To Lose or to Gain: Iroh's Child (AtlA Fanfic)

Outside

"Your name is Lu Ten?" The laugh which accompanied the question didn't at all seem welcoming, much, in the same manner, Azula's laughter didn't feel at all welcoming whenever Zuku heard the sound. Taking a deep breath, he found himself turning, unsure of what he'd discover upon doing so, while Hideki watched from behind – or from the spot which was now behind Zuko as he turned.

The person looking at him, the one laughing – he honestly didn't know who they were, yet this felt like a given with his limited interactions with others outside of his family, Azula's, and his personal companions along with the servants and teachers assigned to him. His eyes blinked, and his mouth opened, unsure of how he should address the laughter which – in the back of Zuko's mind, he knew they intended on mocking the name chosen for him.

"You're named after the dead prince," the person continued, their voice continuing to mock Zuko's choice of name for his secret identity.

Zuko swallowed, his eyes looking the other boy – for he couldn't be that much older than him, up and down. Like everyone else in the Fire Nation, he proudly wore the color of red, but the way his mouth twisted and his eyes glinted definitely reminded Zuko of the look Azula got in her eyes when she took mirth at someone else's plight – or something she found beneath her. "What? What do you find so funny?"

He felt a tug on the back of his robes, his mind placing Hideki as the one who did so, not to mention his companion spoke from behind. "Lu Ten. We really..."

"Seriously? Nobody told you how lame it is to be named after the dead prince?" The boy stated while another stood there with his arms crossing his chest, grinning and obviously agreeing with whatever his friend said.

Zuko's eyes narrowed, his small hands clenching together; he felt a fire in his throat, his anger growing, yet he didn't actively punch out at the other young man, possibly for the simple reason he wanted to hear an explanation. "Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said."

"That's not an answer." Zuko watched the other boy's eye twitch while his friend glanced at him, holding back a laugh that was meant to be directed at the boy he confronted.

"Excuse me?"

"You asked me whether anybody's told me how lame it is to be named after Prince Lu Ten, but you've not actually said why that is." Of course, what happened next made Zuko wonder if keeping his mouth shut might not have been the better solution, all things considered. A fist made contact with his nose, a much different experience from having a fireball launched at one's body, but an experience which still hurt.

Zuko's hands reached up for his nose, his small fingers wrapping around the bridge, feeling something wet coming from his nose. He opened his mouth, meaning to protest the other boy's actions when said youth grabbed him by the front of his clothing and lifted him up off the ground – the other boy was, after all, taller. Zuko found himself only able to gasp while the other boy spoke. "Obviously the prince was a loser because he died."

Of course, words slipped from Zuko's mouth, although they were barely audible.

"What did you say?"

"He questioned why you were badmouthing someone simply because they fought and died for our nation."

Zuko recognized the sound of Akira's voice. He turned his head slightly, his fingers still clutching his nose. The older boy cracked his knuckles, his eyes narrowed at the person who'd punched him in the nose, but he also saw out of the corner of his eye the other boy's friend reach out, tugging on his clothing. "Come on Chan. We're in enough trouble as it is. We should get going."

In that moment, he found himself dumped ungraciously on the ground, his breath coming out while his bloodied fingers now collected the dirt of the ground. Glancing up, he saw the retreating backs of the two boys quickly disappearing into the night time crowd of the small village while his nose continued leaking. Someone else lifted him up and onto his feet, dusting him off.

"Seriously. What happened?"

"I'm sorry."

Akira stopped dusting Zuko off, his attention turned towards Hideki, who glanced at the ground. "No. Don't apologize. It's a good thing that you didn't get pummeled by that other boy as well."

"Yeah, but I'm also bigger than Zu... Lu Ten, and..."

"That boy was bigger than you were, Hideki. If he were the same age as you two it would have been an even worse..."

"What happened?" Fat's voice drew all three boy's attention to the man, who held some food from one of the stalls. Zuko's eyes drifted down, realizing Akira set down whatever food he'd been carrying to see to the young man who was bothering him.

"A couple of bigger boys were bothering them." Akira made a quick bow, as if apologizing, doing exactly what he'd told Hideki not to do, but this was accompanied by the symbol of fire being presented before standing up straight.

"I..." Fat looked in the direction he assumed the youth left. "Did you get a name?"

"Chan?"

Fat let out a sigh. "Well, isn't that a rather common name?"

"Sorry?"

The man reached out and ruffled the top of Hideki's head. "No need to apologize. You remembered that much, but we really should get that nose looked at." The man fetched a cloth from his clothing and pressed it into Zuko's hand, yet Zuko couldn't help but wonder if the man weren't thinking something else.

"I'll fetch some water from the well." Akira took off again, but Hideki followed after, saying he would in fact help.

"So, what happened Prince Zuko?" Fat spoke in a low voice so that Zuko could hear, the young prince's eyes darting around. "Don't worry. Nobody is nearby to hear your real name."

"I don't know. I mean..." Zuko took a deep breath. "They weren't after me specifically, if you know what I mean."

"I think I do, but then why single you out?"

"Hideki called me by my name." He watched the man's face twist, then spoke quickly. "I mean, they took a problem with me being named after Prince Lu Ten." Fat's eyes blinked, the surprise was obvious. "Why? Why would that boy say Lu Ten was a loser for dying?"

The man let out a deep breath, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry you had to hear people speak about him in such a manner. Had it crossed our minds..."

"Please. Why would they?"

"For the illogical assumption that one's merit on the battlefield is determined whether you live or die. It's as simple as that, but an all too cruel assumption despite the lack of truth to any of that logic." The man's mouth twisted into a smile. "Prince Lu Ten lived and died on the battlefield, which is something to be respected. Though..." Fat's mouth twisted, not saying anything as Akira and Kideomi approached with some water so Zuko might clean himself up. "Perhaps this is a conversation best left for you and your uncle to discuss when he gets back? Actually, I'm sure he would wish to speak with you about this regardless of what Piandao or I say to you. Okay?"

"I guess. It still bothers me."

"What they said?" Hideki piped up, fidgeting slightly.

"Hideki told me, and it's something that should bother anyone with a sense of decency," Akira muttered. "And to go and ruin such a nice night as well like that. But then, you're familiar with people who take joy in ruining things for others."

"Yeah."

"So don't overthink it. And yeah. Fat's right. You should discuss it with your uncle."