Iroh walked down the hospital halls carrying a cup of tea as he held a folder under his arm and saw a nurse walk out of the room he was heading too. His heart skipped a beat as she waved back in the room as she left.

"Zuko?" He gasped running to the room.

There he saw his fourteen year old nephew with tubes connected into his skin and a tube in his nose to help him breathe. He looked exhausted and beat up.

"Zuko oh thank Agni your awake," tears began to run down his face as he set the folder and tea on the table next to him, Zuko blinked slowly as he wasn't completely awake.

"Uncle? Why are you here?" He rubbed his face and flinched at the bruise on his cheek.

"I came as soon as I got a call, you-you-" iroh felt more tears run down his face.

"You're coming with me, you coming to Japan and I don't want to hear another word," he bit out sourly as Zuko looked at him confused.

"Why?" He asked still not knowing why he was in the hospital again.

"Zuko you tried to kill yourself!" Iroh yelled but his heart dropped seeing his small boy flinch away from the sound.

"You tried to kill yourself... why? What happened nephew?" He held his hand as Zuko looked at his lap wide eyes.

He remembered everything again, his mind was a little foggy but it was coming back to him now. Tears weld up in zukos eyes and he hiccuped a sob and covered his face trying to hide his cries.

"I can't do it anymore, I can't-dads going to kill me, he wants me dead, everyone wants me dead, I can't keep living like this, I just want mom, I want my mom," Zuko sobbed into his hands but felt iroh wrap his arms around the boy.

"Your not going home, I know you miss her, it's okay to miss her but please dont... she would be heart broken to see you before you even got a chance to see the world, please don't do this again," iroh held his head to his shoulder as the two cried in the embrace.

"I can't loose another son," he whispered as Zuko cried into his shoulder, gripping the jacket.

Iroh let Zuko cry as long as he needed as he held the child in his arms, while Zuko began to calm down he set the folders in his lap and the boy looked at them confused.

"I'm you legal guardian Zuko, your coming home with me, in Japan," iroh said again as Zuko wiped his face and opened the folder. It was legal...

"What's this?" Zuko sniffled as he saw another adoption certificate and iroh sighed a little.

"They said they found your cat with you," iroh kept his arm around the child.

"I don't have a cat?" Zuko wiped under his nose confused.

"Then who's cat did they give me?" The old man blink taking out his phone and showed Zuko a picture of the cat.

"Oh it was a stray that found me I guess..." he frowned and iroh didn't look amused.

"I adopted a stray..?"

"Can I keep it then?" Zuko asked quietly. Iroh was never a fan of cat but under the circumstances of how it found his nephew during that time.. maybe it was meant to be.

"Fine, but it's your responsibility, got it?" Iroh nodded giving in and Zuko agreed.

"You've been asleep for a week, but it's time for you to get some actual rest," iroh got off the hospital bed and sat on the chair.

"A man needs his rest," he smiled gently and Zuko laid on his back, he lifted his arm looking at the tubes.

"I'm sorry uncle," he whispered.

"Your forgiven, and an apology is always true when you know what you've done and won't do it again," iroh smiled gently at him and Zuko looked out the window.

They heard a knock at the door and iroh saw it was another boy. He assumed it was zukos friend.

"Can I talk to him?" The boy asked and Zuko turned quickly seeing Jet.

"Of course," iroh nodded standing and left the room to the children.

"Your alive?" Jet sighed crossing his arms.

"Did I call you?" Zuko frowned.

"Yep, long ass voice mail but I got the idea," Jet sat down and Zuko looked away.

"So was this a cry for help or did you actually want to die?" Jet asked as Zuko closed his eyes.

He was silent.

"Your lucky I even called 911 or you would be dead, shit head," jet snapped finally.

"I'm leaving, and I hope to fucking god I never come back to this place," Zuko whispered and gave Jet a look.

"Good, no one wants you here anyways," Jet scoffed.

"Can you not tell anyone about this? I don't want people knowing why I left, I just don't want them to know the last thing I did here was die," Zuko looked at him seriously as he seemed skinnier to him.

"Sure, whatever, I'll tell them your in prison or some shit," jet rolled his eyes and Zuko nodded.

"Would you be relieved if I did die..?"

Jet stared at his old friend surprised by the question as Zuko waited for an answer. His scarred side was all Jet could see as those gold eyes stared.

"I'd be pissed," Jet said emotionless and got up as Zuko sighed to himself.

Jet glanced over his shoulder as he saw Zuko turn on his side with his back to the door that Jet walked out of.

Zuko gasped a little as he woke up feeling a cold paw touch his face. He glared looking up at the cat that sat in front of his face.

"Your so weird," Zuko rubbed the cats head. His eyes hurt as he sat up and felt his head pounding. He sighed standing up and durk jumped down to follow him out as he pulled a hoodie over his tee shirt.

"Uncle?" He rubbed his face walking into the living room.

Zuko grabbed his shoes to go down to the shop to see if it was still open, his uncle was strict on making sure he wore shoes down to the shop during opening hours.

He opened the door and saw a few customers left and his uncle was taking orders. The last thing he expected to see Katara with her hair tied back as she was giving customers orders as well.

"Kat?" He looked at her confused as she waved at him.

"So are you replacing me now?" Zuko teased a little as iroh noticed his nephew.

"Katara was just helping me with the rush, I could use help like that more often," iroh chuckled walking over to him as Katara laughed.

"I had nothing else to do so I offered to help your uncle, hope that's okay," Katara looked at him awkwardly and he nodded.

"He'll take what he can get," Zuko shrugged it off.

"Do you want to head to my place? Sokka just got home," Katara checked her phone and took her hair out of the hair tie, he nodded taking the hair tie from her and put it on his wrist as he went back upstairs to grab his keys and jacket.

Iroh watched the two with a gentle smile, he didn't care if they dated or stayed friends, he was just glad someone was kind to him.