got home. Are you sure you're alright?"

Izumi quickly nodded and stood. "Yeah, but just to be careful I'm going to go lie down for a bit, okay?"

Without waiting for her mother to reply, Izumi started jogging towards the palace. The second she was inside, she sped past Sokka and headed straight to the suite she shared with Katara. The door closed behind her and Izumi saw the fire in the hearth flickered with her anxious breathing.

"Get it together, Zumi!" she muttered to herself as she started pacing back and forth. She was aware of the floor hissing under her boots, so she moved to where the rug was and started pacing there instead. "You're making yourself seem suspicious with all this panicking and running away! You were taught how to lie with finesse! You can't just freak out and run away instead of standing your ground and being convincing! Just because she's your long-lost mother doesn't mean she can undo all of your training!"

She rubbed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Though we never went over what to say when someone asked us to bend. Now she's going to want me to prove it and I have no way - "

"You know, I know someone who would talk to himself like that all the time..."

Izumi spun on her heels to look at her mother standing in the doorway, and the fire behind her flare with her surprise. The blue eyes of her mother darted to it and she frowned before stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.

tbc.

Chapter Text

A week before she was set to leave, Seika made a mistake. Zuko had asked her to spar and she quickly accepted. It wasn't until she was in the training ring with him, wearing the traditional training clothes from Izumi's closet, that she realized her mistake.

"Uh, father?"

Zuko raised his lone eyebrow in a silent question and waited. She realized he did that a lot, and for some reason it never bothered her.

"Can we do a nonbending battle?" she suggested as evenly as she could. "I would like to show you what I learned with the United Forces."

She wasn't exactly lying, but she couldn't bend in front of him. As soon as he knew she was a waterbender and not a firebender like Izumi, she'd be found out. And she didn't want to lose what she had built with her father just yet.

"Sure thing," Zuko replied as he finished pulling his hair up. "Would you like to use weapons or just hand to hand?"

"Hand to hand is fine."

He nodded casually, and just like that he darted towards her. Seika wasn't untrained by any means: Aunt Suki was sure to teach her as much forms as she could when the long night kept them inside for most of the time. Uncle Sokka taught her some things, and her mom did a good job of teaching her others, plus they worked on combatives frequently during training, so Seika believed she could keep up with Zuko for the most part.

For a forty-year-old man, he was awfully lithe and agile, quick to attack and dodge when she tried to strike. It was interesting seeing him move so smoothly despite the fact that almost the entire time she was in the palace he was either working or spending time with her.

She was quick to retaliate, rolling to the side as he made to sweep her feet out from under her with a low kick, and she moved to strike down at him with her heel. He brought up his arms to block her, then snatched her ankle and knocked her off-balance by pulling her forward.

Seika countered by twisting her body so she could kick him with her other leg, but he blocked her with his foot and knocked her down.

Once he straightened up, he looked down at her and extended his hand to her. "Let's try that again."

She frowned, but nodded. She did not expect him to get her so easily, and she was determined to beat him this next round.

For the next half an hour, they continued their spar - Zuko mostly winning while Seika seethed at her lack of success. She had trained with some of the best warriors in the whole world! How was she not beating him?

Oh, if only she could use her bending!

Seika charged, light on her feet as she swept around him and quickly sprung into the air to deliver a heavy ax kick. Zuko's eyes widened and he crossed his forearms to block, and right as her heel was about to crash into him, she twisted her body and roundhoused him with her other leg, knocking him across the training ground and finally ending this round.

She stood triumphantly, grinning ear to ear, and watched as her father brushed himself off and stood. His grin matched hers and he rolled his shoulders before sinking down again.

"One more round?"

"Loser makes the tea," she quipped, causing Zuko to snort and nod. Immediately, she ran towards him and went to punch. He didn't expect it at first, but soon he was blocking every single one of her blows. She reared back for a split second and spun into a hurricane kick, which she was certain would land, but Zuko nimbly dodged it and countered with a roundhouse to her side.

Luckily, her arm blocked her side from getting seriously hurt, but she was sent skidding across the dirt floor. She felt the sting of an open wound on her arm and her immediate response was to heal it like she always would at home.

But she had to remind herself that she was still her sister to her father.

"Izumi!"

She sat up and looked at her arm, which was torn up and bleeding already onto the ground. She untied the wrap on her right wrist and quickly tried to wrap it around the wound as Zuko knelt down in front of her. He took over for her immediately and deftly started to cover the wound.

"Oh, spirits, I'm so sorry!" he said so earnestly it made her heart hurt. Izumi had told her of their grandfather's abuse to him, and seeing him panic over hurting her so minutely compared to how he got hurt almost made Seika cry.

How could a man so amazing and loving think that he seriously hurt her?

"It's alright, father," she insisted, smiling for emphasis. Zuko's eyes were actually getting glassy as he finished tying off her makeshift bandage. "I'll just go get it cleaned up and re-wrap it in my room."

She would actually have to heal it, because it was deep enough to leave a scar. She could merely heal the deeper damage and keep the rest superficial, just to not rouse any suspicions, but it would have to be done. She couldn't have a scar and Izumi not. That could cause too many questions to be asked that Izumi wouldn't be able to answer when she got back.

Or she could just tell him that she was Seika and clear that part up immediately and heal it right now.

No, he wasn't ready. If he realized he hurt her and not Izumi, it could make his panicking a lot worse. At least, that's how she saw it. How could he face himself if he realized that he hurt the daughter he hadn't seen in almost twenty years?

Zuko was staring at her skeptically as she stood. Seika tried her best not to let her own anxieties show as she did her best reassuring smile, and said, "Don't worry about was a fair fight and I lost."

"You usually don't," he remarked as he stood, as well. He was still looking at her strangely, and asked, "Are you sure you're alright? I can take you to the medical wing if you need-"

"It's fine," Seika quickly interjected. With her reassuring smile, she backed away from him and added, "I promise. After I get cleaned up, I'll meet you in your study to make that tea."

Before he could comment further, Seika turned on her heels and ran back to the palace. The wound was starting to sting and she needed to clean it out and heel the deeper damage before it became too permanent - not that it would be a big issue, just that she preferred to take care of these types of injuries when they were fresh as opposed to older and more resistant to her bending.

The moment she stepped into her room, she untied the wraps and pulled water from her bedside pitcher to her hands. The glow of her healing quickly blended with the light from the fire in the heart, and Seika relaxed into the cool sensation of the water against her throbbing skin. She made sure not to heal it entirely, just enough to close it from bleeding again and to prevent scarring. She had to keep reminding herself to keep the superficial damage there just in case Zuko asked her about it before she left. Or she could keep it wrapped up and wear long sleeves. Either way, she'd have to figure it out quick.

She was so focused on the internal healing that she didn't hear her door opening again.

"What is this?"

Seika whirled around, the water that once coated her palm splashing on her feet as she stared at her father standing in the doorway. Her heart seized and she gasped, "Dad!"

He frowned and took a step inside, closing the door behind him. "'Dad?' You never call me 'dad,' no matter how much I told you I wanted you to. It's always 'father' or 'Fire Lord.' What's going on?"

Seika stumbled backwards and fell onto the couch, eyes still staring up at him with shock. She didn't want him to find out like this, not when they were getting close and she was almost finished with her plan on telling him on her own terms!

He kept approaching her, warily as his eyes darted to her now-mostly healed arm, the water puddle on the floor, and lastly her face, connecting the dots that she recklessly left for him to see. For a long moment, silence stretched on and pulled at her stomach. But then, Zuko squinted at her, his mouth dropping, and he quickly fell to his knees in front of her. Seika dropped her head and fought the tears that were building in her eyes, her fear gripping her heart and twisting her insides. The recognition started to come forth, and she could actually see the wheels turning in his eyes as he searched her face for something. Then, after what felt like ages, he gasped and cradled her face in his hands.

"... Seika?"

All she could do was nod.

What happened next, she could never anticipate. One minute, she was staring at her with unreadable golden eyes, then the next he was sobbing and pulling her to his chest in one of the tightest hugs she had ever experienced. Seika was quick to hug him back, burying her face into his chest and smelling his familiar scent of citrus and spice, something that she always remembered even when she didn't know where it came from. She fought her own tears, deciding to let her father have the moment to collect himself and come to grips with the situation, but she held on as best as she could.

Just as quickly as he swept her into his arms, Zuko pulled away and looked at her again. His eyes were a little red and there were tears on his face, but the wonder there replaced the confusion and Seika felt herself relax.

"What... how did this happen? Where is Izumi?"

Seika sniffed and blinked away the tears in her eyes. "We met at basic training for the United Forces. We basically figured it out as soon as we met... And she's at home. With mom."

Zuko's hands dropped from her shoulders and a stunned look crossed his face. "With… your mom. She's in the South Pole... With her."

Seika nodded. "I understand if you're upset that we did this. But for so long I wanted to meet you..."

She chanced a look at him and saw the surprise melt away. Quietly, he cupped her face in his hands again and said, "My dear daughter, I would never be upset with you. Though I am surprised to see you, I can't say I'm not happy. It's been seventeen years since I last saw you..."

Seika frowned. "Seventeen? Dad, I'm almost nineteen. I've never met you..."

Zuko chuckled and shook his head. "Well, we didn't necessarily meet then. You were asleep when I came to visit you all. That was back when your mother had both of you girls and not just you."

Her stomach plummeted again and she swallowed against the tightness in her throat. "What do you mean?"

Zuko sighed and moved to sit by her on the couch. After a few minutes of staring at the fire, he said, "The Fire Sages forbade my relationship with your mother. Back then, they had much more sway with decisions regarding the future of the Fire Nation. They said that in order to lead the Fire Nation, I needed to have firebending children. There were no records of offspring between a firebender and a waterbender, so they didn't want to risk us being together and having all nonbenders or even waterbenders. They had nothing against those types of children, but in order to rule the Fire Nation one has to be a firebender, proving the blessings of Agni upon the Royal Family.

"Though we were told we couldn't, your mother and I continued to see each other in secret." Zuko paused and smiled gently before continuing, "Until..."

He ran through the halls, to where Katara had fled, his heart frantically racing in his chest at the look on her face when she excused herself from their sparring session. He knew where she was staying as the ambassador, so he went there first. When he saw her room was empty, he went to the kitchens. Empty. So he went to the last place he knew she would be.

The garden was bathed in sunlight, the air crisp with the promises of autumn. And there she was, cowering by the pond under the willow tree. Their spot.

"Katara?"

She whirled around and he could see the tears as they fell from her eyes. Immediately, he rushed to her and brushed them away, hushing her as her sobs broke free and she collapsed against her chest.

"Love, what's wrong?"

Katara sniffed and pulled away from his hug, eyes red and chest heaving with her breaths. When she calmed, she looked up into his eyes, despair and fear clear in the deep blue depths. "Zuko... I'm pregnant."

His heart turned to lead and crashed into his stomach, causing his breath to shoot out like he was punched in the gut. He kept staring at her, doing his best to comprehend what she was saying, but all he could do was sputter and shake his head.

"How could this happen?" he managed to say after a few moments of stunned silence.

Her frown deepened and more tears came out of her eyes. "Well, I seem to remember that one night where you said you'd pull out-"

"Dad, get to the point," Seika interrupted, causing Zuko to sheepishly grin and rub the back of his neck.

"Sorry..."

Zuko stared at her with wide eyes as she finished packing her bag. "You can't be serious."

Katara shoved one last piece of clothing on top and shut the bag with finality. "It's the best option. The people can't know you impregnated a Water Tribe woman."

"What did you expect would happen, Katara?" he asked with confusion. "It was going to sooner or later-"

"It would be best if I just left-"

"And never let me see you or our baby again?"

Katara sighed and rubbed her barely noticeable bump. "Babies."

His stomach dropped. "'Babies?' As in more than one?"

She nodded. "Twins."

He fell back against the wall. He felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. "How can you be certain this is the best course of action?"

Katara looked at him with wide and glistening eyes, her true emotions showing through the mask she had carefully put on the past few months. "Because we will be cast out regardless when the sages find out. I am of the Water Tribes and they were adamant that we could not be together, especially if this happened. What do you think will happen if neither of these babies are firebenders? They won't be able to be Fire Lord after you. And then what?"

Zuko pushed himself off the wall and swept her hands into his. "Fuck the Fire Sages, fuck what other people think. I'm the Fire Lord, and that makes me their leader. So I can do whatever I want, and if that means being with you then I'll do it! They can't tell me I can't, and if they try and say I'll have to step down as Fire Lord, then I'll forsake the throne to be with you. If it means we get to be together, I'll do that, too!"

Katara gently pulled her hands away from his and stood on her toes to kiss him gently on the lips. Zuko's hands immediately went to her stomach and cradled the life she held. When she removed her lips from him, she let him press his forehead to hers as she said, "I love you so much, but this is for the best. I'll leave some information for you in case you want to be there for the birth. But afterwards... We can't be a part of your life. The peace we've established is still too fragile. We can't risk the ire of your people and of the people of the world by this coming to light."

"What better way to usher in the new age by being together?" he murmured, feeling his heart shatter piece by piece as she pulled away. "We can start a new world together: you, me, and our babies."

Katara's tears fell and she grabbed her bag off of the bed. "I'm sorry, Zuko. But I have to do this."

Without letting him say anything else, Katara left the room through the secret passageway that connected this suite to the room she was supposed to use. Zuko watched her leave, not letting himself cry until he knew she was completely out of the palace, and out of his life for good.

Seika's heart was lodged in her throat, pressing higher and higher as more tears threatened to fall. Her father was still staring at the fire, an empty look on his face as he continued, "She left me a message that she would be giving birth near the beginning of summer, and that she would give birth in the Foggy Swamp. So I made a trip to Omashu, a guise to see her, and I was there when you two were born. We named Izumi after a water spring, and you after a pure summer."

Seika swallowed thickly and her voice cracked when she asked, "But why did mom give you Izumi and not me?"

Katara's eyes were wide and she looked like she saw a ghost. The second the fire started moving with her breathing and Katara's eyes moved to it, Izumi knew she was caught. Her heart hammered and her eyes widened as Katara kept staring and started approaching her.

"Mother, I can explain-"

She held up a gloved hand and Izumi could see her swallow and fight tears as she said, "You're not Seika."

Izumi shook her head, finally admitting to her deceit.

Katara covered her mouth with both hands and her tears spilled out of her eyes. "You're Izumi?"

"Seika and I met at training and we decided to switch places," Izumi admitted quietly, not missing the way her mother's hands lowered to remove her gloves and fiddle with the ring on her left hand. Izumi dropped her eyes and added, "I'm sorry. But I've never met you, and I've always wanted to meet you and Seika felt the same way about father, so we decided to switch lives until we have to report for duty next month..."

She chanced another look at her mother. "I hope you're not upset."

Before she could react, Katara was striding across the room and pulled Izumi into a tight hug. "Oh, honey, I could never be upset with you."

Izumi couldn't stop herself from burying her face into Katara's neck, feeling like a child as she mumbled, "Then why did you leave me?"

She felt Katara sag with shame and tighten her hold. "I'm so sorry, my love. But..."

It was a particularly cold night in Republic City, and no matter how many blankets were piled on the bed, Katara couldn't get herself and the girls warm. They were cuddled together, sleeping but shivering, and Katara cursed her landlord for not fixing the chimney so she could run a fire. The windows were too drafty, too, and she was half-tempted to bundle them up and leave to go further south where it was warmer.

But she had business in the city that needed to be taken care of immediately, and the Water Tribe Consulate wasn't finished being built yet. And she absolutely refused to stay with Aang on Air Temple Island. He didn't know about the girls yet and she knew he would throw a fit. She may have turned him down six years ago, but she didn't tell him that it was because she was already sleeping with Zuko. Showing up with two young children would be like pouring salt on the wound.

She sighed and held the girls tighter. Seika was snuggled against Izumi, who was sprawled on her back and sleeping soundly. It seemed like she was the only one who wasn't shivering, and Katara chalked it up to her being closest to the wall where the drafts weren't getting to her.

But then, the absolute worst thing Katara could imagine happened: Izumi woke up, rolled over, and sneezed. And a burst of red flames escaped her lips. Katara's stomach curled with dread and she knew what this meant: she was a firebender. And officially the rightful heir to the throne of the Fire Nation.

That night, she cried and cried until her throat was raw and her stomach threatened to empty all of its contents. In the morning, she wrote to Zuko, discreetly asking him to meet her in the city, and a week later he arrived on her doorstep with a cloak helping him blend with the night.

When she met his eyes, she saw the shallowness of his skin and the gaunt appearance of his body. It reminded her of his first year of ruling, before she came to help him and they started sleeping together, and it made her nausea from the night before return in full force.

She did this to him by leaving.

"Come in."

He did as she asked, and immediately his sharp eyes honed in on the sleeping toddlers on the bed. He approached them warily, as if he was afraid they would disappear, and he knelt at the side of the mattress. "Which one is which?"

The hoarse quality of his quiet voice made her heart lurch. What did she do to this man?

"Seika is the one with the green tunic," she remarked, fiddling with her necklace in the process. "And Izumi is wearing blue."

Zuko hummed and brushed Seika's hair away from her forehead. "Why did you ask me to come? I thought you didn't want me around."

The pained tone he took wasn't lost on her, and she cursed the circumstances they found themselves in. She shuffled back and forth before sighing and saying, "Remember your condition you gave me before you left?"

Zuko stood and Katara realized then how much taller he was now. He would have turned twenty-four this summer, right after the girls turned two, and he was a fully grown man. Even the broadness of his shoulders and the strength he held told her of such. She hated that the only thing that held him back from being a specimen of god-like appearance was the unhappiness caused by her absence.

He turned to her and there was a solemn look in his light eyes. "Which one firebended?"

Katara sighed and looked to her babies. "Izumi."

"And you know what this means?"

She nodded, not stopping the tears that fell. Zuko strode over to her and tentatively put his hands on her shoulders. "I will take good care of her. I love both of my daughters with all of my heart, and I will make sure she is happy."

Katara could only nod again before pushing away from him to gather Izumi in her arms. She cradled her child to her chest, kissing her softly on her sweet head, and then handed Zuko her bag of belongings. "Please... just go before I change my mind. Take good care of her, Zuko."

Izumi was carefully transferred to her father's arm and Zuko nodded somberly. "I will say the same for Seika, Katara."

Katara gave him her word and she watched as he bent down, still careful of the sleeping child in his arm, and kissed Seika on the forehead. As he straightened, he approached Katara to give her one last chance for good-bye. With tears in her eyes, she kissed Izumi on the forehead, lingering just to take in her presence one last time. What she didn't expect was Zuko's lips pressing to her temple, a soft and agonizing kiss. A silent farewell.

Then, just as quietly as he arrived, he left.

"... A month later I heard that he told his people that he had wed in a secret ceremony years ago and his wife died during childbirth," Katara finished, her voice empty and sad as she recalled it all. "And that you were kept from public knowledge in order to protect you and so he could raise you by himself. It explained his slipping health and his absence from an assassination attempt that had occurred the year before. It was an artful lie, one I suspect Iroh had a part in crafting. Seika and I moved here right after. I told a similar lie to my family so they wouldn't go after him."

Izumi had broken away from her mother at this point in time, angry tears burning her eyes, and she snapped, "You are so selfish."

Katara flinched as if Izumi had physically slapped her. With wide eyes, she gasped, "Excuse me?"

Izumi roughly wiped away the tears that had already fallen and shouted, "You're selfish! You purposely broke up with father, separated me and Seika, and refused to tell either of us the truth for almost nineteen years! And for what? Just because you were afraid of what other people would think of you?"

"Izumi-"

"No!" she cried, this time not reeling in her anger and letting the fire behind her brighten with her ire. More tears fell, but she didn't wipe them away. "He still loves you! After all this time, he mourns the loss of you in his life. He told me you left, so I thought you died. But no, you've been hiding in the snow with my sister, refusing to keep us together because you were afraid of hurting someone's feelings or looking like a harlot."

Katara actually started crying now, her own fat tears leaving trails down her reddened cheeks. But Izumi didn't care. She wanted to go home. She couldn't stay with this woman anymore, knowing what she knew.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," she announced after wiping away the last of her tears. Katara flinched again and Izumi was half-tempted to leave just like that, but she had to explain herself. "Seika has probably already been found out. Toph is home with Father and so is Uncle Iroh, and they would have seen through her as quickly as Sokka did."

Katara's eyes widened as she gasped, "Sokka knows?"

Izumi nodded and looked away. "He figured it out as soon as he saw me in Republic City, but decided not to say anything to me until we were almost here."

She heard Katara approach her, cautious yet eager, and she didn't fight when her mother's bare hands were cupping her face and moving her head so they were facing each other. Izumi realized then that she was taller than her mother, not by much but enough for it to be noticeable close up. How had she not realized before...

"Izumi," Katara murmured, her voice laced with regret and her eyes shining with grief, "I never meant to hurt you, or your father. But I knew that once your people found out about us, you girls would have been cast out. Despite everything we had done, it was still forbidden and the Fire Sages had so much more say back then."

"But why give me up?" Izumi struggled to ask. "They have so little influence in the government now, Father saw to that. You and father could be together, and Seika and I could be together, too, as a family. Why did you have to separate us anyway? It was cruel."

She hated how pitiful she sounded.

Katara's thumbs dragged over her cheeks and more tears spilled out of her eyes. "Because Zuko refused to marry anyone else. And because of that, he could not produce a legitimate heir. But we agreed after you girls were born that if one of you firebended, he would come and take you and raise you alone as the heir to the Fire Nation. It was our deal to stop him from trying to convince me to come back to him. I know he hated it, but I believed it was best-"

"You keep saying that, but I'm not sure you actually mean it," Izumi spat. This time she didn't step away and let Katara feel all of her grief. "He needed you. I needed you. And you left."

"There's no excusing my actions," Katara said as her hands fell away from Izumi's face. "Your father and I made the decision and I stuck with it."

"You made it for him, he had no choice-"

"I was only thinking it was best for you girls!" Katara insisted, her own ire freezing the floor that Izumi had melted when she was pacing around. "Would you have rather lived in shame your whole life, cast away from both the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes? There was nothing I could have done to protect you girls had people known that Zuko was your father. The Fire Sages-"

"We could have been a family!" Izumi interrupted in a half-sob. "We could have all been together. Fuck the Fire Sages, fuck what other people think. For someone of the Water Tribes, you don't value family as much as your people claim to."

Katara looked as if she had been visibly slapped at the barb, but recovered quickly with a sigh. "Your father more or less said the same thing to me. I have lived with the regret of leaving my whole life, and I can clearly see the error of my ways because of what the truth has done to you. I can't imagine how Seika is reacting to all of this, if Zuko has told her anything."

"It doesn't matter now," Izumi muttered as she took a step back. "I need to go back to the United Forces soon. Seika and I thought we could get to the bottom of this and fix the mess you guys made, but it seems you are unwilling to realize that dad needs you just as much as I know you still need him."

Katara's shoulders sagged and she whispered, "You think so?"

Izumi nodded, her voice dripping with exhaustion as she recalled why they always had their afternoon tea on the balconies overlooking the southern part of the city. "Not a day goes by that he doesn't wistfully look out the window to the southern waters. I should have figured it out sooner."

For a moment, silence dragged on and Izumi decided it was time for her to pack her things - or rather, Seika's things - and get on a ship in the morning. Katara didn't follow her upstairs, and luckily didn't bother her at all through the night. In fact, she didn't see her mother again until she was on the deck of the ship about to sail north.

And this time, Katara was running towards her with a bag slung over her shoulders and a determined frown on her face.

"Are you sure about this?"

He nodded and a determined look crossed his face. "Absolutely. I'd like to see my daughter off. Is that such a crime?"

"Dad..."

Zuko chuckled and rubbed the top of her head. "Seika, if one thing I've learned as Fire Lord has stuck with me, is that I need to expect the unexpected."

Seika frowned and swatted his hand away. "You think you'll see Mom."

Zuko shrugged and leaned against the railing. "Perhaps. Knowing your sister, Izumi probably felt it was dishonorable to keep lying to your mother before she left, so she most likely revealed herself. And knowing your mother, and of your hasty escape from the South Pole, she's probably on the same ship as your sister, ready to dish out the punishment you deserve."

Seika blanched and hated the way that he was most likely completely correct. In the month that she had spent with him, she realized that her father was incredibly wise despite his off-kilter way of spouting out philosophy. Iroh was much better at sounding poetic, but Zuko was completely straight to the point, if not blunt. And his observational skills were outrageous, almost as much as Izumi's, so him coming to that conclusion was plausible.

And she hated it.

"Plus, knowing Sokka, he knew Izumi was masquerading as you the moment he saw her. So he will likely be on the ship, too."

"Is that why Toph came with us?"

Zuko glanced over his shoulder to the earthbender throwing up over the ledge. Seika cringed along with him as he said, "She wanted to get back to her academy before the new year starts. And she also probably wants to see what will happen between me and your mother."

Seika frowned and folded her arms over her chest. "Great."

"Don't worry, kit," he affectionately murmured as he grinned at her. "I'm sure everything will work out in the end."

Seika smiled back at him, then excused herself to go back under the deck. Since her reveal a week prior, Iroh and Toph had relaxed and told Zuko they knew the whole time. He was aghast, and rightfully pissed off that no one had told him, so he pouted for a whole hour before going back to Seika's room and hugging her as tightly as he could. Apparently, he was just as affectionate with Izumi in private, less so since she turned sixteen - her insistence, not his - and he felt obliged to catch up with the hugs that Seika was owed. They caught up properly, with Seika regaling her life in the South Pole with her mother. Uncle Sokka made many appearances, as did Aunt Suki and Grandpa Hakoda.

Zuko informed her that both Sokka and Hakoda knew that he was her father, mainly due to Sokka seeing Izumi the time he visited and recognizing her instantly, and his loose lips which caused Hakoda to write him a scathing note that ended with him apologizing for everything he said above and wishing he and Katara would make up.

When he asked Seika about Katara, she did not hold back. Her mother was the same she had always been: stubborn, motherly, proud, strong. Seika resented it sometimes because it meant she got away with less shenanigans with the other kids in the village. But she grew up fed and clothed and happy, which was all she could ever ask for. The only thing she missed was her father.

Zuko had apologized at least one hundred times, saying he should have been more resilient and had fought harder to keep them all together. He claimed that to make up for his mistakes, he had removed power from the Fire Sages and delegated it to a small parliament that he oversaw as the Head of State. He had also discovered that while there was no precedent to a Fire Lord wedding someone of a different nation that was a bender, there were no laws outright forbidding it. The Fire Sages had just used a century-old prejudice as an excuse to prevent Zuko from going against the norm as Fire Lord. He had sent a letter to Katara informing her of such, but it was returned unopened.

Seika was grateful for her dad's remorse and regret. It would have killed her inside had he believed what he and her mother had done was right, and seeing that them being separated hurt him just as much as she knew it hurt her mom.

Speaking of her mom...

They arrived in Republic City at midday, the Fire Nation cruiser docking next to a Water Tribe vessel that Seika immediately recognized as belonging to Uncle Sokka. After all, she had ice dodged in it, how could she forget the scratch in the side that she earned from grazing an iceberg? So that meant...

"Seika! Zuko!"

Both Seika and Zuko turned to see Sokka from the deck of the Water Tribe ship, waving enthusiastically at both of them. Seika waved back, while Zuko groaned with discomfort at Sokka's loud greeting. The Water Tribesman jumped from the deck and landed nimbly on the dock, then approached both of them with wide arms and an even wider grin.

"My second favorite niece!" he declared as he swept Seika into a tight hug.

"Wait - second?"

Sokka chuckled and ruffled her hair after he stepped away from the hug. "Oh, yeah. Your sister is quite the stellar little thing. No wonder Zuko kept her."

At the mention of Izumi, the girl popped her head over the side of the Water Tribe ship and grinned crookedly like their father. "Hey, Seika!"

Seika grinned called back, "Hey, Izumi! Guess who I brought?"

Behind them, Seika noticed Zuko had waved awkwardly at his other daughter while Sokka slapped him on the back. The two men exchanged some low words, but all Seika could hear was "sister" and "trouble," which could mean a myriad of things considering the situation.

"Guess who I brought, too?"

Then, like something out of a cliche romance scroll, Katara poked her head over the railings and made her appearance known. But her eyes weren't on either of her disobedient daughters, but rather on her estranged lover and father of said daughters. Seika snorted at the awestruck look in her mother's blue eyes, and glanced over to see a similar, if not more pathetic look in her father's.

"Can we get the lovebirds a private room, please?" Sokka groaned, breaking whatever tense spell had draped itself on the dock, and quickly Zuko cleared his throat and broke his gaze away from Katara.

"Toph is on the ship still, by the way," Zuko mentioned to Sokka as they started walking towards the Harbor Master. "She got sick again. You should go take care of her."

"And miss this?" Sokka bemoaned. "I literally traveled from the South Pole to see you four together. Why do I have to go get Toph?"

"Because she wants to see it, too," Zuko replied with exasperation. "Now go get her!"

"Fine!"

Seika giggled at their bickering, then turned to see her mom and sister walking down the gangplank like normal people and then head towards her and her dad. As Katara and Izumi got closer, Seika kept looking back and forth between her parents, eager to see how this would all pan out. Katara's eyes were unreadable, but she could feel the tension rise with every step she took.

Seika met Izumi's eyes and her sister nodded before clearing her throat. Katara and Zuko both looked to her with questions in their eyes as she grinned and said, "Well, as fun as it would be to hash everything out here, let's go to the Consulate so it can be done in private, yes?"

"Of course," Zuko sighed as he smiled at his daughter. He then turned to Katara and his eyes softened as he murmured in greeting, "Katara."

There was that unreadable look in her eyes again as she nodded her head and replied quietly, "Zuko."

The omittance of his title was not lost on anyone.

As soon as Sokka fetched a green-faced Toph, they all filed into two carriages that would bring them to the Water Tribe Consulate. Sokka's office wouldn't be big enough for them all to speak, so he sent a courier ahead with a request to use one of the meeting rooms and for some food to be brought in for when they got there. He said it was because he was feeling a little peckish after sailing, but Seika knew Sokka ate when he was hungry, nervous, or excited.

It seemed this was an occasion for all three.

Izumi was internally gnawing on her fingernails. Zuko was sitting next to her - the proper twin returned to the proper parent - and they were sitting across from Katara and Seika. Sokka and Toph were gracious enough to sit at the far end of the table, giving the estranged family enough space to hash out their issues with a semblance of privacy.

Katara was picking at her food with her chopsticks, avoiding everyone's eyes, while Zuko was blatantly staring at her, as if his eyes would be enough to get her to look up and finally talk to him for the first time in sixteen years. Seika was nervously looking back and forth between their parents and Izumi could read exactly what was on her mind: they didn't think far enough to know what to do next.

Deciding to get this started, Izumi set down her chopsticks and cleared her throat. "I think we should address the elephant koi in the room."

Seika snorted and both Katara and Zuko shot her exasperated looks before returning their gazes to their bowls. Izumi sighed at their stubbornness, and silently urged Seika to speak. Her sister shrugged, then looked to Zuko and back to Katara before swallowing.

"So, how was the South Pole, Izumi?"

She would have laughed had Katara not looked up at Seika like with confusion.

Oh, she saw where this was going. After licking her lips to hide her mischievous smile, Izumi replied politely, "Very cold, but not to my dissatisfaction."

"That's good to hear."

"Mhm, how did you enjoy the Fire Nation?"

"Very warm," Seika replied as evenly as Izumi had. "But I prefer the warmth so it was very much to my satisfaction."

Suddenly, Katara slammed her hands on the table and it caused everyone else to jump in surprise. Her eyes were raging, frustration and annoyance clear when she glared at both of her daughters before shooting her sights to Zuko.

"Was this your idea?"

Zuko scowled and Izumi could see the few lines in his face grow with the expression. "How on earth could this be my idea?"

"You put it in Seika's head that she should stay in the Fire Nation," Katara claimed, causing both Seika and Izumi to grimace at her almost-spot on observation. But Izumi could see between the cracks that were starting to form in Katara's resolve. She chalked it up to her overly-observant nature, and the fact she had spent the past month in her mother's company, but she could see that Katara had been overwhelmingly happy to see Zuko, despite the circumstances. She could also see that Katara was scared, because it was clear they still loved each other despite forcibly keeping themselves apart for the better part of two decades.

"Seika came to that conclusion all on her own," Zuko retorted. Izumi could see the cracks in his resolve, too. How he yearned to touch Katara again and keep her close for the rest of their lives. How he wanted this all to end so they could stay together as a family.

"I'm sure-"

Seika suddenly stood and Izumi grinned at the tenacious look in her sister's eyes. "Enough! Both of you! I've had it with your childish attitudes!"

The looks on both of their faces were enough to keep Izumi satisfied until the day she died.

Apparently, Sokka thought the same thing and started snickering with Toph.

Seika glared at them, as well, and snapped, "You two need to shut it, too! You have just as much part in this bullshit as they do, so I don't want to hear a word out of anyone!"

When the adults all pressed their lips closed, Seika took a deep breath and leveled her gaze upon her parents. Izumi felt immense pride for her sister, and for the fact that even though she was never raised in the palace life, she commanded the room like a future monarch could. Just like their father.

"You two need to talk," she declared as she gestured to Zuko and Katara. "And it's going to happen now."

With that, she sat down with a harrumph. Izumi gave her a grin of reassurance, which was returned with a half-smirk. It was all deliberate.

Katara sighed, then leaned back against her chair as Zuko steepled his hands in front of his face. Izumi knew this was his thinking pose, done mostly in private when he was deliberating on a new law or deciding on whether he wanted herbal or green tea.

"First of all," Zuko started, causing all eyes - and feet - to turn their attention to him. He sighed and dropped his hands to his lap, defeat clear on his face, and he looked at Katara in the eyes for the first time since they were on the dock. "The girls have every right to be angry with us. We were faced with a problem and ran instead of try and find a solution. Though I believe we were quick to make decisions regarding Seika and Izumi, it would be best for us to do some damage control now."

"What are you suggesting?"

"We can't hide their heritage from the world anymore," he declared, causing Katara to sit up and straight and stare at him like he grew a third eye on his chin. "And before you object, hear me out: there were several staff members in the palace that became aware of the situation while Seika was staying with me. It's clear to people that deal with Izumi every day that she was not the one staying in the Princess's suite."

"Plus, our entire training class in the United Forces know about us being sisters," Izumi piped in, causing Katara to visibly pale. "It was easy to figure out when we spent so much time together and looked exactly alike."

Zuko sighed and rubbed his temple. "And I'm sure with Tweedledee and Tweedledum over there, it's likely Aang and Suki are aware of the situation now, as well. Iroh knows, Hakoda knows-"

"Dad knows?!" Katara exclaimed. "Since when?"

"Since I visited the Fire Nation ten years ago," Sokka claimed, causing Katara to snap her head towards him and glare. "Hey, I couldn't keep that kind of information from the Chief. He's in charge of the entire tribe, and something like that is huge. I can't withhold any information that can possibly hurt the tribe."

Katara muttered something about betrayal before taking a long drink of water. The rest of the room waited for her to speak, and when she did, it was low and tired. "What exactly will we do? Send out a newsletter telling everyone that Fire Lord Zuko and Master Katara and an illicit affair nineteen years ago and produced twins, one of which is Princess Izumi? People will come forth and challenge her claim to your throne."

"She's legitimate," Toph declared from the other side of the table, causing everyone to look at her in confusion. "I don't know how you guys don't know this, but old Water Tribe law dictates that any child born between a couple out of love is legitimate, regardless of marriage. Because in times of famine or hardship, sometimes lawful marriage is not available, so marriage by love was accepted. Especially if there isn't a shaman in the tribe to conduct any ceremonies."

"How on earth do you know that?" Sokka asked with an incredulous pout.

Toph shrugged and picked at her fingernails. "One of the many seemingly-pointless my parents forced me through. Those two were messing around for so long without coming forward, and then neither of you got married, so I assumed you both knew the law and were abiding by it. Just in secrecy."

Izumi watched as Katara and Zuko met each other's gazes and they both paled, as if a secret had been outed in front of everyone.

"Well, it figures you two were just stupid, then."

"So what now?" Izumi found herself asking. When her parents finally tore their gazes from each other to look at her, she swallowed and said, "Seika and I know that each other exist. Hiding the fact is just asking for trouble because the truth can come out later down the road. It might be wise to come clean to the world, explain why you both lied for so long, and then wipe your hands of it and be done."

"There will be dissent," Zuko stated, his eyes dropping and a sigh escaping him. "I told the people of the Fire Nation that another woman carried you and died in childbirth, but we had been wed. Coming forth and saying that Izumi is the daughter of Master Katara and she's still alive with our other daughter, there may be people claiming I'm unfit to rule because I've lied to them for so long."

"Then don't lie about what happened."

All eyes went to Katara.

"Tell your people we were married," she murmured without looking up. "Wed in a secret ceremony before I got pregnant. But the Fire Sages found out about us and told me I had to leave the firebending baby with you and take the waterbending one with me and never return." She lifted her eyes and gave Zuko a sardonic smile. "That's basically what happened anyway."

That had been a shock of news, for everyone in the room except for Zuko. What did Katara mean? Had they been married before they split up Izumi and Seika? What exactly was going on?

Izumi saw him mull his lips together as he shook his head, as if he was fighting tears and denying the situation they got themselves in. He met Katara's eyes and his jaw was set. "Can we talk in private?"

Katara nodded and they both stood. She hesitated a minute before leveling a glare on the sisters and saying, "Don't eavesdrop."

As soon as their parents left the room, the girls met each others eyes and got up to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Toph pointed them in the right direction, merely telling them to go to Sokka's office and handing the office owner a yuan and huffing in defeat. Sokka chortled and snatched it out of her hands, then they began murmuring between each other as the twins snuck out of the room.

The months training in the United Forces helped the twins keep their cover, and Izumi's knowledge of the Consulate from the sole time she was here a month prior helped get them to the opposite side of the building far quicker than if Seika had been the one leading them. The latter twin admitted that fact with no envy, because while her sister had her own strengths, Seika had hers, too. Such as proper eavesdropping.

As soon as they reached the closed door, Seika and Izumi heard the raised voices.

"... was your idea in the first place!"

Seika looked over to Izumi to see her brow furrow at the surprising anger in their father's voice.

"Don't you dare blame me! Had you just-"

"Just what, Katara? Banish all the Sages and anyone else who would have objected to us being together? Despite popular belief, the list would have been very short."

"You know exactly what would have happened! The war had only ended a few years before I got pregnant! Things were unstable enough as it was! You remember how things were with Yu Dao!"

"That was a stepping stone to us being able to be together!"

"Then why did you give up so quickly?!"

Izumi and Seika met eyes and they both waited with baited breath for Zuko's answer.

After what felt like an eternity, Zuko's quiet reply was barely audible from behind the door. "... Because I thought that was what you wanted. So I let you go."

Seika watched Izumi sag and frown, and all she wanted to do was pull her sister away and leave their parents alone. But she had to know what her mom would say in reply.

"What makes you think I didn't want you to chase me?"

"You made it clear that it was better that you three weren't in my life, for the sake of my people accepting me and keeping the peace we fought for." He sighed and Seika imagined him pinching the bridge of his nose or rubbing his temple. "No matter how much I wanted to tell you that it was better we stayed together, I knew you were right."

"But in separating, we separated the girls because Izumi was a firebender."

Seika reached out and took Izumi's hand. She squeezed back harder than Seika anticipated and the waterbender watched as a tear fell out of her sister's eye.

"Would it have been better if I kept her with you and had an heir with someone else?" Zuko asked the question Seika wanted him to ask the least. She squeezed her eyes shut and listened as he continued, "Was it selfish of me to ask that I got to keep the piece of you that we created together?"

"Just as selfish as it was for me to take them away in the first place," Katara replied, her voice soft and empty. "I did it because I didn't want them to be outcasts for their whole lives. It was easier for me to run with them that stay with you and endure the hatred people would have possibly thrown at them just for existing."

Seika felt a rage burn deep in her chest and she quickly let go of Izumi's hand before shoving the door to the office open. Katara and Zuko both jumped in surprise - seemingly away from each other - and she leveled the angriest glare she could muster on both of them.

"You're both ridiculous!" she shouted right as Izumi gathered herself and stood next to her. "Who gives a shit what other people think?! You both wasted close to twenty years denying the one thing you wanted because you were scared? Bullshit. Izumi and I don't care about whether or not you two should be together or if it would be better if you were apart. We just want you two to finally put this all to rest."

"You don't have to lie about us," Izumi stated, causing both parents to look at her in confusion. "The world is changing, and whether people want to accept it or not is on them. The United Nations exists solely so people like Seika and I can exist without being cast out. Without even realizing it, that's why we were both so drawn to it."

"We're not saying you need to get back together for us to all be happy," Seika added as reassuringly as she could. "At first, we thought that would have been the case. But as we've grown to learn so much about both of you, we realized that all that needs to be done is tell the truth."

Katara and Zuko looked at each other for a long moment, mulling it over, and tentatively Katara reached forward and took Zuko's hand within hers.

"Maybe it is time we tell the truth."

Zuko's eyes widened and Seika was sure his soul left his body with shock. "Really?"

Katara nodded as he tightened his grip on her hand and she look at her daughters apologetically. "We're sorry, girls. Neither of us have been completely upfront with you about anything. You see..."

"By the power vested in me by the Spirits beyond, I now name you husband and wife."

Katara and Zuko grinned at each other, then joined in a kiss that bound them for the rest of their lives. When they separated, Zuko rested his forehead against hers and he murmured, "Ever mine. Until the end of time."

She kissed him again and held him close. There were no witnesses, no one but them and Shyu, the Fire Sage that had aided Aang all those years ago. Despite being the Great Sage now, his powers only went so far. And convincing the other sages to support their relationship and now marriage was not one of them.

Katara and Zuko had maintained their private relationship for over a year when Zuko proposed secretly after a meeting with the other ambassadors. He had already spoken to Hakoda, who had given his blessing, and gave her a ring of Fire Nation design. But the Sages got wind of it and forbade him from marrying her, due to his lack of approval from them and the fact that she was Water Tribe.

But Zuko didn't care. He enlisted the help of Shyu, who had always been on Zuko's side for many of his policies and resulting fights, and they met in the palace temple that was only accessible by the Fire Sages and the Royal Family. Who now included Katara.

"When will we tell your people?" she whispered as they broke apart.

"Our people," Zuko corrected quietly. The glow in his eyes was magnificent, and she swore up and down she fell in love with him all over again. "And we can wait until things settle down a bit. It's better to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission, and I'm certain once the Sages see that you're a great fit as Fire Lady, they will shut up."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded and started leading Katara and Shyu out of the temple. "I think they will realize that it's not the Spirits saying you and I being together is wrong, but their own prejudices. The people in the colonies have shown that blended families work just as well as ones from solely one nation. They-"

"Fire Lord Zuko!"

The three conspirators halted in their steps to see the other Fire Sages approach them, anger clear on their lined faces. Zuko frowned and stood his ground, puffing up his chest and glaring at them. "What are you all doing here?"

The man in front - Guyun - looked from Zuko's face to his hands that were joined with Katara's, then to Shyu and to Katara's modest headdress. "I see you conducted the ceremony despite our objection."

"I am the Fire Lord," Zuko replied. "I am allowed to overrule your decisions. Especially ones made from a bigoted mind."

"We forbade you from being with this peasant!" Guyun shouted, his voice echoing off of the ancient walls. "The line of Agni has to be secured, and that cannot be done with impure blood!"

Zuko's rage flared the torches around them and he snapped, "Now, you listen here-"

"Zuko," Katara cut in, causing all of the men to look at her. "Let me." She leveled her gaze on Guyun and said, "As far as I'm concerned, your say is null and void. The Great Sage conducted this ceremony, and now I am your Fire Lady. You cannot tell us that we are not allowed to be together."

Guyun's lips curled into a menacing smile. "On the contrary, Master Katara. The Sages are allowed to annul any marriage that are unfit for the Royal Family. We did it for Ozai and Ursa, and we can certainly do it for you. It is our duty to ensure the line of Agni, and if that means preventing you two from reproducing, we will do it. Fire Lord Zuko needs to produce an heir with a full-blooded Fire Nation woman in order to maintain balance and peace within our nation. Having a harlot like you will hinder the progress he has fought so hard for these past few years."

Katara felt her heart quiver in her chest and she fought the tears the pain brought. "You wouldn't dare."

"If we have to find a brood mare, we'll do it," Guyun taunted. "But you are prohibited from reproducing with him while we try to annul the marriage."

"I'll have you all imprisoned for this!" Zuko shouted, his grip tightening on Katara's hand. She could tell he was just as shocked as her.

"And have the people believe you are corrupt just like your father and grandfather before you?" Guyun stated. His tone was final and victorious, which made the next words he said so much more vicious. "We will let you remain married to the peasant until we undo our Great Sage's mistake. Until then, no one is to know of your actions, Fire Lord. Remember, you are already on thin ice with the people. Deliberately going against the word of the Fire Sages will definitely result in an uprising that ends with your head at your new wife's feet."

They didn't remain to see the effect of their threat, but the words bounced around Katara's head long after their footsteps no longer echoed against the walls.

"Katara-"

She held up her hand to silence him, then let go of him so she could take a step forward and face him. She steeled her resolve the moment she saw his pained expression, and with a reassuring smile, she said, "They can't stop us. We're already married. There's nothing they could do to stop that."

"... But the Sages found a way to cause the marriage to be ended without consent from either parties," Katara ended with a sigh.

Zuko looked to the girls and said, "Pregnancy. According to Shyu, the law was ancient, from before the Fire Nation was unified, but it gave the Fire Sages the right to annul marriages if a royal wife was pregnant without the Sage's blessing. It was a way to control the amount of children born into the Royal Family during times of famine and economic hardships, and it had never been overwritten when the Fire Nation unified and our economy was prosperous. Hell, I didn't even know it existed until Shyu told me that Guyun had found out about it."

"When I found out I was pregnant, I knew it would be the end of our marriage and I would have to leave," Katara remarked. She looked at both of the girls with sad eyes that Seika was too familiar with at this point in time in her life. "Shyu tried his best to protect us, but no matter what he did he could not sway the other sages."

"It's one of the reasons I put a cap on their influence in the government," Zuko said, then he directed his attention to Izumi. "Though they knew that Katara was your mother, at that point in time I had already limited their power and they could do nothing but go along with the story Uncle and I put together to keep your place in the line."

"It was easier to do what we did instead of stay and fight," Katara claimed, which made Seika's own anger boil even more. "If I had stayed and had you two, there was a high possibility that neither of you would have lived to age five. We did what we had to in order to protect you both."

"And in turn, destroyed the chances of any of us having a normal, loving family," Izumi replied. Her tears were coming out faster now, and Seika took her hand to support her. "Father, I lived without a mother for my whole life. Because you two were too afraid to do the right thing instead of the easy thing."

Zuko sagged in defeat and he nodded. Silently, Seika watched as a man she came to know as being as solid as and earthbender crumble in his resolve. "I know. And there's no way for me to make up for the time you lost with your family."

Then, Katara took a step forward and circled her arms around both of her daughters and held them close. Zuko remained behind, but Seika saw him soften slightly and smile at her when their eyes met.

"I may not be able to fix what we did to you both," she murmured to them, "but I can do what's right for the first time in twenty years."

After she let go of her daughters, she smiled at them both and then turned to Zuko. Without giving him a warning, she jumped into his arms and kissed him firmly on the lips. Izumi, Seika, and most especially Zuko were too shocked to properly react for at least ten seconds, but Seika was pleased to see Zuko sigh and wrap his arms around Katara's waist and pull her closer to him.

Seika nudged Izumi in the ribs, feeling it was about time they bowed out so their parents could truly have some privacy, and they both slunk out of the room as the kiss between their parents deepened and Katara let out a breathy laugh.

As soon as the door was closed, Seika turned to Izumi with the broadest shit-eating grin she could muster, and said, "So does this mean I can be a Princess, too?"

Izumi's stunned look quickly turned to annoyance and she playfully shoved Seika away as she replied, "That's something you'll have to bring up with Dad."

Fire Lord Zuko went on record regarding the falsified story about Princess Izumi's birth mother and the subsequent existence of another daughter around a month after the revelation between the family members in the Water Tribe Consulate.

Rightfully so, there was some outcry about the handling of the situation, but Zuko was adamant that he came completely clean. The Great Sage Shyu backed him up - like he always did - and said that Master Katara and Fire Lord Zuko had maintained their matrimony throughout the years, but had to keep it a secret because of the fragility of the world after the war. Though Katara having the girls technically ended the legality of their marriage back then, he did not bring that part up. He could not retroactively enforce a law that no longer existed.

Seika was not coronated as a Princess, due to her waterbending abilities essentially forfeiting that claim for her, but instead was given the title of Duchess of Caldera, which basically gave her just as much power as Izumi without the claim to the throne.

The amount of people who backed them up was amazing, considering even Avatar Aang vocally supported both of his old friends, saying that the world had changed, and things like this would have been allowed had the people back then been as open-minded as they were now. Sokka went on record, as well, claiming he knew of the situation and had bore witness to the fact that neither Zuko or Katara had outright lied about either of the girls, but merely remained mum when asked due to the pressure from the Fire Sages.

It was the last nail in the coffin for the power the Fire Sages had in the government, because due to their meddling and adamant refusal towards change, the Fire Lord and subsequently the Fire Nation suffered. They were regulated to mere religious leaders, given the task to uphold the traditions of the Fire Nation and protect the world from tipping out of balance from a small island close to the United Republic.

As for Katara and Zuko, they decided it was time they accepted what they had denied for so long and decided to come forth as a married couple. The people of the Fire Nation had adored her just as much as they did twenty years ago, so easing her into the public role was not as hard as many would have thought. She mainly did what she had done back in the South Pole: sitting in on meetings with councils and giving her opinions, teaching classes on healing and medicine, and occasionally sparring with the Fire Lord before going back to their quarters where they would make up for the lost time.

Seika and Izumi remained close, even to the day that Fire Lord Zuko retired and Princess Izumi was crowned Fire Lord in his place. Seika remained at her side as her Chief Adviser and General of the Fire Nation's military, where she set a new standard of acceptance and efficiency that hadn't been seen since General Iroh had led his troops through the Earth Kingdom.

All became well, and the time lost between the Royal Family of the Fire Nation was all but forgotten, and the world was ushered into a new era of peace and love, just as Fire Lord Zuko promised all those years ago to his people and in private to his wife.

And Izumi and Seika had finally found the place where they belonged: together with their family.

fin.