"How do you think they will react after reading the letter, brother?" Iroh, who usually appeared with a cheerful face and his inseparable cup of tea, now sat in Ozai's study with an unusually serious expression on his face.
There was something in the atmosphere that made him unable to feel cheerful as usual, even the steaming cup of imported tea in his hand could not convey any warmth to him, only a vague reflection of his tense expression.
Ozai, sitting on the other side of the table in the chair that once belonged to his father Azulon, rubbed his temples as if to relieve some kind of physical discomfort, but the sound of his feet constantly touching the floor explained his nervousness.
He, perhaps the most powerful Firebender in the Fire Nation, not only because of his status but because of his raw power, was feeling nervous. When he heard his brother's words, he couldn't help but sigh heavily, his hands resting on the table, and he couldn't help but let his fingers tap against the wood, once again showing his uneasiness.
"Zuko will feel bad, he's the most sentimental of my children, not even Kiyi is that whiny..." When Ozai spoke about Zuko, although his words could sound harsh to anyone, there was a small smile on his lips, even his nervousness had calmed down a bit.
Zuko was not as talented as his sisters, but he had surprised them again and again over the years. Before, he hadn't held out much hope for the boy, even going so far as to doubt that he was his son.
How was it possible that his eldest son would not inherit his firebender gifts? But Zuko proved to him that he could achieve a high level of strength through his merit and effort, something he appreciated.
Sure, he wanted his eldest son to be much more perfect, but he couldn't help but be proud of Zuko's accomplishments. A master swordsman was not something you saw every day, especially when he also developed an element.
Zuko's ability to fuse fire with his martial arts wasn't the odd thing - Firebenders had done that before - but the amazing thing was that he could fuse sword with fire.
Ozai sensed that if more people followed the path his son had opened, there would be another powerful faction in the Fire Nation army. Moreover, Zuko's ideological and tactical training had been good.
Though Zuko valued honor, as a prince, he knew that sometimes honor was not the way to go, especially in armed conflict, but he was also not a brash or impulsive person, knowing that sometimes honor is not only a moral and ethical guide, but a tool for leading a country.
"Young Zuko is a passionate boy; he is like a quiet bonfire to those around him," Iroh replied to his brother's words, acknowledging his words.
To Iroh, Zuko was like a second son. He saw the boy try harder than anyone, even harder than Shisui. While Shisui would train late into the night, Zuko would barely sleep. He never let his lack of talent get to him, but used it as motivation.
For Iroh, Zuko went from a small, dim flame that could be extinguished by a light breeze to a raging forest fire, or well, his people had never suffered from forest fires, but they had seen them in war.
"When Azula reads the news, I doubt she would cry in front of the others, but I know she would be sad. She likes to keep up a strong girl facade, but she is just as sentimental as her older brother," Ozai continued, using the impression he had of Azula to give this answer.
Unlike Zuko, his older son, Azula, was a full-fledged monster. Ozai was certain that sooner or later his daughter would surpass him in power, especially because of her blue fire.
To Ozai, Azula was more like him, and so he may have favored her a bit more than Zuko, though perhaps the fact that she was his first daughter contributed more than anything else.
Though he did not push her as hard as his original counterpart, Ozai watched Azula's growth carefully, making sure her mental state was correct.
Earlier, when he had some strange thoughts in his head, he had the idea of training Azula as a weapon, a 'perfect' tool with which to exert dominance and terror, because he knew she had the potential to do so.
Then he realized that if he raised his daughter that way, he might get a powerful warrior, but not a daughter. So he preferred his current relationship with Azula, and was deeply glad that he had not become a war monster, as he seemed to be heading for before.
"Azula... I'm glad your talent is on its way," Iroh glanced sideways at his brother before perking up to drink from his expensive cup of tea.
He wasn't a fool, he was just playing dumb. He could see that his brother had become quite dark in the past, as if he were a snake ready to jump out and inject its venom into its prey.
He even thought that he would kill their father, or him. Or even worse, that he would attack Lu Ten to eliminate a possible rival. Iroh was not only a general, he was a battle-hardened warrior, and technically, he was the older brother, so he received the education the family gave to the royal heir.
So why did he do nothing? Because the thought of his brother committing such acts frightened and repulsed him, especially because he feared that if he reacted, he would not only lose his family, but also divide the nation.
He knew that many nobles wanted to take advantage of his peaceful attitude to get him to the top of the nation and take advantage of him, and that's what nobles do, right? Seeking benefits and taking advantage of everyone, that's why he disliked them so much.
But then he remembered the reason why Ozai did not fall into the abyss, and he was able to return to the right path. That person who, unintentionally or perhaps in a show of his wisdom, had acted preemptively and solved Ozai's problems.
"How do you think Shisui will react?" Iroh asked after tasting his tea, enjoying the aftertaste of it, calmness quickly coming to him as his body seemed to warm up from the exotic drink.
"That little monster...", that was Ozai's nickname for Shisui. They never really connected, especially since he was his son-in-law. what father would accept the boy who took his daughter away from home so easily?
But Ozai was no fool, he understood his father Azulon's intentions very well, even if those thoughts were discarded due to the old Fire Lord's fondness, it didn't change the fact that the original purpose of Shisui's adoption had been fulfilled.
That's why Ozai didn't know how to confront Shisui, because even though they weren't enemies and there was no animosity between them, Ozai knew that Azulon had technically sacrificed Shisui's parents and kidnapped him as a baby.
For all the respect, status, and eventual affection Shisui received as a child, it doesn't change the fact that he never wore the red, black, and gold robes of the royal family, only black robes with gold accents.
To Ozai, Shisui didn't integrate into the Fire Nation; the Fire Nation integrated into him. It was as if the boy had everyone orbiting around him. What he didn't like, he took out, like the alchemist group.
If he felt the world was boring, he would write stories or play music and popularize it. If he felt life was uncomfortable, he invented something; if something was slow for him, he made it more efficient.
When Ozai heard about the guns, he was a little scared. It was just Shisui's sign to the world, a simple invention for him, but for Ozai, it was a revolution. If before, a Bender was superior to a No-Bender, now, with weapons, the difference was much smaller.
He shared his knowledge, even updated it, and spread it around the world as if he had no conscience and no danger. He didn't care if people learned to improve their martial arts as well, because for Shisui, it only made the world more dynamic.
Ozai had the idea, no, the certainty, that Shisui seemed to want to change the world, but not in his way, the boy didn't seem to be worshipped or deified, no, he just wanted to mess everything up, to make it unrecognizable, to make it go a different way, and although he didn't understand why, he supported him in the end.
Because Azulon did something right, they did not raise Shisui as a tool, even when they secretly found out about his mother's origin, they decided not to use him as a political lever.
They raised him as one of their own, even fostering relationships with the younger generation of the royal family. Azulon seemed to consider Shisui his family, his last son; despite having ordered the death of his mother and father, Azulon protected and supported Shisui.
That's why Ozai felt a little jealous, but only because he didn't dare to be childish in front of Azulon. But understanding the deep relationship between Azulon and Shisui, Ozai's answer was much more careful than the previous ones.
"When they read the letter and hear the news, Shisui? He'll probably be the one who wants to come back the most," Ozai replied, looking down at his desk, specifically at a document that was handed to him this morning.
A document that spoke about the recent health condition of his father, Azulon.
...
"Old man... I hope you can wait for my arrival," since he had read the letter that had arrived a week ago, Shisui did not hesitate much longer and decided that the mission at the South Pole had to end.
Now, on the deck of the ship, the cold of the South Pole gave way to warmth, the sun in the sky was fully visible, and even the marine life seemed to have much more life in the increasingly warmer waters.
But Shisui didn't seem happy, he felt that he had many words in his heart that he didn't know how to say or express. Would he make it in time, or would he be met with a funeral?
He had something to say to the old man! Shisui gritted his teeth as he thought of the memories he had with the old man. He knew that he was the reason why he grew up without a father or a mother, but when he saw how Azulon took care of him like he was his own family, he couldn't help but shed a tear.
For the first time in a long time, he didn't know how to feel. Not that he knew his father either, and his meeting with his mother came quite late. The only adult figure he had close to him, watching over his growth, was Azulon.
He was there when he took his first steps, when he first spoke, when he first Waterbend, and he even got him a fiancée! Although he now remembered that he seemed to have fallen into a trap that day, he was grateful for it sometime later.
But he felt that their relationship could not simply end with Azulon's death. He felt that he should tell him something, that he should at least let him know that he knew his background and circumstances. He wanted to hear the old man's words of justification, why did he give him love when he had probably adopted him to use him as a tool?
Unlike before, when Shisui's emotions seemed to affect the real world when they reached a certain extreme, this time, his emotions seemed to be contained, as if they were building up behind a dam.
But those close to him could sense it, as if there was a storm brewing inside him that was about to explode and spill over everyone. Though he was not the only one in a bad mood, the mood seemed to be shared by many people associated with the Fire Nation.
Except for certain people of that nation, whose smiles could not have been wider as they felt this was the perfect time to act, unaware that not only was a storm brewing, but a raging fire that threatened to consume everything.
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AN: Shisui: I am the storm that is approaching!