Hey all, got a new story for you!

Just to make a few points clear, this isn't Zukaang in terms of sexual relationship. This is a story exploring their relationship as literal brothers. I've actually always liked the idea of them as brothers. I think Zuko would have made a great brother given a non-maniacal sibling. Also, this takes place in an era with technology equivenlent to our own, but there is still bending. Also, there is no such thing as the Avatar. Other differences should make themselves very clear as the story goes on.

I understand that this could possible not be to everyone's tastes. I ask that you read the whole chapter before deciding (since the first half of this chapter is kinda slow/boring). However, if it turns out that there really isn't any interest, I probably won't continue it. I do have the entire story line written out, but I am very busy with classes and don't really want to put in a lot of effort into a story no one is interested in.

If, however, there is interest, I must warn you that updates will be relatively slow. My classes this semester take up a lot of time and they must be my priority. I do want to ensure you, though, that I will NOT abandon the story if I do decide to continue it.

So, without further ado, enjoy chapter 1!

It was the first day of a new school year, and it was Katara's personal favorite time of the year. That may be hard for most people to believe (her brother insisted she was crazy), but during that first week, it always felt like a fresh start. There aren't any grades or assignments yet, nothing for the teachers for them to judge the students by beyond what the students put forward themselves. It always made Katara feel like she was in control.

It was going like most first days. They were reviewing their syllabi, doing icebreakers, and giving introductions. It was actually quite boring, especially since she had grown up with most everyone since elementary school. That is, until her political science class.

Her teacher had separated them into groups, and there was actually an older boy in her group that she didn't recognize. He had pale skin, with black hair that fell messily around his face. With bright golden eyes, he was actually quite good looking. Of course, his looks were not nearly as interesting to Katara as the fact that he was a brand new person. She honestly couldn't remember the last time someone new entered her class.

"... and I'm planning on applying to Ba Sing Se University to study anthropology," Amu, the girl sitting to Katara's left, finished off tiredly. She turned to Katara with a bored stare. "Your turn."

Katara smiled and sat up. "I'm Katara Mizuth. I'm fifteen years old, and I live with my brother, grandmother, and father. My mother died when I was a child, and my father is a Merchant Marine." Usually she wouldn't say so much since almost everyone knew everything about each other, but this was a good excuse for her to let the new guy learn more about her. "My favorite subject is history, and I'm also a waterbender." She turned to him, eager (perhaps a little too eager) to learn more about him.

He stared at Katara for a few moments before speaking. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother."

Katara waved the apology off. "I was a child. It was years ago. Yeah, it sucks, but it doesn't really affect me in my day to day life."

He nodded in response. "My mother died when I was four."

Katara's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

He shrugged. "Like you said. It was years ago." He turned to address their group as a whole. "My name is Zuko Kayobi. I'm seventeen years old and a firebender. I have a younger brother, and we live with my father."

"What does your father do?" Katara inquired.

"Business management."

Katara wanted to converse more with him, but their teacher had asked for their attention again as he proceeded to over the syllabus. No big deal. They all had lunch after this, and she could try talking more with Zuko then.

"You're… thirteen?" Sokka repeated incredulously.

Aang, a younger boy with floppy brown hair and pale skin, nodded. "Yup."

Sokka looked around the room, seeing no one younger than sixteen. He turned back to Aang, the look of incredulity still plastered on his face. "And you're in calculus?"

Aang smiled shyly. "Yeah… I really like math."

"That's… seriously impressive. Seriously."

Aang just shrugged, having nothing else to say.

Intrigued by this kid, Sokka continued the conversation. "So… you said just moved into town?"

Aang nodded, tapping his fingers on the table in a repetitive fashion. "Yeah… about a month ago."

"Where you from?"

"Republic City."

"Republic City?" Sokka cringed. "Rough town. Don't the Agni Kais practically run it?"

Aang pondered the question for a moment, his body twitching with seemingly unspent energy. "I guess it depends which part of the city you live."

"Did you live in the bad part of the city? Is that why your family moved all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?"

Aang shook his head slowly. "No… My dad's job took us here."

"Oh? What does he do?"

"Business management."

"What kind?"

Aang opened his mouth and then quickly shut it again. He looked down at his folded hands and muttered, "I-I'm not sure…"

Sokka hit Aang's shoulder playfully. "Hey, don't worry about it, kid. I didn't really understand what my dad did when I was your age either. My dad's a merchant, by the way."

Aang nodded, but kept his gaze downcast.

Sparing another quick glance around the room, Sokka realized that being surrounded by all these older kids must be really intimidating for a kid like Aang. That might also explain why he seemed so jittery, so Sokka wrapped an arm around Aang's shoulders and said, "I'm going to go have lunch with my sister. Care to join?"

Aang looked uncertain, shrugging off Sokka's arm. "I was going to have lunch with my brother…"

"You've got a brother? Cool! He can eat with us, too." He stood and started leading Aang towards the cafeteria.

"Um, my brother's not really the 'social' type…"

"He doesn't have to socialize. He can just sit there and eat. You seem like a cool kid, and I want to get to know you better," Sokka said with finality.

Aang frowned. "You're a very strange person."

"Yeah, that's what my sister tells me. Though not nearly as nicely."

When they arrived at the cafeteria, they bought their food, and Sokka pointed to a table tucked in the far corner. "We sit at that table over there. You can come join us once you find your brother."

Aang squinted and leaned forward a little. "I think your sister already found him."

Sokka looked back at the table and saw that his sister was, in fact, with another boy that Sokka didn't recognize. "That's your brother? Huh. What're the chances?"

Aang's brother was standing next to the table, looking down at his seated sister. When he noticed Sokka and Aang approaching, he turned to face them with a hint of surprise in his expression. "Aang? I just about to come find you."

"Well... I'm here." Aang put his food tray down and sat across from Katara.

"This is your brother?" Katara asked Aang's brother. She looked up at Sokka. "How did you two meet?"

"He's in my calculus class," Sokka said casually, ignoring his sister's look of shock. "Aang, this is my sister, Katara. Katara, this is Aang."

Aang smiled. "Nice to meet you."

Katara smiled back. "Nice to meet you, too."

Sokka walked up to Aang's brother and offered his hand. "I'm Sokka."

The other boy accepted the hand and gave it a firm shake. "Zuko."

"So... calculus…" Katara said as Sokka and Zuko took their seats. "How old are you?"

"Thirteen," Aang said between mouthfuls.

"That's… really impressive."

Aang paused in his eating. "You guys really are siblings."

Katara frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah... I pretty much had the same reaction…" Sokka said.

"Well, of course!" Katara exclaimed. "You're... like... four years ahead of most other kids your age!"

Aang shrugged. "I like math."

Sokka looked back and forth between the brothers. "You know, I would have never guessed you guys were related. You two don't look anything alike."

"Sokka!" Katara admonished. "Don't be rude!"

"What? They don't!"

Zuko shrugged. "Aang takes after our mother. I…" He paused. "... take after our father."

"Well, your father must be a very handsome man," Katara said pointedly.

Sokka did a doubletake. He couldn't remember the last time he saw Katara flirt. Ever since she broke up with Jet a year ago, she had seemed pretty content to remain single. Sokka had hoped her contentedness would last longer. However, judging from what he just saw, it looks as though his little sister wanted back in the game.

After a moment's pause, Zuko said, "I suppose."

They all chatted for most of the remainder of lunch. Aang slowly got more and more animated as the conversation continued. Sokka discovered that Aang was a huge Pro-Bending fan, and they spent the vast majority of the lunch discussing their favorite teams and who they thought would make the championship this year. Katara, who was familiar with Pro-Bending while not being a die-hard fan, also managed to contribute to the conversation.

Zuko, on the other hand, remained silent for the most part. He occasionally added a fact or two, but nothing real substantial. Aang hadn't been kidding when he said his brother wasn't the social type. The most animated he got was halfway through the meal, when he took out a small bottle and swallowed a couple pills. Katara asked what they were for, and Zuko just muttered that he had a headache.

When the automated bell rang over the PA system, indicating the end of lunch, they all threw out their garbage and began to exit when Katara said, "Do you guys want to meet up after school? You can come to our place if you want. My Gran Gran is making her famous Five Flavor Soup."

Aang looked up at Zuko uncertainly, and Zuko shook his head. "No. We should be heading home after class."

"Why?" Sokka asked. "It's not like you have homework or anything."

"We have... family obligations," Aang said in explanation.

"Oh. Well, alright then…" Katara said, clearly disappointed. "We'll see you tomorrow, then!"

Aang smiled and nodded. "Tomorrow!"

The siblings each departed in opposite directions. Once they were far away enough, Katara said, "Isn't nice to have new faces?"

"Yeah," Sokka said unenthusiastically. "You seemed to be really enjoying Zuko's face."

Katara blushed and scowled. "Zuko is handsome, yes, but he's also really nice!"

"How can you possibly tell?" Sokka asked. "He barely said eight words."

"He's just a bit shy. He'll open up with time."

Sokka shook his head. "Whatever. He seems like a pretty dull guy to me. Aang must have inherited all the brains."

"Say... You and Aang seemed to get along pretty well. Which is surprising, since you usually look down on all the lower classmen."

"Aang's in my calculus class. I say he's earned a little respect." He looked back in the direction the brothers had disappeared to. "They're an interesting pair, that's for sure. They're nothing like each other. And they seem to be oddly close, considering their age difference."

Katara became a little solemn. "Zuko said their mother died when they were really young."

Sokka's eyes widened slightly. "Oh. I see..." It was suddenly very clear why the Kayobi brothers were so close. He and Katara knew better than most how losing a parent could strengthen the remaining familial bonds. People often commented on how close he and his sister were, usually implying that it was weird or unnatural. No amount of explaining would ever make others understand how much a parent's passing almost requires the rest of the family to pull together and function more as a singular unit.

"Their dad seems like he might be a workaholic," Katara said. "I wonder if he's dealing with the death of his wife the same way Dad did with Mom's death…"

"Mmm," was Sokka's only response.

They went to their separate classes, and Sokka found himself thinking about the new brothers instead of paying any attention to what his teachers or peers had to say. Which - really - wasn't a surprise. They were by far the most interesting people to have graced their town in a long time.

Zuko and Aang walked side by side, taking a leisurely pace back to their house. Most people probably could have walked from their school to their house in about twenty minutes. At the speed they were going, it would probably be closer to forty.

For about half the journey, they were in a comfortable silence, each of them mulling over their day. Then, Aang broke the silence. "So… how was your day?"

"Fine," Zuko said. "Boring." He paused for a moment. "Yours?"

"Same. Boring. But I liked talking to Sokka and his sister!"

"They were okay. A bit overly friendly…"

"To you, everyone is overly friendly."

Zuko reached into his pocket and pulled out his pill bottle. "I suppose."

Aang looked at Zuko worriedly. "How's your head?"

Zuko sighed. "Same as always, Aang."

They walked for a few more minutes in silence. When they were about five minutes away, Aang sighed. "Do you think he's home?"

"Probably. He said he wanted to take me out on another run after school today."

"Right…"

They turned onto the street they lived on, and, sure enough, they could see their father's car sitting in the driveway.

"Well... at least we get to spend several hours from home for five days of the week... right?"

"Right," Zuko echoed, not sounding nearly as optimistic as his younger brother.

When they lived in Republic City, Ozai homeschooled them. Apparently, the rules in this district were different and required all kids under eighteen to attend public school. It was probably one of the best parts of moving out of the city.

When they entered the house, they found their father sitting at the dining room table, looking over various papers and reports. Aang didn't understand most of it, but he knew Zuko did, since their father spent a great deal of his time training Zuko to be the perfect heir to the family business.

Without looking up, Ozai asked, "How was your day, boys?"

Aang resisted the urge to grab Zuko's arm, digging his nails into his palms to keep the severity of his trembling down.

"Fine," Zuko said for the both of them.

"Learn exciting new things?" Ozai said sardonically.

"It was the first day," Zuko replied. "It was mostly just introductions and review."

Ozai scoffed as he scribbled something down on one of the reports. "And they think they can educate you better than I can. I am your father. No one knows my children better than me." He put his pen down and finally looked up, eyeing Zuko neutrally and glancing at Aang with the usual expression of disdain. "We need to leave, Zuko. They're expecting us in half and hour, and it's always bad business to be late." He looked at Aang. "You. Have dinner ready for us when we return."

"Yes, Father," Aang said respectfully, keeping his eyes downcast.

When Ozai went to his room, Zuko turned to Aang and whispered, "Keep it simple."

Aang nodded. "I know."

Ozai came back out, and he and Zuko both left without another word. Aang didn't move from his spot until he heard the car pull out of the driveway, when he allowed himself to relax slightly. Running up to his room, threw his bag aside, and fell bonelessly on the bed with a long sigh. They probably wouldn't be back for a couple hours, and if Aang made dinner too early, it would be cold by the time they got back.

While he had been (and still was) excited about going to public school, he realized today how draining it was going to be. While at school, he was going to have to act like a completely normal kid in order to avoid suspicion, but still be able to switch back to his more natural cautious state when he came back home. The constant transitions were going to be exhausting, even though he knew he would get used to them eventually.

Turning over onto his stomach, Aang stared out the window as he pondered over what to do for dinner. Keep it simple. Like Aang didn't know that. Still, Zuko felt the need to remind him everyday. Not that he minded, really. It was always good for him to keep in mind that Ozai would never accept any screw ups on his part. Not ever.

I suppose it's expected from a worthless bastard like yourself.

Twitching at the memory, Aang grabbed a pillow and folded it over his head. He hated that his father's words affected him so much. It had been a stupid statement anyway. He wasn't a bastard. Ozai had even done a DNA test to prove it. Honestly, it was probably the only reason Ozai didn't get rid of him a long time ago.

Worthless.

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Aang lifted the pillow and looked back out the window. He shouldn't be thinking about this right now. He had gone down this road a thousand times, and he knew there was no point in going down it again. He would always come to the same conclusion.

Needing a distraction from his thoughts, Aang got up and went to his brother's room. Grabbing Zuko's laptop, he set up an alarm for thirty minutes and began to mindless surf the internet. He needed to escape his life for a little bit.

Zuko sat with his back straight, staring out the window silently. His father expected him to be a respectable young man, and he was willing to do everything he could to meet his father's expectations. Not because he wanted to make his father proud or any nonsense like that, but because if you wanted to survive in this family, you had to live your life by a single code: peace is better than freedom.

"What time does your last class end?" Ozai asked.

Zuko turned towards his father, keep his gaze respectfully low. "At 3:10, sir," he replied.

"And what time did you get home today?"

Knowing where his father was going with this, Zuko tried to breathe through slowly increasing pain in his head. "About 4 o'clock."

"That's right," Ozai said. "Now, I know how fast you and that little brat can walk. And I know that it doesn't take you fifty minutes to walk the distance between our home and that school." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "I expect you to be home at 3:30 everyday. A minute later and there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

Zuko gave a single nod. "Yes, Father."

They drove out of town to a remote location in the middle of nowhere. They couldn't do any of the dealings in the town, since it was just small enough that it would be noticeable to a passerby.

When they pulled up to an abandoned factory, Zuko's stomach dropped. He had been here before, and he knew what this meant. They weren't here to make a deal; they were here to send a message.

When they walked in, Zuko was met with a familiar sight. A man, probably a non-bender, was strapped naked to a metal chair. Three of Ozai's men were standing around him, one of them playfully firebending in front of the man while the other's laughed. As they got closer, Zuko could see the cuts and burns that decorated the man's body, a thin sheen of sweat coating his unmarried skin.

"Ando Yan," Ozai announced in a faux pleased voice. "I'm glad you could join us on this fine evening."

The man shivered, his eyes widening as he realized who was speaking. "Ph-phoenix Lord Ozai…!" he said breathlessly. "P-please…" he whimpered.

"Please what?" Ozai said mockingly. "Please don't hurt you? Please don't kill you?" He waited for Ando to respond, but was met with only fearful trembling. "Now why do you think I would want to hurt you? You don't think I'm angry for all that money you've been skimming off the top, do you?"

"I'm sorry…!" Ando said quickly. "I w-won't do it ever again, I pr-romise…!"

Ozai nodded. "I know you won't." He stepped forward and leaned down so they were eye to eye. "I know my father had gotten more lenient in his old age when it came to the managing the Agni Kai Triad. But now it's under new management. And because I'm so understanding… I'll have mercy today."

Ando smiled and let out a nervous giggle. "Thank you, Phoenix! I-I won't let you down again!"

Zuko flinched as Ozai thrust his arm forward and firebent straight into Ando's chest. Ando let out an unholy scream and the room filled with the smell of burnt flesh. "I know you won't," Ozai said calmly. He turned around and addressed his lackeys. "Clean up this mess. And make sure he doesn't die."

Turning around, Ozai gave his son a stern look. "Come, Zuko."

Zuko followed silently, breathing slowly and shallowly through his mouth, trying to prevent himself from gagging. When they got outside, he took a deep breath of fresh air, trying not to make his intense relief obvious.

When they got back into their car and pulled out of the factory parking lot, Ozai asked, "Do you know why I brought you?"

The same reason you always bring me to the factory. "To accustom me to the dirty part of the job," Zuko said tonelessly.

"Yes, but don't think if it as dirty. It is an absolutely necessary aspect of the business. Fear is a powerful tool. Creating fear in those who work for you, and demonstrating to them that you are willing to go to extreme lengths, will ensure smoother and more efficient business ventures. Strike fear in one man, word of your ferocity will spread, and less will be inclined to rise up against you. Do you understand, my son?"

Zuko nodded. "Yes, Father."

"Good. You'll be eighteen in less than a year. When that time comes, you'll be removing yourself from school and taking a much more active role in the Agni Kais."

Zuko looked up at his father, frowning slightly. "You don't want me to at least get my high school diploma?"

"Not from a quack place like Kyoshi High. It is much more important that you get experience in the field. You're only there now to avoid trouble with the law."

Of course. After all, that was the only reason they moved all the way out here in the first place: to avoid the law.

The rest of the ride home was spent in silence. Zuko tried to focus on the passing scenery in an attempt to purge the memory of Ando's burning body and of his screams. Store it away with all the other memories of his father or some other Agni Kai member torturing innocent people who were really just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When they got back and were walking back to the house, Zuko prayed that the dinner Aang made was to Ozai's satisfaction. Ozai seemed to be in a relatively good mood, so hopefully he wouldn't be too critical. However, Ozai seemed to always find something wrong with anything Aang ever did. It was wholly unfair, but there was nothing either of them could do to make Aang seem more human to their father's eyes.

They walked in to the sounds of clanging pots and running water. Zuko's heart sank as they rounded the corner and were met with an empty dining room table.

With a small sigh of disgust, Ozai walked straight to the kitchen with Zuko following closely behind. "Is there a reason for this delay?" he asked coldly.

Aang nearly dropped the out he was holding, but managed to control his trembling limbs enough to place it down in the sink. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I didn't expect you to be home so s-soon. I'm a-almost done..."

Ozai grabbed his arm and pulled it back, eliciting a sharp yelp of pain. "I will not be having any of your excuses today, you bastard..."

"Dad!" Zuko stepped forward, hands up in a placating manner. "We are home a little earlier than we expected. I'm sure Aang would have been done if we were just a couple minutes later…"

Streams of steam starting to rise up from underneath Ozai's palm, causing Aang to whimper and squirm. "I don't want to hear anything from you," Ozai growled. "If it were up to you, you would have coddled Aang to the point where he would be more useless than he already is!" He turned back to Aang and shoved his arm down, forcing Aang onto his knees. "I'm going to change out of these clothes. If dinner's not on the table by the time I get back down, you will regret it." He let go and marched out of the kitchen.

Zuko ran up to Aang, who was curled over his burnt arm. He placed a hand on Aang's head and rubbed a hand up and down his trembling back. "C'mon… You need to run some cold water over your arm. I'll finish setting things up, okay?"

Aang nodded and slowly forced himself to sit up. "It's not that bad…" he managed out weakly.

Nodding pointlessly, Zuko gently pulled him up, led him to the sink, and turned on the cold water. When he was sure Aang would be okay on his own, he grabbed the pot from the sink and quickly dumped it's contents into the colander. Over on the stove, he saw a pan filled with sauce and ready to go. As he grabbed plates from the cabinet, he said to Aang, "You know where the burn cream is in my room, right?" He saw his brother nodding out of the corner of his eye. "Go run up and put some on. He probably won't let you ice it during dinner, so that'll have to do until afterwards."

With another nod, Aang turned off the water and made his way upstairs, cradling his arm to his chest.

By the time Ozai came back down, Zuko and Aang were sitting silently at the table waiting for him. Barely sparing either of them a glance, Ozai sat down and said, "Go to your room, Aang. If you can't manage to make dinner, then you don't deserve to have any."

After a beat of silence, Aang slowly stood from the table and left the dining room without a word.

"It was a mistake, Father…" Zuko said quietly as Ozai began to eat.

"And that boy makes far too many of them. He should starting suffering the appropriate consequences. Maybe then he'll start acting like a true Kayobi."

Knowing it was useless to argue, Zuko started to pick at his food. When the nearly constant pressure in his head started to pulsate, he pulled his pain medication out.

Ozai gave him a look of slight concern. "How's your head?"

Zuko shrugged as he swallowed down a couple pills. "It's fine."

"Zuko, don't lie to me. It's a serious condition that needs to be taken care of."

"It's not a 'condition'. The doctor's said that I'll be back to normal in a few months. As long as I'm careful…" he added quietly.

"Then you best remain careful. As the next leader of the Agni Kais, we have to make sure to keep your mind sharp."

With a small nod, Zuko continued to eat his dinner in silence. After he was done, he intended to look after Aang's burn and then go to bed. It had been an exhausting day.

So what do you all think? Should I keep going or are you not interested? (Review and let me know :) )