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Chapter Text

Azula always seemed to think of fire as a toy. Something to entertain.

He'd watched countless times as she'd burned her least favorite foods, her old toys, or the insects on the ground. How she'd grin as the things that displeased her shriveled up and crumbled to ash.

He doubted she'd find it funny if she'd been the one with half of her face burned.

The healers had applied every salve they could, but they'd already done all they could. The Firelord had done a thorough job, the healers said it was only because of Agni that Zuko's eye hadn't been lost (though they still had to keep it covered due to how many burns were around it). 

After treating the young prince to the best of their ability, the healers left Zuko alone. He welcomed the loneliness: his father had yelled at him before for crying in the presence of others. Princes didn't cry; it was a sign of weakness.

So he always had to save his tears for when no one was around.

He wanted his mother, knowing Ursa never would have allowed his father to do such a thing. She'd have warned Zuko who he was going to fight, she would have talked his father out of it, she would have stopped Zuko from walking into that war meeting in the first place...

But the Fire Queen had been gone for two years by then, and no one knew where she'd gone.

He desperately wished for two things. The first was to win back his father's love, no matter what it took. He knew his father would never look at him the way he looked at Azula, but maybe, if he was good enough, if he proved himself a worthy prince... Maybe things would be different.

The other thing he wished was that his face would stop hurting so badly.

"Prince Zuko?" Someone had entered the healing room. 

"Leave me alone!" The boy shouted. It was bad enough that the entire royal court had seen his father burn him; couldn't he be left alone to sulk?

"Forgive me, Your Highness, but this cannot wait."

Agitated, Zuko sat up, opening his good eye. 

There was a Fire Sage standing in the door. He sucked in a breath at the sight of Zuko's mutilated face, even if it had been bandaged.

"What do you want?" The boy growled. Still he listened closely to what the Fire Sage said; in the hours since the Agni Kai, he couldn't hear as well in his left ear.

"I know that you have suffered a great pain, Your Highness. I believe I have found something that may help. It is locked deep under the palace and kept a secret from everyone but the Fire Lord and my fellow sages. But it may be able to help you."

Zuko's hostility vanished.

"I'm listening..."

- - - -

"It is believed," the Fire Sage explained as he led the prince into the bowels of the palace, "that before Fire Lord Sozin began to spread the Fire Nation's influence around the world, he had several waterbenders from the Northern Water Tribe create this. The Sages before me told us that Avatar Roku himself blessed it with the power of the spirit world."

They had arrived by then. The Sage lit two torches with his fingers and handed one to the prince.

Zuko's one good eye widened in awe.

A massive waterfall stood before them. It was six feet long and eight feet tall. But the water fell so gently that there wasn't a single splash; just the constant sound of flowing water. Unlike a normal waterfall, the water wasn't pooling at the bottom. Instead, when it reached the end of the waterfall, it flowed right back up to the top. From the side, it looked like a massive oval. It was... breathtaking.

"According to legend," the Sage continued, breaking Zuko out of his stupor, "one needs only to touch the falls. After that, what they need most will be given to them."

"What I need most?" Zuko repeated in a murmur. 

Deciding he had nothing to lose, the prince stepped forward. He hesitated only for a moment, then used a single fingertip to touch the waterfall.

The second he touched the water, he felt a massive pulling sensation. Before he knew what was happening, he was sucked through the waterfall. 

Suddenly he was in a dark space, floating as though underwater. But... He could still breath. His hair, clothes, and bandages weren't even wet.

In front of him was a sort of window, the size of the waterfall. Through it, he could see the Fire Sage... and...

His heart was in his throat.

He could see himself. He was yelling at the Fire Sage.

"What was that? It didn't do anything!"

"I'm sorry, Prince Zuko, I thought..."

The real Zuko didn't get a chance to shout for the Fire Sage's attention. He began to fall.

He screamed as he fell, shouting for someone to hear him. For someone to save him.

"Father! Mother! Uncle! Please, anyone!"

But no one heard.

And he kept falling.

He didn't know how long he'd fallen. It could have been minutes or weeks; he had no way to tell. All he saw was endless blue, wherever he looked.

And then...

He was on the ground. 

Zuko nearly jumped to his feet, but stopped himself. Lu Ten's words came to him.

"If you ever fall or get hit hard enough to get knocked down, don't get up too fast. Move slowly; that way you can see if you're hurt. You'll save yourself a lot of pain that way."

Agni, how he missed Lu Ten...

He slowly got up, moving first his head, then his arms, then his legs. By some miracle, nothing was broken. But his face still hurt so much... It was even worse now, which made no sense because the bandages the healers gave him had been soaked in ointments meant to help...

His good eye widened as he realized what was wrong. His bandages were missing!

He began to look around to see if there was anything he could use to bind his face.

That was when he saw where he was.

Every building around him was taller than the palace... MUCH taller. And they were designed in ways he'd never seen. There were lamposts all along a street, but there was no fire in them... How were they lit? 

He jumped back in fear when a sound like an explosion and a rattle of metal started coming towards him. He stared in shock and awe when a boxy metal contraption (it looked a bit like a carriage, but with nothing pulling it) zoomed past.

He stared after it in utter shock.

Zuko was NOT in the Fire Nation. So where in the name of the spirits was he?!

Before he could try and find a way to answer that question, though, he heard angry voices yelling.

"Hand it over, rich boy! Or we'll beat your face in!"

"Come on, guys, don't do this. Batman might be nearby..."

Curious, Zuko came over. He'd gotten a lot of stealth training from his uncle and cousin; they had taught him to use stealth as a weapon rather than just a tool. The royal shinobi couldn't even see him coming.

He got close enough to see two men dressed in ugly old clothes threatening a man who looked to be a few years older than Zuko; seventeen or eighteen. The two men were armed with knives, while their target held no weapon. In fact, he didn't look ready for a fight at all: he was wearing a white garment with an odd black attachment, plus black pants, black shoes, and a black jacket.

Zuko could see that the outfit was made of silk. This man was rich... and those men were trying to mug him.

The prince sneered; while his uncle had taught him to be compassionate, stealing was wrong.

He needed to do something... But he couldn't reveal himself, not until he knew where he was...

As he stood there debating, two figures dropped down from the rooftops.

One of them was a woman in a skintight, all-black outfit with black gloves, and black boots. She had long black hair that fell down her back, which was kept from her face with a black cowl. The cowl covered the top half of her head, and had two short, pointed ears on either side of the head.

The other was a powerfully built man. Like the woman, he wore a black cowl, only the pointed ears on his were longer. He wore a black cape with a jagged edge over a solid dark gray bodysuit. He wore black boots and black gloves, with a gold-colored belt around his waist. A golden insignia with an animal Zuko couldn't identify sat in the center of the suit's chest.

As the boy watched, the costumed man and woman began to beat up the would-be robbers. The criminals tried to stab them both... to no effect. The woman dodged their blades with ease, and used the claws on her gloves to slice them across the face. The man attacked with brute strength, though it was clear he knew some martial arts. In mere seconds, the fight (if it could be called that) was over.

The man and woman both relaxed once the men were down (though the victim seemed more annoyed than scared). As they were securing the criminals with chains, though, Zuko saw something move out of the corner of his eye.

There was a third man, and he was aiming some type of tool at the man in the cape. Zuko didn't know what the tool was, but based on the look on the third man's face, it was something dangerous.

Zuko couldn't just stand there and do nothing.

No longer caring if he was seen, he leapt from his hiding place. Using the fire fist his uncle had taught him, he sent a fireball at the third man.

He screamed and barely dodged it; the tool hit the ground and made a sound like an explosion. Zuko felt something small and hot whiz past his ear, but he felt no pain.

"You little bastard!" The third man yelled and pulled a knife out of his belt.

Normally, Zuko would have no issues fighting a man with a knife, even if he himself was unarmed. But he wasn't used to having limited sight yet, nor had he ever fought in the dark...

He managed to dodge the blade a few times and land a few lucky punches on the man before there was a sharp pain in his shoulder. Warm liquid began to flow down his arm.

Zuko cried out in pain, heard the man's laughter...

And then the man in the black cape was there, punching the third man unconscious.

"You saw the fire ball, too, right?" The rich man asked the woman. "Did... Did that kid make it?"

"He must be a meta," the woman replied. In seconds, she was in front of Zuko.

"Hey," she said to him, her voice surprisingly gentle. "Can you hear me? What's your name?"

No one had spoken to him like that in a long time. He turned to her, his good eye wide.

By then, the man in the black cape had joined them. And they all got a good look at his burn.

"What the..." The rich man started to say, his expression one of horror.

"Oh, sweetheart," the woman muttered, her face full of horror, sorrow, and sympathy. "What happened to you?"

"Never mind that, now." The man in the black cape took charge. "We need to get him to the Bat Cave."

"Why not a hospital?" The woman asked.

"Metas aren't given top priority there even with life-threatening injuries. I can treat him before any complications set in. Oracle, inform the police that we have three men down on the corner of..."

Their words barely made any sense to Zuko; his face and arm were in so much pain he could scarcely think.

"It's okay," the woman whispered to him. "I don't know what happened to you, but we'll do everything we can to help. You're going to be fine. I'm Catwoman; what's your name?"

He managed to say it before he passed out.

"Zuko."

Chapter Text

Dick Grayson had long learned that there was no such thing as a quiet night.

Nor was there likely to ever be an end to Bruce's addiction to adoption.

Batgirl, Nightwing, and Red Hood had just unmasked and finished writing their reports on their completed case (a chore no one liked but had to do) when the Batmobile charged into the Cave. 

The three siblings hadn't even had a chance to blink before the doors were thrown open. Tim, still dressed in the business suit from his finance meeting, ran out first, making a bee line for the med bay. Selina, yanking her cowl off as she went, ran after him. Bruce, still in full Batman gear, followed. 

There was a boy in his arms. A bleeding boy.

The three of them shared a look before charging after them.

"What's going on?" Jason demanded. The sight of an injured kid was always distressing for him.

Bruce remained silent as he set the victim on a cot in the Cave's medical bay. That done, he and Selina set out medical tools and Tim took off the kid's... Dick couldn't tell if it was a shirt, robe, or kimono. Either way, it had to be removed to see the stab wound in the pre-teen's shoulder. Along with the odd garment, the kid wore a pair of pants, the style of which Dick couldn't identify. The same applied to his shoes. Maybe they were homemade?

He started profiling the kid as his mentor and sort-of stepmother worked... and drew in a breath when he saw the kid's face.

"What the...?" Stephanie asked, eyes wide in horror.

The kid had a nasty third-degree burn covering the left side of his face. Based on how it looked, it couldn't have been more than a few hours old.

Tim started explaining the events of the evening, starting with how he'd nearly been mugged and ending with how the kid had gotten stabbed while stopping the third mugger. Jason punched a tabletop in anger; the very thought of people going after kids disgusted him.

"I'm not complaining about the kid being here or anything," Stephanie stated as Bruce finished bandaging up the kid's cut shoulder. "But why'd you bring him to the Bat Cave instead of a hospital?"

"Because he's pyrokinetic," Selina answered. "He stopped the third assailant by shooting a fire ball at him. We all know metas aren't always... welcome at hospitals."

There was a moment of discomfort; metas were becoming more accepted with each year, but there was still a bit of bias against them. Duke knew that better than any of them.

"Fire ball, huh?" Jason asked. He eyed the boy's burned face as Bruce started applying ointment to it. "Is that how that happened?"

"Not possible," Batman spoke for the first time. "He clearly knew enough to aim the blast away from his body, and it dispelled in the air rather than burning anything. This came from something else."

"Does he have a name?" Dick asked, looking at the kid with sadness. He looked like he was twelve, thirteen at the latest.

"Zuko," Selina answered. "I didn't get a last name."

The boy groaned in pain as Bruce continued to apply burn salve to his injury. Without a word, Dick went to the medicine cabinet, grabbing Midazolam and a syringe. Once the med table (which had settings that could record a patient's weight, height, and vitals) told him the boy's weight, he gave the kid a dose. The Bat nodded with approval; the kid waking up before his injuries were treated wouldn't help anyone.

"...So," Stephanie began, breaking the silence. "what's the plan with the kid?"

"First," Bruce answered, "we find out what he was doing in the middle of downtown Gotham at eleven at night. Next, we find his parents and see if they knew their son was a meta."

"Finally, we start counting down the minutes until Bruce gets the adoption papers," Dick concluded.

"Nightwing..." Batman warned.

"Bruce," Selina spoke up, sounding concerned. "Do you see that?"

His attention immediately turned back to their patient.

Selina was pointing at the table's temperature monitor. 

According to the instruments, Zuko's body temperature was ninety-eight-point-one degrees; a healthy body temperature. Knowing his wife wouldn't ask him to check unless she was serious, he placed a hand on the boy's forehead.

His eyebrows furrowed; the boy's forehead was far warmer than normal. Not feverish, but still warm enough to be concerning.

"Tim," Bruce ordered, "get a thermometer."

"And make sure it's an oral one!" Jason added with a smirk.

Tim gave him a glare as he came over with the tool Bruce wanted. "That was one time, Jason. I said I was sorry, and at least it had never been used!"

"Forgive but never forget."

"Boys," Selina gave them both a look while Stephanie giggled and Bruce stuck the thermometer in Zuko's mouth.

Much like the table, it said that the preteen's body temperature was at a healthy level.

"It must be his meta biology," Tim hypothesized. "It makes sense a pyrokinetic would run hot... Though that doesn't explain why his heightened temperature doesn't register on medical equipment..."

"Maybe he's magical?" Dick guessed. "I think Zatanna once said that some magic users are only good with one type of magic. Maybe he's a fire magic user?"

"Guessing won't get us anywhere," Bruce cut them off as he stood.

He took off his latex gloves, washed his hands, and walked out of the room. Selina and Tim followed suit, and everyone followed him to the Bat Computer.

"Zuko is stable," Batman began as he pulled down his cowl. "The dose of Midazolam he received should keep him under until morning. When he wakes up, I want to know his full name, how he got burned, powers, how he got said powers, and where his parents are. Until I'm convinced that boy has a safe place to go and can get sufficient medical attention for his burn, Zuko is not leaving the Bat Cave. I'll have Alfred keep an eye on him until morning in case of unforeseen complications. I don't want anyone revealing their secret identities to our guest until further notice. Understood?"

"Shoot, there goes my plan to give him the shock of the century," Batgirl joked, snapping her fingers and giving an exaggerated look of disappointment. 

"Stephanie," Bruce began, a tired look on his face.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" She backed off. "No big reveals without your say-so."

The kids all agreed. Oracle (who'd heard the whole thing via com on Batman's orders) sent a message to the rest of the immediate family. She gave them a very brief explanation of events and promised (on Bruce's behalf) that they'd hear the full story at breakfast in the morning.

As Jason, Tim, and Stephanie started to go upstairs, Dick lagged behind to listen to Bruce and Selina.

"There's something about the way he looked at me, Bruce," Catwoman began, her eyes heartbroken and her cowl off. "I just talked to him, just asked if he was okay, and... He had this look of disbelief and... longing. Whatever Zuko's been through... It's bad."

"We can't make any decisions until we know more about his situation," her husband reminded her. "But, should things turn out that way..."

Selina gave her husband a smile before hugging him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I won't get my hopes up," she continued. "Not until I know more."

"That's all I ask. Are you coming upstairs?"

"I think I better stay down here. With how bad Zuko's burn is... I know Alfred can and will keep him safe, but I don't feel comfortable leaving the kid alone."

"Alright. Do you want me to have him bring down some snacks, pillows, and blankets for you?"

"You know me well."

Dick grinned before he could get caught eavesdropping.

Time to get the adoption papers out of the safe again...

- - - -

He started to blink his eyes open. There was bright light, bright light everywhere... It almost hurt to open his eyes.

Was he in the Spirit World? Was he dead?

He tried to open his eyes wider, and felt a twinge of pain all on the left side of his face.

No, definitely not. Uncle had told him that those who enter the Spirit World after death don't experience pain.

But that didn't explain the bright light everywhere...

Or why he was lying on something soft, with something (a blanket?) covering him from his toes to his chin. Or why...

There was a woman near him. His blurred vision told him it was a tall woman, with long dark hair. She was whispering to him with a gentle voice.

"Mother?" Zuko whispered, hoping against hope.

There was a sharp intake of breath, then the gentle whispers continued. Only now, he could make out the words.

"You're okay, Zuko, but don't move too fast. Don't want to start bleeding again..."

That was not Ursa's voice. It was... Catwoman. 

The events of the night before came racing back, and he barely kept himself from leaping forward. 

Catwoman seemed to predict this; she placed a hand on his chest, keeping him gently but firmly down.

He blinked his good eye rapidly, allowing his vision to get used to the bright lights. Once Catwoman seemed convinced he wouldn't hurt himself, she let him go and let him sit up slowly.

Zuko took stock of himself, first. His shirt and shoes had been removed (though his pants were still there, to his relief), and his ponytail had been undone, his hair falling free. His burn had once again been bandaged... although it didn't hurt as badly now. Finally, he looked at his shoulder wound. It had been bandaged, and didn't seem as bad as before.'

He tried to move his arm and immediately changed his mind; his arm still REALLY hurt.

"Careful," Catwoman said again. She handed him a white, oval object and a glass of water.

He stared at her curiously; he knew what the water was for, but the oval?

"What is that?" He asked.

She blinked in surprise. "A pill. It'll help make your pain go away. Just put it in your mouth, then swallow it with a drink of water."

He stared at her for another moment in disbelief. But all it took was another twinge of pain to go through his arm before he took the pill the way she'd described.

"Alright," Catwoman spoke as soon as the water glass was empty. "Alfred will be down soon to bring you something to eat. Batman's coming with him. We have a few questions we need you to answer."

Zuko looked all around him; he was in a room with a long, thin bed surrounded by lights that weren't lit by fire and metal tools he couldn't identify.

It was all so alien... Yet also intriguing.

"I have a few questions, too..." the prince admitted.

Chapter Text

The breakfast tray... confused Zuko, to say the least.

It some things on it he recognized: a bowl of various berries, a cup of steaming tea (although it was darker and more bitter than the ginseng tea his uncle favored), and a plate of eggs. But the rest... Why were the eggs mashed instead of oval-shaped? What was that odd, dry-looking brown thing? And why was there a bowl of sugar right next to the tea?

The older servant (Alfred, he assumed) was thankfully very kind.

"Is everything alright, Master Zuko?"

"Yes, it's just... What is this?"

He held up the dry brown thing.

The servant, to his credit, didn't do more than raise an eyebrow.

"It's toast, Master Zuko. White bread that has been administered to heat until it is brown and crunchy. I usually add a bit of butter for taste... Do you prefer wheat toast?"

"...What's bread?"

That got another raised eyebrow, but it was followed with a small smile.

"It's food. Just try it."

Zuko gave the "toast" a suspicious look before he took a bite.

Strange as it looked, it was actually pretty good.

And reminded him of how hungry he was.

Once he began to eat his meal faster than a royal would usually be allowed to, Alfred excused himself and went upstairs to "alert everyone". He assumed that he meant Catwoman and the man with the jagged cape.

The prince had to admit that, despite some of the food looking odd, it all tasted fine. Feeling rebellious (what would Uncle say?) he added some of the sugar to his tea, and found he liked it better that way. 

He was sitting at the table now instead of in the bed; since his back and legs were fine, it was deemed safe for him to walk around (but not exert himself too much). He'd been given an odd garment to replace his shirt: something called a "hoodie". It was far too big for him, but it was a Fire Nation red and surprisingly soft, so he'd put it on without complaint. 

Zuko had just finished the bowl of berries when he heard the sound of many people coming downstairs. Not expecting a crowd, he quickly stood up and entered the best stance he could with an injured arm.

The man from the night before (with Catwoman by his side) led the way. Alfred was right behind them.

Bringing up the rear were seven more people, all of them in colorful outfits and masks.

There was a moment of silence when the ten people reached Zuko. Some of them seemed to be eyeing his stance, while others the bandage covering half of his face.

"Take it easy," the man with the jagged cape finally said. "Your arm is still healing. You're safe here, and no one will hurt you."

Zuko wasn't sure he believed that; he'd been told all his life that Fire Nation palace was a safe place, yet his father and sister made it anything but. 

Yet... This man seemed trustworthy. Even though he was wearing a mask... It felt as though this man understood what he was feeling.

Slowly, the prince dropped his stance.

"Who are you," the teenager began, "and where am I?"

"I'm Batman. And you're in the Bat Cave. It's where we work."

He gestured at the people behind him.

"What kind of work?" The prince asked, suspicious.

"I thought we were supposed to be asking questions?" One of the others, a yellow-haired woman dressed in a purple-and-black uniform spoke. Her tone sounded as though she was joking.

"Zuko is a guest, Batgirl, not a prisoner," Catwoman corrected her.

She then turned to Zuko, giving a warm smile.

"Sorry to have everyone barge in like this, but we wanted you to meet everyone. These are all the members of the Bats."

"Who are the Bats?" He asked before he could stop himself.

"Us," said a man whose head was covered by a large red helmet. "Weren't you listening?"

"Red Hood," Batman warned the man before he turned back to Zuko. "Sit down, this will take some explaining."

The prince did as he was told. Batman introduced each of the seven people: Nightwing (in a black-and-blue costume), Red Hood, Red Robin (who seemed familiar for some reason), Batgirl, Black Bat (in a mask that covered her entire head), Robin (who appeared to be younger than Zuko), and the Signal (dressed all in yellow).

After the introductions were made, Batman (who was clearly the leader) explained that the Bats were an elite team of vigilantes who worked to keep Gotham safe. With the help of a much bigger team called the Justice League (which Zuko admitted to knowing nothing about), they also helped to keep the world safe.

"Where is Gotham?" Zuko had to ask.

"A city in New Jersey," Catwoman answered.

"...Where's New Jersey?"

The other Bats gave each other unreadable looks while Catwoman continued speaking.

"New Jersey is a state in the United States of America."

"...Where's that?"

"On the continent of North America, on the planet Earth."

"...How far are we from the Fire Nation?"

"What's the Fire Nation?" Robin asked, sounding confused.

Zuko's heart sank and he tried not to panic. How far was he from home? If he was gone long enough to make people worry, Father would not take it lightly... Azula would never stop laughing at him if he was burned again...

"Let's start from the beginning," Batman stepped in. "Zuko, I'm going to ask you a series of questions. Answer them to the best of your ability. If something makes you too uncomfortable, then you don't have to answer right now. Understand?"

He gave a nod. Batman was already ten times more reasonable than Father... Uncle Iroh would like him.

Batman took a seat at the table, with Catwoman taking the seat next to him. Alfred took the breakfast tray and disappeared with it, allowing Zuko to sit back down. The other Bats took places around the room, some sitting while others simply lingered. He could tell they were listening to the conversation but trying not to be obvious. Azula had taught him that a long time ago, back when they made a game of spying on the royal nobles.

"First," the man in the jagged cape began, "what is your full name?"

"Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."

"Prince?" Batgirl asked, surprised.

"My father is Fire Lord Ozai. I'm his heir... At least I was."

As painful as his burn was, it was nothing compared to how he'd felt when Azula practically skipped into his room as he was being treated to tell him that Father had revoked Zuko's right to the throne. Unless he completed a currently unknown task, he'd never be heir.

"And you don't have a last name?" Catwoman asked.

"Father says royalty don't have last names. They have royal titles."

"...Alright, we'll get back to that," Batman continued (though he didn't seem satisfied). "How did you get your powers? And are they why you have golden eyes?"

Zuko tilted his head in confusion. "I'm a firebender. I've been bending since I was little. And a lot of people in the Fire Nation have gold eyes."

In fact, with the exception of his mother, everyone in his family had golden eyes.

"Can you explain to me what bending is?" 

Zuko began reciting everything he'd ever learned (most of it from Uncle Iroh) about the Fire Nation, Air Nomads, Water Tribes, and Earth Kingdoms. While he told the adults that the Fire Nation was at war with the world, he didn't recite his teachers' words about the rest of the world being backwards and needing the might of the Fire Nation to thrive. That had never sat right with him: hadn't they all done well in the years before the war? He preferred the way his uncle described the four nations: each with their own strengths and beliefs about bending and life.

Everyone seemed interested in what Zuko had to say about bending. He parroted his uncle's words about what each bending style required, testing his own knowledge in the process.

"Air is the element of freedom; you need to be able to be in the moment and not worry about everything else. Water is the element of change, and waterbenders have to be creative in battle and redirect an enemy's attack back at them. Earth is the element of substance; earthbenders block and absorb an opponents attacks until they can overwhelm them. Fire is the element of power..."

He paused. This is where his uncle always faltered. Zuko's tutors always told him that firebending came from anger and hatred. But Uncle Iroh was an excellent firebender, yet didn't seem to hate anyone. Nor was he ever visibly angry... Not like Father...

"Power, huh?" Nightwing asked, smiling with encouragement. "I'd love to see some of your moves once Batman gives you a clean bill of health."

"So," Batman continued, "it seems like you came here from another world."

The room was dead silent as Zuko gave a single, shaky nod. He'd come to the same conclusion. He told the Bats about the waterfall, how the Fire Sage had believed it would heal his burn. He'd scarcely finished telling them about falling through the waterfall before Batman latched onto something.

"Can you tell me where you got that burn?"

"...My father did it."

The room was dead silent, but everyone looked shocked.

"What?" Black Bat asked. That one word was filled with so much shock, horror, fury and sadness that Zuko shivered.

"He said I disrespected him, that I had to learn respect... That suffering would be my teacher..."

"He burned his own son?!" Batgirl shouted in shock and anger.

"How could anyone do that?" Signal asked no one, staring at his boots.

Robin pulled a katanna out of seemingly nowhere. "Zuko, you will tell me how to get to the Fire Nation. I will show the Fire Lord what true disrespect looks like..."

Nightwing took the sword from him. "Robin, I can't believe I'm saying this, but do not commit regicide."

"His father deserves it! The League of Assassins were cruel in their training, but they never resorted to burning my face!"

Red Hood said nothing, but his hands were clenched into fists and his breathing was audibly heavy. It looked like he was struggling to keep himself under control. 

Red Robin, Batman, and Catwoman were the only ones to stay relatively calm.

"Zuko," the man in the jagged cape began (though it was clear he was as angry as everyone else). "I don't know if we have any way to send you back to the Fire Nation. But listen carefully: if you go back, you are not going back to the Fire Lord."

"He's my father," the prince fired back. "I disrespected him, and he made sure I paid the price. He said he'd give me a chance to redeem myself; I just have to complete a task for him and I'll earn his love and my inheritance back."

"Right." Batgirl's voice dripped sarcasm. "Because men who burn boys' faces are definitely honest and trustworthy!"

"Zuko," Catwoman said to the pre-teen. "Be honest with me; what did you do to disrespect your father?"

He took a deep breath. "I attended a war meeting I wasn't invited to. Father was annoyed, but he didn't throw me out. When a general proposed a plan to use new recruits as cannon fodder, I objected; those soldiers were loyal to the Fire Nation and didn't deserve to be sacrificed. Father told me that for speaking out of turn, I had to face the one I'd disrespected in an Agni Kai."

"What's an Agni Kai?" Red Robin asked.

"A firebending duel. It's usually done between someone who's been wronged and their offender. I thought I'd be facing the general I objected to... But then I saw my father step into the ring..."

"Not the general?" Signal asked.

"By speaking out of turn in the Fire Lord's war room, I had disrespected Ozai himself. So I had to fight him in an Agni Kai."

He sighed, the recent memory playing through his head once again.

"I couldn't do it; how could I fight him? Father saw that as a sign of cowardice and disrespect. So, he..."

"He burned your face for badmouthing him? And not even directly?" Red Hood was breathing very heavily now. Nightwing and Black Bat had noticed; they rushed to his side and tried to get him to take deep breaths.

"No one else in your family tried to stop it?" Signal asked, looking devastated.

"Uncle didn't know until he saw my father step out. My sister..." He let out a mirthless laugh. "Azula probably watched it happen with a smile. She loves seeing people she hates get hurt."

That caused another ripple of anger and disgust through the room, though this time everyone managed to keep themselves in check.

"What about your mother?" Catwoman asked. "Where was she?"

"...I don't know. I haven't seen her in two years. She just... Disappeared."

He stared at the table, unwilling to see the expressions he was getting. Probably disgust for being such a failure of a prince. Or pity, which was just as bad.

Maybe they were wondering how fast they could get him out of their Cave; he'd told them about the war, everything the Fire Nation had done, especially the massacres at the Air Temples (Uncle had told him long ago that the Air Nomads never had an army, and that Sozin knew that). They probably saw him as scum, as something to be removed and never seen again...

A woman's arms wrapped around him. He looked up in surprise, his unbandaged eye landing on his hugger. Black Bat had him in an embrace.

"Didn't deserve that," she told him. "Father bad. Lies. You're not a failure."

She let him go, then shot a look at Batman. They had a silent conversation that ended with him giving a tiny nod.

Black Bat turned back to face the prince, and removed her cowl. 

She was a pretty girl a few years older than Zuko, with short and fluffy black hair.

"Cassandra," she told him.

As he looked around the room, each person removed their mask and told him their name. Dick, Jason, Tim (who he recognized as the rich man from the night before), Stephanie, Damian, and Duke.

Catwoman pulled her mask off after Duke, and gave the prince another warm smile. She was a very pretty woman, with the mask hiding how beautiful she truly was.

"My name's Selina. Selina Wayne. And this is my husband."

Batman pulled off his cowl, revealing a dark-haired man with blue eyes.

"I'm Bruce Wayne. Until further notice, Zuko, I want you to stay here until we figure something out. Alright?"

"Seriously, you should just start keeping adoption papers in your belt," Dick joked.

"It would save you so much time," Tim agreed.

They stopped laughing with Bruce and Selina gave them simultaneous glares. 

Zuko took a deep breath, looking all around him.

This world was so strange, and he felt overwhelmed just looking at their advanced technology. 

But... Were they right about the Fire Lord? Was Zuko safer if he was away from his father?

...It would be a few more days until his arm and burn healed enough for him to leave their Cave. He'd have plenty of time to decide.

"Alright," Zuko agreed. "If you'll have me, I'll stay."

Chapter Text

Bruce was deep in thought, sitting in a chair in his and Selina's bedroom.

He'd canceled patrols for himself and Selina that night to focus on helping Zuko. Fortunately, most of the major rogues were in Stonegate or Arkham; it was safe enough for him to stay in. Batgirl, Black Bat, Red Hood, and Red Robin were the only ones on patrol, though Batwing had offered to do a few extra sweeps that night to provide extra support.

The caped crusader's thoughts turned to a certain scarred boy somewhere in the Manor.

After Zuko had consented to staying in the Bat Cave until further notice, Bruce began running Zuko through a series of tests to gauge how much about Earth the boy would need to know.

The results were as complicated as they were intriguing.

For one, the biggest difference between the people of Zuko's world and theirs was the ability to bend one of the four traditional elements. Nor was there too big of a difference between the weather and plant life (although the worldwide culture seemed to bear a lot of similarities to the various Asian cultures of Earth). There were even a lot of animals in common... Although somehow the animals of his world were combinations of various common Earth animals (something they learned when Zuko mentioned turtle ducks). 

Besides the odd animals, other problems quickly became clear. Zuko's math skills were fine, and he was literate. The problem was that he could only read and write in kanji. If he was going to stay in Gotham for an extended period, he'd need to learn the English alphabet. Bruce briefly wondered how the boy could speak English if he couldn't write it, then decided it probably had to do with the supernatural route the boy had taken to Gotham.

Along with the language barrier, Zuko's world was severely behind in terms of technology; the first time Zuko had seen the Bat Computer activate, he'd nearly jumped back in fear. Not to mention that he had no knowledge of Earth history, geography, literature, cultures...

Bruce sighed. It wasn't like he hadn't dealt with that before: Cassandra had been fairly uneducated when he took her in. So had Jason (though he'd never admit it). He'd had to arrange remedial courses in numerous subjects for both of them. Zuko's case would be... different, but hiring a tutor wouldn't be hard. If a normal tutor was out of the question, there might be someone in the Justice League willing to help.

Speaking of help, he'd need to talk to either Dinah or Harley about giving Zuko therapy. Heaven knew the kid needed it...

"Uh-oh, I know that look."

Selina came out of their shared bathroom, her hair still wet. She'd wrapped herself in a silver-colored silk bathrobe, and had an eyebrow raised as she looked at him.

"What's on your mind, Bat?" The Cat asked him.

"Thinking through everything Zuko will need," Bruce answered, rubbing his face. 

"You've helped plenty of kids before," she replied as she walked over and sat on his chair's arm rest. "We have seven different people who can attest to that. Nine if you count Babs and Harper."

"Each child is different. Dick was fresh off the murders of his parents, Jason's parents were addicts, Tim's parents were psychological abusers, Cassandra was trained as a living weapon, Stephanie's father is a known rogue, Damian was raised to be an assassin from birth, Duke watched his parents enter vegetative states, and Barbara lost the use of her legs to Joker.

"Zuko has lost his mother and cousin, his sister is a sadist, his father is physically and emotionally abusive, he has to live with a legacy of bloodshed in the name of racial purity, and his father permanently maimed him for suggesting loyal soldiers not be killed. Now, along with all of that, he's been separated from the only world he's ever known."

He took a deep breath. "I know that I can help him, I'm just having trouble knowing where to start. What I do know is that he's not going back to the Fire Lord; that man shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a child."

Selina nodded in agreement before speaking.

"The culture shock and schooling should be easy enough to handle," she began, accidentally echoing her husband's thoughts. "There's plenty in the mansion alone that can help him slowly adjust to American culture, and it shouldn't be too hard to get or commission things that remind him of his homeland. I don't think we want Zuko doing online schooling until he's adjusted to modern technology... Didn't Superman hire a few educators for the Justice League?"

Bruce sat up straighter, shocked he hadn't remembered. "Yes, for aliens who needed to learn more about Earth."

While the various Kryptonians, Martians, Tamaranians on Earth had long since learned enough about the planet to pass for normal civilians, there was always either a new non-human who needed to be educated or a topic that someone needed to revisit. For that, Superman had taken the job of finding teachers who were trustworthy, competent, and capable of keeping their roles in the Hall of Justice a secret. Kent had decided to bring in a few of his old teachers from Smallville. When questioned about it, he admitted that several of his teachers (due to one untold incident or another) knew that he was a Kryptonian but had never tried to tell anyone. If they cared about their students enough to keep such a secret for so long, than they were definitely worthy of such a position. In the years since, the teachers had all proven that Superman's trust in them was well-placed (and had led to Raven developing a love for Edgar Allen Poe).

"They'll likely be able to teach Zuko anything he might need to know about Earth," Bruce agreed. "Though we should have them focus on teaching him to read and write English, first..."

"As for the rest," Selina added (leading to Bruce realizing she was sitting in his lap), "Harley is probably the best qualified therapist we know for traumatized kids."

"Harley might be too wild for him. Dinah would be able to provide a more calm, controlled environment... Though I should probably have her hold her sessions in a fireproof room..."

He wouldn't be able to test Zuko's control of his bending until his arm healed, but until then he wanted to be cautious.

"And don't forget the most important thing," Selina reminded him. She gave him a peck on the lips and looked him in the eyes.

"You aren't doing this alone. Alfred, Dick, Jason, Tim, Cassandra, Stephanie, Damian, Duke, Barbara... We're all going to be helping Zuko. All of us combined will be able to help him... And if there's a problem we can't solve, we have an entire society of superheroes at our beck and call. That kid is going to be just fine."

Bruce let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"Thanks, Selina."

"My pleasure," she purred. "Now... Where were we?"

She kissed his lips, this kiss going on for much longer than the last one.

Bruce found himself distracted from anything else for a while.

- - - -

The house wasn't quite as big as the Fire Nation palace. 

But somehow, that made Zuko like it more.

It felt warm in a way the palace never had... although it could use a turtle duck pond.

After an afternoon of tests and questions (he hoped to Agni that Batman Bruce didn't put him through that again), the Bat/Wayne family had brought him upstairs for dinner. The meal was something Zuko couldn't identify: a dish called "chicken noodle soup", paired with white rice and a large salad. While he was surprised that the salad had tomatoes and carrots instead of tomato carrots, he found that the meal was extremely tasty. Dessert had been homemade delicacies called "cookies". Zuko had liked them a lot, though his injured arm prevented him from joining in the fist fight for the last one.

Once the meal was over, Alfred had led the thirteen-year-old to one of the Manor's spare rooms (which would be his room until further notice). It was the size of his bed chamber back in the Fire Nation, but that was where the similarities ended. The walls were white (Alfred said they could get paint or something called wallpaper later), there were "electric lights" illuminating the room, the bed had a canopy and was covered by a white bedspread, there was an enormous window overlooking the house's courtyard, the floor was covered in a plush carpet, and empty shelves were on every wall of the room. A large desk with one of those "com-pew-tors" on it was in the corner. There was a bit of extra space, likely meant to be filled in by whatever the occupant wished.

Alfred had left him alone to get settled... Though without much to do, he ended up just sitting on the bed, watching the sun start to go down.

He wished he had some candles... Uncle's fire meditation always helped him calm down after trying days...

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," the prince called, standing up.

The oldest Wayne sibling, Dick Grayson, walked in with a pile of clothes and a smile.

"Thought I'd drop these off. Alfred and Selina will get you some new clothes before long, but these should tide you over until then. Luckily, Jason and Tim have always liked red clothes, so we've got your favorite color covered."

"...Actually, my favorite color is blue," he admitted. It had always been his mother's favorite, and he followed in her footsteps. 

Dick paused, then his grin got wider.

"Great, so's mine! Well, if you don't mind wearing the red stuff for now, then we can get you some stuff in your real favorite color. Sound good?"

"...Alright," he nodded back.

He... didn't know how to feel about how these people treated him. His father and sister always treated him like an inconvenience or someone to bully. His uncle treated him with respect, but he was a parental figure and oozed authority. The servants all treated him much in the same way they treated the rest of his family: like he was a dangerous animal that would kill them if they blinked wrong. Mai and Ty Lee didn't treat him that way, but they hardly treated him like a friend.

But the Wayne family... They acted like he was already one of them. Like he was their sibling.

Dick clapped his hands together once he and Zuko had put all the clothes in the closet.

"Okay, that's done. So, any questions you might still have?"

"...No, I'm fine."

"How's your arm feeling? I know we all got pretty caught up in the education stuff, we didn't really check..."

The prince took off his hoodie and allowed the oldest Wayne sibling to examine the injury. Zuko did his best to hold still; the wound didn't really hurt anymore, though it was still tender...

"Alright, looks like that cream Mister Terrific gave us worked! I'll have to tell Bruce about that. Your arm is fine now, Zuko... Not so sure about your burn, though..."

"I'm fine." The prince all but shoved Dick away once the bandage was off. He put his hoodie back on and went back to sitting on the bed. 

He chastised himself for reacting that way; whenever he acted like that about something with Azula nearby, she always started teasing him about it. She'd once seen him run from a spider-beetle, and hadn't stopped teasing him about it for a month.

"Hey." Dick's voice was much gentler now. "I'm sorry if I said something wrong. I won't bring up your burn again if you don't want me to. Okay?"

Zuko blinked in surprise. No one ever cared if a topic made him uncomfortable.

"...Okay."

"Good... So, what do you think you'll do with your room?"

"Isn't this just a guest room?"

"It was. But if you're going to be here for a while, then we might as well make this your own place."

"...But I can't stay here. I need to get back to the Fire Nation..."

"Hey, no one's saying you can't ever go back. But it might take a while, and there's no reason we can't make you more comfortable in the meantime. Besides, anything we do in here can be undone."

His words calmed Zuko down a bit, and he started looking around.

"Well... I don't really like the white walls..."

Dick opened one of the desk's drawers, taking out a wad of paper and pulling a pen (Zuko couldn't believe they had pens with ink already in them).

They began making a list of several things Zuko wanted for his room. His bedroom in the palace had always been fairly spartan; the Fire Lord refused to fill it with "useless trinkets" and instead insisted Zuko spend time learning princely things. So having the chance to decorate it himself was... exhilarating. 

"Okay," the man said after they were halfway through. "Blue paint for the walls... Candles... We can probably commission a Fire Nation flag... Small sakura tree, plus rubber mat to put under sakura tree... Anything else? Got any hobbies?"

"...I liked when we'd go to the theater when I was younger..."

"Watching theater, great! You and Cass can bond over that, she's crazy about ballet. Any favorite productions?"

"Love Amongst the Dragons."

"Sorry, don't know that one. What is it, Romeo and Juliet with dragons?"

"Do you have dragons here? I thought they were extinct."

"Well, yes and no, Damian has Goliath, but... Wait, your world had dragons?"

Zuko sighed, looking at his feet. His shirt was in the Bat Cave, but he still wore his Fire Nation pants and shoes.

"We used to, but my great grandfather, Sozin, started the tradition of hunting dragons. Uncle said that he killed the last ones."

Dick gave a low whistle. "I'm sorry. I wish I could've seen them."

"Me too."

Dick looked thoughtful, then closed the notebook.

"Well, I think we have enough to get your started on room decorating. I'll tell Cass about the theater thing; once Bruce clears you to be out in public, you two can catch a play--"

"Why are you all helping me?"

The thought had been bugging him all day. These people had no reason to help treat his wounds, give him clothes, or help him learn about their world. And yet they were, and they seemed happy to do it. Why would they do so much for such a failure of a prince?

"Because, believe it or not, Zuko, we all know what it's like to feel hurt and confused."

"Why are all of you here, anyway?" He still wasn't clear on why the family was so large; Bruce Wayne was clearly the leader, yet no one in the family (except Damian and his parents) shared a last name, and none of them looked alike.

"Because we're all Bruce's adopted kids."

"...What's adoption?"

"Adoption is when someone, usually a kid, ends up in with no home or family, and someone decides to take them in."

"So... You're not his, but he treats you that way?"

"Yeah... Well, he's too young to actually be my father, but he's always been there for me and acted like a mentor."

Dick sat on the bed again, his face growing somber.

"I know it's not the same, but I kind of know what you're going through. I used to live with my parents, but they were killed when I was eight."

Zuko sucked in a breath and looked at Dick with shock.

"I watched it happen," the man admitted, his eyes growing misty. "It felt like my whole world had been destroyed. Bruce was one of the witnesses; he was willing to take me in. Shortly after I got adopted, I figured out that he was Batman. I wanted to help him fight crime, and became Robin."

"I thought Damian was Robin?"

"He is; 'Robin' is more of a legacy name. I was Robin until I turned eighteen, and passed the mantle on to Jason. Then Tim was Robin, then Stephanie for a while, then Tim again, and finally Damian. He might pass it on to someone someday, but we won't know for a while."

Zuko nodded with understanding.

"...I'm sorry about your parents."

"Thanks. It happened a long time ago, but I know they loved me and that they're at peace. Plus, they'd be proud of me for all I've done. That's enough for me."

Zuko bit his lip. His father often gushed about Azula's accomplishments, but he never even asked about Zuko's training anymore.

Dick noticed the look on his face. Then, with no warning, he wrapped the thirteen-year-old in a hug.

"I know you might feel like you're alone right now," he told the boy, "but I promise you're not. Everyone here has gone through something rough before, and we all know how much it helps to have support. We're all here for you, no matter what. Okay?"

A few drops ran down Zuko's cheeks, and he had to choke back a sob.

"Okay."

The hug lasted a few more seconds before Dick let go. There was a moment or two of silence before the man stood again.

"Well, Alfred said you need to get some rest so you can better recover. I'm across the hall if you need me; I don't have to be back in Bludhaven until Monday. I'll give Bruce your list and leave you alone. Sleep tight, okay?"

"Okay. Goodnight."

Dick gave him an odd two-fingered salute before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Not bothering to change, Zuko used the light switch (which he still found a bit odd) to turn off the lights.

The sun had just barely gone down, but he was exhausted. He took off his boots, undid his ponytail, and crawled under the ridiculously soft bed clothes.

He felt like he'd only just fallen asleep when he heard a voice.

It was so distant, and barely audible.

But Zuko recognized it.

He instantly woke, his good eye shot open as he sat up in bed, looking around the dark room.

"...Uncle?"

Chapter Text

Even in a strange world, the rising sun filled him with energy. 

Zuko rose as early as usual, and needed a minute to remember where he was. Once he recalled the events of the last two days, he decided he'd better wake up. His father always demanded that the royal family rise early; it kept their court from finding them lazy. Though it didn't stop him from calling Zuko lazy if he ever caught him doing anything restful...

He mentally shoved those thoughts away and entered the closet. The clothes the people here wore were a bit unusual. They were made of materials that weren't as thin or smooth as silk, but they were warmer and felt softer. He found he was especially fond of hoodies; it felt a lot like wearing a blanket.

After a few minutes of exploring the closet, he found another hoodie. This one was gold with the emblem of a dragon on it. He also found a pair of black "jeans" (apparently that's what pants were called here) and brown sandals. Once he'd showered (he could happily see that there were some pieces of technology their worlds shared), put his hair back into a ponytail, and put on his new clothes, he left his room.

While he'd been given a brief tour of the manor the night before, he still wound up getting lost. The house was mostly dark; it seemed like not a lot of the Bats liked getting up early. He didn't want to turn on any lights (it seemed rude to wake his hosts). So he created a small fire in his hand to light his way.

Finding anger to fuel his bending was easy; he was still so mad at himself for disrespecting his father and getting himself burnt. His face was feeling a bit better, but the healers had told him the damage was likely permanent.

His fire started getting bigger, and he had to use his uncle's teachings to pull heat from it. This got it back to a safe size, and he continued to navigate the large house.

Finally, the smells of cooking food led him to the dining room.

Duke Thomas was already there, reading from a "book" (which they used instead of scrolls here). He'd just taken a drink of some kind of orange beverage when he noticed the prince.

"Morning, Zuko. Hungry? Alfred said breakfast's almost done."

He nodded and took a seat. Duke shut his book and set it aside.

"Just trying to wrap up some homework. Spring break's coming soon, thankfully, but I have a history test before then..."

He seemed to read the look on Zuko's face and looked sheepish.

"Sorry, I guess I forgot that you don't know about parts of this world..."

"I know what homework and tests are. I've been to school before," he cut him off. "Father sent Azula and I to royal academies."

His father had also made him start taking classes in swordsmanship and extra firebending to "try and make him useful". Azula told him he was trying to make him fall apart with all the extra work, which was why he later pulled him out of the academy so he had to spend all his time on swords and firebending. The fact that Master Piandao called him one of his finest students meant nothing to the Fire Lord.

"Oh, cool! Might want to tell Bruce that; he wants most of us to attend normal school so we can try and work on keeping our civilian and vigilante lives separate. He's probably trying to figure out if you'll need to do online school, like Cass, or if you'll be able to attend Gotham Academy with Damian and I."

"...Why are your vigilante lives secret?"

"Short answer: to keep us and everyone we know safe. Tim or Bruce will probably tell you about Gotham's rogues later, but there are a LOT of people out there who want the family, especially Batman, dead. We've managed to reform slash befriend some of them, like Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, but the rest are bad news."

He paused, probably trying to see if he was scaring him. Zuko was unbothered; he'd grown up hearing about coups and assassinations his father had thwarted. He remembered a night when he and Azula spied on a discussion their grandfather was having with Iroh about arranging the assassination of one of the Earth kings. 

Alfred walked in with a breakfast tray. 

"Good morning, Master Zuko. Always good to see a fellow early riser."

"The sun always wakes me up," he replied as he looked at the food. There was more of that toast stuff, plus long strips of brown, savory meat and a bowl of sliced kiwi. 

"Is that a firebender thing?" Duke asked as Alfred handed each of them a breakfast plate.

"Yes," Zuko answered as Alfred poured them each a cup of tea. "Fire benders draw power from the sun. It's why firebending is strongest during the day, with summer being when we're at our most powerful."

"Because the days are longer," the older teen nodded. "Makes sense... Do all benders draw their power from something?"

"Sort of. Earthbenders do their best when surrounded with rocks and dirt, so they're powerful anywhere that isn't the middle of the ocean. Airbenders were always surrounded by their element, but Uncle says they really thrived wherever there was strong wind. Waterbenders are a little like us, because they draw power from..."

"The ocean?" Duke guessed.

"The moon."

"Oh, because the moon affects the tides. Right?"

"Right."

Duke took a break from the conversation to get started on his breakfast. Zuko followed his example. The meat, called bacon, tasted just as good as it smelled. He couldn't help thinking that it could use some extra spice, though... Was any of the food here spicy?

They ate for a moment before the older teen spoke again.

"So, you think you're adjusting okay?"

"...This place is a little overwhelming," the prince admitted. "Even if I wasn't a stranger on this world..."

"Believe me, I get it. I felt the same way when I moved in here a few months ago. Moving into a new home can be tough. It'll be a big adjustment, but we're all here for you."

"I don't know if I can call this place home," Zuko replied. "My home's back in the Fire Nation."

"You can have more than one home. Other than me, Damian, Cass, and Alfred, everyone else spends a lot of time in their own places. Dick, Jason, Barbara, and Stephanie all have apartments, Tim has the Drake Manor, Bruce and Selina both have safe houses that they stay at for long cases... Everyone still spends a lot of time here, but they all definitely have more than one home."

"...Tim has a whole other manor to himself?"

"Yeah, his parents were almost as rich as Bruce. Tim doesn't really talking about them, though, so don't bring it up unless he does."

Zuko nodded, and put his fork down. The topic of parents was enough to make him lose his appetite.

Duke noticed, and his voice became softer.

"You don't have to talk about your parents right now. I can't really relate to what happened with your dad, but your mom... I kind of know what you're going through."

The prince looked up, his good eye focused on the other teen.

"My parents are still alive... In a way. Several months ago, we were walking through the city when this rogue called the Joker flooded the city with toxic gas. Batman managed to save the city, but some people had really bad reactions to the gas and didn't get better... Including my parents."

"...I'm sorry."

"It's okay. They're not dead; they've been in the hospital ever since. The doctors are trying to get them to snap out of their comas, but... They don't know if they ever will. That's why Bruce adopted me... Well, that and I'm a meta."

"Meta?"

"A human with powers. A bender, for example, would be a type of meta."

"Do you bend anything?"

"No, but I can do this."

Duke suddenly disappeared.

Eye widening, Zuko looked around.

"...Duke?"

The older teen reappeared, grinning.

"Yes, Zuko?"

This startled a laugh out of him.

The two went on comparing bending with meta abilities all through breakfast. Alfred had just refilled their tea cups when someone knew came in.

She was a woman with copper-colored hair, glasses, a green jacket, and a wheelchair.

"Welcome home, Miss Barbara," Alfred greeted her.

"Hi, Alfred, hi Duke... And you must be Zuko."

"...Hello," he replied. He remembered that a woman named Barbara had been mentioned a few times, and was upset at himself for not asking about her sooner.

She rolled her chair up to the table, and Alfred put a cup of freshly-poured tea in front of her. She thanked him and sipped it before turning to the firebender.

"So, Bruce filled me in on everything that's happened so you came here two nights ago. You still need to learn about our technology, right?"

Zuko nodded, trying not to grimace. He hated when people knew his weaknesses; whenever Azula learned one of them, she used them against him whenever she could.

"Well, I'm here to help you fix that today. How about you and I spend the morning going over some of the basics of Earth technology? We can't go over too much until you can read English, but I can at least show you how to make a phone call."

He looked up in surprise, then nodded eagerly. As much as he wanted to go home, he was very curious about what this world had to offer.

"Great, follow me."

"Have him try to call me as a test, Babs!" Duke called after them. "I'll be on patrol in an hour!"

"I meant to ask," Zuko said before they entered the "elevator". "Where's Bruce?"

"He had to make a meeting this morning," Barbara explained as the doors closed. "He said he'd be back after lunch."

"Who's he meeting?"

"He wouldn't say, but he told me that their input was important for something he's working on."

- - - -

"Thank you both for meeting with me today."

"Oh, it's no trouble, Bruce." Jonathan gave a laugh. "After that milking machine you bought us for the barn, we owe you a few dozen favors!"

Jonathan and Martha Kent had been more than happy to invite him to breakfast when he called that morning; with the Bat Plane the Kent farm was only a ninety minute flight. When he'd walked into the house (dressed as Bruce Wayne to avoid any potential watching eyes), they'd greeted him with pancakes and freshly made coffee.

"Alright." Martha pointed her fork at Bruce. "You know we love having you over, but you're not the kind to just drop in for fun. Is there something going on you need our help with?"

"Very perceptive, Missus Kent. In the last forty-eight hours, I've taken in a teenage boy..."

"Here we go again!" Jonathan chuckled. "You do realize that those jokes about you starting an orphanage are just jokes, right?"

"Goodness," Martha giggled. "And people say we love children!"

Bruce took a drink from his coffee to keep himself from responding. This is how it usually went when he told any affiliate of the Justice League that he'd taken in another child. First there'd be laughter, then likely a crack about his orphan-adopting problem (which he did not have, no matter what his eight children said). 

The older couple finally calmed down enough to continue the conversation.

"What's his name, and how old is he?" Jonathan asked.

"His name is Zuko, he's thirteen, and he's not from this world..."

He began to tell them all that Zuko had told him. Their expressions darkened when he told them all that Ozai had done to hurt his Nation and the world. They exclaimed in horror when Bruce got to the part about the failed Agni Kai.

"He burned his son? On the face?" Martha looked like she was seconds away from crying. Jonathan looked murderous; Bruce was briefly reminded of the proverb about good men going to war.

"Bruce, I don't care what that boy says. He is not safe with that man, and you better keep him here for his own safety."

"Zuko knows that he's been abused, he just doesn't realize that his father's behavior isn't okay. I hope that Black Canary or Harley Quinn should be able to help him see that.

"But that's not why I wanted to talk to you today. You know better than anyone else how to raise a meta child from another world--"

"And you want some advice," Martha finished, smiling a bit.

"Well," Jonathan began. "There are quite a few differences between Clark and Zuko. For one, your boy only has the one power, and he's already halfway grown. Plus, this isn't the first meta boy you've taken in."

"Duke's powers are based more on illusion and foresight. Zuko's are offensive and could be dangerous; firebending is common in his world, and I don't know how well he'll be able to hide it. I'll have a better idea for how to form his secret identity once I observe his firebending, but for now... Any advice would be useful."

"Personally?" Jonathan replied. "From what you've told me, it sounds like Zuko doesn't think too badly of his bending, so he likely won't have any self-doubt issues from it. Plus, based on what you said he already has a fair bit of control. One of the first things Clark learned to do when his powers started coming in was how to control himself... We used to take him to the nearby dump and let him train with his super strength by having him pick up or poke wrecked cars until he could do it without leaving a dent."

He chuckled at the memory, allowing Martha to join in.

"A boy who's been through all of that will, more than anything, need adults he knows he can trust. You're already starting to build that trust; just be there for him, dear. In time he'll see that you care for him unconditionally. You, Selina, and all of your kids."

"Speaking of," Jonathan asked between sips of coffee, "how'd she take it?"

"She was the one to insist we let him stay. He accidentally called her 'mother' as he woke up in the Cave. I think she instantly fell in love."

The two Kents shared a glance, wearing identical smiles.

"I know that feeling all too well," Martha responded. 

"Now," Jonathan stood up, taking his and Martha's empty coffee mugs. "If you really want advice on controlling heat based powers, I think I still have a the video tape from when Jon was learning to control his heat vision. It's not the same, but it might give you some ideas."

"It might, thank you."

Chapter Text

Iroh sipped his tea as the sun started to rise. 

The last two days had been... a challenge, to say the least.

He'd always known that Ozai did not treat his family the way he should, but to see him actually do that to Zuko...

Iroh would admit that he'd never been a perfect father. He'd given Lu Ten too much leniency at times, was too hard on him at other times... There'd been that time where he let the boy eat too many sweets before training... That time he'd caught his son bullying the son of a visiting diplomat... The time Lu Ten climbed a tree in the courtyard and broke his leg because Iroh had been too busy to watch him...

Yes, he hadn't been a perfect parent. But through it all, he'd been patient and understanding with his son, showing him what was right and what was wrong. Encouraging him in rough periods, celebrating with him in good... In the end, Lu Ten had grown into a good man. A noble prince. A loyal soldier...

His heart ached. What he wouldn't give to have Lu Ten back...

He sighed and took another drink of his tea. As difficult a child as his son had been at times, Iroh never would have gone so far as to actually hurt Lu Ten. The only time he raised a hand at him was during training, and even then he always fought on Lu Ten's level, making sure his son knew how to block such blows.

His brother, on the other hand... He'd always known Ozai was harder on Zuko than Azula. He believed that it was his brother's way of trying to forge the boy into a strong leader. After all, selfish pampered children made selfish pampered leaders. Besides, Ursa gave the boy enough love and attention to make up for it. 

But when Lu Ten died, and Ursa vanished... Iroh had to admit that he'd seriously misjudged his brother.

Ozai either ignored Zuko or upbraided him for the most trivial reasons. And all the while he praised Azula and fed the girl's quickly growing ego.

Iroh had done his best to help the now Crown Prince, and he felt he'd been doing a good job. Zuko's empathy, intelligence, and ability to fight with his head and swords instead of just firebending made him a fine young royal; Iroh could already tell he'd be an exceptional Fire Lord some day.

But then came the Agni Kai...

It would be a few more days before the healers deemed Zuko well enough to receive his true sentence from the Fire Lord; Ozai had decided that being scarred and humiliated wasn't enough. Azula had told Iroh (with a joyous glint in her eye) that Ozai had revoked Zuko's position as Crown Prince, instead making the princess his heir. And he still wasn't done...

Iroh had not been allowed to visit the prince since the incident; only the healers, Sages, Fire Lord, or Princess Azula were allowed to see him. Another cruelty Ozai was forcing the prince to suffer. He'd tried to reach his nephew through meditation and offer support, but he had no idea if he'd gotten through...

"General Iroh?"

He turned to see a Fire Sage standing in his door. The man looked nervous.

"Just Prince Iroh, now," he replied as he set his empty cup on a table. "What may I do for you, Rekka?"

He'd met this Fire Sage a few times; he'd been a great help when Iroh was trying to find Lu Ten in the Spirit World.

The Sage gulped and looked at his feet. "I fear I've made a terrible mistake. Do you remember when I showed you... The secret under the palace?"

Iroh tensed; the sacred waterfall was a great secret known only to the Sages and a few choice members of the royal family. Even Ozai didn't know about it.

"What is this about, Rekka?"

"...I thought it could help the prince... I thought it didn't work, but now I've done some more reading, and..."

Iroh instantly went on guard, giving the Sage a look he usually reserved for his most hated enemies.

"What have you done to my nephew?"

- - - -

Zuko was sitting in one of the Manor's many studies, still staring at the impossibility in his hands.

Barbara ("Babs for short, if you want.") had spent a few hours that morning teaching him how "smartphones" worked and how to use them to communicate with others. As Duke had requested, Zuko made his first "phone call" to him. 

The shock on his face when he finished the call had left Barbara giggling.

Babs explained to him that the family had dozens of spare phones lying around (Bruce was nothing if not well-prepared), and that Zuko had been given one of them. Said phones were pre-loaded with the "phone numbers" of every immediate member of the family. She had to teach him what English numbers looked like, but that didn't take as long as either of them had thought. Soon he was dialing numbers like he'd done it for years.

After he called Alfred, then Bruce (just to let them both know he could now use a phone), Barbara excused herself, saying she needed to get back to the library.

"Thank you for teaching me about these," he'd responded as he bowed to her.

She seemed a bit surprised (did people not bow here?) but responded by leaning forward slightly.

"You're welcome."

That had been nearly an hour before, and Zuko still couldn't get over the fact that he could talk to anyone in the family, anywhere, anytime, by pressing a few buttons.

And to think, a few days ago he'd thought messenger hawks were the best way to communicate...

His lesson with Barbara had gone on longer than he'd thought it would; his stomach was beginning to growl.

He thought about going to the kitchen and asking Alfred for something. However, as he left the study, he saw one of the secret entrances to the Bat Cave.

Other than the small fire he'd used that morning to navigate in the dark, he hadn't done any real training in over a day. And now that Bruce said it was alright to use his arm again...

Thanks to Babs, he knew that all he needed to do to operate the elevator was tap the lower button on the wall. Thus, it was easy for him to get down to the Bat Cave.

He looked around once he was inside. While he doubted anyone would have a problem with his being there (Bruce had even said he wanted a demonstration of firebending at some point), Zuko still felt a bit like he was trespassing. Once convinced he was alone, he took a deep breath.

He focused on finding something that made him angry. This wasn't difficult; so much had happened lately to make him angry: his being burned by his father, Azula laughing as she told Zuko she'd all but stolen his birthright, his ending up in another world, getting stabbed for defending an innocent, possibly never going home again being stuck there for the foreseeable future...

His anger fueled his firebending as he went through the moves he'd learned from his first teacher (the one who'd quit after Azula burned his pants). Before long, the knot in his chest started to disappear. Firebending always helped him regain control; it gave his anger a way to escape before it ate him up inside.

It was only after he'd completed a final flaming flying kick that he realized he had an audience.

"Tt, while I am not experienced enough in firebending to critique you, your emotional control needs improvement."

Zuko turned, panting a bit after his workout, to see a nine-year-old boy with unnaturally green eyes giving him a judgmental glare.

While the rest of the Bat siblings were friendly enough, Damian Wayne had easily been the least welcoming. He was oddly serious for a nine-year-old; he hardly ever smiled, he gave his siblings glares for "acting too silly", took even the most mundane tasks seriously...

If he was being honest, he reminded the prince of Azula. But unlike his sister, Damian didn't like to threaten small animals for fun. The fact that Zuko'd caught him curled up with the family's dogs on the couch the night before was proof of that.

"Are you saying that because I looked angry?" Zuko asked, still breathing a bit heavily.

"Yes."

"That's how I'm supposed to look. I was taught that firebending is fueled by anger and hatred. I have to focus on what makes me angry to be able to bend."

"...You do not believe that."

Zuko's one good eye widened, and he regarded the boy with surprise.

"How'd you...?"

"You were not looking at me while you explained it. In most cases, if someone avoids eye contact while explaining something, it means that they are not fully convinced by what they're saying. Thus, I'm compelled to believe that you do not trust that explanation."

The firebender sighed. "Everyone's always said that firebending comes from hatred... But my uncle, Prince Iroh, is one of the greatest firebenders in the Fire Nation. But he's one of the calmest, most loving people I know... He looks focused when he bends, but never angry..."

Damian was silent for a moment, considering something.

"You mentioned that your great grandfather started the war in your world, yes?"

"...He started a lot of things."

"Perhaps he wanted his people to be more ruthless warriors, and thus started teaching that anger was the key to firebending? Perhaps the real source of your power comes from another source?"

Zuko thought about the implications of Damian's idea. It couldn't be true... Right?

Horror twisted in his innards as the pieces clicked together. 

The last Avatar had been born in the Fire Nation, and he'd been a peacekeeper. If Sozin wanted his soldiers to be more ruthless, then he wouldn't want any of the Avatar's influence to remain. 

The dragons... Sozin had started the tradition of dragon hunting. The dragons were said to be the original firebenders... What if they knew what the actual source of firebending was?

And Uncle... He'd gone to the Spirit World to try and find Lu Ten. What if, during his travels, he'd learned more truths than he'd expected?

"Are you alright?"

Zuko was brought back to reality. A headache was forming; it felt like a band was being wrapped around his scalp. He undid his ponytail to try and lessen the pain, sitting down on the floor.

Damian continued to give him an unreadable look.

"I'm fine," he finally managed to get out. "I just... What you're saying makes a lot of sense."

The nine-year-old waited a moment, seemingly trying to figure out what to do. Then, with visible hesitation, he came over and sat next to Zuko.

"...Was the information I gave you jarring?"

"A little."

"I am sorry; Father is having me meet with a therapist to try and discuss my social issues. I have not yet fully learned how to interact with people in my age group, but I am making progress."

Zuko eyed the boy with caution. Other than being told that he was Bruce Wayne's only biological child, he'd been told very little about the youngest Bat. 

Damian seemed to read his gaze and sighed. 

"My mother, Tahlia al Ghul, tricked my father into getting her pregnant. I was the result of the pregnancy. From the moment I was born, I was seen as little more than the League of Assassins' personal super soldier. As soon as I could talk, they taught me how to speak other languages. As soon as I could walk, they were teaching me how to perform blows that would crack a man's skull."

He gave a growl at the memories, but kept going.

"The whole time I was there, they told me lies. They said that my father was weak for sparing life, that I should be proud of him but never follow in his footsteps. I was told I was made to be the heir to Ra's al Ghul's criminal empire, that I was the only one capable of being heir... But I found out eventually that they never truly saw me as a person. I was a walking weapon at worst and a replacement for Father at the best.

"I used to resent my father and siblings for bringing me here, but now..."

He said nothing else, but Zuko understood. 

"Thank you, Damian."

The boy's words had actually helped a lot; he wondered what the true source of firebending was. If When he got back to the Fire Nation, he'd need to ask Uncle for more information on firebending...

Damian gave a short nod, then gave Zuko another one of his judgmental stares.

"Have you considered a last name?"

"...No? Bruce didn't say anything about it."

"He should have. Inevitably, you will eventually have to go out in public with us. Coming up with a cover story for your appearance here will be easier if we can give you a last name."

"...Cover story?"

"Father will likely explain it to you in greater detail later. Regardless, you need a last name to live a semi-normal life here. Going without one merely attracts suspicion."

"...I guess. But what would it be?"

"Anything that is not inappropriate, too attention-grabbing, nor so unique that it would cause people to think you are related to someone else. The latter reason is why I shot down Todd's suggestion that we make your last name 'Prince'. People would mistake you for Diana's son."

Zuko had no idea who Diana was, but he decided to trust Damian's judgment.

"Due to 'Zuko' being a Japanese or Chinese name in origin, I'd suggest a name from one of those cultures. There are many common ones to choose from... Suzuki, Huang, Chen, Yamamoto..."

Zuko thought about it. He doubted he'd be here for too long... No longer than a few weeks, probably... Still, he wanted something in his name to remind him of the Fire Nation. 

"Are there any last names that mean 'fire'?"

Damian paused, then began to think.

"Hino...Feng... Hiyama... Kagari... May I suggest something?"

"Yes?"

"Would you be opposed to an Arabic last name?"

"What do you have in mind?"

Damian spent another few seconds staring at Zuko before he spoke.

"Lahib."

"What does that mean?"

"It's the Arabic word for "flames". I thought it was fitting."

Zuko thought on the name, rolling it around on his tongue.

"Lahib," he muttered again before smiling. "I like it."

Damian nodded once, trying to remain stoic.

But Zuko still caught the corner of his mouth twitch.

"Very well, Lahib."

Chapter Text

Damian was escorted out of the Bat Cave by Selina shortly after he'd given Zuko his new last name; apparently, he'd been trying to skip school to focus on a case he and Tim were working on (Zuko had quickly learned these people were detectives on top of vigilantes). Selina had given the firebender a friendly smile and invited him to explore the Cave before she hauled the nine-year-old up the stairs to return him to school.

Zuko had wasted a few moments just looking around him after she'd left. The Bat Cave was... overwhelming, to say the least. He'd been down there a few times already, but that had been for medical care, tutoring, or training. He hadn't gotten a chance to actually explore.

The sheer size and complexity of the Cave left him a touch anxious about looking around on his own...

Fire Nation royals don't show fear. His father's cruel voice spoke in his ear. Fear is what our underlings should show us. If ever I see you showing fear in front of anyone under you, I'll make sure you never look at me with anything but fear.

Zuko shuddered at the memory. Then he began taking an actual tour of the Bat Cave.

There were still a lot of pieces of modern technology he couldn't name, but he found a room full of what must have been vehicles while walking around. One of them was a giant black version of those carriages that pulled themselves. Only this one was far bigger and sleeker than the one he'd seen on his first night in Gotham. He wondered what the vehicles with only two wheels were, but decided he could ask someone later.

He'd seen the med bay and Bat Computer already (Barbara had spent a while with him explaining how it, and computers in general, worked). The main area of the Bat Cave held a gigantic statue of what he thought was a dragon... except it had no wings, and it was far shorter/stockier than the dragons in paintings were. He wondered about the giant painting of a clown with numbers on it, but decided, again, to ask later.

His face lit up (making his burn twinge a bit) when he found the armory. There were a lot of high-tech weapons he couldn't name in there, but he ignored them. There was a set of weapons in there that he was very familiar with...

The two dao blades were longer than the ones he'd trained with under Piandao, but that was hardly a problem for him. He looked around, hoping no one would mind, before he entered a stance.

He'd loved training with Master Piandao. Unlike his other teachers, who all seemed to look for raw talent (and were disappointed that he had less than his sister), Piandao looked for potential. He never once raised his voice at Zuko or compared him to anyone else. He told him that what many fighters fail to realize is that creativity and adaptability were the most important parts of swordsmanship. What Zuko lacked in his sister's power or father's lack of empathy, he more than made up for in adaptability. Piandao had said as much to his father when Zuko's training was complete... not that Ozai had cared.

The thirteen-year-old shook off the memories and continued moving through katas, letting the muscle memory take over as he cleared his mind. When he completed a set, he started again, relishing in the sense of familiarity the movements gave him.

He didn't know he had an audience until someone spoke.

- - - -

Bruce was lucky that the morning meetings at Wayne Enterprises were brief; yet another reason he was glad Tim had largely taken over the company. It bettered his reputation as "Brucie Wayne", and gave him more time to work as Batman. 

At that moment, he needed time to focus on his newest charge.

People often made fun of his "orphan hoarding", but he couldn't help it. When he saw a child looking lost and scared... It brought back thoughts of that night. The memory of those same feelings in his eyes as he watched his mother's pearls fall to the ground...

Zuko wasn't an orphan, but he'd clearly been without true parents for too long. 

As he pulled his civilian car into the manor's drive, he grimaced at what the boy'd told him about his family.

His uncle, Iroh, was a fairly good man; Zuko spoke fondly of him. Most likely, he was the best parental figure Zuko had.

His mother, Ursa, was a fairly good mother, but her status as queen meant that she couldn't directly challenge her husband, nor was she able to protect her children from him. Bruce wasn't sure if her disappearance was her escaping for her own safety, her husband ordering her demise, or some combination of the two.

Bruce sighed in disgust at the thought of Zuko's younger sister. Azula was a prodigy who was spoiled rotten by her father's attention and had been given no consequences in her life. A combination of Golden Child syndrome, no parental discipline, and possible megalomania was not a good combination. 

And then there was Ozai himself...

If they ever found a way to travel from their world to Zuko's home world, Batman didn't want to think about what he would do to the Fire Lord.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. Until they found a way to go to the Fire Nation, Ozai couldn't be reached. Which meant that Zuko was safe from him.

Speaking of, Selina had texted him to let him know that their newest ward was exploring the Bat Cave (and that Damian would need a lecture later about not skipping school). 

Bruce went to his study and opened the clock, entering the Bat Cave. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he noticed traces of soot on the walls. 

Looks like someone's been firebending, he thought. This didn't concern him; he'd already told Zuko that a majority of the items in the Bat Cave were fireproof. So long as the boy trained his bending in more open spaces (like the center of the training room), then he was fine.

It only took a minute or two of searching before he heard barely audible grunts in the weapons vault. 

Moving on silent feet, Bruce walked in and found Zuko.

The boy had found a pair of dao swords, and was moving through a set of katas. 

Bruce withheld an impressed whistle as he watched; he hadn't mastered the dao until his mid twenties, and even then it wasn't his weapon of choice. 

Zuko completed the kata set, then started over.

"You're full of surprises."

The teen's body movement showed how startled he was, but he didn't jump, yell, or drop his swords. He merely froze mid-set, then turned around.

"I'm... I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to be in here."

He gently set down the blades and did a quick bow. Bruce bowed back, but had a small smile on his face.

"You don't have to apologize, I trust that you're old enough to know what not to touch. Besides, it's clear you're no stranger to the dao."

The boy's cheeks blushed and his uncovered eye went to the floor. He wasn't used to compliments. Another mark against Ozai.

Bruce walked over to the shelves of weapons, removing his blazer as he did so. He set the jacket on one of the shelves and pulled out a second set of swords.

"Spar with me?" He asked, brandishing his own dao.

Zuko seemed... Apprehensive. 

Bruce internally swore at himself; the last spar Zuko was in had resulted in a burned face. He shouldn't push him too--

"Yes."

The boy brandished his swords, ready for him.

Bruce started with simple moves, gauging his opponent's ability. He quickly moved on to more experienced ones, and ultimately stayed at expert level.

Zuko was good. A master, even. 

He was clearly focused on the spar. Which meant this might be a good time to get him to talk...

Bruce made an intentional error. A tiny one that could be mistaken for a simple lapse in judgment. Zuko fell for it and knocked one of his dao from his hands.

"You're good," Bruce commented. "Not a lot of people can disarm me."

"Master Piandao taught me to be adaptable in a fight," the boy replied. "Want to go again?"

"Why not?"

He picked up his dropped sword, and they began again.

"Master Piandao?" He asked as he blocked a thrust. 

"He's the best swordsman in the Fire Nation," Zuko explained as he parried to block Bruce's sword. "Father had me start studying under him to make me 'less of a failure'. Master Piandao said I was one of the best students he ever taught."

"High praise. Your father must have been proud."

Zuko paused, but returned to the fight in time to parry, then attempt a sweeping blow at Bruce. He blocked the blade with both dao, waiting for an answer.

"He just said it was time I was good at something. Then he never brought it up again. Uncle was proud, though. And I caught Azula trying to steal my swords, which usually means she's jealous that someone can do something she can't."

"Your father seems very... fond of Azula."

Zuko scoffed. "She's his favorite. Everyone knows it. She's a firebending prodigy; her abilities started showing when she was five. Most of the time, someone doesn't show signs of being a bender until they're eight. Father started favoring her the day she first bent; she burned a bunch of fire lilies because Mother said she had to go take a nap. Ever since then, she's been right by his side."

"...How does she treat you?"

"Azula always lies; you never know whether she's being honest until you have actual proof. She steals anything anyone else has, not caring what it is or how they feel about it. She burns anything that she doesn't like; she even set a teacher's pants on fire once because she thought his lesson was boring. And Father laughed with her."

They'd stopped fighting by then; Zuko had dropped the spar without realizing it. Bruce silently sheathed his dao.

"You wanted his approval, too. Didn't you?"

"More than anything. Mother always gave me love, Uncle, too. No matter what I did. But Father... You only got his love if you were good at something. So I tried... I tried everything. My firebending, swordsmanship, my studies, politics... That's why I sat in on that war meeting. But... Nothing was never enough. I was never enough... Father says Azula was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born."

A tear leaked out of Zuko's good eye, and a tiny damp spot on his bandage hinted that his other eye was weeping, too. The boy quickly wiped the tear away, turning his head so no one would see.

Bruce walked over. The teen slightly tensed as the man took the blades from his hands. But he froze completely when Bruce wrapped him in a hug.

"Forget everything that man ever told you. You're far more capable than he could see. You are enough, and you are worthy of love."

For a moment, Zuko was completely silent. Then a wet spot began to grow on Bruce's shoulder.

"I wanted him to see me. To treat me the way he treated Azula. Like I was worthy of being his family..."

"I've met some of the worst people humanity can offer. Even they don't deserve to be that monster's family."

He heard a small, watery snicker.

Bruce's face softened again.

"But if you want to be a part of a family, Zuko, an actual, loving family... You have one here."

Zuko froze, then released himself from the hug. He looked Bruce in the eyes, searching for any sign of deception.

When he saw none, he nearly broke down again.

"I... I'd like that. If you'll have me."

"You were a part of this family the minute you woke up here."

"Ha ha, finally!"

The two of them, surprised turned to see Stephanie and Tim standing in the doorway. Tim was grinning while Stephanie was fuming.

"How long have you two been standing there?" Bruce gave them a look while Zuko seemed confused.

"Long enough," Tim chirped.

As they watched, Stephanie handed Tim twenty dollars before giving Zuko a much kinder look.

"Welcome to the family."

Chapter Text

Once Alfred and Bruce had fully walked Zuko through what an adoption would mean, he was... shocked, to say the least.

On one hand, being adopted meant he'd have to leave the Fire Nation behind. But after his spar/talk with Bruce... Was there anything for him to truly return to? His father and sister tortured him, his cousin was dead, his mother likely wasn't coming back, he'd been stripped of his right to the throne...

He'd miss his Uncle Iroh, of course, but he couldn't deny that his uncle would want Zuko safe and happy above all else.

Most shocking of all was the revelation that when he was adopted, Wayne Manor would be his home. Gotham would be his city (even if he hadn't seen much of it yet). All of the Bat kids would be his brothers and sisters. 

But the most unbelievable was the fact that, when Bruce finalized the papers, it would be his way of saying that he considered Zuko his son.

That he wanted to be Zuko's father.

He'd never heard Ozai say anything about wanting to be a father.

He knew that, since the two were married, this would also mean that Selina would be his parent as well. That... made him uneasy. He liked Selina a lot; she was kind, strong, protective... 

But he still had a mother out there. Somewhere. Even if he wanted Selina as a mother (and he was sure she'd be a great one)... It would feel too much like he was giving up on Ursa. He couldn't do that. He never would.

"Zuko?"

The boy snapped back to attention, shaking his head.

"Sorry, what was that?"

Bruce gave him a look. There was no anger behind it, but it told Zuko to pay attention.

"I asked if you could repeat back the story we came up with. In case someone asks questions."

Right. In order to live in Gotham, he'd have to be able to explain who Zuko Lahib was, where he came from, how Bruce found him, and how he got his burn (which Alfred said needed to remain bandaged until Doctor Thompkins could look at it).

Zuko took a breath to calm himself. Bruce straightened, looking the boy in the eye. They had to make sure he could do this perfectly, and not slip in public.

"What's your name?" The man began.

"Zuko Lahib." Bruce told him he could change his last name to Wayne if he wanted, but Zuko decided to stick with his newly-acquired last name for a while.

"Why is Bruce Wayne adopting you?"

"I was raised by my father, Oscar Lahib, in an apartment building's basement. Oscar was a mentally ill man who believed he was king of the world. He was mentally and physically abusive to me, keeping me from all forms of modern technology and forcing me to read and write in kanji so I couldn't read any book he didn't want me to see. One day I woke up and Oscar had died in his sleep; the doctors say he overdosed on expired cough medicine. I went outside, and a pedestrian on the street saw me. She called the police, who took me to Child Services. Bruce Wayne heard about what happened and wanted to help. When he saw that I didn't have anyone else, he offered to take me in."

"Where did all that happen?"

"I can't say; the investigation is still going on."

"How old are you?"

"Thirteen."

"When's your birthday?"

"March first."

Zuko's birthday was actually the first day of spring, but his world's calendar wasn't the same as Earth's. So he and Bruce had to estimate when his birthday was on the Gregorian calendar.

Bruce looked reluctant to ask the next question, but they both knew he'd be asked sooner or later.

"How did you get that burn on your face?"

"My father told me I disrespected him, and insisted I fight him. When I refused, he burned me."

"Do you have any other family?"

"My mother disappeared a long time ago."

He took a deep breath and looked away, his breathing getting heavier. Somehow, the true parts of the story made him sadder than the lies.

"...Okay, Zuko, good job." Bruce waited until Zuko looked at him before putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Alfred came down at that minute. "Master Bruce, sir, Mister Barry Allan is upstairs. He dropped by because he said there was some urgent news about a case you may want to hear."

"Understood. Zuko, are you alright by yourself until dinner?"

"Yes."

With that settled, Bruce went upstairs. Alfred turned to him, wearing a gentle smile.

"Dinner won't be for an hour, sir. Why don't you take that time to further explore the house? I notice that you haven't seen too much of it."

Zuko had been wondering what the rest of the place looked like...

- - - -

Despite the Fire Nation's palace being much bigger than Wayne Manor, Zuko hadn't known the building's entire layout. Azula had made a habit of exploring when she was younger and bragged about knowing every nook and cranny, but Zuko had trouble believing that (his little sister often told lies to sound impressive).

Still, knowing that he had permission to learn the house's layout was more than a little liberating. Back home, he'd been banned from entering certain parts of the palace due to either government business or the orders of the Fire Lord.

Even as he walked the manor's halls, he kept expecting a royal guard to appear and tell him he wasn't allowed in a room.

He'd been exploring for ten minutes by then. Some rooms had fairly obvious purposes: he found several bathrooms, studies, an art room, and what was either a dancing studio or a training room. Others, though, left him confused: what was the room with all the seats and a large screen on the wall?

Zuko was making his way through the hall with everyone's bedrooms when he paused. Music was coming from one of the bedrooms, and the door was open.

The music was... different from what he heard in the Fire Nation. There weren't any tsungi horns or ash zithers. Instead he heard gentle drumming, flutes, and string instruments that he couldn't identify. While it was different, it was beautiful... Even calming.

He peered into the room. Cassandra was dancing to the music (which was playing from her smartphone). Her dancing wasn't like the ritualistic dances done at Agni Festivals; that was very rehearsed and traditional. Her dancing was spontaneous, fluid, and passionate. He suddenly remembered her off-handedly mentioning doing something called "ballay" at dinner. Was this it?

She did a twirling move and noticed Zuko in the doorway.

He blushed. "Sorry, Cassandra. I'll go..."

She stopped him, pausing the music. 

"Come. Talk. Please?"

He paused, then nodded and hesitantly walked in.

"No be nervous. Friends. Yes?"

He was still a bit put off by how she talked. According to Duke, Cassandra had been raised without speech for most of her childhood. She'd only recently learned how to talk, which was why she often spoke in short, odd-sounding sentences.

"Yes, we're friends," Zuko agreed.

He couldn't help gazing curiously around her room. It was a far cry from Azula's room back home in the Fire Nation. Much like him, Azula had been barred from keeping too many "useless items" in her room: she was only allowed to keep what was necessary. 

Cassandra's room was full of things that seemed to have no meaning. The left side of the room was mostly bare, which Zuko assumed was so she had room to practice dancing. A large bed was against the back wall, covered by a fluffy black duvet. A menagerie of stuffed animals (he saw various plush bats, birds, cats, and others) was pushed against the pillows. The walls were covered in posters for what he assumed were ballet companies and theater productions: he couldn't read the print, yet, but he could see pictures of dancers in frilly dresses and actors in costumes.

The fifteen-year-old sat on the edge of the bed and motioned for him to sit next to her. Having never really talked to her before, Zuko sat down.

He didn't like to admit it, but he'd never been very good with people his own age. Mai and Ty Lee were allowed over whenever Azula wanted, but they were mainly Azula's friends (and helped her make fun of him whenever the princess wanted). He'd tried to make friends at the Royal Fire Academy for Boys, but his status as the prince either brought people who wanted to ask him for favors or scared people away. After his father pulled him from the Academy, he spent most of his time with adults. Talking to other kids was... not a skill he'd developed.

Cassandra seemed to sense that he was nervous, and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Scared?"

"No, I just..." He couldn't think of what to say.

"Dick say like theater."

"Yes, my family used to go see Love Amongst the Dragons every year. Mother loved the play, but I always thought the players butchered it."

"What play about?"

Remembering what Dick had said about the play not existing there, Zuko found himself telling Cassandra the story of the Dragon Emperor. He'd only just finished the story when he realized what Cassandra had done: by talking about something he liked and was passionate about, she'd gotten him to calm down.

He'd have to remember that trick...

"Sounds like good play," Cassandra replied. Her eyes turned sad. "You happy? Staying here?"

Zuko let out a slow breath.

"My father... My father made it clear that he hates me. No good father would ever burn his son's face. Bruce helped me see that. Azula probably won't care if I never show up again; she's got plenty of other people to bully. Uncle might miss me, but..."

He was cut off by Cassandra hugging him.

"So sorry. Had bad father, too. Make me sad. But happy now. You can be happy. Want to be happy?"

It took him a second to decipher what she was trying to say, but he nodded.

"Yes, I want to try and be happy."

"You can be. Here. We all help. All sad before. All had bad parents. Or dead parents. But Bruce help us. Make us happy. He help you, too."

"Yeah, that's what Dick said..."

She let him out of the hug, letting him brush away the tear that leaked down his face. Hoping to think of anything else to talk about, his eye landed on her stuffed animals.

"Bruce lets you have those?" He said without thinking.

"Yes. Like them... Why Bruce not let?"

"Well, Mother let me have toys when I was younger. But when I turned ten, Father told me that a prince should be a man, and that men don't keep soft or silly things. So he burned my stuffed animals. He made me watch, and yelled at me when I cried."

Cassandra's face was twisted in shock, horror and outrage. 

"Azula, too?" She asked, her voice tight.

"He didn't have to burn hers. Any time someone gave her a toy, she burned it. I guess she wanted to beat Father to it..."

Before he could say anything else, Cassandra was in front of him.

"Ozai wrong. That bad. Me? Love stuffed animals. Bruce lets me have. First father not let. I can have now. Because they feel happy. Feel safe. You allowed happiness. You allowed safety. Ozai... Ozai wrong and bad. You better than him. You allowed be happy. Understand?"

Once again, it took him a moment to decipher what she was saying. But he got the message. 

"You're saying I'm allowed to have things that make me happy simply because they make me happy? That father shouldn't decide what I like?"

"Yes." She gave a firm nod.

Zuko looked at his feet, contemplating things. 

He'd... He'd never realized how much control Ozai had over his life. What he kept in his room, who he talked to, what he studied... How much choice had Zuko even had in his own life?

Before the conversation could go further, Alfred began calling people to the dining room. Zuko followed a determined-looking Cassandra out, trying to look like he hadn't been crying. 

Food. Food would take his mind off of things. After Zuko said his favorite food was shrimp, Alfred had said he was making shrimp stir fry for dinner. And the family had asked to see a firebending demonstration after. 

Maybe those things would help him forget about his father. After all, he had a brand new family now. Ozai didn't warrant thinking about.

- - - -

Dick was just heading down to join the others for dinner when Cassandra caught him by the arm.

"Need help getting something..."

Chapter Text

It had been three days now since Prince Zuko's failed Agni Kai.

Once he was cleared to leave the healing chambers, Fire Lord Ozai had told the boy that the only chance he had to redeem himself would be to find and capture the Avatar. Then, to further humiliate him, he had him shave off a majority of his hair into a phoenix tail. Iroh had winced as his nephew's hair fell to the floor; the phoenix tail was a notoriously hideous hairstyle worn only by the dishonored. The only way Ozai could have punished Zuko further would have been if he'd ordered the boy's hair cut off entirely. 

Zuko left to begin his mission in one week; the boy had gone out to arrange for a ship. Iroh was already planning to join him. His nephew did not deserve anything that had happened to him, and the general knew he'd need a friend.

But before he left, he had to clarify what had happened to the rest of the Fire Sages. He had to make sure no one else went near the waterfall. 

"Prince Iroh?"

The general set down his tea as Rekka and three other Fire Sages entered the war room. Rekka made sure to shut and lock the door behind them.

"We could not all leave the High Temple without arousing suspicion," he explained. 

"But Rekka has told us that this is important," another Sage, Akari, continued. "We will spread this information to the rest of the Sages upon our return. But I promise, Prince Iroh, the information will not leave the Temple."

"Very good. I trust you are all aware of the waterfall beneath the palace?"

Minus Rekka, the other Sages all stiffened.

They were completely silent while Iroh told the story of what Rekka had done. Rento, another Sage, gave his fellow Sage a dirty look.

"You know as well as any of us why that place is forbidden!"

"Do not attack him, please," Iroh intervened. "He was only trying to help a boy who was injured by his own father."

The memory of why Prince Zuko needed help in the first place silenced the Sages. While no one was defending Zuko out loud, it was an open secret that many in the Fire Nation capital found Ozai's punishment of Zuko... extreme, to say the least.

"Hold on," Akari spoke up. "How could Zuko have gone through the waterfall? We all saw the prince in front of the Fire Lord just a few hours ago."

"That confused me as well," Iroh continued. "Rekka and I both spent some time exploring the Dragonbone Catacombs. It took a while, but we managed to find the scroll Roku wrote describing the waterfall's true purpose."

The Sages were all silent, listening.

"It seems that the waterfall can sense what a person truly needs. If it feels that those needs can be better met in another world, it will transport them there. However, it does not have the power to suck a person out of their world. Instead, it makes a perfect copy of them: their mind, body, and soul. The original is sent to another world, while the other stays and lives out their life in their world. They often have no memory of being sucked into the waterfall at all."

"So, the prince..." Rento asked, his eyes wide in horror. "He's not the real Zuko?"

"No," the third Sage, Tomo, cut in. "I remember reading from those scrolls. The waterfall creates a copy of EVERYTHING a person is: soul, chi, mind, memories, body, everything. Such a duplication is so complete, no one would ever be able to tell one from the other. I doubt even Agni himself would be able to tell the difference between them."

"Meaning that we do, still, have Prince Zuko," Iroh finished. "But there is another Prince Zuko lost on another world."

The men's faces all turned grim.

"What will you do, Prince Iroh?" Rekka asked.

"I told Prince Zuko that I would accompany him on his quest to find the Avatar; it's the least I can do for him. But before I leave, I will try to find the other Zuko through meditation... Might I use the meditation room in your temple?"

Akari bowed. "Of course, do so whenever you like."

Iroh bowed in thanks. He reminded his guests to tell no one what they'd learned but the other Sages, then saw them out of his chambers.

He thought he heard a creak in the wall as he followed them out, but dismissed it.

There were only a few more days until the Avatar hunt began; Iroh would need to try and reach his other nephew. Fast.

- - - -

Azula was so glad she'd picked up the habit of exploring the palace when she was six. Sneaking around had always scared Zuko (he was always afraid of getting caught), but she'd loved it. She knew all of the best hiding places in the palace, places even the guards didn't know about.

Which was how she'd known just where to hide to listen in on her uncle's clandestine "secret meeting". 

She fumed when she learned what the meeting was about. 

Of all the people to be sent to a mystical other world, it was Zuko? 

The eleven-year-old pouted as she crawled out from the wall. It didn't matter to her if there was still technically a Zuko for her to bully or for Father to torture. It was bad enough that the double would be sailing the world on a pointless quest.

That punishment wouldn't be as fun knowing that a copy of him was somewhere far away, enjoying a magical realm...

She paused, then got a grin.

If Zuko was in another dimension, than he'd need another Azula to keep him in line.

Looks like she'd need to find that waterfall herself...

- - - -

It was the middle of the night after a full day of stalking and interrogating Sages, but she'd found it.

Princess Azula stood in front of the mystic waterfall.

She stared at if for a moment, admittedly a bit impressed. While she couldn't understand why her great-grandfather would have used inferior waterbending to make something like this (let alone bless it), she had to admit that it was a beautiful sight. 

Maybe, when she inevitably became Fire Lord, she'd leave this part of the palace untouched.

She was still torching her uncle's tea garden, though.

That settled, the eleven-year-old took a step forward.

"Listen up. I don't know if you can understand me, but if you can, I have a request. I know from the Fire Sage's scrolls that you can grant people what they want. Well I want to go where Zuko went. But more importantly, I want to go somewhere where people as powerful and cunning as I am are given our due respect. Send me somewhere where I never have to see the likes of Zuko again. Send me somewhere people will fear me!"

She had no way of knowing if the waterfall could hear her, and she didn't care. She'd gotten her point across.

Without hesitation, she stuck out a finger and touched the waterfall.

The second she touched the water, she felt a massive pulling sensation. Before she knew what was happening, she was sucked through the waterfall. 

Suddenly she was in a dark space, floating as though underwater. But... She could still breath. Her hair and clothes weren't wet, her lipstick wasn't even smeared.

In front of her was a sort of window, the size of the waterfall. Through it, she could see...

Her eyes widened in shock.

She could see herself. She was staring indifferently at the waterfall before shrugging and walking away.

And then... 

She was falling.

Azula screamed, swore, shot fire and lightning as she fell. But nothing helped. No one heard.

For the first time in a long time, she was afraid.

It felt like either minutes or weeks had passed when she finally stopped falling.

And smacked onto cold concrete.

She groaned as she slowly stood up. She checked herself, but thankfully nothing was broken. Her chi was unblocked.

She could move, she could bend... She could fight.

Which was a good thing, because no sooner had she stood up did she hear a lot of yelling men.

"Unknown in the courtyard! Possible meta! Surround and contain!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Confused, she looked around to see numerous men in heavy, thick armor surround her. They were all carrying thick, metal items she couldn't identify. They looked like weapons, and they were all pointed at her.

She tried not to smile; did they really think they could defeat her with weird-looking clubs?

Before she could talk or firebend her way out, two of the armored men stepped aside.

A short woman with a scowl on her face walked between them, her eyes on the girl. She wore a purple cardigan over a black dress with a pearl necklace, her black curly hair kept in an immaculate short cut. 

"Who are you, little girl?" She barked. "And how did you get into Belle Reve?"

"You don't know who I am?" Azula asked with a smirk and her usual confidence. "I knew the regions outside the Fire Nation were ignorant, but really."

The woman wasn't impressed. The scowl turned into a glare.

"I'll repeat myself. Who are you and how did you get into Belle Reve undetected?"

"I'll tell you who I am if you tell me who you are," the eleven-year-old fired back.

The woman gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Amanda Waller, Director of A.R.G.U.S., leader of Task Force X. Now I'll ask one more time, who are you and how did you get in here?"

"Princess Azula," she said with pride. "And I just dropped in."

The woman's glare became even more scathing. The guards surrounding them seemed just as fed up.

"What a brat," one of them whispered to the other.

Azula's temper rose, and she glared at the offending guard. No one got away with insulting her!

"How dare you!"

She shot a small fire ball at the man. She missed on purpose, just to show him she meant business.

There, she thought, grinning in triumph. Now he'll fall to my feet begging for forgiveness, and they'll all give me the respect I dese--

Her thoughts were interrupted as she was tackled to the ground. Her arms were forced behind her as she struggled, and chains were locked around her wrists. She tried to kick her legs, but they were chained, too.

"How dare you!" She repeated, hiding her fear with anger. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

Amanda Waller just gave her an unimpressed look.

"Young lady, it's clear you have no idea who I am. Let alone where you are. Otherwise, you would have known better than to piss me off."

"Should we take her to a cell?" One of the guards asked as Azula was hauled to her feet.

She paused for a second, then shook her head.

"No, bring her in for questioning."

- - - -

She scowled at her surroundings. 

After being questioned for over two hours, she'd been shoved into a room. There she'd been forced to change out of her royal finery into ugly orange clothes, fed a disgusting meal (no spice at all!), and led to a different room.

It was obviously a prison cell: the only decor was a small rickety bed, a sink, a toilet, a window two small for even a messenger hawk to get through, and an odd black screen set into the wall.

She growled as she messed with the collar on her neck; she'd been told that if she tried to shoot fire at anyone else, the collar would grow unbearably cold. It seemed they already knew that firebenders hated chilly temperatures...

Azula growled in frustration as she sat on the bed.

She could at least comfort herself with the thought that, no matter where she was, Zuko probably had it far worse...

Chapter Text

"Just follow the light, now..."

Zuko did as Doctor Thompkins instructed, following the light with his eyes. After the bandages on his face came off, the vision in his left eye had been slightly blurry. The doctor assured him that was just a symptom of it being covered for a few days, and that it would go away the more he used his eye.

So far, he was impressed with the doctor. She'd been calm when told Zuko came from another world, that he could firebend, and that he was Bruce's newest adoptee. The closest she'd come to a reaction was when she was told how Zuko got his burn. She'd clenched her lips and looked briefly murderous, but the look disappeared when she turned to actually meet Zuko.

"Alright." The doctor put away the light on a stick and pulled out a small bottle. "Do you know what eye drops are?"

"No."

"It's a special liquid that doctors put in people's eyes to test various things, usually to look for signs of disease or lack of function. Today, though, I'm going to use these to make sure your left tear duct--that's the organ in your face that allows for tears--to function."

He nodded, albeit with visible discomfort. With gentle fingertips, she pried open his left eye and let a few drops fall from the bottle. He hissed in pain when they hit, wrenching away and closing his eye (with the doctor stepping back). The pain stopped after a second, although tears were flowing from his left eye and down his face.

"Any pain?" The doctor asked.

"Not anymore."

"Good, that means your tear duct is still functional."

After the tears stopped, she showed him what his face now looked like. The cream created by a member of the Justice League (a group of heroes Bruce worked with) had sped up the healing process... Honestly, the burn scars looked better than he'd expected them to. But it was still a scar, and it covered almost half of his face.

"...It's not as bad as I thought it would be..." Zuko began.

"I know this is likely difficult to process," Doctor Thompkins said with sympathy. "But believe me when I say that I've seen plenty of people with burns like that."

"Really?"

"Yes. Even if you're the only firebender in Gotham, fires still happen fairly often. I've seen victims of accidents, firemen caught in explosions, the occasional person who puts the wrong thing in the microwave..."

She shook her head and gave him a small smile. "Needless to say, there's no one in the world better equipped to help you than Bruce. It will take time, but you'll be able to adjust, physically and mentally, to the presence of your scar. I'll leave a care list for you and Alfred to follow... Has Bruce talked about getting you to speak with a therapist?"

"He said he'd do it after he announced my adoption next week."

"Alright. Tell him I'd suggest you see Harley Quinn. While it's not like me to recommend people to unlicensed practicioners, that lady's especially good with people who've been abused..."

Zuko tried not to flinch at the last word, but the doctor still saw his discomfort.

She gave him a sweet smile.

"Hey, remember that your past doesn't define you. Your the only one who gets to decide who you want to be. Whoever that Fire King is, he can't touch you anymore. Understand?"

He tried not to cry as he nodded.

With the appointment finished, Doctor Thompkins saw herself out of the Bat Cave.

He didn't know if it was because he knew his face was permanently scarred, because of the doctor's words, or the reminder of what he'd gone through, but he didn't want to talk to Bruce or Alfred right then. He went to the elevator (the doctor had taken the stairs) and exited through the clock. Lucky for him, Bruce's study was empty at that moment. He walked right through it, then out into the hall. 

Finally, he found a quiet hallway in one of the manor's upper levels. Not knowing what else to do, he leaned against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor.

Alfred had brought him several recently-bought outfits that morning; since he wouldn't be needing anything fancy anytime soon, the outfits were mostly hoodies, t-shirts, jeans, socks, and sneakers. The new clothes had felt odd compared to the Fire Nation finery he was used to, but it hadn't taken him long to get used to the new outfits. At that moment, he was most grateful for the hoods on his sweatshirts.

He undid his ponytail, letting his long hair fall free before he pulled the hood of his dark blue sweatshirt up.

Maybe those things combined would help hide him better...

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there, but he must have dozed off. When he awoke, the hall windows were darker, and someone was calling his name.

"Zuko?"

He looked up and saw Selina enter the hallway. She gave a small sigh of relief when she saw him.

"There you are... You disappeared after your doctor's appointment. We were worried."

Zuko said nothing. He just pulled his knees to his chest and buried his head in his arms. 

I upset every family I'm a part of...

"Zuko?" Selina was sitting next to him now, concern in her voice. "Are you okay?"

"...No."

"...May I touch you?"

He paused, then looked up and gave a shaky nod.

Moving slowly, she pinched his hood with two fingers and pulled it back. Then, with a gentle hand, she pushed his hair out of his face, revealing his scar.

He waited for the disgust, the fear, the pity...

But all he saw was understanding.

"There you are," she murmured.

"You don't... I mean... It doesn't upset you?"

"I saw your burn when it was still fresh, remember?"

He winced; he'd practically forgotten that part. 

"Zuko, sweetie? Did something happen?"

Her voice... There was so much gentleness, kindness... He hadn't heard a voice like that in two years.

Something inside him cracked, and it was like a dam broke.

"I didn't want to admit it, but... My father hated me. I always thought that maybe, just maybe, I could be a prince he'd be proud of. That I still had a chance to earn his love. But then, when he burned me..."

He took a shaky breath, but that did nothing to stop the tears running down his face.

"I like it here, I like all of you. You've been so kind, but... All I ever wanted was for him to love me. I know now that'll never happen, but... But how do you take something you wanted your whole life and just let it go?"

She didn't answer. She wrapped him in a hug, and put her chin on top of his head.

He forgot everything his father had told him about crying in front of another person. He let go, sobbing into her sleeves like he'd never stop. She never told him to shush; she just pet his hair like he was one of her cats, quietly telling him that he was okay and that he was safe.

When he finally started sniffling instead of sobbing, she began speaking again.

"You might not believe this, Zuko, but I get it. Every child deserves to have a parent who loves them, and you're no different. I know it's hard to let go of feelings you've had for a long time; I've had to let go of a lot of bad feelings, myself. So has Bruce."

"What happened to Bruce?"

She took a deep breath. "He should be the one to tell you the full story, but Bruce's parents died when he was eight years old."

Zuko froze, untangling himself from the hug, looked her in the eyes.

"He'll talk to you about it when he's ready," Selina explained without prompting. "All I'm trying to say is that everyone in this family knows about moving on from trauma. You're not alone; we all want to help you, and we all will."

"...You promise?"

"Promise."

He let out a breath, one that he felt like he'd been holding forever. He hadn't felt this safe since...

Since Ursa had been in his life.

"I've... I've been worried..."

"About what?"

"About what Mother would think of me being here... and being part... of..."

"Part of another family?"

He nodded, his eyes on his blue sneakers. 

"Did your mother want you happy?"

He looked up, confused.

"Of course."

"Did she love you? Care about your safety?"

"We were her whole world. She said so."

Though that didn't explain why she left...

"If she loved you that much, then don't you think she'd want you to be safe, happy, and loved above all else?"

He started slowly nodding. If it meant protecting him and Azula, Ursa would have gone to the Spirit World and back.

"Then I think she'd be happy to know you're here."

"Even though I earned... this?"

He pointed at his scar.

"You did not earn that. Ozai never should have done it, no matter what excuse he used."

She put both of her hands on his face, using her thumbs to gently brush away the tears.

"Zuko, do you know what a scar is? It's proof that you were stronger than what hurt you. That you can live your life, in spite of what Ozai tried to do."

"...He never did seem to like it when I was happy..."

"Forget what others might think about it. Everyone in this family cares about you, and we're not going to let you go through this alone. Okay?"

"...Okay."

She stood up, and he followed her example.

Only, before she could walk away, he grabbed her in a hug.

He couldn't resist; he hadn't gotten a lot of hugs in the last two years.

The surprised Selina quickly recovered and hugged him back.

- - - -

Zuko wasn't sure how the rest of the Bat kids would react to seeing his scar (he ended up leaving his hair down to better hide it).

Jason took one look at him and, instead of saying or doing anything about it, declared that it was a Mario night.

The thirteen-year-old had no idea what he was talking about, but it meant that everyone focused on their food (something called pot roast) instead of his scar, so he was all for it.

That was the night he learned about video games. Because of his overall inexperience (something Tim and Dick decided they would fix as soon as possible), Zuko simply watched his siblings play.

He quickly found that more entertaining than the game itself.

"Eat my dust, dirtbags!" Dick yelled as his character (a mustached man in a red hat) got in first place.

"Kiss this, suckas!" Stephanie yelled as her character, a blonde woman in a princess dress, shoved Dick's character out of the way.

"And you people call me immature," Damian grumbled. He then screamed like a banshee wolf when his character, a large creature that looked like a lion turtle, was shoved off a bridge.

"Oops," Cassandra smirked as her character, a yellow turtle-like creature, got into Damain's position.

"Victory is mine!" Jason yelled as he threw a blue tortoiseshell at Stephanie's character.

She swore loudly and stuck her tongue out at Jason.

"You sure?" Duke smirked.

As they watched, his character (a living mushroom) hit one of the odd glowing boxes. A black rocket was strapped to his character, taking him to the front of the group just as he crossed the finish line.

Several people yelled "NO!" while Jason swore loudly. Cassandra gave Duke a glare.

"Ghost vision?" She asked.

Duke shrugged.

Cassandra glanced at her siblings before returning her eyes to Duke.

"Get him."

The only other meta in the room (Zuko found that he liked the term better than "bender") quickly disappeared. But he couldn't hide the sound of his running feet.

Even though he hadn't lost the video game, Zuko still joined in the chase to find Duke.

For the next hour, he forgot his scar was ever there.

Chapter Text

Selina's words had helped. For the first night since he'd arrived (had it really only been four days?), he went to bed and slept soundly.

Like Dick had said, Alfred had helped him decorate his room. The walls were now a royal blue (Alfred had some blue wallpaper on hand, and with some hired help the room was ready in a few hours). An artist online had created a Fire Nation flag, which now hung on the wall. A small sakura tree (a gift from someone named Poison Ivy) sat in the corner, with a mat underneath to protect the floor. A half dozen candles sat on the desk, allowing him to finally meditate. 

Even as the sun started to dip lower (something he felt rather than saw), he kept calm by focusing on the candles in front of him. Most of them were unscented, but Cassandra had sneaked in a few scented ones when Alfred put them on his desk. He didn't mind; she'd somehow known ahead of time that he preferred spicier scents. Sometimes he'd light a scented one to use alongside the normal ones in his meditation, just to further calm him. The one he'd lit this time was cinnamon scented.

As he breathed, clearing his mind of anxiety and rage, the candle flames grew and shrank. He had a few things to be anxious about, still (What was going on in the Fire Nation? Was Father mad that he'd disappeared? Was Uncle worried?). But... Something weird had happened to his firebending.

After his talk with Selina, he'd felt a lot better than he had in a while. He wasn't as angry: his father would never see him again, he knew what Ozai had done was wrong, he had a loving family that wanted/loved/helped him... He hadn't felt so peaceful in a long time.

But that meant that he had no rage or hatred to fuel his firebending. When he tried to do a few fire fists in the Bat Cave earlier that day, he hadn't been able to produce more than a tiny flame. He'd tried for a while, going through every move Uncle and his firebending master had taught him, even the advanced ones that Azula mastered when she was eight (though Zuko had finally managed them at ten). But each one brought nothing but a few sparks (a tiny flame burst, at most).

He'd debated asking Bruce about it, but had decided against it at the last second. Bruce was smart, but he admitted to knowing nothing about firebending. He wished he could talk to Uncle Iroh, but that was impossible. He'd wound up lighting a few candles (he still had enough firebending to do that at least) and meditating to calm himself down.

Even if he couldn't create too much fire right then, an anxious firebender was NEVER a good thing...

"Having fun there?"

He looked up to see Stephanie standing in the door.

Zuko... wasn't sure where he stood with Stephanie. He and Cassandra got along great, but that was partially because her personality was the opposite of Azula's: she was quiet, modest, and friendly.

Stephanie, on the other hand, reminded him a LOT of Azula. She was a trickster, she was very studious, her gold hair reminded him of his sister's gold eyes...

He knew it wasn't fair of him to compare her to Azula when he barely knew her, but... Scars ran deep.

The firebender held his breath, extinguishing the candles, before he turned back to the door.

"Jason and I are hanging out in the Bat Cave. Wanna come?"

He hesitated, then nodded.

While he hadn't voiced it to anyone, Jason reminded him heavily of his father. The bluntness, the insults (even if they were casual and said with affection), the anger... 

Still, he knew that Jason was not Ozai. The sheer anger that he showed when he learned how Zuko got his burn... Ozai would never show such anger on someone else's behalf. 

If he wanted to completely separate the two in his mind, then he'd need to spend time with him.

Stephanie led him down to the clock entrance, and then they rode the elevator down. Jason was already waiting for them, a few bags of snacks and some kind of game set up on a table.

"Are you serious, Jace?" The blonde scowled. "Battleship again?"

"I'm gonna beat you one of these days!" He smirked back at her before turning his attention to Zuko. "Hey, kid. Hungry?"

"A little."

Dinner had been a while ago, something called French onion soup with salad and rolls. He'd eaten the salad and rolls, but hadn't been able to take more than a few bites of soup; it reminded him of Ozai's favorite soup. It was prepared for the Fire Lord at the table, and served to him first before anyone else. Zuko had never been fond of it, though he ate it to be polite (he'd get criticized if he rejected food). Now that it reminded him of his father, he could say that he hated beef soup.

"Here."

Jason tossed a small pink chip bag to Zuko. He caught it at the last second, and looked at the package after recovering. The label contained both English letters (which he was starting to understand thanks to some tutoring from Bruce) and kanji. He read the kanji first, then looked at Jason with confusion.

"Shrimp chips?"

"Extra spicy. You told us about shrimp fire flakes, remember? We don't have those here, but we do have shrimp chips. Thought we'd try and find you a substitute."

Curious, Zuko opened the bag, pulled one of the chips out, and popped it in his mouth.

And his eyes widened. 

The texture was different, as was the size of the food, but... It tasted exactly like fire flakes!

His pleasure clearly showed on his face, because Jason smirked.

"Good, huh?"

He nodded, swallowing before speaking.

"They taste just like fire flakes. Even better since my mouth isn't on fire."

Stephanie started to laugh, then stopped when she saw he was serious.

"Wait, really? That happened?"

"Only if you eat the low-quality ones. That only happened to me once when Mother took Azula and I to see a play at Ember Island. We stopped by a food stand, and... Well, thankfully I was fine. Azula laughed at me."

"Wow," Jason commented. "And I thought it was bad when my dad used to yell at my mom for getting high."

"...Did she climb on a ladder?" Zuko asked, confused.

The other two looked at him with confusion before it clicked.

"Right, other world," Jason muttered.

"'Getting high' is a slang term," Stephanie explained. "It refers to taking drugs."

"Oh," Zuko nodded, eyes widening.

He'd been somewhat sheltered due to his life in the palace, but even he knew about what some plants could do to the mind. Uncle had told him that the Fire Sages sometimes drank juice from a special desert cactus to open their mind... and that they had to be careful to not take more than a few sips, otherwise the juice would cause wild hallucinations and odd behavior.

"Yeah," Jason continued speaking. "My mom was addicted to this drug called meth. She couldn't get enough of it, sometimes she'd even forgo sleep or food so she could get high. Which meant we almost never had groceries. It was still better than when I got thrown on the street, though..."

Zuko was staring at him with shock and sympathy, the empty shrimp chip bag crumpling in his fist.

"I know it might seem hard to believe," Stephanie spoke up, "but we both kind of know what you're going through."

"What do you mean?" He asked as he sat at the table with them.

"Did Tim or Barbara go over Gotham's Rogues with you?"

"Tim said he'd do it, but he has a meeting to go to."

"Okay, well... There's one on there named Cluemaster. He's my father."

"...Oh."

"Cluemaster has done a lot of bad things. Robbed places, killed people... He was terrible to my mom and I. Thanks to Bruce paying my college tuition, I finally managed to get away from both of them, but..."

She sighed. "Let's just say I know what it's like to have a terrible person as a father."

"Same." Jason pointed to a white streak in his hair. "You're not the only one whose parents scarred him."

"Your parents turned your hair white?"

"I wish. Turns out the woman I lived with, who died of an overdose while I was in middle school, was my stepmother. I found my real mom when I was fifteen... And then she sold me out to the Joker, who killed me."

Zuko stared at him in shock, and had to fight the urge to back away. "Are you... a spirit?"

Jason seemed to realize he was scaring him, and took a few deep breaths before he spoke again.

"No, I'm not. There's this group of people called the League of Assassins; they and Ras al Ghul are on the list of 'Things We Don't Talk About Unless We Have To'. Got it?"

He nodded.

"Anyway, they dug me out of my grave and chucked me into the Lazarus Pit. That's an ancient lake of green sludge that can de-age an old person and bring a dead one back to life. But... It comes at a cost..."

He was staring murderously at the table and was clenching a bag of chips so tightly that its contents were crushed. Zuko wasn't brave enough to ask what that cost was.

"Jason's still a person, and he's as human and alive as any of us," Stephanie cut in, both to assuage Zuko's rising fears and calm Jason down. "He's just... really hurt by what happened to him."

"Pissed off it more like it..." the young man snarked. But he did visibly calm down.

"All we're trying to say," the blonde went on, "is that you're not alone, Zuko. Everyone in the family has trauma, and some of it is... really messed up."

"Dick and Cassandra told me about their pasts," Zuko admitted. "Not everything, but..."

The other two nodded. Jason opened an un-crushed bag of chips as he started to speak again.

"We just wanted to let you know that, even though your piece of crap father never should have done what he did-- and I will beat up that prick if I ever meet him-- we know what it's like to have trauma. And we'll stand by you as you work through it, however long it takes."

"...Thank you," Zuko responded, finally starting to smile a bit. Then it disappeared. "I... I think there's something wrong with me."

"What do you mean?" Stephanie asked, eyebrows knitted with concern.

"I... I can't firebend. Not like I could when I first got here."

"So you're having... performance issues?" Jason asked, smirking. Stephanie frowned and threw a chip at him, but he saw her mouth twitch.

Confused, Zuko continued.

"Yeah, I guess. See, I was always taught that firebending comes from negative emotions. Rage, and hatred. For the longest time, I had to use my anger and hatred at myself, because I couldn't be the prince my father wanted. But now... I don't feel that way anymore."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Steph asked.

"It is. I feel so much better about myself, and... everything. But now I don't have a way to fuel my firebending."

Jason winced as he pulled a chip out of the bag.

"That's rough, buddy. Unless a firebending master appears in the Bat Cave, I'd say you're out of luck..."

Suddenly, the air in the Bat Cave grew warmer. The bats on the ceiling all chittered and flew out of the cave en masse (which made sense since it was sunset, but it was a bit earlier than usual for them).

Then... a figure began to materialize in the center of the room. A familiar figure... with a familiar voice.

"Zuko?"

"Uncle?!" The young firebender stood so fast his chair fell backwards.

Stephanie's mouth dropped open and Jason did a spit take, sending chip pieces across the floor.

The girl was the first to find their voice, and shouted into her com.

"Everyone better get down here!"