Chapter Text
The sound of music blaring from his earbuds drowned out everything else as a teen sat in the passenger seat of the dated, but still functional, car as it cruised at a steady pace down the calm highway. They definitely weren’t lying when they said this area would be a lot different than the city he used to live in…
Then again, Capital City wasn’t exactly the most ideal place to live either…
Zuko sighed as he pulled his hood up more securely over his head, which was a dark red in color. In fact, the same could be said for much of his wardrobe, considering his heritage and where he was coming from.
The scarred teen let out a small sigh, as he thought he heard someone talking to him over the loud music blasting into his ears.
“What, Uncle?” Zuko questioned the older man driving the car, and the only other one present with him.
The man kept his calm demeanor, as well as the grin on his face.
“I was asking if you are excited to move into your new home.” Iroh repeated himself, genuinely curious of his nephew’s thoughts and feelings about the move.
Zuko exhaled through his nose, looking down as if contemplating his answer. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want to move away from Capital City… But then again, he was also glad to be rid of that place!
All it did was bring back bad memories… Memories of his father… And by extension, his mother…
How he missed her…
“Zuko?” Iroh snapped him out of his trance, now with a look of concern.
“I don’t know, Uncle…” Zuko sighed, finally getting an answer out. “I’ve lived in Capital City for my entire life… I’ve never had to be anywhere else for very long… In some ways, I think I’ll miss it.”
He then narrowed his eyes, brushing over the large scar over his left eye with his hand, before his fists clenched.
“But in many more ways… I think this move is long overdue.”
Iroh made a sudden turn, the car driving down a smaller and just as calm highway, before he responded with an optimistic smile.
“Just give it a chance, my nephew… Gaoling might not seem like much on the surface right now, but I am certain that within lies some amazing people to meet, places to explore, and memories to create…”
Zuko gave his words some thought, but he didn’t seem to buy it… As horrible as his father was, he still didn’t know how this new place was gonna be any better.
The teen didn’t respond to Iroh’s comment, merely putting his earbuds back into his ears, looking out the passenger window again.
Iroh frowned as he looked at his nephew, reflecting on what all had happened recently. He knew none of this was going to be easy, especially on Zuko…
It was all his brother Ozai’s doing that they were even forced to make such a drastic measure of moving away from their lifelong home to begin with. What happened with Ursa, the stance that Zuko’s sister Azula took in the matter? It was all too much, and it was unhealthy.
A family was supposed to remain strong and support each other, but if anything, it seemed this family did the exact opposite and was tearing itself apart.
Perhaps if Zuko was away from all that and finished out his school in a town where he could make some new friends, he could learn to calm his inner turmoil and make peace with himself.
Iroh made one last turn, and they found themselves on a rather suburban looking street. The houses on the street… weren’t the greatest in the world, but still looked very nice and affordable. Judging by the use of stone, brick and mortar on the houses, Zuko could tell instantly that this was an Earth Kingdom favored architecture design choice. Obviously because they could make great use of their Earthbending.
It was quite different from the buildings back in Capital City… Back in the Fire Nation.
The truth of the matter was… there were four distinct cultures banded together in this one country: the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribe, and the Air Nomads… Each of them had their own unique style of bending, and could use them in different ways to fulfill different purposes.
As such, everyone got along just fine, using their bending to help each other and advance their happy and prosperous society.
But somewhere down the line, this sense of… distrust began to form. Mainly towards the Firebenders.
Their reputation began to grow exponentially, and not in a positive way… Cases began to increase more and more where people were getting burned and seriously hurt, or even killed…
So essentially what everyone was left with was… Fire Nation VS everyone else. Many in the Fire Nation culture began to migrate to the more western part of the country, with Capital City being the biggest place known for housing their culture. To see any Fire Nation people away from that part of the country in this day and age… was certainly odd.
But that was the messy truth of their modern politics.
Did it make Zuko nervous to be so far away from his culture? If he was being honest, he was a little bit… But he didn’t have much choice.
Anything was better than having to live anywhere near his father…
“Here we are.” Iroh said with a grin, parking the car in the driveway of a decent looking house. “Ah, and I see the movers have already gotten started. Let us help them and get settled in.”
As Iroh got out of the car, Zuko took another breath, his song playlist having ended right on cue. He had to listen to it countless times on the long drive over here, so he would be glad to just get out and stretch his legs.
Opening the passenger door, the scarred teen stepped out, stretching his limbs before closing it behind him. Pocketing his phone, he was about to join his Uncle, before he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Or rather… someone.
It looked like another teenager, maybe a couple years younger than him. He had a bald head, and wore a shirt and pants that had a red and yellow coloration to it. He could have swore he saw something on his forehead, but he was too far to really tell.
The boy from across the street gave a friendly grin, waving over at the scarred teen.
Zuko stood there for a moment, a bit taken aback by this. This didn’t really happen much back in Capital City. It seemed to be all business and everyone for themselves for the most part between strangers.
Deciding to ignore it, Zuko turned around in silence, moving to join his Uncle to help the movers bring the rest of their stuff in the house.
The boy from across the street began to frown, hoping deep down he hadn’t done anything to come off on the wrong foot.
‘Maybe they’re just busy.’ The bald headed teen began to think, a smile returning to his features, deciding to just turn around and head back inside his own house.
It was a long and tedious process, but by the evening, everything was moved into the house and set up mainly how they wanted it.
As Iroh thanked the movers for their assistance, Zuko stood in the middle of the house, giving it another look over. It was far from the place they used to have back in Capital City… Even if it wasn’t a large house by any means, it was bigger than his old home was.
Regardless of what the house looked like, as long as they were away from Ozai and he had a roof over his head, he supposed he would make do… even if he didn’t fully like it.
Everything would be so new here… The cultures, the people… everything.
It wasn’t that he personally held a grudge towards any of the other three cultures, but he had barely interacted with any of them at all. All he knew was the Fire Nation customs and culture…
It was going to be really weird…
Hearing the front door shut, Zuko knew that his Uncle likely was done talking to the movers and that the move was officially complete.
“Well, Zuko… What do you think?” As he used his hands to motion around, a small smile on his face. “Now that we are officially new residents of Gaoling?”
Zuko internally sighed upon hearing that, his point already being proven. It was weird to refer to himself as a ‘Gaoling resident’. Perhaps he technically was, but as it stood in his own mind? He would always be Fire Nation.
“It’s quaint enough I suppose…”
Iroh could only chuckle, knowing his nephew well. He knew it would take some getting used to on his end, but he was confident that, eventually, he would come around.
“Definitely a step up from that cramped apartment back in the city, wouldn’t you agree?” Iroh questioned, trying to shed some light on the positives to get Zuko to see a bright side.
The scarred teen merely gave a dismissive shrug, only confirming Iroh’s theory that he was going to be a tough nut to crack.
Before Iroh was able to continue the conversation, a sudden knock was heard at the front door, causing both of them to cock a brow.
“I wonder who that could be…” Iroh wondered aloud, walking towards the door. “Perhaps one of the movers left something here.”
Zuko stayed planted in his spot, staring at the door quizzically, just as curious.
As the door opened, Zuko saw that it was the kid from across the street, and he was with someone else.
“Hello, neighbors.” The one with Aang, who appeared to be an older man with a bald head and white mustache, greeted them with a traditional bow of respect. “It is great to finally meet you. We saw that the house had been sold for quite some time.”
Iroh returned the bow with a friendly smile, before motioning Zuko forward. The scarred teen could only sigh under his breath, before he did so, mainly out of the courtesy his uncle was making him show.
“I am honored to meet you as well…” Iroh responded to the man. “You live just across the street, do you not? I was sure I caught a glimpse of one of you while assisting the movers.”
“Sure do!” The bald headed teen confirmed with a cheery and upbeat attitude. Zuko honestly wasn’t sure how he could do it… That was the complete opposite of him. “I wanted to say hi, but then I saw you guys were busy. We wanted to make sure you were settled in.”
"Well that is awfully generous of you.” Iroh grinned. “But it is not at all a bother…”
The older man standing beside him smiled, before giving a proper greeting.
“My name is Gyatso, and this is my son, Aang.”
Aang smiled in greeting, which is just when Zuko noticed something…
The bald heads… The strange clothing… It didn’t click with him at all until he finally confirmed just what he saw on his forehead, and what also appeared to be on his arms.
They were tattoos… Blue ones. Most notably, they were tattoos of blue arrows which rested on their foreheads.
These two had to be Air Nomads.
“My name is Iroh.” Zuko heard his uncle return Gyatso’s gesture, as he motioned to him. “And this is my nephew, Zuko…”
“Nice to meet you, Zuko.” Aang politely said.
The scarred teen didn’t respond verbally, instead giving a curt nod of acknowledgment. Aang cocked a brow, as if studying something curiously. At first, Zuko wasn’t sure what it was, until it clicked that his hood wasn’t over his head anymore! That meant his scar was on full display.
Zuko quickly turned his head in order to hide it, but he knew it was too late.
“Woah, Zuko… Cool scar! Where’d you get it?” Aang commented, his positive outlook on things not allowing him to reflect on the negative implications right away.
Zuko’s scowl became more apparent, which Iroh noticed right away. Putting a hand on his nephew’s shoulder, he put a stop to any lashing out that might have been brewing within him.
Aang might not have known the implications, but he was still perceptive. He realized by Zuko’s expression that whatever he had said had offended him, which caused the Air Nomad to frown.
“I’m sorry…” He apologized immediately. “I didn’t mean to say-“
“Do not worry about it, Aang.” Iroh reassured him. “You have done nothing wrong… It is a… complicated history. A very personal history.”
“I understand.” Aang immediately accepted that, not wishing to pry any further.
“Would you like to come in?” Iroh offered with a smile. “I can make us all a nice cup of tea, and we could chat over a game of Pai Sho. That is, if you play.”
“Pai Sho, you say?” Gyatso stroked his chin thoughtfully, being quite a fan of the game himself, before remembering something else. “I’m afraid we can’t tonight. I need to take Aang out for some last minute shopping for school supplies.”
Gyatso smirked, before adding,
“But perhaps tomorrow, you might make the same offer?”
Iroh let out a hearty laugh, replying,
“You know, I just might…”
Zuko stood there, his arms folded, reminded of yet another harsh reality. One that he had totally forgotten…
He would have to start at his new school tomorrow… His Senior year of high school.
With it being early September, he knew that the feeling of Summer would soon wane, and Autumn would be upon them quickly.
“Farewell! Safe travels back home…” Iroh waved the two Air Nomads off in jest, knowing their house wasn’t far at all, to which they laughed.
“Goodbye, Iroh! Nice to meet you both.” Gyatso responded, turning to return home.
“Bye, Zuko!” Aang grinned, waving in his direction as he did earlier from across the street.
Once again, Zuko did not verbally respond. All he seemed to get out of him was a nod. Aang’s smile fell momentarily, before it returned, running off to catch up with Gyatso.
As the door shut, Iroh had to sigh.
“You could at least be more polite to them.” He pointed out.
“What was so impolite about it?” Zuko defended with a slight scowl. “I didn’t say anything wrong…”
“Saying nothing at all isn’t exactly the best alternative…” Iroh tried to teach his nephew.
“Look…” Zuko sighed. “It’s just… weird, okay? Very weird… No one does that, Uncle. Not in the city… If a stranger comes to your door in Capital City, it’s either because they’re lost, trying to sell you something you don’t need, or are there to rob you.”
“Another one of the perks of living in a smaller community that you will soon discover.” Iroh smiled.
“‘Perks’?” Zuko cocked a brow. “How is that a perk? Sounds more like an annoyance to me.”
“You are not used to this way of life… I understand.” Iroh sighed, before putting a hand on Zuko’s shoulder and smiling. “But please try to give this a chance. I am confident that given enough time, you can have a great life out here.”
Zuko still wasn’t sure of that, until his uncle added,
“And besides, you are on your last year of high school. After that, you will be done with that chapter of your life. All the more reason for you to make it count…”
He realized that his uncle was right… He didn’t really agree about the ‘getting used to it’ part, but it was true that this was his final year of school. If he could just bite his tongue and power through it, it would be over before he knew it…
Then he could carve his own path, and find his own happiness. Where that was exactly? He… wasn’t quite sure.
But he knew that it wasn’t in this town, and it wasn’t with his father.
“Well, Zuko?” Iroh snapped him out of his thoughts, looking into his eyes. “Will you give it a chance?”
Zuko frowned. He knew his uncle had done so much to get him here… It costed him nothing, while it was costing his uncle everything to bring him here and give him a life better than the one with Ozai at the forefront.
Even though he had his opinions about Gaoling so far, he nodded his head, before responding,
“Okay, Uncle… I’ll try.”
Iroh grinned, happy with that response, which is all Zuko wanted. The old man then walked away and into the nearby kitchen, beginning to heat some tea up.
“It’s a good thing I brought my new tea kettle! I have been waiting for awhile now to try it out.”
Zuko forced a small grin at his Uncle’s comment, before looking at the time on his near dead phone. It was nearly eight, the day having flown by. Driving here and unpacking boxes honestly took up the majority of the day.
Letting out a small sigh, Zuko wished he had just one more day to relax before he was forced to go to school, but knew that wishes were nothing more than false hope.
Accepting the reality of the situation, Zuko walked into his room, putting his phone on the charger, before grabbing the first pair of clothes he saw that looked decent and headed for the shower.
He made sure to turn the water up hotter than normal, since that was the way he preferred it. As a Firebender, though obviously still susceptible to burns as his scar would instantly tell you, they were able to withstand heat better than other people.
As Zuko stood in the shower, allowing the hot water to fall down his back, he took some deep breaths, once again mentally preparing himself for what the next day would bring. The Air Nomads were the only new people he had met so far, and they were already so different than anyone else from the Fire Nation culture.
How was this going to go?
The loud disturbance of his phone’s alarm clock instantly caused Zuko’s eyes to shoot open. He attempted in vain to bury his head under his pillow to drown out the noise, but knew that getting out of bed was an inevitability at this point.
With a groan, Zuko rolled over and hit the snooze button, before forcing himself to stand to his feet. Practically dragging himself forward, the scarred teen put on his Fire Nation style clothing, which was a red robe with a golden colored sash. The boots he slipped on were more of a dark color, but had a gold stripe running vertically down both of them.
Tying his sash on tight and making sure his boots were secure, he took a look in the mirror at his groggy face. He had a typical bedhead, using his hands to smooth it down only just enough to where it wasn’t too noticeable. His gaze soon fell upon his scar once more, as he lightly brushed his hand across it.
Bitter memories began returning to him, as they always did… His scar was a constant reminder of that day in his life…
The day that forced him to move away from his old home to begin with…
“Zuko!” The scarred teen jumped upon being startled by Iroh’s sudden voice, which sounded like it was in the kitchen. “Are you up?”
“Yes, Uncle!” Zuko confirmed, his gaze falling towards his hood, which he had worn yesterday.
It was an extra layer of clothing, but if it covered up his scar? He was just fine with that… That Air Nomad boy seeing it was already bad enough. He didn’t wish for the entire school to see it too…
Not that he cared what they thought about him or anything. He didn’t care about them or their opinions. It was just… that he would rather avoid any mention of it if he could help it. He had better things to do rather than think about his scar.
Finally exiting his room with the extra layer of clothing on, he entered the kitchen, where indeed Iroh was sitting.
He was already drinking his morning cup of tea, before he smiled Zuko’s way.
“There he is! The early riser, himself.” Iroh grinned.
Zuko could only sigh, rubbing his head as he stepped forward.
“I know Firebenders ‘rise with the sun’, Uncle… but somehow I doubt that applies to our sleeping habits. Or mine at least…” He muttered that last part.
“How are you feeling, nephew? Nervous? Excited?” Iroh sipped his tea.
“No… And no.” Zuko dismissed, his Uncle soon motioning towards the stove.
“There is some bacon over there if you need some breakfast before we go.” He offered.
Zuko never really did like the food at his old school, so he figured it probably wasn’t any better at this place. So with that in mind, he walked to the stove, grabbing a few pieces of bacon and grabbing his bag.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
Iroh was taken aback at first, but soon nodded in understanding, finishing off his cup of tea before grabbing his keys.
Normally Zuko wasn’t one to be in a rush, but he was just adamant on getting this day over with. The sooner he finished the school day, the sooner he could come back home and be alone.
The high school was surprisingly not that far; maybe a mile from where he now lived. Upon first glance, he saw that the building was both exactly what he expected and not at all what he expected at the same time.
The school wasn’t as big as the one from Capital City, but it was still bigger than he thought it would be. He saw many people walking towards the front entrance, which he assumed were mostly students but also some faculty.
Taking a breath, Zuko knew that the time to get out had come. Just as he put his hand on the door handle of the car, he felt his uncle put a hand on his shoulder. Looking back in surprise, he saw a reassuring smile appear on the older man’s features.
“Have a good day at school, Zuko. And remember… give it a chance.” Iroh gave his advice.
Zuko stared in silence for a few moments, before he gave a nod of his head, opening the door on the passenger side and stepping out.
With a final wave to his Uncle, the car drove off, leaving Zuko to face this new and unfamiliar place… He pulled on his hood again, making sure it was securely over his head and that it covered his scar, before he walked towards the entrance.
Some students who were conversing outside noticed the differently dressed Zuko, and watched him as he walked to the front doors. They looked like a mix of Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom students. Whether or not any of them were benders, you obviously couldn’t tell at first glance… but they very well could have been.
Sighing under his breath, Zuko opened the doors, finally entering the school as the students outside whispered amongst each other, speculating on just who he might be.
The hallways were as crowded as can be, and as expected, were absolutely populated with students from either the Earth or Water cultures. There wasn’t a single Fire culture student in sight… No one except for him…
What was also strange to Zuko was the lack of Air Nomads. Seeing as his neighbors were Air Nomads and the first people he saw in town, he expected just as many of them to be here as well. So why weren’t they?
“Ah, you must be Zuko Agni…” Zuko was startled by a sudden, deep sounding voice.
The man in question was dressed very proper, wearing a black robe with yellow outlines. He had a grin that was instantly recognizable as smug, and had a black fu manchu as his facial hair. He definitely gave off huge Earth culture vibes.
“Yes…” Zuko responded in confirmation to his question.
The smug look on the man’s face instantly disappeared, now replaced with a scowl.
Zuko’s cocked a brow, but also remained guarded. Was it something he said?
“I know that you’re new here, Mr. Agni, so let me just make one thing clear…” The man stepped forward, as if grimacing at him. “I know where it is you hail from, and who you are. Make one step out of line, and there will be consequences… Do we understand each other?”
Zuko was stunned at first, taken aback by such threats that had come for no real reason, before a scowl appeared on his face, growing defensive.
“And just who are you to tell me that, anyway?” Zuko growled.
A chuckle was the response he was met with, before the man finally revealed himself,
“I am Long Feng… the principal of this campus.”
Zuko’s eyes widened. This guy was the principal!? No way…
It couldn’t have been anyone more decent?
“So… I do believe I have complete authority to tell you to do anything.” Long Feng smirked, content that his position of power had done enough. “Follow me to my office, and we will get you set up for your daily classes.”
As Long Feng turned to walk away, Zuko stood there momentarily frozen. This day was already not off to a good start, and he had just walked in the door. Deciding to snap out of it before he caused anymore problems, Zuko quickly followed the man towards his office.
Upon entering the office, the scarred teen saw that it was quite a sizable room. Clearly Long Feng went all out on it… If he didn’t know any better, one might think he lived here rather than consider it a temporary workspace.
“Oh, hey Zuko!” Zuko heard a familiar voice, his eyes widening when he saw who it was.
“Aang?” Zuko questioned in surprise, looking at the smiling monk.
“Mr. Chen, don’t interrupt!” Long Feng exclaimed, clearly addressing Aang by his surname.
Aang frowned, correcting his misdeed.
“Sorry, Principal Long Feng…”
Long Feng nodded in acknowledgement, content with the apology. Zuko glared Long Feng’s way, somehow even more sick of him than he was earlier.
Aang hadn’t even said anything wrong. It was just a greeting. Just how strict was this guy?
“Mr. Chen, I am instructing you with the task of showing Mr. Agni around our esteemed facility…” Long Feng sat in his chair. “I would hope that you wouldn’t screw it up.”
Aang shook his head, before standing up and beside Zuko.
“It’ll be no problem, sir. I can show him around.” Aang assured.
“Good…” Long Feng clasped his hands together, giving a nod.
Turning around, Zuko took that as the sign to leave.
“Oh, and Mr. Agni?” Long Feng stopped Zuko at the door.
Zuko froze, before exhaling sharply and turning around.
“There are no hoods of any sort allowed over your head during school hours… It goes against our dress code policy.” Long Feng smirked.
Zuko gritted his teeth, not liking that rule one bit.
“The hood stays…” Zuko challenged.
“Oh? Will it now…” Long Feng cocked a brow of amusement.
“Yes. It is.” Zuko stepped forward.
“Sh, shh! Zuko… Don’t.” Aang whispered to Zuko, trying to warn him.
Zuko glanced down at the Air Nomad, before then looking back at Long Feng.
“Well then… I suppose you’d rather spend your classes inside of detention.” Long Feng shrugged, clearly as a flex of power.
Zuko growled, before he put the hood down quickly, like ripping a band-aid off.
“Fine! There… No hood. Happy?” Zuko scowled, to which Long Feng could only smirk.
“Perfect…” Long Feng replied, taking a long look at what Zuko was trying to hide. “Now get going.”
Aang lightly pushed Zuko, keeping him from saying anything more, until they were out of the office and out in the hallway.
“Are you okay?” Aang asked Zuko.
“Him? That’s your principal!? How do you put up with him?” Zuko let some of his emotions out.
Aang was taken aback by the level of Zuko’s voice, but did reply,
“We do, but… barely. He definitely favors certain students over the others. That much I can tell.”
Zuko was about to rant more about Long Feng, until he heard some murmuring nearby. It seemed that some of the students now took note of his scar, since he was forced to remove his hood.
The scarred teen stiffened, before putting his hand over his eye, trying to cover it up as he got to where he needed to be.
“Oh, uhm, Zuko?” Aang caught up to him, tapping his shoulder. “Your first class is this way.”
Zuko looked back at him questioningly, before Aang added,
“Long Feng… went over your schedule with me before you got here.”
Zuko stood silent for a moment, before sighing, deciding to slow down and follow Aang, still keeping his scar covered.
“He couldn’t have just handed me a slip of paper that told me where to go?” The senior argued.
The sophomore shrugged.
“Yeah, good point. It wasn’t my call, though… Long Feng has always been pretty weird about the rules of this place.”
Zuko chuckled humorlessly at Aang’s statement.
“‘Weird’ is an understatement, I’m sure…” The scarred teen replied, with Aang grinning in response.
“Well, hey… At the very least, it gives us some time to get to know each other. You know, between classes.”
Zuko’s expression was unreadable, before he looked away from the Air Nomad, as they stopped in front of a door.
“Yeah… Maybe.” Zuko responded vaguely, Aang maintaining a weak smile.
“Well, this is it. English.” Aang declared. “Mr. Zei is a pretty good teacher. He sure does talk a lot, though.”
Zuko didn’t verbally respond, though he did let a slight smirk come to him.
“Well… see ya next class!” Aang waved his goodbyes, before rushing off, very quick and light on his feet…
Looking back at the classroom, Zuko took one last breath, before heading inside. He just hoped that the classes themselves and the students within them were better than their so called ‘principal’.