Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Azula was quick. She'd always been quick.

Too quick.

When Zuko saw her look towards Katara, lightning at her fingertips, he tried to move. Tried to react. Before he could think, he'd thrown himself into the path of her attack, her maddening laughs cackling amidst the storm of liquid fire as he tried to catch her lightning. He reached out with his fingers. Trying to catch the bolt and send it somewhere else. Anywhere else. He angled it to the sky.

And an instant before he could release it. A second too late.

His back hit the ground.

And lightning rampaged through his entire body. Singing. Screaming. He felt the electricity sear his belly inside out and char his lungs. He might have cried, but soon it was too late. The lightning ran its course. Sunk into the ground like it was supposed to, and left his body a twitching mess of agonizing pain. He lay there, for who knows how long, and listened to his sister's sickening laughs fill the courtyard.

"I'd rather have the family physician look after little Zuzu if you don't mind!"

He could hear her laugh. Her anger. Her manic frenzy that he had mistaken for an opening. He should've known she would still be Azula enough to find a way to trick him. To lie to him. Azula always lies; she'd always been this way. He just never thought it would get this bad. This unhinged.

Maybe he should've expected it. He did expect it. On some level. 

He knew she'd kill him. He'd always known she wanted to. She made it abundantly clear during their childhood. Some part of him knew she was serious.

But there was a part that hoped she had been lying about that as well.

"Zuko!" Someone called out to him, and unlike how he expected it to sound, the voice was kind. It wasn't manic or mocking. It wasn't his sister.

"Katara..." He coughed up blood, blurry vision, and through his haze, he spotted a blur of blue clothes. Katara. She crouched over him, and he could see her mouth moving. Loud. Frantic. Saying something but trying to be calm about it. He felt a cold hand touch his chest. She must've been trying to heal him, but he couldn't really care. He knew it was too late.

He was always just a little too late.

Too late to stop his sister's attack.

Too late to choose his destiny in the catacombs.

Too late to search for his mother during his banishment. He could've found her all those years he wasted. Toiling after the avatar. Now he was too late. He'd never find her. He was too late.

Always too late.

"'Sorry..." he choked on liquid copper as the sky, tinged by the orange hue of the comet, blinded his eyes and burned his nostrils. He felt warm. Warm and cold all the same. He tried to spit out his words, but they came out as a choked mess. "Tell... ncle."

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't hear. It was just sounds. Blurry sounds and dancing vision. His senses were a mess, and his muscles were weak.

"Sorry..."

He felt his hands fall and his body go limp.

"Zuko? Zuko! Don't! Stay awake! I'll- I'll," Katara shook him, and he couldn't see her anymore. His head lolled lifelessly, and his eyes settled on a figure in the distance. Through the blotches of ink growing in his vision, he saw streaks of blue fire. He heard the distant mumble of crying and sobbing. He saw her.

I couldn't beat you...

Azula. His sister. Sobbing. Crying. Chained but not dead. He saw her, and the last thing he thought of before he died in his friend's arms. His last thought.

I was never able to beat you.

Was so inconsequential it didn't even matter.

When Zuko woke up, he wasn't in the spirit world. If he was even allowed to go there. He was watching the world burn, watching the comet scorch the air above, as a boy, Zuko's friend, sat quietly to his side. The air nomad's eyes were closed, and his face relaxed as he meditated. Zuko stood next to Aang and had no idea how he could've possibly gotten there.

He was pretty sure he was supposed to be dead.

"Aang?" Zuko tried asking, but got no reaction. "Hey, Aang. What's going on? Did you defeat my father? Did Katara heal me, and I just woke up?"

Still, his friend couldn't hear his voice. Didn't react at all. Zuko tried to touch Aang's shoulder, but his hand slipped straight through. Zuko screamed, and Aang didn't react to that either. All the ordeal did was reveal Zuko's skin was glowing, blueish, and transparent. He looked at it and nearly jumped out of his nonexistent skin when someone grumbled behind him. "Sit down, fool. He can't hear you."

Zuko turned, nearly fell off the rock spire he was standing upon, floating upon? Either way, he backed away, but before he could stumble off the cliff and die a second time? He was 90% sure he was a ghost. Either way, he saw his great-grandfather and stopped. Confused and hesitant.

"Avatar Roku." He wondered, as the old man huffed and patted the spot beside him. Roku was currently meditating behind Aang, sitting in the same position as the young air nomad, but with more of a focus and tenseness to his chest. More fire, less air.

"There is not much time left," Roku warned, and Zuko gulped. Taking his chances by sitting next to the old avatar and waiting. Watching. As Aang sat and meditated. Meanwhile, the silhouette of a large airship loomed amidst the distant clouds. Growing as it sailed ever closer. Aang slowly opened his eyes, and as he stood, a Fire Nation airship pierced the cover of clouds and revealed a single man standing at its bow. Zuko tensed.

And watched his father remove his Phoenix King's cloak and proceed to raze the earth asunder.

"Will he win?" Zuko asked, watching as Aang stood against the Fire Lord without any sense of fear or hesitation—Only purpose and responsibility.

Zuko felt proud in that moment.

Proud that he helped teach such a powerful bender. Proud that his friend could stand and fight where Zuko had failed. Zuko was proud of Aang.

His pride didn't last.

"I'm unsure."

Roku's words didn't let it.

"It won't matter regardless." Avatar Roku said grumpily. And while Aang rushed off to confront Zuko's father, to confront his destiny, Zuko froze.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked, confused. He looked towards Roku, his great-grandfather, if he remembered right, and watched the scene shift. The comet faded, and a light blue sky filled the air. They now sat on a rooftop in central Calder, the Fire Nation capital, where a funeral was being held. One look showed it was his, his picture and body.

And the next showed his friends, crying, amidst the procession through the city. Katara was crying into Aang's shoulder, and Aang looked a second from joining her. Toph was biting her lip so hard it bled, eyes low, and expression hurt and in pain. Sokka's expression was stony, and his eyes closed. Holding onto Suki's hand like it was a lifeline.

And Zuko's uncle... his uncle was a ghost—A shell. A lifeless doll of his former self. Sitting at the foot of the procession's passing, without a hint of light in his eyes. He was still breathing, but everything inside his body had withered away. Snuffed out so badly it was like Lu Ten dying all over again. Uncle despaired.

"Leaves... from the vine..."

And it was all Zuko's fault.

"I do not know the future," Roku admitted, ignoring Zuko’s despair. "Only the spirits do, but they've granted me the chance to talk to you like this. To lean on their visions of possible futures. This is what they envision after your death. The world without you to take your place as Fire Lord. They see pain and suffering."

Zuko saw someone in the crowd, the parade, shout something about the 'Avatar' and the 'Royal Family's Sacrifice'. And a second later, an explosion ripped through the procession. People died. Survivors were panicking. Shouting. Aang tried to calm them down, Zuko's friends tried to respond, but soon they were dragged into a fight with Fire Nation soldiers. Remnants of the army without a leader.

"They see your death as a catalyst," Roku warned. "Without you, even if Aang wins, there is no one left to claim the throne. The Royal Family will have died or been imprisoned with your father. Or fallen into insanity with your sister. Or decayed into endless depression with your uncle. Or vanished with your mother if you want to exhaust every single option. The throne still sits empty," Roku scowled.

"The greedy will use it as a martyrdom. An excuse."

The vision faded, and Zuko was left shaken. Pale and trembling and tired. His face ghostly white as he saw Aang battling his father. Aang was losing.

"And the spirits see it working flawlessly."

And even if he was able to win, Zuko knew it would never end. Aang would always have to fight the Fire Nation. All because Zuko couldn't fulfill his destiny. He couldn't defeat his sister. He died and left the throne empty. Left his nation to descend into chaos and the ways of their predecessors. He failed.

"Why..." Zuko croaked. His eyes were wet with tears as he looked at Avatar Roku. His great-grandfather. He didn't understand. Why show him this? Was it a punishment? Because Zuko died. Now he had to know how much he'd screwed up. Haunted by his failures even in death. Zuko wanted to puke.

"Why are you showing me this?"

And Roku showed no signs of sympathy.

"Your death has marked the end of Aang's path as the Avatar." Avatar Roku grumbled. Eyes cold and dark as the old Avatar turned towards the new. "He can no longer bring balance to the four nations. Peace has become an impossibility in this era."

Zuko's head sank. His eyes were downcast. He waited.

"But the great spirits have convened. Spoken. And decided they can't wait for the next era. This war has the chance to ruin their world as well, it has already done unimaginable damage. So they've used their powers. Their influence." Roku frowned. "All they will be allowed to use in this millennium. They have bestowed upon you. You and one other."

Zuko's breath caught in his throat as Roku turned towards the harsh battle Aang and Ozai wrought. Roku sighed, voice thick with grief and weight as Aang was flung against a rock and fell. Zuko cried out, reached out, but Roku switched the vision.

"You were lucky." Avatar Roku said, and Zuko couldn't breathe. Was Aang dead? His thoughts spiraled, an inch from swallowing his psyche, before Roku's hand pressed upon his shoulder and dragged him back to the present. "They have offered a gift. A chance to fulfill your destiny, and to change the one laid out for you at this moment."

Zuko snapped his head up, and despite the knife in his chest, that Aang was indeed dead, he felt his heart swell with anticipation. Avatar Roku looked at him with sympathy and pride in his gaze, and for once, Zuko saw his great-grandfather smile.

"Great grandson," Roku said. "The spirits have chosen to revive two unfortunate souls. Lost too early in 100 years of war. One of those souls is you." Roku smiled. "And for you, Zuko. It is a chance to make amends. To shift the world's future back on course. To take your place, Fire Lord. To change the bleak fate the world now faces, you'll be able to change destiny's current trajectory. They have given you a new chance at life."

"They have?" Zuko asked, desperate. He touched his head to the ground as he begged. "Yes! Please! Tell them I said yes! I'll do anything! I will fix my mistakes! I," Zuko's voice caught in his throat, and the weight of his future crashed upon his shoulders. He worried for Aang's safety, wondering how the avatar would defeat the strongest firebender in the world. One he'd already lost to. But Zuko had faith. Faith Aang would be able to win. He wasn't the type to lose twice.

Zuko still believed in the Avatar, in his friend, no matter how daunting the task. Aang would achieve his destiny. And he would do it without question.

But Zuko... Zuko always lost. To Azula. To life. He would have to become Fire Lord. He was the one who had to stop his nation's inevitable ambitions. To convince a nation built on a century of violence that peace was not only possible, but necessary.

Zuko had to guide his nation further than the end of the war.

But Zuko had already failed countless times.

He couldn't help but think someone like him was bound to fail at that, too.

"How... how do I ensure my nation sees peace?" Zuko begged and choked on his breath. He'd already failed at the first step. Azula had won. And if Roku's vision was correct, she was just the first person who would challenge his rule. There would still be others, greedy soldiers or noblemen who couldn't accept an end to war. They'd fight, and he'd have to quell their anger. He'd have to stop their rise and ambitions.

"Please... Avatar Roku... Great Grandfather..."

So Zuko begged for guidance. For help. For anything.

"Guide me. I beseech you."

And eventually, after an eternity, Roku responded.

"...Very well."

And when Zuko looked up, the vision had changed once more.

"There is only one person who can derail your destiny. One who stands at the crossroads of peace and chaos. As long as they exist, you will never be able to achieve your destiny." Roku said solemnly, as Zuko looked around an ancient Fire Nation throne room. His eyes were wide as he watched a young Roku confront a young Sozin, pushing the ancient fire lord to the brink and rearing his fist back, preparing the final blow. Zuko saw Roku's eyes flick towards the throne, and thought for a moment the Avatar would shift his aim. 

"You must do what I failed to do, Great Grandson."

But at the last moment, Roku closed his eyes, and aimed for Sozin.

"That is the only way to salvage your destiny."

And the Fire Lord who ushered the 100 years War, died before he ever got the chance to start it.

The next moment, Zuko blinked, and it was like the world had shifted. He wasn't sitting next to Roku anymore. He didn't even feel like himself anymore. Everything about everything had changed as he got tossed from whatever weirdness he had faced as a ghost. It was like waking up from a dream he hadn't even realized he'd been in. He gasped.

And breathed. Really breathed.

And realized he wasn't dead. Realized he wasn't dreaming. It was so jarring, a mere blink and his entire reality had turned upside down. He felt oddly rejuvenated. His muscles weren't sizzling, his lungs weren't smothered, and his stomach wasn't burning. He didn't feel electrocuted at all, and even more than that, the world looked brighter. Less blurry.

"Huh..."

He blinked.

"What... what's..."

And realized he actually could blink. Easily. Without feeling the skin on his face stretch and crinkle against old scars. He blinked both eyes again. And he could blink fully, without having half his vision blurred and hazy. He looked up at the ceiling and realized he could clearly see the left half of it without turning his head. His brain stopped working for a few moments before he jumped out of the bed. Bed? Why was he in bed? Why wasn't he in the courtyard?

"Ow!"

And why was it so high off the ground? "Agni!" Zuko cursed as his knee banged against the floor. He winced and held his bruised knee. His feet hadn't been where he'd expected them to be, and his center of weight hadn't been what it was just a few hours ago. Was it his injuries? And why did someone make a bed this stupidly high? It was stupid. Stupid.

"What in Agni is going on..." He hissed, rolling to his feet as he tried to move towards the mirror at the edge of his room. His room? Why was he in his old room? Was that his bed? Who changed the legs? Did Katara heal him? Did the sages move him here after the Agni Kai? What of Aang? Was he still fighting? Or had he won already? Was the war over?

"Where..." He gulped, testing his voice as it came out less dry than he expected. He gulped as he pushed aside his growing questions, moving in a body that felt so other it was impossible to keep his feet from swaying under his weight. Must be the injuries. He stumbled. Until he got to the mirror, and he saw his reflection.

And every muscle in his body turned to stone.

"What..." he whispered breathlessly. In disbelief. He expected to be covered in bandages. Or scars or pain. Or something, anything other than nothing. He was spotless, no sign of the electricity that had coursed through his body. That was impossible. Even Katara wasn't that good of a healer, and he was certain she'd already used all her spirit water. It was impossible.

"How..."

And even if she had her spirit water, turning someone back to a kid wasn't something she could do. How old was he? 8? 9? What was going on?

"What's going on..." he murmured, touching the mirror like it was a trick. He looked at his fingers. Smaller than they'd been during the Agni Kai. He looked down, his legs shorter than the Agni Kai. He looked at the mirror and saw his body. Younger than during the Agni Kai, and let out a disbelieving laugh. He couldn't believe it. He was younger.

Years younger.

What was he supposed to do with this?

"Mai's going to kill me..." Zuko groaned as he held his head in his hands. Trying not to panic. He settled into meditation, the same stance his uncle taught him, and breathed. Okay. So Agni played a bit of a prank on him. Or spirit wishes came with some unsaid consequences or risks or something. Perhaps Agni was trying to revert his body back to before it was injured and overshot it? Whatever. It was fine. Fine! So Zuko became a kid? At least he was alive. Agni even healed his scar. That was good. Great!

So happy!

He could figure out the logistical side of things later.

He still had to figure out if Aang was okay...

Wait? Oh Agni, no. Please no. If Aang turned into an even younger kid, then he'd have no chance against his father. Zuko had to hurry. The palace wasn't safe. His father- No. No! Agni wouldn't bring Aang back as a toddler just to die a second time. That was stupid. The de-aging must be Zuko's exclusive punishment. Aang had probably gotten something different. Maybe hair he couldn't shave?

Whatever. The point was, Aang had to be alive. The problem was that Zuko didn't know if he was still fighting. He had to hurry. He stood up to spring out of the room and to the nearest air balloon, before his little legs reminded him of his current predicament.

"Right..." Zuko frowned as he sat back down. What else could he do? Show up as a kid? He'd just get in the way. Or die before he had the chance to.

No, Zuko had to wait. If he was lucky, Katara had already taken Appa to try and find Aang. So the most Zuko could do was wait. Wait and hide so no rumors spread. Katara wouldn't leave him defenseless, in a palace that was chock-full of people more than willing to take advantage of his weakened state.

He breathed. Deep. Controlled. In through his nose and out through his mouth. He was calmer now. He had to be calm now. Like uncle. He breathed.

And loosened the tension in his shoulders.

His condition must not be well-known. Maybe a few sages knew of it, the good ones. The ones that valued tradition over all else, so they'd respect the Agni Kai regardless of how old he was. And in that case, he could trust Katara to have left him in good hands. He'd be safe in this room for a few days at least.

Which gave him a few days to reacquaint himself with his childhood body.

And a few days to figure out what he was going to do for the next eight years.

"Uncle's gonna laugh his heart out." Zuko groaned, trying to focus on his breathing as his lips thinned. One thing Zuko was certain of, regardless of how insufferable Uncle would be about the whole thing, Zuko needed to tell his uncle what happened. As soon as possible. If he were stuck as a kid, then Uncle would have to act as regent for the next 8 years. Otherwise, he'd be the youngest Fire lord in history, and his reign would also probably be the shortest.

Assassinating an 8-year-old Fire Lord just sounded too easy. Like laughably easy.

Yeah. Uncle would have to be regent. He'd be sad that his tea shop would be put on hold, but the Fire Nation needed a leader. A strong leader.

Zuko was a kid, his father was dead or in chains if Aang somehow managed to defeat him without killing him like he said he would, and Azula was stuck out in the courtyard. Too insane to cope with what had already happened. Uncle was the only candidate. The best candidate, actually.

The Fire Nation still loved Uncle.

For the most part.

Some people probably still believed he was a traitor, but most still knew Uncle as the Dragon of the West. Decades as a war hero hadn't been so easily erased.

Uncle would be able to hold things over as Regent until Zuko grew old enough. And then he'd take his place as Fire Lord. He'd guide his people through a peaceful era with Aang by his side. They'd bring balance to the four nations, and Zuko would follow Roku's advice and assure that his destiny...

He'd follow Roku's advice... and...

"What did Roku want me to do exactly?" Zuko frowned, raising his eyelids and glancing at the mirror. Roku had shown him an image of what may have happened had he killed Sozin. His best friend. The war would have ended. Peace would have been achieved before it was ever lost. But Zuko didn't have someone blocking his destiny anymore.

Unless Father was still alive.

But defeating Father was Aang's destiny.

If he couldn't do it, then who else-

"Zuzu." A light, childish voice rang in Zuko's ears as he heard a silent creak of his lacquer door. And instantly, without warning or question, all of Zuko's thoughts collapsed. His eyes snapped open while his breathing, once steady and relaxed, tensed. His breath shuddered, and he looked at the mirror, deathly afraid to look away. Deathly terrified.

"Agni, so it was you making all that noise. Dumb dumb." Her exasperation rang in his head, and he couldn't for a second believe it was anywhere else but inside his head. Her words couldn't be anything but a distant memory. An echo long forgotten. He refused to believe it was anything other than a twisted memory resurfacing. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. He was silent. He stared quietly at his reflection, waiting for the nightmare to pass.

"Hey Zuzu? Can you hear me?"

It never did. And quick and poised footsteps. Balanced to the smallest twitch of her toes, moved closer and closer. Zuko looked at the mirror, frozen, horrified, and unwilling to move a single inch out of unrelenting fear. His breath came out in shallow, panicked huffs, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the mirror. Watching as a girl poked her head into frame, looking at the mirror with a tilted head. Her curiosity quickly shifted to a scowl.

"What the hell, Zuzu?" She glared at him, and it looked so familiar he almost felt better. But then she crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. And Zuko couldn't breathe anymore. His lungs were starting to spasm with phantom pains. He felt the ghost of electricity dancing along his skin and the echo of her laughter ringing in his ears. He froze.

"What gives?" She huffed. "I thought you were looking at something cool. Why are you staring at your ugly reflection? And why were you so loud?"

Then Azula stepped between him and the mirror. Tone unimpressed and posture unamused. She scowled and waved her hand in front of his face.

"Hello? Dumb dumb? Are you there?" She mocked, and Zuko couldn't respond. She was so young. Too young. Younger than he was. He'd forgotten she had looked this young once. He looked at her limbs, her body, how small it was compared to before. How unreliable it was to the weapon it would become.

"Zuzu? Seriously? Did you break already?"

And in that instant, that moment, he realized she was younger than she used to be. Smaller. Tinier. Weaker. But still Azula. Undoubtedly Azula.

And she was certainly not brought back by the spirits. She hadn't even died. He saw her. So that meant Agni hadn't turned his body back in time.

Agni had sent Zuko back in time. Years ago. Before he was banished. Before he earned his scar. Before the comet or his Agni Kai with Azula.

Zuko was in the past

And in that moment, he realized it. He heard it. Roku's warning, the memory of his words: Do what I failed to do. Zuko blinked and saw Sozin's death.

"Well, whatever." His sister's unimpressed face flashed over Sozin's corpse, and she turned without noticing Zuko's haunted expression. He sucked in a breath as he watched Azula, his younger, kid, sister, saunter towards the door without a hint of doubt.

"Just quit making so much noise, Zuzu." She yawned quietly, boredom and exasperation creeping into her tone as she shared her thoughts.

"It's annoying."

Azula rolled her eyes and opened the door, before stepping out into the hall. She didn't look back when she shut the door behind her. She simply mocked him one last time before shutting it with a click, and Zuko had never been so relieved to see her go.

"Some of us actually have training tomorrow. Dumb dumb."

If she'd seen him doubled over, vomiting the contents of his stomach into a puddle on the floor, he was certain she would've mocked him for that, too.

Chapter Text

When Zuko woke up the second time, he smelled like Appa's dung. Lying in dry vomit and sweat. He'd passed out where he sat last night. He'd fainted.

Because his sister was a kid.

He was a kid.

He was in the past.

And Roku had made it abundantly clear why.

"How..." he gagged as he sat up, slipping in the soggy puddle he'd fainted in. He couldn't think. His head was spinning too much, and his body was shaking. He felt sick. Unbearably sick and weak. Any and every thought haunted by Roku's advice or the phantom memory of being electrocuted to death, or even worse, his morbid thoughts from the night before. Those stupid, meaningless thoughts.

Killing an eight-year-old Fire Lord sounded too easy. The thought had crossed his mind back when he was still floundering in his new environment. And now it wouldn't leave. It lingered. Pulled at his brain and waiting in bold. Assassinating an eight-year-old would be easy. So laughably easy it hurt.

'You must do what I failed to do.'

Killing a six-year-old would be even easier.

'That is the only way to salvage your destiny.'

Roku's vision flashed through Zuko's head once more as he groaned and curled into a ball. Holding his head as he hid from the world. He couldn't think of it. He didn't want to. This wasn't what he meant. When he said he'd do anything. Azula had already lost for Agni's sake! She'd already slipped too far; no one would've followed her after that! So Why! Why! Why! Why would they send him back this far? Why not go back to the Western temple? Or Ba Sing Se! Or a few hours! Or something! Anything else!

'There is only one person who can derail your destiny.'

And the answer was simple. So obviously simple he couldn't pretend to miss it even if he wanted to. He kneeled in a pool of dry vomit and bit his lip so hard it bled. A muffled cry built in his throat as he threw his fist into the marble floor. His wrist was screaming at the action that would've been easy only a day ago. Or eight years from now. When he was stronger. When he was the strongest he'd ever been in his life.

'One who stands at the crossroads of peace and chaos.'

When he was still so weak, he couldn't beat Azula when she was off her game. The first time he'd ever seen her be anything less than perfect, and he still lost. The spirits hadn't sent him back a few hours or a few days or a few weeks because it wouldn't have mattered. They sent him back a few years ago. 8 years.

'As long as they exist, you will never be able to achieve your destiny'

Because the only time he'd ever be able to beat Azula was before she completed her training in the first place. When she was six years old and still learning. Because that was how much of a failure he was. That the spirits had to send him back to when his sister was a little kid. When she was incomplete.

'You must do what I failed to do.'

Because that's the only time he had a chance of overpowering her.

'That is the only way to salvage your destiny.'

Because the second she stopped being six and got to 11 or ten or maybe even nine or eight or seven, it would be too late. She would surpass him, eventually. It was inevitable. His time spent with the sun warriors and dragons, and the avatar, and some of the best benders he'd ever seen would mean nothing.

Every struggle he'd ever overcome to become stronger would be rendered useless the second Azula finished training.

He'd never be able to beat her after that.

So Roku told Zuko to kill his sister before it happened. The spirits wanted Zuko to kill his six-year-old sister so he could achieve his destiny.

The thought swam in his head until it hurt.

And a pained cry crawled from his throat once more. Physical agony. Tears leaked from his eyes as he cried. Futilely. Knowing he failed. Knowing he'd tried and it wasn't enough. Never enough. He'd struggled for years to restore his honor. To do what he thought was right. And when he finally realized his mistakes. His nation's mistakes. He'd tried to correct them. To redeem himself and his people.

He'd done everything to fulfill his destiny.

And it was for nothing. Even the spirits thought it futile. Even Avatar Roku, his great-grandfather, knew it wasn't enough. It was never enough.

And now he was reaping what he sowed. He had to do the unimaginable to fix his mistakes. Because he couldn't just do it right the first time. Because he was so incompetent, he couldn't do a single thing right, he was left with extremes. The final option.

He had to kill his sister if he wanted to fulfill his destiny.

And the thought was so revolting, he threw up. He screamed. And when his stomach ran out of bile, he gagged on the odor and the sick twisting of his guts.

And once his throat was so swollen it burned, and he was so disgusted with himself he couldn't even look in the mirror, he heard it. A knock came to the door. And a voice he hadn't heard in years. A voice that only lingered in his dream came from the other side, and he forgot to breathe. The air rushed from his lungs, and he sat still. Deathly still. He looked.

"Zuko?"

And watched a woman he hadn't seen in years open the door.

"Mom?" He asked, trembling. His voice breaking, tears fell from his eyes, even more than they had already been. He sobbed openly and uncontrollably, watching as his mother rushed to his side. He leaped at her before she could react, hugging her. Holding her like she'd disappear at any second. He sobbed into her clothes and prayed she wouldn't vanish again. That she wouldn't disappear like last time.

"Mom..." He cried, sobbed, and his small arms tightened. She was here. He'd been sent back to when she was still here. Before she was exiled. Before she killed grandfather. Before she vanished. He hadn't even known if she survived exile in his last life; he'd never gotten the chance to search for her after his father confirmed he hadn't killed her.

If he'd been revived back on the day of the comet, he might have started searching one day and learned that she died. That she was killed during exile. It was a fear he'd kept close to his chest. Ever since his father told him the truth on the day of the black sun. He'd had too many nightmares about it to count.

But now she was here. Alive. Undoubtedly alive. He held her tighter. Tight a she could. He felt her stiffen under his unexpected outburst. But before long she he felt her relax as her hand coaxed gently through his hair. He heard her whisper to him in a hushed concern. "Zuko? What's wrong? What happened?"

He heard her breath stall for a second. Her train of thought derailed as she probably noticed the smell, the pungent odor filling the room. Her eyes dropped to the puddle of sweat and vomit he wallowed in. The place he'd been wallowing in all night long.

She paid the puddle staining her robes no mind. Instead, she moved him back slightly and placed the back of her hand to his forehead. Zuko flinched. Badly. Ever since he'd gotten his scar, he'd been sensitive about people touching his face, since he could barely see out of half of it. He hadn't expected it, but her touch was so light and gentle it felt like a warm memory—A dream. She looked at him, stunned by his reaction, before shaking her head and saying.

"You're sick, my little turtle-duck."

He was. He felt sick. Sick to his stomach. He felt overwhelmed to the point that it was turning his stomach into knots. This had to be some sort of sick dream.

"You're burning up."

And when he fell asleep in his mother's arms, his younger body too exhausted from everything, he wasn't sure what he'd do when he woke up.

Turns out the first thing Zuko did when he woke up was wait. Quietly. His eyes were still closed as he feigned sleep. A trick he learned traveling alone in the Earth Kingdom. People were more likely to talk when they believed a stranger was still asleep. More likely to continue searching through his things and forget to watch their backs. Zuko woke silently, keeping his breath even and unburdened, and he waited. He waited.

"It looks like your son has awakened his spark. A healthy one at that. It's impressive, one of the better ones I've seen for his age. Far and away the best I've seen from a later bloomer. Their sparks are more often on the weaker side." The royal physician, whose name Zuko had long forgotten, said.

"Congratulations, Prince Ozai."

Zuko was glad he'd waited.

"Your son is a fire bender."

He wasn't sure what he'd do if he had to face his father just yet.

"Is his spark superior to my daughter's?" His father asked, pointed, and the guilty silence that followed was enough confirmation. Zuko heard his father scoff, "Great. He wasted years doing what she did in her diapers. Typical." His father sneered, and the disdain was palpable. Pungent. And heavy.

If Zuko wasn't pretending to be asleep, he could've laughed.

His father had done this last time. The first time Zuko awakened his spark. Back then, Zuko had been awake, unfortunately, and his father had come to see for himself. Zuko remembered his father asking to see his bending, and Zuko jumped at the chance. Lighting a sputtering candle flame above his palms, the best he'd been able to manage at the time.

Zuko had thought, foolishly, that his father would be proud. At the time, it was really starting to look like he'd be a non-bender. In Zuko's mind, he'd done well.

In his father's case, it was obviously not enough. His father had scoffed. 'What a waste of time.' And walked out. Nothing else said or done.

Constant. The disappointment. It was constant. No matter the time or place.

Zuko was almost relieved by it. The sense of familiarity after his entire world had been turned upside down. He secretly appreciated it as he feigned sleep and listened to his father's disgruntled steps fade from earshot. A door closed soon after.

Zuko stayed quiet long after. Pretending to sleep as he heard the nurses and physicians working quietly. Their voices slowed and eventually quieted down as the time ticked by. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Zuko finally heard the last of them leave for a lunch break and opened his eyes completely.

He was alone. In one of the curtained-off patients' beds at the royal physicians' quarters. The last time he was here was after he got his scar.

He didn't remember much of his stay. Mainly just Uncle yelling at someone and voices talking over a hazy mess of sounds and colors. He'd passed out soon after, and the next time he'd been awake and coherent was on the boarding docks of Caldera City, aboard the Wani. Where he'd promptly been informed of the terms of his banishment.

He must've spent hours. Maybe days. Staring in shock at the decree. Trying to make sense of it all. How he'd ruined his life and his eye along with it.

His uncle had been the one to pull him out of his stupor. To force him out of bed and up the stairs, practically carrying him despite his utter inability to speak or listen. Zuko recalled his uncle saying he'd forever regret it if he wallowed in his room.

And he was right. Of course, he was right.

Zuko got to the ship deck just in time to see Caldera City fade under the horizon. For years, that was the last thing Zuko had to remember his home by. The only solace he had. That one day he'd see that city, that island, growing in the distance. One day, he'd return home in glory, with his honor restored and the avatar in his possession. He'd been confident.

And months passed, and confidence turned to restlessness. And restlessness turned to desperation. To Stubbornness and denial. Zuko had raged against the world that wouldn't make things easy. It never made things easy. But Zuko pressed on regardless. Refusing to buckle or give up without a fight.

And eventually he succeeded. He found the mythical Avatar.

Or he would find the avatar.

In about 8 years.

The thought made his head spin some more.

"Eight years," Zuko mumbled as he leaned back in his bed. Eyes downcast as he distracted himself with his brooding. Aang was stuck in an iceberg right about now. Katara and Sokka wouldn't find him for another eight years. Zuko would have to wait eight years to see his friends again. Eight years and even then, he'd have to start back from square one.

Sokka and Katara wouldn't trust him. Not at first. In their eyes, he'd just be another Fire Nation soldier. They wouldn't know how much he wanted to help. They wouldn't know how much he'd changed. They wouldn't know how close they'd gotten after everything. They wouldn't know that he considered them friends. They wouldn't know that he'd come back and...

They wouldn't know...

They wouldn't know him at all.

"No one remembers it." He realized. And the feeling of relief and hurt warring in his chest lasted longer than he wanted to admit. No one besides Aang would remember what had happened or what would happen. What had already happened. No one else would know his mistakes. Nor his struggles. No one would know his journey.

Only Zuko. Zuko and Aang, who was stuck in an iceberg for the next 8 years.

Lonely had never been a word Zuko was particularly afraid of until now.

I could tell someone... he hesitated, the thought so physically tempting his mouth watered. He could tell someone. That he was from the future. From what he knew, there was no rule against it. Avatar Roku would have told him if there was.

Uncle and mother were the first to come to mind.

And like voicing his thoughts, the door soon clicked open, and a woman in clean fire nation robes walked out. His mother with pale skin, golden eyes, and straight, obsidian black hair. She looked just like he remembered her. He whimpered. "Mom?" And she spotted him instantly, a gentle smile tugging at her face as she walked inside. "You look a lot better, little turtle duck. How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

"I," Zuko's voice cracked as he looked at her. Alive. Confidently alive. He nodded. Holding his breath as she smiled and walked over, giving him a soft hug he'd missed. He held her tighter, afraid to let go, and she laughed softly. "I'm glad you're feeling better, my little turtle duck. I was worried this morning."

"I-I," his words caught in his throat. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's a mother's job to worry." She laughed, a sweet, warm laugh. Zuko's eyes watered, and his lips wobbled as he sniffled into her embrace. She simply smiled and pulled herself back so she could see his face and wipe his tears. She smiled.

"Can you walk?"

Zuko nodded, his eyes closed and his body aching as he tried to keep it together. This wasn't a dream. Some twisted dream. His mother was here. And right now, he didn't want to care about why. He didn't want to think of the reason or the loneliness. He didn't want to worry about his future.

"I think the turtle ducks are getting hungry."

Right now, he just wanted to spend time with her.

The palace gardens were Zuko's favorite place in the Royal Palace. Back on the Wani, they were the place he dreamed of most often. And when he returned, before the day of the Black Sun, they were the place he spent most of his free time in. In the courtyard, sitting by the pond's edge and feeding the turtle ducks, sometimes, Mai would be there. Her silence polite but not overly invested. 

Zuko had a feeling she hadn't particularly enjoyed the gardens the same way he had. She'd mentioned once how she hadn't seen the appeal. They're just turtle ducks, and it was such a Mai thing to say, he never thought twice about it. It hadn't mattered, the details, not to them. She was there, sometimes for a few minutes, and on good days for an hour. Waiting beside him and keeping him company. Her silence had been therapeutic, reflective, a moment of peace he desperately needed back when his mind was raging louder than anything outside of it.

But now, while his mind raged, spinning thoughts of Roku, Spirits, and the weight of things only he knew. Only he could truly understand. It wasn't silence he found comforting. It was the noise. The Fire Nation songs his mother hummed lightly as she tore bread into tiny pieces to feed to the turtle ducks. Making sure they weren't too big so the babies wouldn't choke. The squeaks and chirps of the baby turtle ducks as they swam through the reeds and Fire Lilies.

The nostalgia of what had once been. What had once been commonplace forever ago. Five years. He hadn't seen his mother in 5 long years.

He'd thought she was dead. Then the day of the Black Sun came, and he wasn't even sure if that was real anymore. It had been jarring. Haunting. He's always had nightmares, but after his confrontation with his father, they always seemed to focus on her. What could've happened to her? Did she survive Exile? Did Father send assassins to finish her off? Had she been in hiding all this time, and he hadn't even looked for her? What could've happened?

A million things had kept his mind in the days leading up to the comet. A million things. Was Aang progressing fast enough? Did Katara still hate him, or was she pretending? Lying? Was Sokka pretending to be dumb? Or did he have a flash of brilliance for every three of dumb? Why did Toph always look at him like she wanted something? Something he had no idea how to give? Would Aang be able to kill his father? Would he be able to defeat him without killing? Had Zuko taught Aang well?

Would Uncle forgive him? How would his people react to the banished, scorned prince returning to the throne? Would the war end? Would they win?

Would they die?

Would he be able to defeat his sister and become Fire Lord? That question was one of the worst. It grated him. Gnawed at his conviction.

And still he fought. For his people. For his nation. For himself.

For his destiny.

And he failed. And here he was. With new doubts warring in his mind. No longer about the comet 8 years away. But about the reason he was here. The words Roku left him. The advice he was given. To achieve the destiny he failed to achieve the first time. Left with nothing but doubts and horrific instructions.

'As long as they exist, you will never achieve your destiny.'

It was the wordless songs his mother sang that kept those raging thoughts at bay. Kept his stomach from churning once more. Barely. He still couldn't think about... about who Roku was talking of without his blood turning cold. He couldn't think of how young they were or how his body still spasmed sometimes because of something they'd done. Something they would do when the comet came to pass in 8 years.

But as his mother sang, a song about dancing spirits and frogs leading out to sea. He found he could keep his mind focused on the little doubts.

He didn't think of her. How young she was. Only 6. Instead, he thought of something more stomachable.

Killing. Killing in general. Vague. And tricky. He wasn't a great pacifist like Aang. And he'd offered to help Katara kill Yon Rha, because she had needed closure. And he stood by what he offered. At the end of the day, it should've been her choice.

But as of now, it was still a choice Zuko hadn't needed to make.

He could, if he needed to. One of Piandao's final lessons was the weight of life. The value. Knowing you could claim it every time you wielded a blade. Knowing you wouldn't freeze when the moment came or regret the moments after.

Zuko could take a life.

But he'd never needed to. During his banishment, he had his crew, and they were usually the ones at the upper hand. Intimidation was often enough.

But when it wasn't, Zuko had never faced an enemy he couldn't escape, defeat, or avoid. Or sick his uncle at and watch as the old man went on to make a friend over tea talks and Paisho. And Zuko's crew had never been unreasonable. Despite grumbling and bemoaning having to follow a 'child on a ghost hunt.' They'd kept their violence reasonable and reactionary, proportional to any threats levied against them, and never did anything further than what Zuko ordered. Never crossing a line they didn't have to.  

Because Zuko had never ordered them to cross it. 

And he had never crossed it himself. 

It had only been at his worst. Steeped in paranoia and panic, Zuko had tried to cross that line. Hiring the Ogre to kill the Avatar.

It had been a mistake. As most of his life could be summed up to. One he'd made before he accepted the truth of his destiny. Before he realized he didn't need his father's approval, nor should he want it. Before the day of the Black Sun, when he finally decided who he would be. Who he needed to be.

Who he needed to be...

The night he decided who he needed to be was the first time he'd slept soundly in a long time. It was like a weight off his shoulders. It was comforting.

Now it was anything but.

"You look pale, my little turtle duck." His mother's gentle hand on his forehead brought Zuko out of his dilemma. His face returned to color as she sighed. "You're not sick still." She whispered. "Is something wrong? You've been acting strangely today, love."

"I..." Zuko faltered, the urge to say yes. Something was wrong. Everything was wrong. The urge to confess that he had been sent back in time was strong. So strong. Just so there was someone else in the world who knew his grief. His pain, his impending future, and the weight in his stomach every single time he remembered Roku's words.

"...I'm fine, Mom."

But in the end, he kept quiet. Logic won out. He couldn't tell anyone, definitely not in the palace. The walls had ears, servants had eyes, and if his father ever found out, everything would be ruined. He'd have been sent back for nothing. Nothing at all.

And even if there wasn't a chance of being overheard, and she somehow believed his story wholeheartedly. Even if it was possible.

He couldn't tell her.

How could he tell her?

"You," vanished? Died? Just like that. One single night, five years ago, you killed Grandpa to save me and disappeared. I never got to see you again. I died before I ever found out where you were. If you lived.

"I just missed you." He said instead. Because he couldn't do that. He wouldn't. He was struggling with everything as it was. He couldn't share it.

"Oh, Zuko. I missed you, too."

And soon he was reminded why. 

"I know I've been a bit busy these past few days." His mother said, and it was like a knife to the gut. Right. A few days. The last few days. To her, she'd just been busy the last few days. Maybe they hadn't gone to the palace gardens in a couple of days. A week?

"But I'll try to make more time for us."

He hadn't seen her in five years, and she had only been busy for a week.

"Maybe squeeze in some more Tsungi Horn lessons. What do you say?" She smiled lightly. Warm. Loving and a bit teasing. And he smiled back, weakly at first, but eventually his lips softened into something more genuine. Back then, he'd hated Tsungi Horn Lessons. The instrument had always been girly in his eyes, and he hated playing it in front of other people.

"I'd like that."

Now it was an excuse to spend more time with her. His mom. And he'd take every second of it. Even if it meant he'd probably be a master Tsungi Horn player this turnaround. And his uncle probably wouldn't take no for an answer, next time he wanted to listen to a song to go with his latest batch of tea.

"Then I'll see what I can get set up." She smiled, surprised at first but soft and happy after a while. Zuko nodded as he sat next to her, resting by her side as he tuned toward the turtle ducks. Breaking off pieces of bread his mother handed to him and feeding the little creatures one at a time.

It was peaceful, quiet, and when his mother began talking of the latest novel she'd read, he listened like it was the most important thing in the world. He latched onto her words instead of Roku's. Pushing aside everything troubling and choosing to focus on whether he remembered the details of 'How Stars Crumble' or if it was a bad idea to answer when his mother asked him what he thought the upcoming novel in her favorite series, 'The Tides of Water', might entail. He didn't know what to say.

"I don't know..."

Considering he already read it.

"Maybe they'll both escape out to sea and start a new life." Zuko winced as he saw his mother smile wistfully. "It would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"...yeah." Zuko looked away as his mother glanced at him curiously. What was he supposed to say? The princess gets disowned and brokenhearted, while the prince becomes blind and mutilated.

He couldn't tell her that, she cried the last time she read it. He didn't want to see his mom cry. He'd just gotten her back.

But before he could come up with something else to say, someone who very much could and would make people cry, babies most often, announced herself.

"The stupid prince is just gonna die." His sister's scoff echoed from the entrance to the courtyards, her hair tied in a ponytail and her steps measured. She walked in with the kind of voice she had when she was bored, and her sudden appearance made Zuko flinch. Hard.

He cursed himself for it, Azula would definitely notice, but before he could recover, his mother's arm had wrapped around his shoulder. Her voice took a harsher tone. "Azula." She hissed. "Don't be crass."

"I'm just being realistic." Azula rolled her eyes, walking towards the other edge of the pond with her arms crossed. "The prince is a moron. Like Zuzu."

"Azula! Enough, you're being rude." His mother scolded, and Azula's jaw clenched.

She eventually clicked her tongue as she circled the pond and leaned against the tree off to the side. "Please, mother, don't equate your incessant need to baby Zuzu with me being overly mean. I'm being honest."

"Daughter..." his mother sighed, exasperated. "I should not even deign that with a response. If you're not going to be polite, go somewhere else, young lady. Your brother's still recovering."

"It's not my fault he's unabashedly incompetent in everything he does." Azula snapped, eyes narrowed on Zuko's rigid frame. He flinched again, and this time it was more habit than surprise, and he found it more annoying than disturbing.

He'd have to fix it at some point. He kept seeing flashes of the future in her face, her unhinged eyes, and disheveled hair. Despite her only being six and sane now. Sane and still scathing and sharp-tongued as ever.

"Just ask Dad." She smirked, in a way that might have pissed him off eight years ago. Back when he still wanted Dad's attention, and she loved to flaunt it. She smiled and spoke in a sing-song manner. "He was talking all day about how it took Zuzu 8 years to do what I did in one. Maybe you should stop babying him so much, mother, he might start learning something instead of being lazy."

"Azula, enough. You're ruining-"

"Playing with stupid little animals." Azula glared at the ducks in the pond, a dark grin splitting across her face as she shot a bolt of orange fire in the center of the group. Scaring the ducks off, and singing one that was too slow to get out of the way.

Zuko jumped in immediately to help it get to shore, while his mother stood up and shouted. "That's enough, young lady!"

"Of course it is." Azula just rolled her eyes, uncaring and a little unsurprised if anything. "It's just a little burn. If the dumb animal can't take it, then-"

"Go to your room. I'm not dealing with you right now. If you want to act like this, you can do it elsewhere." His mother turned from Azula and checked over Zuko and the turtle duck.

Meanwhile, Zuko glanced at his sister through the wet bangs he was currently drying, heating his hair and clothes.

He saw his sister's eyes go from thunderous at their mother's reaction. Her mouth opened to snap a retort before she stopped, her eyes widened in surprise. He saw her turn to him, her eyes lingering on the hints of steam that flickered off his body. Barely enough to catch in the dwindling sunlight, but enough that she caught it. He met her bewildered stare and blinked.

What's she so surprised by? He thought, before the memory of him spending the entire day soaked and wet after falling into the pond with Mai came to his mind, and he sucked in a breath. Cancelling his bending as he tried to keep his face clueless. His mother hadn't noticed, or didn't care, since she wasn't a bender and couldn't tell novice techniques apart from beginner ones.

Either way, Azula's eyes narrowed on him as the steam stopped. Her mouth thinned and opened before she seemed to think better of saying anything and closed her mouth with a huff. She frowned at their mother and shook her head. "Whatever." She scoffed as she crossed her arms and walked off. "Have fun playing catch-up tomorrow in training, Zuzu." She waved halfheartedly as she walked out of the courtyard. "Dad says you'll need it."

Zuko only watched as she left, her footsteps precise and sharp as she vanished into the palace halls. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and started warming up himself and the turtle duck once more. Making sure there wasn't enough heat to steam while his mother gave Azula's departing figure a second passing glance, before shaking her head.

"What a little monster." His mother muttered under her breath, and Zuko blinked. Stunned. Her words caught him off guard as she turned back with a worried glance. "Are you okay, Zuko?" She asked, concern in her eyes and tenderness in the hands she used to inspect the injured turtle duck he held close.

Her kindness assuaged whatever trace of... unease maybe, that he'd been feeling. He shook his head and chalked it up to surprise. He hadn't remembered her saying that last time, but he guessed he just missed it. "Yeah..." he whispered. "I'm fine."

Zuko took a deep breath and ignored the twist of something in his chest. Something weird, he couldn't exactly place. Something he might not have wanted to. He didn't know why he felt this way either. It's not like his mother was wrong. Zuko knew it better than anyone. The tricks. The lies. The lightning.

"You know how it is..." Zuko shrugged as he held the baby turtle duck, its wings burnt and tears leaking out of its eyes. He held it close, letting it whimper into his chest as he looked at the pond. He looked at his reflection, the unblemished skin and golden eyes. He felt unnatural. Seeing his face without a scar.

"That's Azula for you..."

A ripple coursed through the pond's surface, and his face distorted. Scarred. Cold. Bloody. Spasming in agony under the heat of the comet's sun.

His body twitched at the memory of her lightning, under the weight of her anger. Her fury. Her insanity. The ripples brought him back to what would happen in 8 years.

What she was destined to become…

Destiny.

"A monster."

And once more, the weight of his destiny sunk in his stomach like the heaviest stone.

Chapter Text

A Lifetime Ago...

An hour.

There was only an hour left before they had to set out.

"Ready?" Katara asked, strapping her pack to Appa's back. Zuko nodded and tossed his atop the air bison, patting the creature's head. Appa liked Zuko, one of the few animals that did. For that, Zuko was grateful. For many things, Zuko was grateful.

"...ready," Zuko murmured.

Katara's hand on his should being one of them. 

Katara asked, "Are you okay, Zuko?" Her gaze lingered, worried. Kind. Zuko gulped and nodded quietly. Kind. Zuko had friends now, and they were kind. Even though Zuko had chased them halfway across the world, they were willing to forgive him. Katara, most of all. Sometimes...

Most times.

Zuko felt like he didn't deserve their kindness

Zuko mumbled, "I'll... be fine." He said, strapping his pack to Appa's saddle. Katara's brows furrowed, obviously not buying it. But before she could push, someone else arrived. An old man carrying a sword and walking silently. An old master.

Piandao smiled quietly, "Hello, Master Katara." He said. Bowing formally. Piandao said. "I pray I'm not interrupting anything, but I'm hoping I could talk to Prince Zuko briefly." Piandao smiled slightly. "I promise I'll be on my way after I'm done."

"No, I'm sorry, take your time. Please. Master Piandao." Katara flushed, fussing slightly as she returned the fire nation as well as she could. Katara squeezed Zuko's shoulder one last time before stepping away to talk to her brother and the rest. Zuko watched her leave before returning his gaze to Master Piandao. Zuko bowed. 

"Master," Zuko said, "It's good to see you again. Sorry, I couldn't greet you more properly before."

"Pay no heed. You and your uncle had far more pressing matters to discuss." Piandao waved off Zuko's worries, tapping the back of Zuko's head to signal a release of the bow. Zuko nodded and stood straight. Piando's lips curled up slightly. "Besides, I had another pupil to talk to. So I was hardly bored."

"Sokka?" Zuko guessed, still surprised to hear that Sokka had trained under Piandao. Same as Zuko had done when he was seven or eight. It had been so long that it felt like a lifetime. Zuko asked, trying to hide his curiosity. "How was he as a student?"

"Loud, obnoxious, quick-witted, yet comically simple-minded, and far too unsure of his own abilities."

"Which means..." Zuko asked, knowing Piandao.

"He was wonderful," Piandao smirked, patting Zuko's shoulder. "Just like another student of mine. Between the two of you and Lu Ten, I dare say you were some of the best students I had."

"Some of the best?" Zuko asked, raising a brow. Zuko and Sokka were young, true. But Lu Ten had been in his twenties when he died. Zuko was surprised Piandao didn't consider Lu Ten his best student. Zuko asked. "Then who was the best?"

"A stray wolf, I'll tell you another time." Piandao waved off Zuko's question, saying. "But for now, there are more important things I want to discuss." Piandao sighed. "There are some things I have to discuss with you. Because I know your uncle will care too much to ask you."

Zuko stiffened as Piandao's hand on his shoulder grew firm. Piandao's eyes leveled, and a serious tone took the old master's gruff visage. Piandao's eyes tilted, sympathetically, but no less honest. He said. "The palace... will likely be guarded by Dai Lee."

Zuko froze, his blood turning cold as Piandao continued talking.

"As well as Fire Nation royal guards."

Zuko didn't want to hear it. Hoped he didn't have to acknowledge it. It seemed no one wanted to acknowledge it. Zuko's friends and Uncle either didn't notice it or didn't want to bring it up. Ozai was one thing. Azula was another. Zuko didn't want to acknowledge it. He didn't.

But Piandao had noticed. And had taken it upon himself to ensure Zuko was ready. 

As any good master did. 

"Can you handle it..." Piandao asked seriously, looking for an answer. "The weight." Demanding that Zuko find one. Zuko gulped, fists clenched at his side. Zuko's eyes lowered, trembling. He didn't want to acknowledge it, but he knew. He knew. The day of the comet. After today...

Zuko's father might be dead.

As well as...

"I don't know..." Zuko murmured, closing his eyes and taking a shaky breath. Azula would be in the palace for her coronation. Gaurded. Heavily guarded. She would be at her peak. And Zuko and Katara would have to try to stop her. Defeat her. They had to. Zuko had to stop the Fire Nation and bring it back to a path of peace and restoration. The war had gone on so long, taken so much, he couldn't let it continue. Not now. Not forever. Zuko had to become Fire Lord. 

In a fight like that...

It was possible that defeating Azula and taking her alive wouldn't be possible. She definitely wouldn’t be aiming to take Zuko alive. That was for sure. 

Zuko knew all that...

And still...

"I don't know," Zuko said honestly, looking up at Piandao. Piandao's lips thinned, looking to speak. Zuko shook his head, saying, "I don't know, but..." Zuko looked at his old master. Zuko murmured, "I know what I have to do. I know my destiny now."

Become Fire Lord. Stop the War. Help the Avatar restore the balance that his family had long destroyed. Zuko's eyes held Piandao's gaze. Piandao's eyes widened slightly, before a small, profound expression took Piandao's face, a hint of pride. Piandao smirked. 

"Then you've already accepted the weight of that."

As long as Zuko kept true to his destiny, he hoped he wouldn't have to think about the rest just yet. 

Present Day...

His sister's cruelty wasn't something he wanted to think about.

Yet it followed him the rest of the day. The memory of her fire scaring off the turtle-ducks. Burning one. He'd forgotten how much of her fire started young. How quickly and effortlessly she'd burn something that couldn't fight back. How quickly it would change from turtle ducks to servants to him.

'One who stands at the crossroads of peace and chaos.'

It was annoying, honestly. If Azula were in his shoes, she'd have it easy. She'd have killed him within the week. And she'd have slept all the same.

'As long as they exist, you will never achieve your destiny.'

Meanwhile, Zuko agonized over it. He lost sleep over it. So much so that by the next day, he was awake before the sun. He was awake before the servants would knock at his door, a subtle reminder for the day's morning training. He was at said training well and early, with rings under his eyes and wearing proper attire before anyone could even think of berating him for tardiness or lack of respect.

Again.

Last time he'd had such a weak connection to his spark, he had actually managed to miss the servant's knocking and sleep past sunrise. Something his sister found hilarious and his father found it pitifully unsurprising. 

That had been a harsh day, and getting scolded and physically reprimanded by his teacher had been a wake-up call in more ways than one.

Training wasn't supposed to be fun. It was meant to instill discipline. Respect. And more than anything, strength. He'd never been late a second time.

And it had never mattered.

His progress had been so slow compared to his sister's that his father soon stopped the expected training and threw him into a class by himself.

And his teachers, Li and Lo, twins, and the head sages who were supposed to teach members of the royal family, were soon replaced with whatever guards his father could find. Zuko hadn't lasted a week in the royal standard training regiment before he was stuck learning the basics without any help.

Last time, he'd been devastated. He'd practiced harder than anyone to try and get back in Azula's classes. To try and make his father proud.

Now he was wondering if he could break his record on getting kicked out of the royal bending sessions. A week seemed too long. Maybe he could cry?

No, I'm not a good actor... Zuko huffed, sitting down and stretching his stiff legs and shoulders. If I cry and they figure out I'm lying, it'll be worse.

He winced, first at the thought of his father, of all people, getting suspicious of him, and second at the joints that didn't want to stretch the way he wanted them to. The arms that didn't want to reach as far as he wanted them to. Before he could comfortably reach his toes, now he couldn't get past his shins.

"Get ready, little prince." An old lady with a wrinkled face lined with amusement jabbed his back, pushing him deeper into the stretch and making him hiss. Agni, he wasn't looking forward to this again. He sucked in labored breaths before the old hag chuckled and said. "Hurry. Don't dally."

Zuko nodded as he pulled himself up, sparing a glance at Azula and Li standing in a separate ring. Father was standing nearby and watching her progress like a hawk. Zuko watched for a moment, before those hawk-like eyes flickered his way and his heart skipped a beat, the skin on the left side of his face boiling. Burning. Melting. It prickled at the memory, his breathing stopped, and for a moment, his world revolved around those thin golden eyes. Laced with disgust and disappointment. Hatred and Malice.

'You will learn respect.'

Zuko felt sick.

'And suffering will be your teacher.'

But before it could fester, the last time he saw his father flashed through his mind. The day of the black sun. That day, he'd stared his father in the eyes. The first time Zuko had ever openly defied his father.

And he survived.

'I'm here to tell the truth.'

Zuko closed his eyes, took a deep breath to push down the nauseating memory, and let it go. His shoulders relaxed, his eyes settled open. Level.

'I'm not taking orders from you anymore.'

His heartbeat slowed from a rabbit's pace.

'You will obey me, or this defiant breath will be your last!'

His hand stopped twitching, instinctively trying to reach for the left side of his face.

'Think again. I'm going to speak, and you are going to listen.'

His breathing returned to its normal, controlled, and constant state. He returned his father's gaze and remembered. The truth about his father's power.

It wasn't inevitable. It wasn't invincible. Even now, when Zuko's body was smaller and his legs more prone to tremble, it wasn't the end.

It was just pointed towards the weak and feeble.

'How could you possibly justify a duel with a child!'

'It was to teach you respect.'

'It was cruel and wrong.'

It wasn't the same power he'd once thought it was. It wasn't larger than life. One day, eight years in the future, it would come to an end. An iceberg would break, and a boy lost to time would come into the world to stop it. The Avatar would bring peace.

'I'm going to join the Avatar and I'm going to help him defeat you.'

This time, Zuko would make sure of it.

'Really?' His father's old voice echoed in his ears while the current stood silent, scowling. Watching. Zuko stood still, the image of his father the night of the eclipse flashing through his head. 'Since you're a full-blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless. You've got your swords.'

Things would change. Some things would change. Some things were bound to change, so much so that Zuko couldn't even think of it all right now.

'Why don't you just do it now?'

But his father would still lose. Aang would win. That was Aang's destiny, so Zuko didn't have to worry about it. Aang would defeat his father.

'Because I know my own destiny.'

And Zuko... this time... he would...

'As long as they exist, you will never achieve your destiny.'

Zuko, with the feeling of discomfort stewing in his gut, but this time of a different source, forgot about his father's glare and glanced at his sister. She was studying diligently under Li's guidance, but she had a single eye monitoring the situation. Her eyes widened when she noticed his gaze. 

'You must do what I failed to do.'

Zuko's stomach churned. He looked away first. Turning back to his fire-bending instructor, and ignored the surprise on Lo's face or his father's eyes lingering on his neck.

"I'm ready to start when you are, Madam Lo." Zuko bowed, waiting at the ready with his mind now a tad bit calmer. Aang would defeat Ozai in 8 years. For now, all Zuko had to do was survive him. His father had always been intent on ignoring him. The last time, Zuko had been desperate to change that.

"...Then let us begin, little princeling."

This time, Zuko would be more than happy to return the favor.

Zuko felt his father's gaze linger on his back longer than he wanted to admit. It followed suspiciously long, to the point Zuko had started to worry.

But after Zuko was told to perform his first katas, the most basic of basic ones, he realized he had nothing to worry about. His father's gaze shifted back to his sister soon enough, and Zuko was left in peace once more. Free to focus on the tasks Lo set up. The basic drills he'd been practicing basically every day for the last 8 years. He could do them in his sleep, and if his father figured that out, it would've been bad.

But it didn't. His father's interest lasted five minutes at most. Five minutes longer than Zuko's previous life, but soon it was back on Azula. Like always.

Zuko should've been happy. If he'd managed to trick his father of all people, to put on an act so good that the most paranoid person he knew was convinced, it would've been cause for celebration. See, Toph! He wasn't such a crappy liar after all. Take that!

But no... he wasn't happy.

Because it wasn't an act.

It wasn't an act at all.

Stupid shorter legs! He growled to himself mid-form as he tried to throw a basic kick, probably the most basic kick in Fire Nation history. A front kick. A. Front. Kick. He snapped his knee forward, forgot it was closer to his torso than it used to be, and didn't control his kick through the snapping motion. He extended his leg too far, which meant he leaned too far forward to overcorrect, which meant he couldn't retract it back in time.

Which meant his first session of the day, his first set of drills, ended when he landed in an accidental and compromising forward split, nearly crying because, once again, he wasn't as flexible as he used to be. And boy, did it hurt. It hurt a lot. He whimpered.

And Azula burst into a fit of laughter, having caught the entirety of his embarrassing predicament from her training ring, where she had been going through the same katas he was as a warmup. She hadn't been struggling of course, so she had time to watch as he flubbed the easiest kick in mankind, and plenty of extra time to laugh at his sudden predicament.

"Trying something new, Zuzu?" She tried and failed to smother her giggles, and he merely stood, slowly, and painfully, out of the compromising position and tried to regain a hint of his dignity left. He heard a giggle beside him and shot a glare at Lo, the elderly woman trying to hide her amusement behind a cough. Then he heard another muffled laugh and turned to glare at Li, the elderly woman trying a little less to hide her amusement behind her sleeve.

And finally, he turned to glare at Azula, who had finally composed herself and looked ready to release a scathing remark. He glared at her.

And was surprised when he saw Father giving her the same look.

"Daughter." His father said, tone flat as all the joy instantly left Azula's face. Her eyes widening slightly and an expression of... of something flashing across her face before Zuko could catch it. In an instant, her expression was stone, similar to the two head sages who had lost all traces of prior amusement. Zuko was the only one who hadn't turned to stone by his father's voice; he'd heard it plenty of times before. That tone, that familiar ring of disgust and anger.

Disappointment.

And suddenly it clicked, why this was strange. It wasn't him, the disappointment was being aimed at. It was his sister, and he'd never seen it before. It was startling, baffling, and something that just...that just didn't register. He stared, not at his father but at his sister. So this is how she acted when she messed up? Still and empty. Did she ever mess up? Or did he already change something by coming back and distracting her, forcing her to make a mistake?

A mistake...

Did she even make a mistake? She just laughed.

"Child." His father's disdain finally returned to its usual target, Zuko, and he was reminded. Yes, laughing was a mistake in Father's eyes. A weakness, a crime, and therefore inexcusable. The thought made him sick, his stomach burning with outrage at his father, but more than that, a twisting feeling gnawed at his chest. Like he couldn't describe, like he didn't fully understand, and the second he saw his sister's dead gaze flicker his way, it worsened.

Azula always lies.

Zuko looked away first. His chest burned with that feeling as he unfortunately caught his father's irate gaze. Zuko saw his father's body tense and wished he could leave. He needed to think, not practice Sozin's crappy style with limbs that were too freaking short to use. He wanted nothing more than a way out. Out of his father's company and out of Azula's presence, so this feeling in his chest would go away.

Azula always lies.

And when it was offered, he didn't hesitate to take it.

"If you are going to cause distractions, then leave." His father sneered. "I'll find a teacher whose time is less valuable than Lo's. That way, they can afford to waste it on you and all your childish nonsense."

"I completely understand, Father." Zuko agreed, doing the traditional bow to his father and then his teacher, Lo, "Thank you for your lessons."

"It is my sworn duty, little princeling." Lo nodded, seriousness now fully evident in her tone. Probably because she was certain father was watching. She said. "Now. Let us try from-" and stopped, choking on air as Zuko started walking towards the door. He heard her sputter.

And before long, his father's voice boomed through the room with a resounding shout.

"Child!" He snarled, and Zuko turned to see his father glaring death his way. Face red and veins in his head. "What is the meaning of this!"

"You said I could leave." Zuko furrowed his brows, watching as a mixture of shock, rage, and indignation passed through his father's face. All of which Zuko didn't care for, he was too busy watching for Azula's reaction, wondering if he could see more of that something that flashed her face earlier. When Father first turned his disappointment towards her. waht about now, when it was anger and Zuko was the target? Zuko looked, didn't see that something, but his siter must not have been paying attention because she didn't think to lie.

Azula always lies.

Or she did, and he just didn't realize it. Probably that.

Azula always lies.

Either way, her expression looked honest. Honest and clear. Surprise was so clear on her face. It was like she didn't even try to hide it. But why? Why wouldn't she? He saw her catch his confused gaze, and her face fell back to stone. Cold, uncaring, and unfeeling. There. That was his more like his sister. Azula. The sociopathic prodigy. She always lies and never regrets it.

And for some reason, the thought which should have been familiar and comforting made him feel worse. The worst he'd felt since coming back to the past.

It made him feel downright awful.

"Can I leave now?" He repeated, not willing to try and decipher whatever Azula was doing to his head. Was it mind games? No, that was stupid. This was Azula. Everything she did was a mind game. But which part? Was she faking her shock to mess with him? That earlier... thing, he'd seen on her face when their father addressed her. Did she fake it? Azula always lies. 

Which part did she lie about?

"You think this foolish little act of flippancy will earn you any semblance of respect!" His father's loud footsteps brought Zuko out of his dilemma. Zuko turned, burying a flinch as his collar was grabbed and his father held him to eye level. If looks could burn, Zuko would've lost half his face.

"You think this is a game?"

Again.

"You think it'll impress me." His father hissed, steam coming out of his nose as he warned. "Don't mistake disrespect for baseless courage, boy. I do not respect either."

Zuko felt heat reverberate beneath his chin and knew without looking that his father was heating his hands. But Zuko didn't look at the hands holding his collar. He stared at his father, held his father's vile and venomous gaze, and his traitorous mind kept wondering what Azula's reaction would be to this expression. He doubted she'd seen it before.

But if he looked away to check, would it even be real, or just another lie she told to garner false sympathy out of him? Would it matter? It wasn't pointed at her. He doubted it had ever been pointed at her. Not in this life and certainly not in the previous...

Right?

Did she ever see this side of him? His doubts gnawed at his chest until it hurt. He bit his cheek, drawing blood as he shook away the pain. Using the heat growing near his collar and the venomous eyes pointed his way as fuel. He was so sick of it. He couldn't stand what he'd been sent back to do, and every single moment he thought about it, everything just got more complicated and more confusing. He needed advice. He needed non-Roku advice.

He needed his uncle. His actual father.

Not Ozai, who never seemed to care about Zuko being alive until it benefited him. Who would've gladly kicked him out of the arena at any point during this training session, but lost it the second Zuko tried to walk out to save him the trouble.

Because that's disrespectful. Because there's no way that can be tolerated. Like a 13-year-old boy trying to stand up for his people. That could never happen. That needed to be punished. That boy needed to be dragged out of his seat into an Agni Kai! He needed to be burned and banished for not wanting to fight someone he loved! Because that was a weakness!

The thoughts must've reflected in his face, because even his father's venomous glare faltered briefly. His eyes widened imperceptibly, and in the reflection of his pupil's Zuko realized he'd been scowling. He'd been glaring. His hands had been gripping Ozai's arms, harshly. 

If Uncle were here, he'd have told Zuko to calm down. Told him to back off and fight another day. To suffer indignity rather than suffer from pride.

But uncle wasn't here. Of course, uncle wasn't here! Zuko didn't even know where he was.

So Zuko was alone, in a palace, 8 years in the past. With the world's greatest monster breathing down his neck and another making him question every single decision without even knowing it. Just by being smaller than she used to be. Weaker. Or was she already putting on an act? A lie.  Feigning hesitance. Trying to distract him in his father's presence so he'd be punished for it.

He wouldn't doubt it.

But Zuko didn't know. He couldn't know. He didn't know what to do anymore. All he knew was what he was supposed to do. What Roku wanted him to do. What the spirits sent him back to do. Zuko knew what destiny wanted him to do, and he hated it.

Because in that moment, all he wanted to do was check and see her reaction this time. To try and guess if she had seen father make this expression before. Try and see if she would be genuinely shocked or upset or if she'd be lying.

Or if that something, that something from earlier, when the disappointment was aimed at her, finally resurfaced. He didn't know. He had to know!

And he couldn't even look to see her reaction this time. To at least try and settle the feeling of unease in his chest. Because father was holding his gaze. Commanding his attention. Like he didn't have it before. Like he didn't have it the last 8 years. Zuko ground his teeth, and his temper, the temper Uncle had said was his greatest weakness, the temper Uncle had done an incredible job of lessening over the 3 years of banishment. That stupid temper.

It finally snapped.

"Am I supposed to..." he whispered, steam hissing out of his nose as all pretenses were lost. He was tired. Bitter. He hadn't slept, and for the first time in years, the cause of his nightmares wasn't the man standing in front of him. It was the girl standing behind, whose face he had no idea of. He had no clue what face she'd be making. Whether it would be a lie or genuine. What would it be? He didn't know.

"Am I supposed to impress you, now?"

He didn't want to know. It'd probably just leave him with more questions and uncertainty. And useless doubts, he couldn't do anything with.

"You’ve never cared before." Zuko snarled, pushing away the unease he felt under his father's growing heat. He saw his father's eyes narrow slightly, and Zuko wondered if this would get him killed again. He hoped not. His father wasn't Fire Lord yet, so he probably wouldn’t get away with it.

Another thing he hadn’t really processed until that very moment. His father wasn’t fire lord yet. It was still Fire Lord Azulon’s reign, even the physician had said Prince Ozai. Prince, not Fire Lord. Ozai wasn’t all powerful anymore, at least not inside the palace.

Still, testing the theory was dumb.

But Zuko couldn't hold it in anymore. Even being in the same room with him was too much. Even for a week until he got booted from royal training. Even for a measly couple of hours on the first day. Even then, he couldn't pretend to want his father's love anymore. To yearn for his affection. He couldn't. He'd done it for years, he wouldn't pretend to do it another second. 

"And you never will."

Zuko had never been that good of a liar.

"So can I go now," Zuko asked once more, watching bitterly as his father's face darkened. Turned cold. Whatever his actual thoughts were could've been inconsequential. The air was starting to burn. Zuko's father glared harshly, and his lips pulled back in a snarl that seemed to promise some sort of pain. Some sort of punishment, the kind his father enjoyed dealing. 

Zuko should've cowered. Panicked. Begged. He would've in his old life.

Zuko glared back in this one. Stubborn. Uncle always said he'd been too stubborn. But right when the heat in his father's hands seemed ready to burst into sparks, right when Zuko was about to brace himself for another burn, his father dropped him. Zuko tried to catch himself, but of course, his stupid short legs weren't where they were supposed to be. He fell on his butt, clicking his tongue as he looked up. He saw his father standing there, face cold and controlled. The left side of Zuko's face burned in memory.

And right when he expected it to become reality.

Ozai turned around, walking back to Azula's ring. Footsteps controlled as the temperature in the room dwindled back to what it once was. Zuko blinked, stunned, as his father stood near Azula and said, in an almost bored manner. "Lo," his father ordered, "From now on, you and Li will concentrate all your efforts on my daughter. Come, we're wasting time."

Zuko furrowed his brows, confused, but watching as Lo hid her obvious shock and nodded. Heading over to the ring as the twin sages began discussing lesson plans with Father. Zuko watched, confused, before he glanced at Azula to see her standing stock still. Face pale but otherwise expressionless, like she was trying hard to keep herself from showing something.

It irked Zuko, more than he wanted to admit, but before he could blow up and do something more stupid, his father's dull voice cut in.

"What are you still doing here, son." His father asked, and the sentence was so weird for some reason. Zuko couldn't place it. He turned back to see his father glancing his way. Bored and disinterested but no longer angry or furious. Weird. Too weird. The sight and words echoed in Zuko's head for a second like they weren't supposed to be there.

"I dismissed you already, did I not?" His father said, waving him off before turning back to Li and Lo. The twins had to take a moment to collect themselves, as shock had lined their faces, briefly, but they fixed it the second Ozai started addressing them. Zuko saw it, the surprise, and as he shook his head and turned to leave, he saw it again—Shock and disbelief.

Azula always lies.

Azula's face. Her carefully crafted expression had been shaken. Not like during the day of the comet. It wasn't cracked but misplaced. Revealing. Maybe.

Azula always lies.

It could've been a lie. It had to be a lie. But it stuck out like a sore thumb. Her eyes trembled. Disbelief and confusion liked her features. She watched him leave, not with narrow eyes but with uncertainty, he couldn't connect to her. She watched him like she was watching an impossibility unfold before her.

Azula always lies.

She watched and watched and watched. Her eyes never left his departing figure until it was out the door. And when he closed the door behind him, when he turned to see her gaze still watching, lingering, the feeling in his chest twisted all over. He needed Uncle. He needed someone to talk to. He needed advice. Anything. He was so confused.

Always... 

Because for a moment, just before he closed the door, he couldn't help but think she looked just as lost as he was.

Chapter Text

Trying to find Uncle was a dead end.

"He's in the earth kingdom little prince." One of the palace servants said, Mel, a nicer one he had recalled from his first life. She was quiet and minded her own business most of the time, something he was fond of because she was one of the only servants that hadn't made it a habit to gossip about his failures to pass the time. He didn't remember what happened to her after he was banished, she probably stayed. 

Or became one of the servants Azula fired. Or killed.

Hopefully not killed.

"Thanks..." Zuko mumbled. Tryng not to finish that morbid thought as he bowed lightly to Mel as a short goodbye before he walked away. He shook his head that he'd been trying so hard to clear. He didn't know what to do. What was he going to do?

Uncle wasn't around, because of course he wasn't. Uncle hadn't retired yet, he was still in the military. He could be on any one of historic campaigns right now, anywhere in the earth kingdom. Bashing his head at Omashu or fighting in the colonies. It could be months before he came back to the palace. 

Zuko couldn't wait that long. 

Zuko needed someone to talk to. About anything. A distraction. He wanted to see his mother and talk by the turtle ducks. Or Mai despite how unlikely that was. The her talking part and the her being in the palace part.

She was in the Fire Nation prep academy for girls right now, or back on the colonies with her family. He wasn't even sure if she and Azula were friends yet. Or if they were ever friends to begin with. Or if Azula had just threatened Mai to be her friend and Mai was smart enough not to say no. It was such an Azula thing to do Zuko wouldn't even be surprised.

He wouldn't be surprised... but... now... after seeing how she fell in line this morning. How she reacted to being dad's little disappointment instead of him. 

Now he just felt sick.

"Azula... had friends... didn't she?" Zuko murmured as his head pulsed. Recalling how they stopped her on Boiling Rock.

They probably weren’t friends then, but that had been different. Azula had treated them like lapdogs in the Earth Kingdom. The only time she hadn’t was when they’d come back to the Fire Nation, during the beach she’d been a little better. But back on Boiling Rock, Zuko had been about to die, and Mai had saved him. And Ty Lee saved her when Azula tried to kill her in response.

Things had changed, but they’d been Azula’s friends before that, when they were kids. 

They had to be. 

Zuko remembered being so jealous of her whenever she went off with Mai and Ty Lee. Zuko had never gotten that. Father said he had to earn his friends, and he had never been able to. The closest thing he had to a friend was mother, uncle, and Lu-

"Prince!" One of the guards barked as Zuko tripped over his feet and fell on the palace floor. His face pale and his hands shaking as he covered his mouth and tried not to let out a brokenhearted sob. He forgot. This was eight years ago. Eight whole years. Uncle was still in the military, and that meant... 

Ba Sing Se hadn't happened yet. 

Lu Ten...

Lu Ten was still alive.

He had to be.

"Little prince. Do you need us to call the royal physician." One of the guards asked, signaling to another as Zuko pushed himself the ground. Shaking his head as tears started falling uncontrollably down his face. So much so that his vision was blurred as he pushed away from the guards steadying hand and stumbled across the hall. "I'm- I-I'm fine-"

"Are you sure-"

"I'm fine!" Zuko snapped, his head swimming as he hurried away from the guards and found himself stumbling through the whispering halls. Mind split between searching for his cousin, an idea he soon realized was stupid. If uncle was on a campaign right now it was likely Lu was likely on one as well. Their tours usually overlapped so they could visit the palace together when they were off duty.

He wouldn't see his cousin for months...

But still.

Months. That was it? Compared to the days left till he could see Uncle again, which seemed dauntingly endless. The time till Zuko would see Lu Ten again felt incredibly short. Nothing. Absolutely nothing compared to the actual eternity he had had to wait in his life. Lu Ten had been dead. Dead. Zuko had accepted that he'd never see his cousin again. 

But now that never was just a few months. A few months...

Zuko just had to wait a few months.

"I can do that..." he laughed in relief as he stumbled behind a palace pillar. Resting his hand against the wall as he tried to breathe again. 

"I can," he gasped, his tears falling still as he tried to wipe them away, and latch onto the newfound hope he'd been able to grasp. Lu Ten would be back. Uncle would be back. Zuko could ask them for advice then. They'd help him. They'd always helped him before.

"I can do this." Zuko whispered to himself as he took deep breaths to calm himself down. Drying the rest of his tears as he tried to center himself. Focus on his inner flame. It was only a few months. Zuko just had to avoid his father until then. Easy. Father never looked his way most of the time. That's be easy.

'You must do what I failed to do.'

But that was a problem. Zuko sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes shut as he sat down, legs crossed, and started meditating. Abruptly. Behind a pillar of all things. He had to. He had to center himself. In and out. He breathed. Deep and steady. And when he opened his eyes after an eternity, he decided he'd avoid that too. Any reminder of his sister. Of what he had- of what he was sent back to do. He'd ignore it. 

For now. For as long as he could. For just a few months he'd push it off until he could ask his uncle for advice. His uncle would know what to do. 

Uncle always knew what to do.

"I'll be fine." Zuko mumbled, his eyes red and puffy as he took a final breath and walked out from behind the pillar. His shoulders sagging and his expression probably dead tired as he walked towards the royal gardens. Ignoring the vast array of whispers as the palace staff continued on their way. Not a single one even sparing him a glance. Good. He needed to rest. To go somewhere he could relax. To find inner peace or whatever his uncle would probably tell him to do.

So he went to the gardens. They relaxed him. More than anywhere else in the palace, even his room, which was far bigger than he remembered.

Zuko made his way to the palace, turning the corner and hoping to see his mother. The turtle ducks. Mai. Someone. Anyone to soothe his stomach.

And instead he found a ghost. A blue mirage, a spirit. A man, sitting by the edge of the pond with a stiff posture and a grizzled, cold expression. 

The palace guards weren't noticing anything, and a pair of passing servants carrying a basket of launder walked through the man like he didn't exist. Only the turtles ducks noticed, playing at the man's feet as he watched them a cold stare. Detached. Zuko tried to speak, uncertain, before the pair of servants that had walked through the spirit continued heading in Zuko's direction. "Wait," Zuko said, surprised.

Until they walked through him too.

And he realized something was very wrong.

"What the..." he whispered as he looked down, finally noticing the similar blue hue engulfing his body. The same way it engulfed the other spirit. Zuko gulped, looking back to the stoic spirit sitting by the edge of the pond. Silent. The only indication of more was the way the spirit's lips tugged slightly upwards and he moved his hands, pretending to gloss over their pelts as they chirped happily. 

It was baffling. Zuko saw a ghost. Zuko was a ghost. And when the other ghost noticed him, that faint tug at the ghost's lips died. The ghost's voice was grave. 

"Great grandson. It's good to see you again."

It was exactly as Zuko remembered it. Two days ago. A lifetime ago. Before his world turned upside down. 

"We need to talk."

Avatar Roku sounded just as serious as ever.

Talking with his dead great grandfather had become more normal than the first time he did it. Once Zuko accepted that he'd accidentally slipped into some kind of spirit trance while meditating, and once he accepted that his great grandfather, Avatar Roku, wasn't a hallucination or a sign he'd somehow died a second time, he was able to calm down a little. 

He sat down by the pond and watched the turtle ducks dance around his feet. Pecking at his blueish toes while the rest of the world went on clueless.

Before eventually he had to ask.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko asked, his brows slightly raised as he voiced his disbelief. "How are you here? Aang isn't even awake yet... is he?"

"He is not," Roku shot down the flash of hope Zuko had, "That is precisely why I can be here. Aang will be in stasis for another 8 years. He has no use for my guidance while stuck in the iceberg. Hence why, when I sensed a new connection form between me and my great grandson, I decided to follow it."

Roku huffed, "Imagine my surprise when that connection leads me back to Sozin's palace, with memories I never experienced. Of a comet not due to fall for another 8 years, and a prince sent back in time to assure our failures are not repeated." 

"You remembered?" Zuko asked, eyes wide as he tried to stifle his excitement. It hadn't crossed his mind, but he guessed Roku shouldn't have recalled what happened before. Zuko and Aang were the only ones sent back. But now he knew. Someone else knew. Thank Agni someone else knew. 

"Thank Agni." Zuko's shoulders sagged in relief, but he picked them back up as his eyes quirked in confusion. "So you're... attached to me?"

"For now." Roku shrugged. "It remains to be seen if I will be able to do so once Aang's awake and I have to return to his side. Only time will tell." 

"And the other avatars..."

"No, it's just me." Roku said, and Zuko sighed in relief. He really didn't need hundreds of people hanging around his head. One was enough. 

"How... how did you even do this?" Zuko eventually asked, eyes furrowed in confusion and disbelief. "Could you always do this?"

"Not before," Roku shrugged, "or at least I never tried it. There had never been a connection other than the one I felt to Aang. But this time." Roku pointed at Zuko, "Instead of repeating my experience in my past life, waiting in the spirit world with my fellow avatars, waiting for Aang to wake as we watched the world burn asunder, I sensed a connection to you. My great grandson."

Zuko blinked as Roku hummed. "And I figure 8 years keeping you on your destined path would be better spent than 8 stuck in the spirit world." 

"That's..." Zuko gulped, trembling slightly as he bowed. "Thank you." He said in relief, because it was a relief. Two days in and he had been panicking.

"You're welcome great grandson."

Now he had someone to ask. It wasn't uncle, but it was someone. Anyone. He sighed and looked up, the words 'what should I do' on the tip of his lips.

Before Roku said something that made Zuko wish he was alone again.

Alone and in agony would've been better than this.

"Your chance is coming up." Roku said flatly, as Zuko's heart sank in his chest. His eyes wide as he felt unease creep up his neck. "What- what are you talking about? What chance?" 

"Do you think there wasn't a specific reason the spirits intervened on this day." Roku raised an eyebrow. "At this time of year."

"It's when my bending first awakened." Zuko said, hesitantly. He'd just assumed that's when the spirits chose to send him back. For appearances sake.

Roku's unimpressed look said otherwise.

"And," Roku prompted. "You remember nothing else?"

"That's..." Zuko faltered, furrowing his brows as he racked his brain for anythign. Eventually coming back to the most important thing that happened when he was eight years old. His bending, and what had followed shortly after. He remembered it.

"There's... a monsoon coming."

Simply because it was the worst monsoon he'd ever experienced growing up in the Fire Nation. 

"Soon." Zuko gulped, as he tried to recall everything he could about monsoon season. He hadn't had to worry about it in three years, but he'd dealt with it his entire childhood. Everyone in the Fire nation had to. He frowned slightly. Monsoon season was brutal in the Fire nation. Short in retrospect but vicious and deadly. It lasted days at times and stretched to weeks if the conditions were right. It was something that had existed as long as the Fire Nation had, and his people had learned to accept it a long time ago. 

In terms of the war it was a double edged sword. They couldn't send out reinforcements during that time, and war production slowed down somewhat, but the Fire Nation was basically impossible to invade during these few weeks. Impenetrable. 

The islands were always drenched in rain and the seas were harsher than most wooden ships would allow. Even their Fire nation carriers were known to capsize, and flying was a death sentence in the winds. The Fire nation was a natural fortress in Monsoon season, albeit that also meant leaving the Fire Nation was difficult as well. 

A lot of soldiers saw it as a blessing, as the chances of being sent on a tour were lower and most people got to rest for a while. Recover. Other nations hand my noticed it yet but aggressive pushes were less likely to happen during monsoon season, it was like a natural time of reprieve for the Fire Nation. A time to recuperate and ready for the battles ahead. 

The soldiers loved monsoon season.

The locals less so. 

The islands were always drenched in rain and the seas were harsher than most wooden ships would allow. Even their Fire nation carriers had to be careful, while fishing boats had to be docked, and flying was rendered basically impossible. Most people decided to board up and hunker down until the worst of the weather passed, abandoning any outside work or play while the storms raged. 

Fire bending meant most people never had to worry about freezing to death, as there was bound to be at least one fire bender in a village somewhere. To help those that couldn't take the stormy chill. Lightning was also less of a danger, as despite house fires and even Forest fires being a common consequence of the violent storms, fire benders would be sent out afterwards to snuff them before they could spread.

So the monsoons weren't disastrous. Not anymore. The Fire nation had grown to adapt to the chill, and minimize the damage lightning did to their houses and landscape. That meant the parts of monsoon season that people had started to look out for were the wind and rain. Flooding and even mudslides. 

Caldera City was no different. In a few weeks this city would be stuck on the worst monsoon it had ever faced. Buildings would be destroyed, the lower sections of the city would be flooded, and the waves would be so harsh they'd flood into some houses left down on the beach, sometimes miles inland. There wouldn't be a day that went by without some kind of damage being done to someone's house or abide.

Whether it be the countless Lightning strikes or the heaps of mud falling off the high walls of the dome volcano Caldera rested in, or the harsh and violent winds taking someone's roof. Caldera City would be on lockdown for a week while the worst of it passed.

The royal palace especially, would be on lockdown and understaffed. Less crowded than usual. As most of the staff with families in Caldera were allowed to spend the days at home to ensure their families were safe. And considering the guards outside couldn't even do their jobs with all the wind and lightning overhead, some days the total amount of fighting forces on the palace would be halved. 

Only the interior guards would be constantly rotated and replenished. Mother nature would be doing their jobs outside the palace walls. The storm would be deterring intruders and assassins better than any soaked and miserable Fire Nation soldier could possibly manage. In three weeks time, the palace would be the closest it would ever be to empty.

And Roku, the Fire nation that lived in Caldera City, knew that better than anyone. A hundred years hadn't changed the seasons, or the weather.

Or what they provided.

"In three weeks you'll have your best chance to kill her." Roku said, and Zuko paled. His eyes flickered away. "I can't. I'm not ready yet. She's-"

"A six year old girl. You don't need to be ready at all." Roku droned on, unimpressed. He narrowed his eyes. "I believe as long as you have two working thumbs and can sneak around unnoticed, you'll be fine. She is six and sleeps a room over. Just-"

"My limbs aren't the same length as before." Zuko interrupted. Desperately. He grasped at straws. "I'll mess it up. I can't do it. Not now. Maybe later-"

"There is no later!" Roku roared, seeing through Zuko's lies with ease. "You have three weeks to get used to your body again. I'm confident you will be able to handle something as simple as that by then. And I know you have that same understanding. So why are you hesitating. What is stopping you!" 

"I don't want to kill my sister, okay!" Zuko snapped, raging at his great grandfather with every stress that he'd built up since coming back in time. "I don't care that she killed me! I still don't want to kill her. I've never wanted to kill her. Not during the comet and definitely not when she's six years old! I don't want to kill anyone in my family, is that so hard to believe!? That I don't want to murder my sister."

"You think I wanted to kill Sozin?" Roku scoffed. Bitterness and sarcasm deep in his throat. "I didn't. And I let him live, and look how the world continues to pay the price for that mistake. Look how my heart got in the way of my duty. Look at the price."

"This is different."

"Is it?" Roku laughed. "Remember how the world paid when she was allowed to live. When she was allowed to flourish. She chose to be a monster, great grandson. Just as Sozin chose to become a dictator. She's already walking the path that'll lead to your downfall. The only way to save the Fire nation, to save the world, is to assure she isn't a part of it."

"There has to be a different way."

"Oh really? I hadn't thought of that." Roku rolled his eyes, and gave a mocking nod for Zuko to continue. "Tell me then, can you defeat her? When she's older. After you've become older and she's trained her body and mind to perfection. If you're so against killing her, are you strong enough to do it without. Was Aang?" Roku scowled as Zuko flinched. 

"Aang will defeat my father." Zuko said stubbornly, refusing to admit whether he believed it was possible without Aang breaking his code or not. 

Aang would find a way to win, Zuko didn't know how, but he was sure of it. Zuko believed in his friend wholeheartedly—without question. 

Roku picked up on his unsaid doubts regardless.

"That wasn't my question." Roku scolded. "If I give you another twenty years will you be able to defeat her. Can you envision it happening even once. Because I can't. And the spirits can't either."

"Don't you think I know that!" Zuko snapped, his frustration boiling over. "I failed okay! I get it! But this time I'll have 8 years to train. This time-" 

"This time you'll what? Train harder?" Roku ground his teeth and his eyes narrowed in blunt annoyance. "While I have no doubt you will be stronger this time around, let me be clear. You already had the best tools at your disposal back then. How much can you really improve beyond that? How many steps can you take down the same road? Will it be enough?"

"You could help me."

"With what? Your teachers were better than mine." Roku frowned slightly. "You learned from dragons, the original masters. There isn't anything more to learn. Not from me at least. They taught you all you needed to know. Everything you could know." Roku scowled. "And even then it still wasn't enough." 

Zuko fell silent. Dead silent while Roku clicked his tongue, oblivious to his plight. "I suppose that generating lightning is the last step you can take, but I can't help you with it. It's a skill exclusive to those born in the royal family, and despite my connection with Sozin, I was never granted permission to learn the art. They kept that secret close to their chest."

Zuko paled as Roku's lips tilted upwards. "Actually, in that regards I encourage you. Pursue lightning bending. It's only good for one thing after all." 

"Shut up!" Zuko growled, Shaking his head as he grabbed his hair. "Just shut up! I won't do that! I don't want to kill her!"

"You have to." 

"I'll find a different way." Zuko pleaded, grasping at straws as he recalled her face today at training. That something. That brief glimpse of something. The fleeting something before reality had squashed it.

"I'll-"

Her lightning. Her cruelty. Her derangement. 

"I, I'll-"

The something. Her face at the beach house. Her carefree laughter before father corrected her. He remembered it, and a final plea escaped his lips. 

"I'll change her!" He begged, watching as his great grandfather raised an eyebrow, before bursting into laughter. Mocking laughter. Callous and spiteful. Zuko gnashed his teeth and stood up, glaring. "I mean it! I saw it today! There was something there. Something different. She seemed, she seemed." 

"Cruel? Mocking?" Roku's laughter died down little by little until he wiped the tears out the corners of his eyes and shook his head. "Flaunting her father's attention. Eager to impress him with her cruelty. More than ready to follow in his footsteps and impose her power on the weak and feeble." 

Roku scoffed. "Did she seem like that, great grandson? Or am I missing something."

"Yes, no." Zuko shook his head frantically. "I- I don't know!"

"You've always known."

"What if I was wrong, then!" Zuko shouted. "What if there was something else! Something I missed! She- She seemed lost! She looked confused! She wasn't acting like she usually did! Not today! That, that wasn't the Azula at the comet! Or Ba Sing Se!"

"But it will be." Roku said flatly, unfaltering. "And it always will be. Because it's who she wants to be. She wants nothing more than to be like her father."

"So did I." Zuko spat, the truth coming out hot and bitter on his lips. "But I changed. So why can't she? Why do I need to kill her. Why is she different."

"Because you had the potential to change. You've always had the potential to be kind." Roku said, a hint of pride in his gaze before it vanished. "She doesn't have that. She's never had that. Sozin's malice is in her blood and greed in her heart."

"No." Zuko grit his teeth in denial. "You don't know that. You can't possibly know that." 

"She will never change," Roku said, stead fast. "it's not a possibility the spirits even entertained. Will you disagree with them too?"

"You said she was at the crossroads." Zuko snapped, recalling his uncle's words as he growled. "That means she can choose. Why can't she choose?"

"Because she doesn't want to." Roku frowned. "And when I used that analogy, I was attributing her to a guard. A wall. Blocking the path to peace. Don't try to twist my words against me. You have to kill her Prince Zuko, quit fishing for excuses not to do it."

"They're not excuses."

"Then they're cowardice." Roku snarled. "Are you going to let her destroy the world? Are you going to let millions die, are you going to die, because you don't have the stomach to do what is necessary. To fulfill your destiny. Will you let the world suffer for your cowardice? Will you let your friends suffer?"

"That- that," Zuko's voice broke. His breath escaping in pitiful gasps as he looked around for something. Anythign that would prove drown out the noise. The doubts. The memories. The vision of his friends mourning in the streets of Caldera. He looked. 

'Oh, you want lightning!?' 

And when he found nothing, nothing but the memory of her deranged laughter and the electricity that had burned his chest. Charred his skin. Turned his bones to jelly and drowned his lungs in blood and ash. 

'I'll show you lightning!" 

When he saw the tears, his tears, hit the pond's surface, breaking his reflection and replacing it with the scars of his past life. He broke. He cried. He sobbed. 

"That isn't fair..."

And for the first time in the conversation Roku's expression softened into something achingly close to sympathy. His hands hovering an inch above Zuko's back, unable to touch but enough to comfort. To show sadness and kindness in the worst of ways. Zuko cried, and as his tears pestered out, he heard his great grandfather's voice bleed into the abyss.

"Few things ever are." Roku whispered, before his voice grew firm. "But I was blinded by love in my time. And look what happened. The man I spared, the brother I refused to kill, started an 100 year war." Roku said gravely, his eyes down on the pond as a younger man was reflected back. Black hair and a bright smile. Roku, before the weight of the world fell upon his shoulders. Before he knew its weight.

"You must not let your sister start another one." Roku said, and Zuko despaired. His eyes lifeless as he saw the mirage fade and Roku's head turn to the side. Roku huffed. "But Fine. If you still have any lingering doubts, now's your chance to settle them. Go ahead. Try to find a shred of light in her."

Zuko snapped is head up, stunned as Roku gave him a fading look. Disappointment, and resignation. Bitterness and a sense of futility that ached. 

"I'm certain you will fail. Just as I did."

And suddenly Zuko's eyes snapped open. Hsi actually eyes, in his actual body. He gasped, pain shooting up his side as he fell over. Falling out from behind the pillar he'd been meditating behind as pain shot up his body. He grabbed his side. He hissed. His ribs hurt. Why'd his ribs hurt? 

"What'd you do, brother?" 

Oh, that's why they hurt.

"What are you talking about..." he groaned as he tried to stand up, glancing at his sister as she glared daggers at him. "Don't play dumb, Zuzu."

"What are you-" Zuko's eyes went wide as a bolt of orange fire shot at his chest. He tried to dodge, but his muscles didn't respond in time. There was still a lag, still a delay. Still a disconnect between how he used to move and how he currently had to. He was thrown back into the wall, his back screaming and his chest hurting as he slumped over. His throat caught in his sister's grip as she held him down. Choking him against the wall with an iron grip.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Zuzu." She hissed, eyes dark and dangerous. Her voice steel as she gnashed her teeth so hard it looked like they'd crack. She ground out, "This morning. With..." she growled. "With dad. How did you do it? What did you do? Did you make a deal with him, is that it?"

"What are you talking about," Zuko coughed, his sister's nails digging into his neck. He idly thought about trying to escape, his sister probably wasn't great at hand to hand yet. But one twitch of his fingers left him with her foot snapping against his shin, and reminded him that right now. In this 8 year old body. He wasn't all that great at it either. 

"Don't even think of escaping." She sneered, and Zuko's grit his teeth. His eyes lowered as he turned to look at his sister. Her eyes.

"That. Why the heck are you doing that now?"

They looked angry and dark and malicious and vengeful and... and something all at the same time. Something that seemed hesitant. Uncertain. Odd. That something confused him, but before he could latch onto it, that something vanished. Snuffed. In an instant and cold fury took its place. 

"What the heck did you say to dad that let him ignore what you did today." She demanded, her eyes sharpening as she dug her nails deeper into his neck. Her scowl deep and teeth bared as she raised her other hand and leveled a palm of orange fire, "Answer me." She ordered, and Zuko, the idiot he was, flinched. Against his six year old sister, he flinched. Badly. As soon as he saw her flames.

Because they had been too close to his face. The left side of his face.

And it stung.

"What?" She barked, her eyes narrowed as she moved her fire closer to his left side. He tried not to show anything, but he felt his breath hitch and knew before she said anything that she noticed. He saw her eyes flickering to his face, her brows furrowed momentarily, before her face fell flat and she replaced it with a slow and deliberate smirk. 

"Oh? Is Zuzu not so fearless after all." She purred as she raised her hand towards the left side of his face. The light bouncing off his skin with the memory of a blazing pain. He bit his tongue, straying to swallow his panic while his body clammed up. Froze.

He watched helplessly as she smirked. "Well then, if you haven't gone completely insane like you did this morning,  then you'll listen to what I'm about to tell you."

She had him at her mercy. Again. Six years old and he'd already gone right back to losing to her. To falling to her whims.

"Stay away from dad. Stick to mother. And don’t even think of showing yourself near the training hall again during my sessions.”

Everything was the same. Nothing had changed. She was still vicious. Still manipulative. Still cruel.

"Or next time I'll give Dad a reason not to look at you."

Still Azula.

"Clear?" She asked, not a question in her eyes. Zuko coughed, "crystal..." and gasped as he was let go and fell to his knees.

He messaged his throat as his sister huffed and marched down the hall like nothing had happened. Shooting a passing staff member a vicious glare before she turned the corner and Zuko was left alone. In the halls of the palace, his throat bruised and his eyes lowered.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but by the time the sun set, and he'd wandered back to his bed, he wasn't even surprised when he was whisked away into another spirit trance. Taken to the vision of his funeral, the parade of his death. The sight of his friends and his uncle, mourning. Broken. Hurting. He watched it all from atop lonely tea shop, and when his great grandfather spoke beside him. Far too soon and with far too much empathy.

"Sometimes the hardest decisions..."

Zuko didn't say anything. He wouldn't. He just sat. While his old world mourned his death and his new one forgot his existence.

"Are reserved for the kindest people." 

Silently. Quietly. Tiredly. And without end. He broke. He sobbed. He mourned, and his spirit chipped away with every breath. And when he finally woke, when the vision faded but the weight of his dream stayed. 

"Do not sacrifice your friends for a girl that won't change. Who doesn't want to change. Trust me, if people were to change so easily. So willingly."

Zuko laid in bed. For days. For hours. For however long it took. He wasn’t sure. But he laid there. Tears dried from sleep and throat hoarse from his sister's grip. He laid. 

"We both would have lived far longer lives." 

And when he finally sat up, the stone in his chest settled so deeply he knew it would never leave.

Chapter Text

A lifetime ago...

Piandao's estate was quiet.

It was usually quiet. Zuko liked how quiet it was. At times. The grassy terrain. The bamboo forest. The Golden Koi pond. The sand gardens. The Bansai trees. The birds that sometimes flew overhead and rested on nearby cliff faces. 

It was peaceful, a lot quieter than the palace. Zuko liked not having to look over his shoulder all the time.

Except when he had to run through the bamboo trees, and Paindao kept wacking him with that dumb stick. Or when he had to paint those dumb paintings and Piandao kept trying to mess him up. Or when he was playing Pai Sho, and Piandao kept trying to cheat. 

Those times Zuko had to pay attention.

 All the time.

Same with his swords. Dual Dao blades. Two in one. Zuko had chosen them because they were Lu Ten's preferred weapon.

And he sucked with them.

At first.

Now he was a little better. Albeit lessons still sucked, especially since Zuko kept cutting his fingers. Still, Zuko would take it over firebending lessons.

At least Zuko had swords to use. He didn't have fire yet.

That made sword lessons a thousand times better.

Even if some of Piandao's lessons were... weird.

"Master Piandao..." Zuko asked, putting the worm on a string. "What are we doing?" He glanced at Piandao, sitting simply on the shore of the stream. Piandao had his own wooden fishing pole, which he rested easily, with the line already submerged in the water. 

Zuko asked quietly. "I thought-,"

"We will return to your lessons soon." Piandao said simply, "But first, there is a lesson you must learn. A lesson you must understand. Sit."

And so Zuko sat, confused and a little annoyed, but he sat. Fumbling with the string, it took a couple of tries to get the worm on. Gross. Still, Zuko did it.

He pulled back his fishing pole and sent it into the water.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"Are there even any fish in this water?"

"Quiet," Piandao said simply, and waited.

Zuko huffed but listened. His shoulders slumped. Zuko watched the water do nothing. His fishing pole did nothing. Zuko tapped his finger on his knee.

Eventually, when the sun had set, and Zuko had fallen asleep, he felt a small whack on his head. Zuko yelped and rubbed his eyes, glancing up at the sky.

Night. He'd been here all day. It was night.

And still no fish.

Piandao grumbled, still sitting next to him on the pebbly shore. "What did you learn?" Piandao said, and Zuko had no idea. Fishing was boring?

"Uh..." Zuko hesitated. "Patience... is a virtue?"

"It is..." Piandao admitted, smiling slightly. Piandao tilted his head and said. "But no, that was not exactly what I wanted you to learn." Piandao hummed.

Piandao tapped the fishing pole in his hand.

"Do you know what a weapon is?" Piandao asked. "What is a sword? What is a blade? Can you define it?" Piandao asked, expectantly. Zuko hesitated.

He opened his mouth...

And stopped.

"Metal?" Zuko asked.

Piandao laughed, shaking his head. Piandao said. "Yes, correct. It is metal. A weapon can be metal. It can be more than that, too. Fire is a weapon. A weapon that Firebenders are granted. Same with the Earth that Earthbenders control. Or the water the waterbenders wield."

Piandao flicked his fishing pole.

"Anything can be a weapon," Piandao murmured quietly, eyes quiet. Gazing at the surface of the pond. Piandao murmured. "Only one..."

Piandao said quietly.

"There is only one requirement for a weapon," Piandao murmured. "It must have weight." Piandao flicked the edge of his fishing pole. "Like this pole."

"A fishing pole is a weapon?"

"It is," Piandao said. Zuko tilted his head, frowning slightly. Looking at the old wooden fishing pole. It wasn't anything like Lu Ten's swords. It looked skinny and flimsy, two days from snapping because someone mistook it for a twig and stepped on it. 

Piandao chuckled. "You don't believe me."

Zuko stiffened. Looking away sheepishly.

Piandao merely smiled and said. "Retract your line."

"But a fish hasn't-,"

"Zuko," Piandao said, and Zuko rolled his eyes. Fine. He pulled back his wooden fishing pole. And his string came back. Empty. Only a worm.

A dead worm. Drowned. Hours ago.

"A weapon," Piandao said quietly. "Must meet the requirement. It must have weight." Piandao reached over and plucked the dead worm off Zuko's line.

"It must have the weight..."

Zuko watched as Piandao set it in the water.

"To take a life."

The worm sank. Under the water. And Zuko felt uncomfortable. A deep-seated unconscious feeling, like he'd done something wrong. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Zuko frowned and fidgeted, watching the water. Watching the worm sink and disappear.

Gone. Carried away by the soft currents.

Forever.

"Once a life is taken," Piandao said firmly and softly. "It can never come back." Piandao hummed. "That does not mean you should never take it. But..."

Piandao pulled his line back. It was empty.

"One must never take it needlessly."

Piandao had never put a worm on the line.

"Do you understand, clumsy pupil of mine?" Piandao said, and Zuko frowned. No. He didn't get it. Not entirely, but it... It felt different. Almost like it made sense. Or it could. One day.

Zuko watched as Piandao set the fishing pole aside and set a pair of Dual Dao blades on the shore beside Zuko. Piandao said. "Pick them up."

"But-," Zuko stiffened as Piandao's eyes narrowed. Zuko sighed and took the blades. Still odd in his hands. Still strange. He looked at his reflection in the blades. Even at night, the metal's shine revealed Zuko's expression. His face. Zuko looked past the blade and saw the same reflection in the water. But with ripples. Zuko's reflection was a little distorted in the water. Zuko frowned. 

Piandao's lips curled up. 

"A sword is a weapon, Zuko. It meets the requirement to take a life." Piandao said, gaze returning to the water and never wavering. "If you ever find yourself in the position to make use of it, that requirement that all weapons have... think carefully. Do not regret it..."

Zuko's fibers tightened around the handles of the dual Dao blades. It took Zuko a few months to get used to it. The feel of the swords in his hands.

"Do not take a life you don't have to."

It took longer to get used to the weight.

Present Day...

It turned out the exact time it took for Zuko to get used to his old body again was 2 weeks and 6 days. Two weeks and six days to no longer trip over his legs that weren’t as long as he remembered, or hit his hands against the doorknobs because his reach was so small now. Two weeks and 6 days of stumbling, cursing, and hitting random tables.

Two weeks and 6 days. 

One day before the deadline that had Zuko walking along with rings around his eyes and lead in his feet. It was hard to sleep. Harder to eat, but he had to push himself to. Tomorrow was too close, and he’d be on lockdown before he knew it. His entire family would

As would the rest of Caldera. If they hadn't already. There had already been reports of flooding near the beaches, and a mudslide on the north side that had already claimed a few lives. And those were only the reports for Caldera.

The few reports that had come in from some of the surrounding isles, before winds became too harsh for messenger hawks, suggested similar things happening across the Fire nation. 

And with the worst still to come, everyone in the palace had already recognized that this storm would be bad. Worse than they'd had in previous years. 

All of the servants who weren't required or had families on Caldera had already returned back home, and the rotation of outside guards had been lowered steadily as the storm got closer. Tomorrow it would be cut entirely; with the remaining guards placed inside the palace walls so they could do their jobs without getting carried off by a windstorm or struck by lightning. Tomorrow the palace would be functioning at half capacity. For a week.

Sneaking around would be a breeze. 

The thought didn't help his stomach any. 

Or his mind.

He was distracted. Tired and paranoid. As the deadline approached he started wondering if someone would notice. If guards would jump out and grab him for what he was planning to do. What he had to do. He was resigned and exhausted and twitchy all at the same time. 

And the storm didn't make it any better.

There had been over a dozen times he'd flinched throughout the week, when lightning struck a little too close to the palace and his chest burned in response. Azula's laugh would echo in his ears as he forced himself to hide the phantom pains through his body. Lightning. He wasn't afraid of it, not now and not in his past life. Not after he'd learned to redirect it.

'Oh you want lightning!?'

Now he had a healthy respect for it. His body had a not so healthy reaction to it. He couldn't help it. It had been less than two months since he'd been hit by his sister's lightning. Less than two months since his lungs and melted and his heart had charred. That kind of pain lingered, in every strike of thunder outside. It was hard to hide his flinches, his reactions, but he was getting better. 

'I'll show you lightning!' 

Better. But not good enough. Not yet. Lightning struck outside and his shoulders tensed slightly. He had to force them to loosen. It was annoying. And distracting, but he'd get over it. He'd done it before.

After his father burned half his face off, he'd had similar reactions to fire. For the first few months of his banishment, he flinched at every candle flame and loose spark aboard the Wani.

And he'd gotten over it. Eventually. Thanks to Uncle. 

He'd get over it again. Eventually if Uncle wasn’t here. He’d get over his apprehension towards lightning. He'd learn not to flinch, it would just take a while. The monsoon would be good practice if anything. 

And a good opportunity, as he’d been recently reminded. 

'Your chance will be coming up soon.' Roku's words echoed on his mind as he shook his head, walking through the slightly empty halls as he made his way to his morning bending lessons. Or his commoner's lessons according Azula's earlier taunts. She'd had a field day when she learned he wasn't going to lessons with the sages anymore. Not just Li or Lo, the head safes, but any sages. 

Zuko hadn't been surprised about losing access to the sages. His father had meant it when he said he would find a teacher that had time to waste.

But what was a little surprising, was that instead of last time, where Zuko had been shunted off on any guard or soldier unlucky enough to have a morning off, this time his teacher was a general. Retired, but stop a general. Her name was Prudda. She was head of palace security, and she was old. Grey hair and wrinkled skin kind of old, but still active enough to give combat lessons without any issues. 

If alcoholism was considered a non issue.

"This is the best you can do?" She downed her flask as Zuko collapsed to the ground, panting as his two sparring partners, a pair of unwilling guards, stood unpleased and a tad bored. He'd barely landed a hit, having been overwhelmed by the age difference and his moves being too stiff and clunky to do anything. His fire being too weak and predictable to land. 

It sucked. He couldn't even blame his body this time. He'd gotten used to living in his eight year old self. He wasn't tripping every other step anymore. 

It was just because he wasn't suited for Sozin style. Never had been, never would be. And while he'd trained hard enough to become decent at it, great even. He was sure that even if he fixed his body's little problems, endurance and flexibility mostly since height wasn't something he could control, and even if he gave it his all at Sozin style this very second, even then. He was almost certain.

It would still be nothing compared to his sister. Whose progress was compared to his at every step. She was born to use Sozin style. He just wasn't.

He had found his niche with a different style. And despite knowing his incompatibility with Sozin style was probably a blessing in disguise, since he didn't have to fake being worse then he actually was, he still really wished he could fight like he wanted to. Like fire benders were supposed to fight.

Like dragons. 

Not with baseless aggression and hatred, but with life and passion. Power and balance. He wanted to fire-bend like Ran and Shaw taught him to. 

But he couldn't really do that in the palace. 

It would draw attention, and Zuko was just fine being the family disappointment this time around. Less time spent with father and less time trying to cook up a lie on why he could bend a different style. Why he was choosing to bend a different style, using techniques from lesser nations, instead of utilizing Sozin's Style—The pride and jewel of the Fire Nation. The birthright of the royal family.

It was almost funny. He finally had a strength he was proud of. The strength he'd been searching for the entirety of his first life. He had that strength.

And it wasn't the kind his father would appreciate. 

"The irony..." Zuko mumbled as he laid on his back, sweat dripping down his face. Even if he wasn't having constant body disconnect anymore, his eight year old self was still a far cry from his 16 year old self. His endurance and flexibility were still crap, he was shorter, and he was overall weaker. As weak as an eight year old was expected to be. 

Case in point. When his teacher's foot snapped into his ribs, it felt like a hammer instead of a prodding jab. Even though he'd suffered far worse injuries in his past life. He groaned, curling in a ball as his teacher's scoffed. "Pathetic. The princess was miles ahead of you three years ago." She sneered. 

"What a waste of my time." He heard her leave, chugging her flask the entire way. The guards followed her, and left him alone in the training hall. He probably laid there for an hour, just happy to get some sleep for once without worrying about Roku or nightmares interfering. When he woke up his body still hurt, and he pushed himself to a stand. 

He winced as he felt his ribs sting. Holding them quietly as he walked towards the exit, adjusting to the pain as best he could. He left the training hall. 

"Well, well. Took you long enough, Zuzu." His sister sneered as he stepped outside, and Zuko stiffened. Glancing over with a tired and admittedly annoyed expression as she smirked. "You must be making everyone mad this week if the old hag was keeping you this long. What'd you do this time? Play dead?" 

Zuko wanted to groan, not in pain but exasperation. 

"I was distracted.” Zuko sighed, wanting nothing more than to end the conversation. “Prudda didn’t take it well.” 

He didn't want to deal with this. Even if he wasn't all that surprised at his sister's taunts. She'd had a similar one in his first life. After he'd been stuck waiting outside the royal training halls for hours. Before he learned his father had given up on any royal education in fire bending and left him to train with the common soldiers in the public training halls. Back then his sister had walked out of her session with a condescending smirk. 

'Looks like you'll have the mornings off, Zuzu.' She'd not so sweetly informed him of his new schedule. 'Dad wants you training with the soldiers now. Like peasants do.’ 

'You're lying!' He'd said, even though deep down he probably should have realized she wasn't. She lied to hurt him. To mess with him. If the truth would do that anyways there was no point in lying. But back then he'd been in denial. 'Just go away.' He'd said bitterly.

‘Fine, but I'm not lying.' She'd waved dismissively as she marched past. 'And hey, congratulations on the new free time you're getting. Soldiers only train two hours every morning instead of three. Maybe you and mother can read some more books by the pond when you're done.'  

He remembered her smirking in his last life. Arrogance and contempt in her eyes. That hadn't changed. She hadn't changed.

She was smirking this time too.

"Well that's what you get Zuzu. Hope your little tantrum was worth it." She smirked, her finger touching her lips with a mocking tilt. "But don't feel too bad, Zuzu, you wouldn't have kept up with me anyways. Dad's just speeding up the process."

Her visage was melting into a mirror of her past self. The same smile. Same stance. Cruel and twisted. Even her insults were the same. 

"You know, since you'll never be a real fire-bender."

The only difference this time around was that she seemed a bit annoyed when he didn't rise to the bait. He just mumbled. "Kay, thanks for telling me." Unable to look his sister in the eyes as he walked past. He hadn't been able to look at her since... well since the dream. Since Roku's grim reminder of what Azula was. What she would always be.  

'Don't let your friends suffer for a girl that won't change. A girl that doesn't want to.'

A monster. The prodigy and the sociopath. Father's favorite and proud of it. She was proud of who she was, and she'd never change. She didn't want to. 

'If people could change so easily. So willingly.'

She had always been exactly who she was. 

'Both of us would have lived far longer lives.'

And it hurt. It killed him every time he was reminded of it. But every time it stabbed in his chest, the stone was there to soften it. To block it. The vision of his funeral, of his friends and his uncle mourning in the streets as his parade turned into a bombing. He had bile in his throat every time he thought back to it.

'As long as they exist you'll never achieve your destiny.' 

And every time he swallowed it. Buried it. Counting down the days with less and less sleep. Waiting for the dreaded day the brunt of the storm would hit. He'd already figured out what weapon he'd need to use. He couldn't use anything of his own, so he'd steal something from Azula's room. Her hairpin. People would see it as a message. Some kind of threat from an enemy of the Fire nation. Of the Royal Family. Agni knows they had plenty. 

Once he had her hairpin all he had to do was... was leave the window open afterwards and no one would suspect a thing. No one would know a single thing. 

'You must do what I failed to do, great grandson.'

No one but him and the ghost of another life.

"Zuko?" A gentler and concerned voice brought Zuko out of his grim wonderings. Another ghost, this time a living one, had stopped him just outside his room.

"Mom?" He blinked, looking up to see his mother smile with concern hidden in her eyes. "Hi, little one. You were so distracted you nearly walked right past me." Her lips flickered downwards, worried, as her hand gently brushed against his cheek. "You were walking like you were asleep my little turtle duck. What happened? Was training hard today?" 

"No." Zuko shook his head immediately. Training wasn't hard per Se. He was bad it, Sozin Style and all the other little stuff about being eight years old. But it wasn't really head. He'd been pushed harder. He'd pushed himself harder. Prudda's scathing remarks and comments were nothing new. He mumbled.

"Just a little tired." He shrugged, flinching as his sister's voice dropped behind. "Don't know how. He's barely doing anything hard right now. Just baby katas with the hag general dad stuck him with." She walked past, rolling her eyes as she rested her arms behind her head. "Maybe if he wasn't zoning out all the time he might've done better. Dumb dumb." 

"I wasn't zoning out," Zuko tried to argue, before snapping his mouth shut. Looking away stubbornly as Azula raised a brow. Okay. Hard to defend himself when he'd just forgotten his sister was following him all the way from the training hall to their rooms. He shook his head, "Well, I wasn't zoning out earlier."

"That's even worse Zuzu." Azula smirked, "At least if you were zoning out you'd have an excuse. So what's the excuse now? You try another split?" 

"That's-"

"Could you just leave your brother alone, Azula." His mother interrupted tiredly, pinching her nose. "You don't have to turn everything into a competition." 

"It's not a competition if he isn't even competing." Azula rolled her eyes, her hand resting on her door knob for a second too long. "Li and Lo told me what the hag's teaching him right now. I finished that in a week. It's not my fault the loser can't stay in his feet for more than half an hour. He's just being whiny." 

"He's doing his best." Zuko's mom shook her head, her tone chipped with exasperation and a slight ice he hadn't remembered ever hearing from her. "Not everyone can be as talented as you, daughter. Just because you're able to do things others can't doesn't mean you should lord it over them. It isn't right." 

"Nothing's right with you." Azula grumbled, a dark glare crossing her face before she shook her head. A bored expression on her face again as she opened her door. Her voice laced with sarcasm. "Maybe if I started doing everything wrong like Zuzu I'll learn how to be a proper fire bender by the time I'm fifty. Does that sound like a good idea mother?" 

"Young lady, that isn't what I-" Ursa's jaw clicked as Azula slammed the door shut behind her. Nearly cracking the frame. Zuko watched as his mother put her hand to her head and let out an exasperated sigh. "That little monster," she shook her head. 

"What am I going to do with her?" She mumbled to herself, and Zuko felt something twist in his gut. A lot of it was guilt. The looming threat of the storm and known that his mother wouldn't have to do anything about Azula soon. She'd be... gone. 

Guilt. Guilt churned his stomach the most.

But something else. Something more subtle also lingered. He glanced at his mother, watching as she noticed his gaze and her expression shifted from tired and exasperated to soft and gentle. She looked at him as a small smile played at her lips. "Hey, little turtle duck. I know you're tired but do you want to accompany me to the library this afternoon."

Zuko felt his... wariness, he guessed. He felt that subtle feeling fade slightly as he perked up at her words. His eyes brighter as he asked. "Today?" 

"Yupp. The sages say the storm's going to pick up tomorrow. And I," his mother booped his nose teasingly. "Have a book I've been dying to read. We can read it together, maybe even finish it by the time the storm passes. What do you say?" 

"Of course mom." Zuko nodded, a small smile on his face as his shoulders eased. He loved going to the library with his mom. It was quiet and nice there. He remembered her even reading some book to him when he was little. He sighed in relief. "Does that mean you finished Crimson Moon already?"

"I did." She smiled sadly. "It was sadly beautiful. And horrifically tragic. Have you read it?" She asked, crouching as her eyes twinkled. "They have a copy in the library, but I have a personal one too if you want it. It's really sad though, so be careful." 

"No, it's okay mom. I read it a while ago." Zuko said, not lying because he had read it years ago. Five years ago maybe. Some time before his mother had... gone. Before he had been banished and before everything changed. He looked down at his feet, remembering that story, his heart sinking a question he already knew the answer to built in his throat.

There wasn't a point in asking. He shouldn't even bother. 

"Actually... mom... in Crimson moon..." 

But he needed to ask it. He had to. Before... before he went through with it. He wanted to ask her. He needed to hear her say it. 

"Sol, was his name right. That guy, he..." Zuko's mouth went dry. "He killed a lot of people towards the end. In order to save his mother. Didn't he?"

"He did." His mother's face fell in a slightly concerned manner. "Why? What's going on Zuko? You've been acting... down. The past few weeks." 

"It's nothing, mom. I was just..." Zuko rubbed his shoulder, his eyes glancing at his mother and over her shoulder. To Azula's room.

"Would you do it..." He gulped, his eyes low and guilty. His voice thick with emotion and choked with pain. He closed his eyes and saw his friends. Aang. Sokka. Katara. Toph. He saw them at his funeral. He saw them sob and cry as he died and ruined their lives. Their hope. Ruined their futures and so many more. 

"If you had to do something really bad.... For someone you cared about. People..." his voice caught in his throat. "People you loved." 

He opened his eyes, and looked up to his mother. 

"Would you?" He asked, and he saw her face fall between worried and confused and maybe a little somber all at the same time. She blinked slowly. 

"That's a... sad question, isn't it..." his mother laughed halfheartedly, her eyes somber as she noticed his downcast expression. His quiet and resigned gaze as he looked to the floor. He felt her arms wrap around him as she whispered. "I'm not sure about killing an entire tribe's worth like Sol, I’m not fond of blood." 

She leaned back and wiped the tears that had fallen from his eyes.

"But I guess if it was for you," she whispered, a loving smile on her lips as she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. He melted into it. And before he knew it he was crying. Holding onto her as he listened to her heartbeat. It hurt. He cried.  

"I'd do it in a heartbeat." 

And when she let go, he knew he'd probably never stop hurting. He'd never stop crying. His heart ached as he looked over at Azula's door. His sister. 

The person he had to... had to kill to save his friends. His family. His future and the futures of so many more. He felt his heart drop as he saw her door. 

And before he knew it, he was back in a hug. His mother comforting him as he trembled and cried. His eyes closed as he tried to push away. He didn't want it. He didn't deserve it. His mother shouldn't be holding him. Consoling him. She should hate him. Now. Forever. He got her exiled in his first life, maybe killed, and this time. This time he was going to... kill her daughter. His sister. he was going to do something awful. Unspeakable.

For his friends and family and the fate of the Fire nation. The fate of the world. He had to do it. He didn’t have a choice. He had to. 

Even if it meant he would become a mon-

"Zuko?" His mother asked as his breath hitched. His eyes wide as he stopped stone cold in her grip. He froze, his hands feeling foreign to him as he gently, almost anxiously pulled away. His body shaking and his face conflicted and confused as he gently held his sides. His eyes flicking towards his mother's worried gaze, her tender concern, before he flicked his eyes towards Azula's door. 

"What... what about her?" He asked, hesitant. Uncertain. Watching his mother’s head tilted in confusion. Zuko looked away.

"What about… Azula." He finally managed. His voice barely above a whisper as he saw his mother stiffen out of the corner of his eyes.

"Would you do it for her?" He asked, his eyes turning fleetingly to his mother, afraid of what he'd see. He saw her freeze. Silent. Like a deer-cat caught in fire lights. Her eyes wide and her body still, she seemed shocked to the bone. She blinked. But before she could say anything, loud Thunder boomed outside, louder than any one before it.

"You should get some rest, Zuko.” His mother said, her tone soft but lighter. “The sages are probably going to want us to be in our rooms."

Zuko glanced to the side as he saw a porcelain vase shake, still on its stone pedestal adorning the side of the hall. The Vase started to fall. 

"I think the storm's gotten worse." 

And when it shattered, he knew he'd run out of time.

The storm had come a day earlier than Zuko remembered. The outside guards had been hurried out of the area apace grounds and towards their homes if they lived in Caldera. The servants that stayed would live in the servants quarters for the duration of the storm, and the interior guards would take the barracks near the training halls. The royal family would stay inside the palace walls, hunkering down till the worst of the storm passed outside. 

The palace was both quieter and louder than ever before. Less people wandered the halls large, and the usual buzz of idle whisper and gossip was replaced by the heavy battering of rain and thunder outside. Shaking the palace exterior and making Zuko glad they'd moved the turtle ducks inside beforehand. 

At night the silence was even more pronounced, with the only indication being the guards the walked by the end of the halls every once in a while for their patrol routes. They walked lazily and the only time they tried to muffle their footsteps was when they were near the wing of the royal family so as not to wake anyone that could have them flogged for it. 

Still, Zuko heard their voices and muffled conversation fade as he sat near the edge of his family's wing. Zuko's breathing near silent as he sat in the shadows of an armor set, old Fire nation, that stood on display near the edge of the hall. Sneaking out of his room had been easy, and he'd spent the last two hours counting the time spent between guards passing near this section of the palace. 

Thirty minutes. Usually closer to 45, but it was always at least thirty. No one would be around to notice anything as long as it was in that window. 

And even if Zuko made noise, the storm was doing a great job as a distraction. The pounding rain beating against the roofs. The winds battering against the palace walls. The booming thunder reminding the world of its presence every few minutes. All served to conceal Zuko's movements even more than usual. 

And right now, he needed it.

Even if Azula's room was just next door, he'd forgotten how loud his footsteps could be in the palace halls at night. When no one else was walking around to make the noise seem minimal. The silence was condemning, and the sleek design of the palace's large spacious hallways served remind Zuko of every time his heels left the ground. Echoes were his worst enemy, and it had taken longer to muffle his footsteps than he wanted to admit. 

But once he did, sneaking back to his hall was easy. Sneaking past his room was easy. Compared to some of his stints as the blue spirit all of it was easy.

Standing in front of Azula's door, shouldering the weight of Roku's words and visions of the future, was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. 

'Don't let your friends suffer for a girl that won't change. A girl that doesn't want to.'

Roku's words stabbed into Zuko's throat as he ground his teeth. Clenching his fists as he kneeled in front of the door, putting his ear to the wood as he listened for any noise inside. Azula wasn't a snorer, or at least that's what Zuko assumed, so silence would be better than nothing. Zuko listened.

And when he couldn't hear anything besides the thunderstorm outside, he began testing the door knob. Slowly. Minutes dragged away as he tried to inch the door open without any noise. Patience had never been Zuko's strong suit, but after the fifth time he'd nearly gotten busted for trying to steal food from some of the more wealthy individuals back in the Earth Kingdom, he forced himself to learn. 

Slow at first, faster once he got better at stealing food as the blue spirit. Zuko could've worked Azula's door faster if he wanted to.

But he didn't.

He didn't want to. He was actually grateful when he found Azula's door locked, and had to spend extra time picking it. More time. He wanted more time.

'You must do what I failed to do.'

He didn't get any. The lock clicked near silently, hidden beneath a crackle of thunder outside. Zuko ground his teeth, creaking open the door as silently as he could. He held his breath, but nothing gave him away. He inched the door open slightly, just a sliver, barely enough to peer through. He quickly scanned his sister's room. It might've been the first time he'd seen her room actually, in either life.

It looked as organized as he'd expected it to be. 

Not a speck of dust out of place. Her clothes hung neatly in the open closet. Scrolls and books laid categorized atop a large desk off to the side, meant for studying whatever lessons the sages decided on for the week. He was pretty sure he recognized a few, some of mother's favorites, but it was hard to tell. 

Opposite it was a smaller desk, wooden lacquer, with a dressing room mirror. Her hair pin sat perfectly on it, beside small wooden boxes and a hair brush.

And in the center of the room, was lavish bed with silk sheet. He saw an outline underneath the covers, a small lump curled inward and away from the window. He couldn’t see her face, but she must’ve been sleeping. Too quiet not to be. He let out a silent breath. Before his nerves returned. His hands shook, a reminder, as he turned to the hairpin on her desk. 

'Sometimes the hardest decisions...'

Today. He had to do it today. He thought he'd have a week, but it had to be today. If he waited, if he left and pushed this off until tomorrow. 

'Are reserved for the kindest people.'

He'd never be able to open her door again. He had to do it today. Before he lost his will and forgot why he was doing this. For his freinds. For Aang and Katara and Sokka and Toph. For Uncle, the closest thing to a father he'd ever had. For Mai and Ty Lee, who had gotten themselves thrown into Boiling Rock helping him escape. For the Fire nation. The world.  

For peace, an era of peace and kindness. 

Instead of another hundred years of bitter war. 

He had to do it. He... He took a fleeting step forward, resting the floor for any creaks. Nothing. Even her floor was perfect. He moved silently, quickly, not knowing which clap of Thunder would be the one to wake Azula from her sleep. Before he knew it, he stood before Azula's dressing room desk. His eyes lingering on her hair pin. He wavered. He waited.

‘Don’t let your friends suffer.’ 

He reached his hand out. Slowly. Agonizingly. His hand moved towards the pin and the needle that held it together. An easy substitute for a knife. His fingers brushed the metal.

‘If people could change so willingly. So easily.’

His fingers curled around the golden hairpin. 

‘We would’ve lived far longer lives.’ 

He flinched as the window in Azula's room shook. A flash of blue light illuminated the window as thunder roared outside. Loud. He watched his shadow flash out behind him as the lightning outside turned the world a bright blue. He froze. Instantly. At the Lightning and the loudness it brought with it. 

Crap, he thought as he whipped his head back. Turning to see the mound of blankets atop the bed. He watched, holding his breath as he waited. Frozen. Waiting for Azula to stick her head out of from under the blankets she’d buried herself under and ask what he was doing here. He waited, his heart beating louder than any storm could. He waited.

And when nothing came about, he let out a silent breath of relief. He forced himself to relax, keeping an eye on the window as heavy rain battered against it. He was more prepared for when the new lightning strike hit. Further from the palace this time; and not nearly as loud. He saw it crackle in the distance and this time when the thunder hit he didn’t flinch.

He didn’t flinch….

But the he saw the blankets shift abruptly. Minutely. Quietly. He froze. His eyes stuck wide in horror as he turned to the bed. Watching as the little limp under the royal sheets shook. He watched with a perfect mix of fear and shock, so focused on the bed that he finally cought a low sound. So soft and quiet the rain buried it instantly. The storm concealed it. As it had most likely been doing since he arrived. But for a moment, a split second, he heard it. A noise. 

A whimper. 

He heard it, a whimper, and blinked. His brain stopped. His eyes wide and quiet as he felt the pin slip from his grasp, falling to the desk with a clang. Echoing through the room the room louder than any lightning strike could. He saw the blankets snap upwards, as his sister sat up, scanning the room for threats and landing on him instantly. She froze.

“Zuzu?” He saw her blink, surprise and confusion on her face, and as the lightning outside crackled once more, and his body flinched in memory, he saw his sister’s face change under the light of nature’s anger. Red eyes and messy hair, tear tracks barely even dry. He could never unsee it. It burned into his mind and shattered everything he thought he knew. His eyes widened and in earth shattering realization. More so than when he realized he’d been sent back in time. 

“Zula…” he whispered, his voice falling near silently under the booming storm outside. The crackle of lightning and roar of thunder sounded every few seconds. The window flashed with once more with blue light, highlighting the room in shadows and thunder. His body betrayed him. He flinched.

“You…”

She flinched; the same time he did. 

“You’re afraid of lightning.”

And the next moment she attacked him. 

Chapter Text

Azulon was old.

Far too old to be dealing with nonsensical bickering in the middle of the night. Not by his sons thirty odd years ago, and certainly not by his grandchildren.

Especially during one of the worst monsoons in the Fire Nation's history.

"What happened?" Azulon scowled. He was more irritable at being woken up in the middle of the night than anything. But that wouldn't prevent him from being reasonable. His grandchildren wouldn't be executed. A privilege only his blood had for disturbing his peace so egregiously.

But they would be punished.

And Azulon would return to his well-needed and very rare sleep.

A peaceful. QUIET. Sleep.

So, he glared down at the two culprits and waited. For one to crack or for both. It mattered not, which one. He waited and frowned.

His pitiful grandson and his promising granddaughter, notably, both were similarly bruised and disheveled. Curious. A curious thing indeed.

I'm surprised he managed to land anything at all...

But only slightly.

Zuko felt his grandfather's eyes bore on the top of his head. Great. Zuko had talked to his grandfather a total of three times back in his old life, and now his fourth was spent trying to figure out how to ensure his grandfather didn't sentence him to death...

Again.

Maybe there was a reason Zuko didn't talk to his grandfather that much before.

I really need Uncle to come back... Zuko sighed, looking down and rubbing his scratched-up neck. Just once, Zuko wanted to talk with someone who hadn't considered, tried, or succeeded in killing him last go around. So far, his mom was the only person; if Uncle came back, it would be two. And if Lu Ten came back, it would be three. Three entire people.

Out of the six that made up the royal family.

Three out of six...

If Sokka were here, he'd probably say those were good odds.

"Well?" Azulon said, and Zuko flinched, realizing he'd drifted off in his musings. Zuko nursed the dark bruise on the bridge of his nose and sighed. He was about to explain that this was all a mistake. A big, dumb, stupid, kind of-not-sort of assassination attempt turned misunderstanding.

"Zuzu started it," Azula said instead, ignoring the new bruises on her cheek and jaw. Or the split lip she wore after Zuko had landed a clean elbow.

Zuko felt bad at first. After he dodged one of her attempts to gouge his freaking eyes out and caught her with a counter, he'd felt bad when she stumbled, touching her bleeding lip in shock. Disbelief even. Blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. For a moment, she only stared at the red on her fingers in surprise. Her eyes were wide and her face slack. The softness of her childish features bloomed without her usual sharp tongue and sharper gaze.

For a moment, if Zuko squinted, his sister looked six. Not a monster. Not a sociopath that had spent years conditioning him to flinch at the sound of her voice.

Just six.

And he'd felt bad. Really bad. Elbowing a six-year-old in the mouth. Even if she was his sister. Despite the circumstances. He'd nearly tried to apologize.

Then she threw a punch that left him with a black eye, and he didn't feel bad anymore. Or now. Zuko crossed his arms. "She threw the first punch." He grumbled. "She's just mad I threw on back."

"You got lucky!" Azula snapped and leveled a murderous glare. "I was going easy on you. I didn't want to set my room on fire by kicking your butt."

"Yeah, well, you did a good job of that, didn't you?" Zuko snarked. "The second you started losing, you resorted to firebending. Cheater."

"I wasn't losing." Azula snarled, and if looks could kill, he'd be dead. Again. She held up the split ends of her ponytail. Frayed and messy. Zuko winced.

"That's not my fault."

It was so Zuko's fault.

Zuko had grabbed at Azula's hair while they were fighting and pulled. Hard. Yanking some strands out in the process. But she deserved it.

Just like Zuko now deserved Azula's glare.

"Shut up!" Azula hissed. "Admit it. I wouldn't have tried to burn your dumb, ugly face if you hadn't ruined my hair. You're lucky I left you breathing."

"I wouldn't have touched your stupid hair." Zuko snapped, waving his hand to show the bloody teeth marks she left on the back of his palm.

"If you didn't freaking bite me!"

"I bit you because you broke my mirror!"

"You tried to strangle me!? What else was I supposed to do!" Zuko said. Recalling how she'd managed to slip to his back during a messy exchange. She'd managed to snake her arms around his neck in a rear-naked choke before he threw himself back and towards a wall. Crashing them both into her stupid vanity mirror and breaking it in the process.

The move worked. She let go.

But it also left the two of them covered in minor cuts from where the wood and glass shattered. Zuko was pretty sure he stepped on a few at some point.

Zuko had a feeling Azula had taken that little stunt more personally than he did.

Because the next second, she'd tackled him to the ground and started trying to scratch his freaking eyes out, leaving bloody marks all over his face and chest, even biting his palm when he wanted to push her away. Zuko had managed to kick her off him at some point after that, and her closet door paid the price—more wood broken = More angry sister.

Which equals more cheap shots than an old Earth Kingdom tavern.

"Not my fault, you're a sore loser." Zuko hissed as he touched the bloody scratches on his cheek. "And clip your nails next time. You freaking bat-leopard."

"I'll clip my nails when you don't barge into my room in the middle of the night!"

"I didn't barge anything!"

"Then don't break into my room and try to steal my hairpin, you creepy, petty little loser!" Azula glared venomously. "Because of your useless attempt to get back at me for earlier, my mirror's destroyed, and my closet door is broken! And my sheets are burnt! Those were silk, Zuzu. Silk! I won't be able to replace them until the monsoon's over, you imbecile!"

"I didn't even Firebend! That was you!"

"You. Touched. My. Hair!" Azula snarled, outrage and fury boiling with every single syllable. "If it weren't for those guards, I would've-"

"Enough!" Azulon roared, the flames of the throne room roaring along with his voice. Zuko and Azula stopped fighting immediately. Their heads lowered as they waited for their grandfather to speak. The Fire lord was angry. That wasn't good. Zuko didn't need a second life to remember that tidbit of his childhood. It had been burned into his face. 

"I've had quite enough of your sibling bickering for today." Azulon huffed. "Granddaughter, the servants will strip a guest bedroom to replace the items in your room that were damaged. We will look into more permanent replacements after the monsoon. Until then, you will have to make do."

"But he-"

"Granddaughter." Azulon scowled, and Azula snapped her mouth shut. She looked down, silent. And Azulon's piercing gold eyes turned to Zuko.

"Pitiful Grandson." Azulon sneered, "Anything to say in your defense. Or am I to assume your sister is correct, and you snuck into her room and troubled the palace staff for the sake of..." Azulon's face twisted in disgust. "Such a childish premise."

"I..." Zuko started and quickly realized that between a failed assassination attempt and a failed prank, one was a lot less treasonous than the other. And since Zuko wouldn't have been able to come up with a believable lie anyway, he shut up and looked down. Awaiting his grandfather's judgement.

He didn't have to wait long.

"How pathetic." Azulon sneered. "Your punishment will come in the morning, but make no mistake, it will come. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, grandfather." Zuko nodded, head down and eyes low. Respect. Zuko showed the utmost respect. It took Zuko a while to get used to having both eyes working perfectly, courtesy of not having half his face burnt off, but he wanted to keep it that way.

"You're both dismissed. Your parents will be informed in the morning." Azulon huffed, and Zuko heard Azula flinch before they took another bow and left. Zuko waited until the door was closed before sparing a glance at his sister. Wondering...

Nothing. Nothing was there. She already had a dirty look in her eye, like she was looking for a way to pin him for everything. She growled as she felt his eyes land on her, "This is all your fault." Azula scowled. "Thanks, dear brother. Now my week is ruined."

"It was already ruined," Zuko mumbled, distracted. He'd missed it. Again. She had flinched earlier. What did her face look like? Pale. Shaken. Annoyed. He didn't know. He didn't know how she had reacted to the news that Father would learn of their fight. Zuko didn't know what she was actually thinking. He couldn't tell, not with how good a liar she was.

He could never tell.

And he had never known...

When she was telling the truth or when she was lying. What she was actually thinking. Zuko never knew, not in this life and not in the first one. He...

He never knew.

"I never knew you were scared of lightning..." Zuko mumbled, the thought escaping his lips before he could stop it. Just like his sister's fingers, sinking into his neck like a snake. Zuko couldn't react to those either. Zuko was unceremoniously pinned against the palace halls. He didn't struggle.

He simply looked up and saw his sister's thunderous expression, more so than any monsoon.

"I'm. Not. Scared. Of. Lightning." Azula hissed, spitting out each syllable like it was law. She ground her teeth and glared at his face like she wished her eyes could set something on fire. Going by the way her hand was already warming, she was close to choosing the alternative. Azula's nails dug into Zuko's neck. "Don't you ever say otherwise."

Zuko watched as Azula raised a tiny hand. Orange fire bathed her palm, and like clockwork, she held it close to his left eye. And like clockwork.

"Or I'll burn the reminder into your lying face."

He flinched.

"Understand." Azula growled, and Zuko just stared. He didn't get it. This was Azula. Classic Azula. Only a few weeks back, and she'd already noticed his fear, his weakness, and memorized it. Made use of it. He could remember a dozen times during his childhood that had played out exactly like this. Except instead of forcing him to keep a secret, it was because Azula was bored and needed a new target to play with.

"Okay... if that's what you want..."

Nothing had changed.

"I won't tell anyone."

And yet everything felt different.

Roku wasn't happy.

"You missed your chance."

Roku was beyond unhappy.

"Why did you hesitate?" Roku scowled, sitting in the courtyard of the Fire Palace. Except this time it was the palace of 100 years ago. A palace untouched by cold and dark clouds or shadows. It was brighter; the dream, which involved meeting whatever Roku's spirit powers were, made the Fire Palace look like a tropical paradise. Not a looming monolith of a military empire, nestled in the heart of a volcano.

"Did it always look like this..." Zuko wondered, looking around the courtyard and admiring the bright sky. He could see vague memories of people laughing, milling about. Dancing. Playing with the royal family. Was the fire palace open to the public? Had it ever been? Zuko never knew. They didn't put that sort of information in the history scrolls.

"Don't ignore my question, great-grandson." Roku scowled, "You gave up the perfect opportunity—an obvious chance. Now, if she ever dies during the monsoon, they'll think back to you. You'll have to wait months to try again. If you're lucky."

"The birds are happier here."

"And by then she might have already surpassed you!" Roku snarled, snapping off the dream scape and dragging Zuko's attention back to the present. The Fire Palace of today. Where the courtyard was silent, except for the guards and Fire Nation military generals preparing for meetings with Azulon.

"This isn't a joke." Roku scowled, and Zuko turned back to see his great-grandfather. Angry. Extremely angry. Roku ground his teeth. "The fate of the four nations is at stake. If you can't kill her before she's out of your reach, you'll die. Again. And the Fire Nation will devolve into a 100-year war. Again."

Rokus shifted the dreamscape and replayed Zuko's funeral. The crowd at Caldera. The fire bombs. The hectic day and Zuko's friends and family. Struggling to manage a nation without a ruler. A nation that had no reason to trust or bow to the Avatar that had dethroned their royal family. They called Aang a tyrant and Uncle a coward. They revolted.

"There will never be peace."

And they never stopped. Zuko watched his uncle's blank expression the entire time Toph and Suki tried to calm the situation. Uncle's broken expression. He watched until the scene shifted and Roku's furious expression had returned to the forefront. Roku gnashed his teeth. "Don't you understand?"

Zuko did understand.

"If Azula lives. You die. And there is no peace. Not for your nation. Not for Aang or your friends. Not for the world. All because you refused to fix it."

Zuko understood to the point it hurt—his chest. There was still a stone in his chest, and a rock sitting at the bottom of his stomach. Zuko understood it logically.

Azula was too strong. She would become too strong. And Zuko would never beat her on the day of the comet. He'd never beaten her before it.

So, if he wanted to fix his nation, to piece it back together. He had to kill her. Before he wasn't able to. Before she grew so strong, that he couldn't even assassinate her even if he wanted to. Before she completed her training. Definitely before the comet.

He understood that.

Or at least he thought he did.

Before he broke into her room, it was clear. Obvious. Disgusting, heart-wrenching, and obvious. Azula would never change. She had never changed.

So Zuko had to kill her.

It had been the hardest, most bitter truth a day ago.

And he had swallowed it.

Now it felt like he had vomited, and he couldn't tell what he had eaten in the first place.

"Why did you hesitate?" Roku said firmly, refusing to budge. Zuko could feel it. The familiar look of disappointment and anger... How ironic.

Zuko couldn't appease either side of the family.

"I..." Zuko thought back to the moment. The whimpering under the covers. The tear tracks that vanished in the blink of an eye. Replaced by Azula's usual anger and cruelty. It had lasted a moment. The briefest moment under the flash of lightning and the thunder of rain. A mere second it had existed. 

"She's my sister."

Azula had looked scared. For the first time in two lifetimes. And Zuko couldn't forget it.

"She's six," Zuko said, rubbing his face as he sat down and took a deep breath. Zuko sighed. "I can't kill her. I don't... I think... I missed something."

"What? What did you miss?" Roku's lips thinned. "Is she not exactly how you remember. Torturing you for fun and burning helpless animals in her spare time. Doing everything and anything she can to ensure she has her father's praise. Well?"

"No, that's the same," Zuko mumbled, looking at the ground. Over the past three weeks, Zuko had been watching. And Azula was the same—still Azula. Still burning turtle ducks or bragging about her training, still latching onto father's every word and praise.

Nothing had changed.

And yet...

"I need more time," Zuko said, and despite Roku's scowl, Zuko didn't falter. Zuko glared back. "Azula wasn't how I remembered her. Not exactly. I missed something. I won't..." Zuko ground his teeth. "I won't do anything until I'm sure."

"You're already sure." Roku ground his teeth. "You just don't want to admit it."

"You don't know that."

"I know exactly that!" Roku snapped, his expression more thunderous than the monsoon outside. "I knew it for years! For twenty years! I sent Sozin letter after letter, hoping I was wrong!" Roku scoffed. "Hoping I 'missed' something. That the rumors I was hearing across the sea weren't true. Never receiving a letter back. Not after I invited him to my home so we could make amends, or the birth of my daughter, or sent condolences for his son, nothing. I sent countless letters, and got nothing back but silence."

Roku's eyes narrowed, and the scene shifted.

"So trust me, great grandson."

To a volcano and Roku's dying breath.

"I know very intimately how naive you are currently being. Because it's what got me killed. It's what got thousands of people killed in a century-long war, I could have prevented had I just admitted to myself the truth. That my friend, my brother, was a lost cause." Roku sneered. "I failed my duties as the avatar. I failed the faith that thousands placed in me. I failed my responsibilities." 

The scene shifted, and this time the one lying on the ground was Zuko. His chest was burnt and scorched. His lungs were damaged beyond repair. Dead and dying.

"And if you don't grow up, you'll fail yours once more."

That's right. Zuko had died. A failure. To his people. Always a failure. In everything he did. No matter who it was looking his way. He failed.

"Is that what you want?"

And yet as he watched it replay once more. As Zuko died in Katara's arms once more. Zuko didn't linger his own demise. Or the blazing comet above. He saw Katara's tears, and was ashamed he'd caused them, but after... he looked towards his sister. Stuck in chains and blue fire hissing out of her teeth. He watched her scream and struggle and...

"She was crying..." Zuko mumbled, watching as his sister broke down and sobbed. Broken. Defeated. Writhing on the ground. Roku looked back and scowled. "That doesn't change-"

"She was crying tonight too..." Zuko gulped, eyes looking up at the blazing comet overhead. He closed his eyes and tried to recall it—the moment.

"Because of the storm."

When Azula looked six, he couldn't remember it in his first life. If she had ever looked six. Or weak. Or feeble. Or even human. He couldn't remember it.

"She was crying."

He had missed something so simple and small.

"She's afraid of lightning," Zuko mumbled, opening his eyes to see that the dream had shifted towards the palace halls. Roku had a frown, stern, bitter, and contemplative, but still silent. Old, tired, and utterly exhausted, Roku finally spoke, and it was a whisper. A hoarse, broken whisper.

"So was Sozin."

And it was as if the oldest wound was ripped raw.

"That didn't change what he became," Roku said, his expression hardening and his eyes growing firm. Roku clenched his jaw. "And it won't change what she'll become. You’ve already seen it happen. And the spirits have already understood her nature. She will always stand in your way, she will always stand by her father's side, and she will do it happily. There is no peaceful future with her, because you are too weak of body to defeat her, so do not..."

Zuko saw his great-grandfather's lips thin, resolute.

"Do not be too weak of mind that you can't see the only way to save your nation, your friends, and your uncle, is to remove her before that can happen."

And Zuko could see conviction in his voice. A raw truth built by experience. The betrayal of a sibling. The feeling of death at their hands. Roku knew it.

"I..."

So did Zuko... And yet...

"I... know... but I..."

He couldn't let it go.

"I need more time." Zuko eventually said, fists clenched by his side, because he couldn't let it go—that moment. Zuko had missed it in his first life. Azula's dumb childhood fear that she undoubtedly grew out of. That she hid flawlessly. A fear of lightning. The same fear Zuko had. Of lightning. Less as a child, when his mother could come to his room and soothe his worries, waiting until he fell asleep and the storms passed. More as a teenager, when Azula aimed it at his head and seared it into his chest. Zuko had always been afraid of lightning. 

"I'm sorry, great-grandfather..."

Azula had been afraid, too, at one point, and Zuko couldn't let it go.

"I won't do it until I'm sure," Zuko said, resolutely. He saw Roku's face twist in distaste, but Zuko didn't back down. He had to be sure. He couldn't... he couldn't kill her, thinking he'd missed something else. Something simple and clear in hindsight.

Children were scared of lightning.

And Azula was a child.

A messed-up child who burned animals and would soon burn servants, training instructors, bigger animals, and Zuko. Maybe it was inevitable.

That Azula would follow Father's footsteps, perfectly. Just like always. 

But for now, she was a child. And she was scared of lightning.

And Zuko couldn't let it go.

"Fine." Roku eventually spat out, angered but apparently realizing he wouldn't make any headway. Zuko was stubborn, a trait that had become a family characteristic by this point. Roku clicked his tongue. "It's not like you could try again any time soon. People will get suspicious. You'll need to wait until they forget, and you won't be able to use any monsoons in the future. So fine. Go ahead."

Roku scoffed, and his permission sounded more like a joke. Like Roku already knew what Zuko would find, but was willing to let him reach a dead end.

"Until the next opportunity arises." Roku said. "See if you missed something besides a fear that will fade with the passing of time."

Time. That was it. That’s exactly what Zuko wanted. More time. He had more time, now. He needed more time.

"But when you fail..."

To make sure he hadn't missed something else.

"Don't hesitate. Or make excuses. Do not..." Roku faltered, only briefly. His words caught in his throat for a mere moment before he set his jaw.

"Do not make the same mistake I made."

And spoke without a hint of doubt.

"I assure you, you will regret it," Roku said with finality, and the dream faded. Zuko woke up to the sound of thunder and a storm. The harsh rain and winds rattled his window, and the morning sun brought nothing but gloomy clouds and dark, stormy skies. Zuko looked up at his ceiling, feeling the sun's heat yet unable to bask in its rays. Lightning cracked nearby, close enough to flash. And Zuko flinched.

'Oh, you want lightning!'

His chest burned with the memory of its raw, unfiltered power. It was scary.

'I'll show you lightning!'

Lightning was scary. 

Chapter Text

When Azulon said Zuko's punishment would come in the morning, he hadn't been lying. 

The first thing Zuko got when he woke up was a knock at the door. And a servant told him Azulon had assigned him tasks to do throughout the palace. Along with calf lashings for his intolerant behavior yesterday. Both of which were to begin after a family breakfast.

So Zuko got dressed and headed to the dining hall. Sitting at the end of the table next to his mother. Azula and father were across. Azulon was at the head. It didn't take long for Azulon to briefly explain what happened last night.

"My foolish grandson will be working with the palace staff until the monsoon's over."

As well as Zuko's punishment.

"As well as seven calf lashings for disobedience," Azulon grumbled into his meal, like it was any other day of any other year. Zuko expected it, so he kept his head down and focused on his food. He heard his mother flinch and gently asked, "Father-in-law, if I may?" She waited, and proceeded once Azulon gave a gruff and exasperated nod. Ursa continued in a far more soothing tone. "Surely Zuko has learned his lesson. He's already injured. And it was a mistake common among kids. Seven lashes may be-"

"Seven lashes is what he will receive." Azulon grumbled, "He is royalty before he is a child. And royalty, my blood in particular, does not waste others' precious time on frivolous games." Azulon finished his meal and stood, "Now, I have far more important matters to attend to. Running a country in the middle of the retched storm for one."

Azulon left, talking to his advisors on the way. Ursa frowned, but nodded and returned to her food. Her hands slid over Zuko's as she whispered. "Sorry."

"It's fine, Mom..." Zuko mumbled, grateful and warm. It had been so long since his mother had worried over his well-being. He glanced at her and saw her concerned expression that she quickly hid behind a teasing smile, poking Zuko's nose tenderly. 

Zuko smiled softly and glanced across the table.

Azula looked as though she wanted to vomit. She made the mocking motion of it and returned to her meal. Father just looked extremely disappointed.

Same old, same old. Nothing new there.

Except for the slight moment, Father's lips curled down in distaste. Ozai's gaze shifted to Azula, "So it was a fight... is that where you got those?"

Ozai's eyes narrowed on the cut on Azula's lips and the bruise on her cheek. Azula's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly recovered.

"I did not want to use fire and disturb the palace staff, but after I realized dear Zuzu wasn't sneaking in to cry about he storm, I used your teachings to promptly gain an advantage. Had the gaurds not stepped in I would have won handedly." Azula said, twisting her words, lies practiced in every syllable. Zuko frowned, biting back a retort. He couldn't really disprove her claim, so he didn't bother.

"Dear brother happened to..." Azula hesitated, but only briefly. "Sneak a shot or two in before I decided to use my fire. It won't happen again, Father."

"See to it that it does not." Ozai scowled and turned towards Zuko, no doubt noting the black eye, various scratches, and the bite mark on the back of his palm.

Zuko wouldn't be surprised if Ozai were comparing the injuries his two children sported, putting them on a scale of severity. Zuko expected to be at the heavier end, and figured that would give his father an excuse to add another punishment on his shoulders. Maybe more calf-lashings. Zuko wouldn't be surprised.

Instead, Ozai turned back to his food and scoffed. "If you need to resort to fire for such a thing, then you still have much to learn, daughter." Ozai scowled. "You'll spend today in the training hall. Li and Lo will be working on your basics. Is that clear?"

"But," Azula stopped herself at the barest hint of a frown crawling on Ozai's face. Azula straightened up and nodded. "Yes, father." She turned back to her breakfast, and Zuko watched her expression dim for a brief moment before it became utterly neutral. It was... weird. It gave Zuko an odd feeling. Zuko's mouth opened before he could stop himself, the words, 'it was my fault' on the tip of his tongue.

But before he could speak, Ozai grabbed Azula's plate and slid it away.

"Now," Ozai said, and it was like the air had been sucked out of Zuko's lungs. He watched, stunned to silence, as Azula's eyes widened slightly, before a determined gleam took her eyes, "Of course, Father." She said, as if it were as simple as that. Azula hopped off her chair and left the dining hall, steps even and without worry. She headed down the halls.

"Have fun washing dishes with the help, Zuzu." She waved dismissively on the way out, and Zuko could only watch her go. His eyes were wide and lingering. He... stopped. Completely. He turned back to her plate, sitting full at the breakfast table. It was a plate. Just a plate.

"Ursa," Ozai said, and Zuko barely heard it. There might as well have been an ocean between the words said and his brain processing them. "I'll be leaving."

Zuko could only stare at the plate of food. A dumb plate. It was only a plate. An expensive one, Fire Palace and all, but still, Zuko didn't know why...

"See to it that our son does not embarrass us any further."

He couldn't let it go.

"Otherwise," Ozai's words came to a halt as a cup shattered. Zuko heard steam start to hiss, and as it passed his eyes, he realized the steam was coming from his hand. His bloody hand. The cup he'd been holding had shattered in its grip. Tea was dripping down his fingers and starting to hiss and bubble.

"Have something to say, son?" Ozai raised a brow when Zuko didn't lessen his glare. But he swallowed his anger. His temper, which his uncle always said would get him in trouble. He reigned in his fire-bending and bitterly swallowed a retort. Zuko's teeth ground against each other and muttered. "No, father..."

Zuko could feel his mother's tension next to him; and knew he had to shut up and be quiet. He had to. So Zuko forced his gaze down to Azula's plate.

It was just a stupid plate.

"Not to you," Zuko said, and he could feel his father's eyes linger on his head. But where Zuko would have been filled with terror and dread in his first life, he had already forgotten his father's eyes and turned his gaze to the whole plate. So Azula didn't get to eat breakfast... So what. That was fine. Expected even. Training required some form of discipline. Even Azula wasn't exempt entirely from that.

Azula had to go to one impromptu training session hungry. That was nothing. Zuko had nearly starved in the Earth Kingdom. Missing breakfast was easy.

And yet...

He couldn't let it go.

"I see." Zuko's father spoke, and Zuko remembered Ozai was still there. Zuko looked up and saw his father appraising him, lips thin but eyes curious. But it passed soon, and Ozai turned to leave. "You will receive three extra lashes. I suggest you work on your control in the future to avoid such embarrassing displays of inadequacy."

And Ozai left, just like that. The second Ozai had turned down the hall to watch over Azula's training, no doubt. Zuko's mother started fussing over the cut on his hand, wiping down the blood with a napkin, as if it was the only thing she could do to stay calm. "Zuko, don't..." Zuko saw his mother's hand tremble, and how her face barely kept concern and fear away.

"Don't ever do that again." She scolded, her breath coming out in a desperate plea. "Don't... don't test your father, Zuko. He's not... a kind man."

"I know," Zuko said dimly, and besides the surprise on his mother's face, Zuko didn't note anything else. He looked down as she pulled him into a hug. Maybe for herself as much as for him, and Zuko leaned into it. Zuko closed his eyes and melted into the warm and caring embrace he'd missed so much, for years. He'd missed his mother's hugs.

"I'm sorry..." Zuko mumbled, because he hadn't meant to worry his mom. He shouldn't have upset her over something so simple. Ozai wasn't a kind man. A lifetime ago, Zuko never would have believed it. Now it was apparent. It was blatantly obvious.

"It's fine, my little turtle duck... just don't..."

Ozai wasn't kind.

"Don't do it again."

Zuko wondered how he'd missed that the first time.

The staff work was easy. Zuko actually enjoyed spending time with some of the maids and servants. They danced on eggshells around him, but it was nice to see what they were like. Most had been fired or 'let go' when Ozai came into power, a cleaning of house. Azula did the same thing at the comet.

Sometimes Zuko thought it was weird. Talking to people who might have died in his old life.

Sometimes he didn't care. He was a dead person too. He'd died. The only difference was that he remembered it. Aang, too, when he eventually woke up.

Until then, Zuko was content to wash dishes with the kitchen staff. He'd had enough practice in Ba Sing Se to last a lifetime. He cleaned as his mind wandered. Back to the stupid plate. Back to his father's little cruelties the first time. So far, they were minuscule in comparison to the grandfather. Still, they were there, and for the first time, Zuko had seen Azula targeted. 

For training. That made sense. For training.

If Zuko had been punished for existing in his first life, he wondered how often Azula had been corrected during her training.

Or had she been so perfect it never came up, and this time Zuko had managed to mess it up for her.

Zuko wasn't sure.

He stopped trying to think about it at some point between feeding the messenger hawks and folding laundry. He could believe in circles all he wanted; it didn't matter. It just made him angry, and it wasted time. Hell, it would probably get him into worse trouble if his temper kept acting up. Stupid...

Zuko was being so stupid. He thought he'd gotten better at being more zen-like. He thought Uncle had taught him how not to be used by his anger.

Yet now that he was back in his 8-year-old body, seeing things through clearer, more comprehensive eyes, it was like all that dumb meditation and tea time had flown out the window. Zuko closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He missed Uncle. Uncle would know what to do. Uncle would tell him what to do. What to focus on. Instead of a plate.

Or the smallest recesses of his mind that whispered how he was overreacting. Looking for something that wasn't there. Hoping for it to be there.

When in all truth, it just wasn't.

At the end of the day, Azula had been forced to skip breakfast and do a little extra training.

That barely constituted a punishment.

"What am I doing..." Zuko sighed to himself as he scrubbed a stupid plate. Like Azula's stupid plate. Zuko frowned. 'It's just a stupid plate.' That part of his mind sounded like Roku, and Zuko had to fight not to listen too hard. Especially when it pointed out how the punishments Zuko faced in his last life were far worse. Hell, his current punishment was worse.

Zuko would've killed to skip breakfast and train stupid Sozin style for a couple of hours. Instead, he was walking around with raw and itchy calves. The Fire lashings were still fresh and raw. One of the sages had done it, and they hadn't been merciful. Azulon didn't take kindly to that kind of stuff.

So Zuko's calves were red and stung with every movement. Zuko wished he could have worn shorts. If he didn't stand on one foot too long, it was easier to ignore. But shorts would have been a lot better. Now it felt as if Zuko stayed still for too long, his calves would stick to his pants, and rip off when he inevitably moved on to the next chore.

"You're quite good at this, little prince." One of the palace staff said as Zuko brewed tea and helped around the kitchen. Zuko shrugged. "Thanks."

It was nothing. Zuko had been a server for months back in Ba Sing Se. He knew his way around the kitchen. And the stables. Feeding Eel Hounds was a tad more dangerous than feeding an ostrich horse, but the steps were the same. Zuko did it easily.

Zuko finished most of his chores easily.

And by the end of the day, the palace staff seemed a lot less tense around him. Zuko wasn't sure why, so he asked, and the head maid, an old woman who had probably seen his grandfather in diapers, chuckled. "Well, besides you being oddly attuned to common labor." She murmured almost suspiciously, and Zuko didn't say anything one way or another.

"It's because you didn't complain or threaten the palace staff." The head maid, Zansi, snorted. "You should have seen Prince Ozai and Crown Prince Iroh. They both got this punishment at one point in time. The crown prince was... displeased. And Prince Ozai complained endlessly." Zansi shook her head and smiled. "You're far more mature in comparison."

That was a lie. Zuko really didn't want to take credit for such a comparison, especially to Uncle. Zuko would've complained in his first life if he'd gotten this punishment. Suppose he was actually eight years old. Instead, it took months as a fugitive and a lower ring 'peasant' to beat that out habit of his chest.

The fact that he was okay with it now was just a matter of dumb luck. He didn't deserve the praise Zansi gave. But he didn't want to dismiss her, either.

So he just ignored it.

"Oh... that makes sense." Zuko eventually shrugged, finishing his work. It was dusk by the time he was done, and he said goodbye to the rest of the servants and said he'd see them tomorrow. Something that seemed to surprise them more than his apparently natural talent for 'peasant' work. Azula would have a field day when she heard.

'Oh, I always knew you weren't suited for royalty. At least we've found your real talent, Zuzu. Maybe you could be my handmaid.' Or something like that.

"Maybe she'll take a day off..." Zuko sighed as he trudged along the quiet halls. The storm outside was battering against the backdrop. On the way, he heard someone whisper excitedly that the 'little prince is growing up just like Prince Lu Ten.' And that was a compliment Zuko cherished. It immediately made his day a little better. Made it feel like he was at least doing something, anything right—at least a little.

"Wonder what campaign he's on..." Zuko mused. This was around the time Lu Ten began receiving promotions. Around this time, people started speaking of Lu in awe and excitement. The savior of Jasmine Isles. The bright future of the Fire Nation. The kind Crown Prince. Ordinary people and soldiers alike adored Lu Ten—his bravery, heart, honor, and loyalty.

Zuko was the same. He'd admired Lu Ten since he was a little boy. It's why Zuko was so excited when Lu Ten took him to Piandao to learn swordsmanship.

It's why Zuko refused to pick any other weapons besides the dual Dao blades. Despite being so bad the first couple of times, he'd nearly cut his thumbs off. Zuko had been so stubborn that Piandao eventually gave in and let him learn the Dao blades. 

And Zuko learned them eagerly. Endlessly. He was happy to. They were the weapons Lu Ten used. And Lu Ten was... he was...

The perfect crown prince.

When Zuko had been the crown prince in his first life, and had been foolish enough to believe that meant something to his father. Lu Ten was the memory Zuko tried to emulate. Lu Ten would have been strong and unwavering. Lu Ten would have been a hardworking and honorable person. Lu Ten would have stood up in that war room and fought for the 41st. For his people who believed in their nation.

But Lu Ten also probably wouldn't have gotten half his face burned off and banished, so maybe it was best Zuko wasn't the crown prince this time.

"Soon..." Zuko sighed, shuffling to his door. Soon, Lu Ten and Uncle would return from the war, and Zuko would be able to ask Uncle for advice. Non-Avatar Roku advice. Uncle would know what to do. And the more Zuko mulled and dreaded over Azula, the more he wanted to tell Uncle everything. Everything.

Because Uncle would know what to do. He'd have some dumb proverb that made no sense and a tea joke at hand. The best part was that Zuko wouldn't have to try hard to make Uncle believe it was real. Uncle was the most spiritual person Zuko had ever met. Spirits...

He talked about them all the time... all the time... so much...

Okay, Zuko wasn't actually looking forward to re-hearing all of Uncle's spirit lessons and proverbs. But he'd deal with it if it meant Uncle would help.

Because Zuko needed help. Badly. He didn't know what to do. Uncle would know what to do. Better than Zuko could ever hope to. Zuko needed help.

And sleep.

Zuko's calves were killing him.

"Soon." Zuko yawned and made it to his bedroom door. Azula's was closed; she must be asleep already or resting at least. Zuko opened his door, but before he could step inside, he heard his mother call out from the halls. "Zuko, there you are."

Zuko turned and saw his mother approach with bandages and burn cream. She sighed softly, "Sit down, little turtle duck. Let me see your wounds."

"I... thanks, Mom." Zuko smiled quietly, walking into his room and sitting on his bed so his mom could treat his calves. She crouched down and used the burn medicine to wrap the wounds. Zuko hissed as the cold medicinal cream touched his raw skin, but relaxed after it started to feel soothing. His mother chuckled. "How was your time with the palace staff?" She asked. "Were they helpful?"

"They were," Zuko smiled. "Zansi had me do sheets and kitchen stuff. And Roko and Soa showed me around the servants' quarters and other things."

"That's wonderful, dear, I'm glad you had fun." Ursa smiled quietly, taking out a different ointment and applying it to the scratches and scabs still on his skin. Ursa asked. "Did you say thank you?"

"Of course," Zuko said, confused as Ursa placed a bit of soothing ointment on his black eye and bruised nose. Zuko winced, "Why wouldn't I?"

"No reason, my little turtle duck." His mother smiled and lightly tugged Zuko's head down, planting a light kiss on his forehead despite his protests.

"Mooom!" He whined in a manner so childish that he wanted to laugh. He missed this. Being a little brat. Rubbing off his mother's goodnight kisses, as if they would be seen by Azula the next day. He hadn't done any of that in years. He forgot what it felt like...

He forgot what a lot of things felt like.

It was almost comical how quickly his light smile died. His expression fell as he felt his mother's worried and concerned eyes fall on his face.

"Are you okay, Zuko?" She asked, worry plain on her face despite Zuko's best efforts to play it off. "I'm fine, Mom." He said, shaking his head as he tried to think of an excuse. Spouting off the first stupid thing that popped into his head to explain his reaction. He saw the novel on his bedside desk and ran with it. The current one his mother and him would read together by the turtle duck pond. The last book of a three-part series. It was a good story, about a toad and a wanderer.

If not depressing at times.

"Just thinking of the novel we're reading. It doesn't seem like it'll have a good ending." Zuko sighed, a depressed chuckle escaping his lips. He already knew the ending, vaguely. He was pretty sure the wanderer died, but that didn't really matter. For now, he used it as an excuse for his sour mood. "Azula will probably enjoy it more if it end bad." Zuko let out a tiny laugh. "I doubt she liked Kaze."

Zuko wasn’t too surprised when his mother didn’t laugh along. Sokka was the joke guy, and Toph had always said Zuko’s jokes were 'in desperate need of saving.’ Point proven. 

But Zuko was surprised when she looked at him not just with the concern and worry he expected, but with a hint of confusion.

"I... suppose she wouldn't?" His mother asked... like she didn't know the answer. She tilted her head and fidgeted with her robes. Like she was uncertain.

"I'm... actually not sure what you mean, Zuko. Is Azula the reason you're so upset? Did she bother you during your chores today? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" Ursa asked worriedly. Zuko blinked in surprise, his eyes wide as he shook his head. "What, no," he denied. 

A lie. Sort of. Azula was partly why he was upset, having been sent back to kill her after all, but that wasn't what he'd been trying to say.

He'd just been trying to switch the topic, and Soldier's Tune was the first thing that came to mind. It was the book on the counter. And they weren't finished with it. But it was also one of the books that he'd seen in Azula's room, so he thought...

Well, he just thought his mother would know. That Azula read it. Or was reading it. Or was planning to read it. Or that she had the book in her room. Or just... Zuko honestly thought his mother had been the one to give Azula the book for a second, but he guessed he was wrong.

"I just feel bad, I guess..." Zuko almost said she had a copy of the book in her room, but stopped himself. Kind of hard to explain that one. "I think she burned her copy last night." Zuko shrugged, hoping his half-fib didn't come across as too suspicious. 

To be fair, Zuko was reasonably sure that Azula had burned her copy last night, or gotten pretty close to it. Zuko saw books on fire in the midst of their fight.

Zuko didn't know which ones, but he still felt bad about it.

And thankfully, the deflection worked. Sort of.

His mother still looked at him with a raised brow, and disbelief was hinted at her features. 

But surprise also flickered across her face. One that distracted her as she sighed. "I... I didn't know that." She admitted and stood up. "Tomorrow I'll try to see if there are any copies in the library for her. Thank you for telling me, Zuko." Ursa smiled softly. "Now, do you need anything else? Or has palace work tired you out enough for one day?"

"Huh? I don't know, maybe a little." Zuko shrugged, and shook his head. "No, I don't need anything else. Thanks for patching me up, Mom. Good night."

"...Goodnight, Zuko." His mom said, walking towards the door. Zuko watched her open the door and turn to leave down the halls, and something tugged at his mouth. "Mom?" He asked, but he didn't know why.

Ursa turned back halfway through the door, "Yes, Zuko? Is something wrong?"

"Uh..." Zuko stalled, trying to think of something. He eventually turned to the book on the side of his bed. There was a second book next to the one they were reading. Cross Bones. The previous novel they'd read. He kept forgetting to take it back to the royal library. He picked it up and held it out quietly.

"Can you give this to Azula?" He asked, watching his mother's face more closely. Her eyes. Her mouth. Her underlying expressions and thoughts.

"She might want something to read tonight." He shrugged, watching as his mother wavered. Briefly. Only a second. Before a tender smile crossed her lips. "Okay, Zuko. I'm glad you're trying to get along with your sister." She walked closer and grabbed the novel, placing a gentle hand on top of his head.

"It's sweet of you, Zuko," his mother said, smiling. "I know how much of a handful she can be."

Zuko chuckled softly. "Understatement of the year," he sighed, but still. His mom was smiling again. That hesitance hadn't stayed in her face. It was gone.

"Thanks, Mom." Zuko sighed, a relieved breath escaping his lips, as his mother smiled and kissed him on the head one last time before walking out. Zuko shook his head as he rubbed his forehead idly, closing his eyes as he prepared to go to sleep, before he heard a doorknob twisting unsuccessfully next door. He blinked, sitting up quietly.

Had she...

Had she not known that Azula locks her door at night?

"Azula, dear," he heard his mother ask softly, and Zuko was on his feet before he could think. Sneaking towards his door as he watched his mother through the slight opening. He saw her hold her fist at the door, hesitantly at first, before knocking gently.

"Azula." She said, "I have something your brother wanted to give you. Can you open the door?" His mother asked, and Zuko observed. The door eventually clicked open, and Azula poked her head out, scowling. The cut on her lip was scabbed and cracked. "What's the occasion, mother?"

"Lovely to see you too, dear." Ursa sighed, as if she were tired yet resigned to the coming conversation. "Zuko told me your book collection might have been burnt."

"When he broke into my room and tried to steal my hairpin. Yeah, I remember." Azula muttered, her eyes narrow. "What does the loser want now?"

"Azula, that isn't a nice way to talk about your brother." Ursa frowned, but continued nonetheless. She held out a novel. "And he wanted to give you this. In case you wanted something to read tonight." Ursa said, and Azula's initial reaction was shrouded, but looked close to surprise.

"He... gave me a book?" Azula frowned, "My sheets were worth more than most houses, and he's offering a used book as a peace treaty. Secondhand, even."

"Please don't think of everything based on their value to you, daughter. He's trying to make nice." Ursa sighed, holding out the book still. "Tomorrow, I'll see about getting you replacements for the other books. Can you give me a list of what you burnt?"

"I didn't burn them! He started it." Azula snapped, but otherwise watched the book in Ursa's hands like it was a trick. Azula scanned Ursa's face one more time, suspiciously almost, before she reached out and grabbed the book. Azula scanned the title and scoffed. "I finished reading this one two months ago. Is Zuzu still on it? What a baby."

"Young lady. That isn't how you..." Ursa sighed and pinched her nose. Closing her eyes, Ursa took a deep breath. "Never mind. The list?"

"I'll have it by tomorrow, mother." Azula rolled her eyes, tucking the book under her arm. Azula stopped at the doorway, lingering for half a second. Azula waited a second, then another. And a second after, she seemed to get mad, but bit it down behind a scowl and a razor-sharp tongue.

"Well, this was fun, mother," Azula said without a hint of sincerity. "But I was training this morning, and father wants me well rested for tomorrow. So someone can stop embarrassing our family."

Azula crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Tell Zuzu if he wanted to give me such a shoddy offering, he should have done it himself." Azula scoffed. "Instead of making you come all the way out here to do it."

"That isn't what he was,," Ursa started to say, before pinching her nose and shaking her head. "Never mind. I can't with you, young lady. I'll be by to pick up the list in the morning. Try not to get into any more trouble." Ursa turned and left down the halls. Her footsteps faded as Azula glared at her retreating back.

Zuko watched through the crack of his door, silently. He didn't remember how Azula and his mother used to interact with each other. Mostly, he just recalled Azula's passing barbs and Ursa's quiet, patient, and tired attempts to reprimand her. To stop her cruelty or high sense of superiority. It never worked.

Usually, Azula would just fight and start petty little arguments that never went anywhere. But Ursa had tried nonetheless, tried to teach Azula to be kind.

It never worked.

That's how Zuko remembered it.

He didn't remember seeing Azula grind her teeth after one of their talks, or fights, or whatever he'd just watched. He didn't remember seeing her fingers dig into the book under her arm before she huffed and stalked back into her room. He didn't remember her uttering something under her breath as she slammed the door shut behind her. Loud.

Why...

It was storming thunder outside, and yet somehow that door slammed louder than all of it.

Why did that feel different.

Zuko eventually closed his door, sitting back against it as the storm rattled his window, rain slamming against the glass. He looked at the desk as lightning flashed outside, highlighting the medical supplies his mother had left behind. Zuko stared at them, long and hard. Something was different. Zuko couldn't recall feeling this way from his first life. About Azula. About his mother. About the two of them.

What else...

Zuko really needed his uncle back. If not his temper, then his impulsiveness was going to get him killed. Zuko needed help, and he needed it badly.

What else did I miss. 

Because when Zuko rushed over to the medical basket and snuck back into the halls, he already knew he was just going to make everything worse.

Chapter Text

Something was different.

Something was different about Zuzu.

Ever since he got his dumb firebending, about time, honestly, it was getting embarrassing. Still, after he'd gotten his spark, years after she did and still weaker at that, Zuzu had changed. His strange... interaction with father during training. Father's reaction. It was all different than how things were supposed to be.

Zuzu should never have been allowed to get away with such blatant disrespect. He shouldn't have had the spine to attempt it in the first place. Then, invading her room, trying to steal her hairpin. Pathetic little Zuzu, who cried so much mother practically waited on him hand and foot, shouldn't even have thought to sneak in. Clumsy little Zuzu should have lacked the skills even necessary to break into her room. Lock picking?

Zuzu had nearly lost his finger to an enraged eel hound two months ago. Zuzu shouldn't have been able to lock-pick. Much less confidence to pull it off. It must have been that dumb Panda place that Lu Ten took Zuzu some time ago. To compensate for Zuzu's apparent lack of bending. Lack of potential.Lack of bending.  Lack of anything remotely competent or useful.

But it was different, now. Zuzu was different.

Sneaking into her room like a common thief...

Stealing her hairpin like a petty criminal...

Actually, landing a hit on her. When she had been off guard and holding back, of course. But still, despite not being able to tell his right foot from his left two months prior. He suddenly could throw a punch that wasn't a complete disgrace to the family name.

Azula scowled. He got lucky. That had to be it. Zuzu got lucky. The Panda had worked some miracle and taught Zuzu a useful skill or two. And Zuzu somehow managed to retain them. For once. And hid it for a while, whatever. It was luck. All luck. Only luck.

Nothing else.

But he shouldn't have even been able to get lucky in the first place. She'd allowed him the chance to get lucky. Unacceptable. Her father had found it intolerable. And Azula found it unacceptable. So she would not allow such a fluke to happen again.

Hence why, when the storm raged outside. When the rain got violent and the loud, shaking 'booms' of thunder and the bright 'flashes' of lightning- when the storm outside got loud enough, it was hard to hear. She bundled up her covers on her bed. And slipped under the disheveled mattress. Waiting.

And like the night before, later than expected, but the same hour at least. Eventually, the lock turned. And Azula almost wanted to laugh. Dumb-dumb.

Zuzu didn't change that much, apparently.

Zuko wasn't sure what he expected when he snuck into Azula's room the second time. He saw her under the covers again tonight. A lump smaller than he remembered. Lightning flashed outside. Zuko flinched; the lump didn't. Zuko didn't hear any sniffling. She must be asleep.

That was...

Oddly anticlimactic. Zuko didn't even know why. He wasn't even sure why he came here. Or what he would have said had she actually been awake.

He probably would have just been attacked again.

And then grandpa would have really been mad.

I'm being an idiot... Zuko sighed quietly and glanced around the room. Dark and quiet, the air was cold and cleaner than he expected. The servants must have had to work overtime to clean all the soot and ash Azula left over from the previous night.

Zuko saw the singes on the side of Azula's bed frame. The empty space where Azula's vanity mirror had once been. As well as the missing closet door.

Azula had really destroyed her room...

And Zuko supposed he helped... a little.

It was still mostly Azula's fault, though.

Stupid Bat-Leopard. Zuko clicked his tongue and looked around the room. Disheveled. The vanity mirror was still broken. And the books on her desk were burnt—a third of them. Zuko saw the book he'd told Mom to give Azula lying on the desk. Half-opened. He walked over, silently.

As Piandao had once taught him a lifetime ago.

Or recently in this lifetime by everyone else's standards.

A dull rain echoed under the sky. It danced against the window. Lightning illuminated the room as Zuko set the basket he'd brought on the desk.

Zuko glanced at the book.

And immediately felt something was wrong. Years of having only half his vision guided his movements. Months of looking over his shoulder in the Earth Kingdom guided his reaction. Zuko's neck prickled. His body shifted instinctively.

Thunder echoed as something connected to his back. Next to the liver. Zuko grunted, snapping his elbow back.

Someone caught it and kicked the back of his knees, dropping him to the ground. Kicking his feet out from under him, Zuko fell with a grunt.

Zuko kicked off the bottom dressers of the desk, throwing himself back into the legs of his assailant. They fell into a brawl, Zuko slipping in a few cheap shots and receiving just as many. It didn't take long to realize his sister was his opponent. And if it wasn't the lightning illuminating the room that proved it.

It was when she somehow managed to dig her heel into the back of his calf mid-sprawl. Zuko hissed and lost position as she flipped them over.

Her hairpin was placed at his throat before he could even blink. He looked up and growled as her sharp fingers pinned his face against the floor. Her stupid bat-Leopard nails cut harsh lines into his already bruised cheek.

"Cheap shot," Zuko growled, heavy breath escaping his stupid, untrained, 8-year-old lungs. He glared up at his sister and scowled. "How'd you wake up?"

"You woke me up." Azula released an almost heavy breath. She glared and pushed further down on his cheek. "Guess you're not as stealthy as you think."

"Dragon dung." Zuko snapped. He didn't care how crappy he was a bender. Stealth was one of the only things he was competent in. He snuck into Pouhai for crying out loud. And Lake Logai. Piandao made sure Zuko knew how to sneak around at least. Azula must've been faking sleep. Waiting. She must have realized he would try to sneak back in here.

Of course, she knew—stupid genius.

"Shut up." Azula snapped and pressed his head further into the floorboards. She glared. "What're you doing back in my room? Trying to steal your little book back." Azula growled. "Why even hand it over in the first place. You petty lying little loser."

"What are you even talking about?" Zuko scowled, struggling slightly. The point of the hairpin dug into his neck. And Azula's nails cut into his cheek. Zuko stopped and settled on a glare. "I wasn't trying to get that book back. I was trying to..." Zuko stopped, words stuck in his throat. He didn't want to say it.

"What? Spit it out, Zuzu."

He didn't even know why he bothered coming here. Or why he'd brought the dumb basket. Saying out loud felt... Zuko didn't know. It felt weird.

"Bandages..." Zuko muttered, begrudgingly. Azula frowned, her suspicious glare still present. She raised a brow like she was unimpressed.

"Zuzu, please, be serious," Azula said, and Zuko got annoyed and glared back. "I'm not lying. Go check. Bandages and muffins. They're in the basket."

"Did you hit your head or something. You're acting weird. Agni, you've been talking nonsense since you got your crappy bending." Azula scowled. "And who taught you to lie. That was almost convincing." Azula scoffed. "Was it the Panda? Grandfather should put him on the front lines, already. If he can teach you how to fib, he might be the Fire Nation's most valuable asset."

"Piandao. And it's not a lie." Zuko growled. "Go check. It's bandages and muffins. I was trying to be nice. Since," Zuko nearly surprised himself with how much venom he packed into his words. "Father," He practically spat it out. "Didn't give you breakfast."

"I didn't need breakfast. Or baby bandages. I'm not a weakling like you." Azula snapped, her eyes dark and glowering. She narrowed her eyes at his outburst and dug her nails into his cheek. "And what? Am I supposed to believe you came in here to drop off a goodie basket? After you snuck in here to steal my hairpin. What do you take me for, Zuzu?"

"A Bat-Leopard."

"Complain all you want. It's working, isn't it?" Azula scoffed, her nails digging into Zuko's bruised cheek to make a point. She narrowed her eyes and glanced at the basket on the desk. Never letting Zuko out of her periphery. Zuko saw the wheels spinning in her head.

"Bandages?" Azula said, unimpressed. But her eyes were more suspicious than angry. She huffed. "You want me to believe there are bandages in that basket."

"And cotton swabs and other first aid stuff," Zuko grumbled, shifting uncomfortably under her grip. He grumbled. "Mom helped me earlier. And I figured-"

"I didn't ask about mother." Azula snapped, her fingers digging into Zuko's cheek enough that they drew blood. Zuko hissed, and for a moment, Zuko thought he felt Azula stiffen. Maybe. The next second, her voice dripped with the same mocking tilt he was used to, and he was certain he'd imagined it.

"Oh, quit being a baby, Zuzu." Azula scoffed, "It's just a scratch."

She released his cheek with a dismissive push, her hairpin still digging into his neck to stop him from moving. "Whatever." Azula rolled her eyes. "Of course, Mother would have to help you. You can't even lick your own wounds right. Loser."

"Cheater." Zuko clicked his tongue. He didn't need to deal with this. Coming here was a mistake. A dumb mistake. Zuko frowned. "Get off me."

"I'm honestly surprised at how low you've crawled." Azula ignored Zuko. She smirked."Honestly, this is pathetic, Zuzu. Even for you."

"Are you done?"

"Sneaking into my room. Resorting to petty pranks to try and trick me."

"I want to leave, Zula. Let go."

"All because you can't beat me in anything. Screw up."

"Screw off, Zula. This is stupid."

"And you wonder why Dad hates you."

"I don't wonder at all. I don't care what he thinks." Zuko snarled through clenched teeth. "Father can do what he wants. Wouldn't be the first time."

"What's wrong with you?" Azula scowled, looking down at Zuko like she didn't even recognize him. She glowered. "You were so desperate to worm your way into his good graces a few months ago. Now you..." Azula's eyes narrowed. "What?" Azula scoffed. "You finally realize you're a failure and you'll never be good enough to get dad's attention. Is that it?"

"Sure," Zuko said flatly, the words bitter but true. Zuko didn't care anymore. About father. About this night in general. Coming here was a mistake.

"If that's what you want to think, Zula."

One big, dumb mistake.

"I gave up," Zuko scowled, giving a bitter shrug. He just wanted Azula to let him go. To go back to his room and sleep. Even if it meant he'd probably have to deal with Roku again. Anything was better than the mess this had become. Zuko sighed and tried to get up. But Azula's hairpin still lingered at his neck, keeping him down. And Azula was still glowering down at him. Suspicious. Confused. Curious.

"You... gave up?"

Cautious. Disappointed. Expectant. Disbelieving. Relieved. It was impossible to tell what Azula was thinking. Her face was a guarded mask Zuko had never cracked. Her actual thoughts kept close to her chest. Her sharp eyes lingered on Zuko's face, as if searching for a lie. Her lips curled down.

"You gave up." She reiterated, this time more certain. Zuko rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I gave up. He doesn't care about me. He never did. Never will."

"So you're done trying to steal," Azula seemed to catch her words and cut off her sentence. Zuko raised a brow but Azula quickly narrowed her eyes and continued. "You're done trying to impress him with your embarrassing little attempts to catch up to me." Azula huffed. "You're done trying to one up me on everything. You're done being..." Azula scowled and gestured at Zuko. "You know. You."

"Shut up." Zuko huffed, his eyes twitching as he said. Zuko muttered. "And you're exaggerating. I didn't try to one up you on everything."

"Ah. There it is. That's the crappy liar I remember." Azula smirked, and Zuko flushed. No way. Did he try to one up her the first time? On everything...

A few horridly embarrassing memories later, Zuko realized that yes. It had probably been everything. Bending mostly. But it had been other stuff too.

Fire Nation History.

Fire Nation Military knowledge.

Fire Nation Strategy.

Anything to try and get Father's attention to switch from her to him. Even if it was only briefly, Zuko wanted to slam his head into the ground just thinking about it. He'd really been an idiot back then. Thinking Father would ever love him.

Yeah, Zuko refused to repeat that mistake this time around.

"Yeah, I'm done." Zuko said. Azula stared down at him. For a long time. As if evaluating his words. She eventually seemed to remember what Zuko already had two lifetimes of proof of. That he was a terrible liar. Azula huffed and pulled her hairpin away from his throat. "Hmph. Well, good." She said, standing up and finally releasing Zuko.

Zuko sighed and sat up, hissing as he rubbed the painful spots on his calves. Now damp with blood after Azula had dug her heel into the bandages.

Azula seemed to smirk more at that. "I'm glad you finally figured out that you're too much of a dunce for dad to pay attention to you, Zuzu. Looks like even you can have a bright thought once in a while." Azula walked over to the basket on the desk. Her back to him. She lazily searched the contents. He saw her hold up a muffin and scoff. "I take it back. Muffins? I ate dinner, you know? This is ten hours too late."

"Then don't eat it."

"These bandage rolls look used."

"Because I used them. For my burnt calves."

"You didn't even put makeup in here."

"Why would I bring you makeup?"

"Because you broke my vanity mirror, idiot." Azula snapped without missing a beat. She scoffed and tossed them back into the basket. "Take it back. I don't need this pitiful excuse for a goodie basket. Especially not your second-hand sympathy."

"It's not a goodie basket," Zuko muttered. "And it's not second-hand sympathy," Zuko said. "Mom left it in my room after she bandaged me up."

"Oh? Did Mother change your diapers, too, while she was there?"

"I figured," Zuko continued through an annoyed grate. "You could use the same after-"

"After what?" Azula snapped, "After you got lucky yesterday and ambushed me. That was luck. Those didn't even hurt. It'll never happen again."

"I was going to say, after your extra training today." Zuko narrowed his eyes. "But you know what. Go ahead. Use it to nurse that split lip I gave you."

"Get out, Zuzu." Azula sneered, "If I had the time to beat you up, I'd do it. But some of us have to train in a few hours. Some of us aren't full-time failures."

"I was trying to be nice."

"That's hilarious," Azula said flatly, like it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Just get out of here, Zuzu. I don't need mother's leftovers." Azula shoved the basket back into his hands. Azula glared. "And don't break into my room again." She sneered. "You're lucky I'm too tired from training today to tell grandfather that you snuck back in here. He'd probably execute you if he found out."

"Thanks," Zuko said sarcastically. He took the basket and stepped down into the dark hall. "But fine." He grumbled. "Next time I won't bother."

"Wow, so you can listen if you try," Azula said in the doorway, looking ready to close it. Zuko glanced back with a scowl. Azula rolled her eyes. "Whatever, dumb-dumb. Just stay out of my room. I don't care what that Panda guy taught you. You're too dumb to use it." Azula smirked. "You're still just a-"

Lightning flashed in the background of her window, and thunder struck.

Azula and Zuko flinched.

Azula's scowl deepened. "This never happened." She slammed the door shut. Locking it soon after. Zuko listened for a moment and was pretty sure she shimmied a chair under the doorknob as well. Stopping any chance he had of breaking in.

At least quietly.

"Jerk..." Zuko muttered under his breath. He stood at the door for a while. Hearing the distant storm and thunder outside. He waited. Thinking.

And before he went back to his room...

He left the basket at Azula's door.

When Zuko fell asleep, and Roku asked him why he bothered, Zuko didn't have an answer.

The next day wasn't much different. Zuko woke up early. Feeling the sun rise somewhere across the cloudy horizon. Zuko sighed and stepped out into the hall, glancing at Azula's door. Azula didn't step out, so she must have beaten him to breakfast...

The basket was also gone.

"Good morning, Prince Zuko." A palace maid, Aki, said. She was usually the one who cleaned Zuko's room when he was out for the day. She smiled slightly. "Ready for today's chores? I heard Zansi is going to have us test all the palace windows. Make sure none were damaged last night."

"I'll do my best," Zuko said, slightly distracted. He glanced back at Azula, the space in front of Azula's door. He asked. "Was there a basket outside Azula's room this morning?"

"Hm? Oh, you saw it too?" Aki smiled. "Shugi told me about it when she passed by for morning sweeping. We figured Lady Ursa left it after the Princess’s long day, yesterday." Aki smothered a small giggle. "Shugi was glad to see Lady Ursa trying to get along with Princess Azula. It's not often we get to see those two spending time together. Is it?"

"...I guess so," Zuko mumbled, frowning slightly. His stomach twisted somewhat. Zuko glanced away and said. "Thank you, Aki." Zuko shook his head and started heading towards the dining hall. "I'll see you today during chores."

"See you soon, little Prince." Aki waved and entered his room for morning cleaning. Zuko headed towards the dining hall. He passed a few more palace staff and interior guards, still a lot less than usual with the storm outside. He traded greetings until he made it to the dining hall.

His family was already there for breakfast. Grandfather was at the head, grumbling about the Fire Nation war efforts, muttering about the mess this monsoon would make of supply lines. Zuko's father and sister were sitting on one side of the table. Eating more or less quietly. 

Azula spared Zuko a disinterested glance, then returned to her food.

Ozai didn't bother looking up at all.

Zuko really did hate family breakfast sometimes. Eight years made him forget how depressing it was. 

Especially since his mom wasn't at the table yet. That was more or less normal. She was the only one in the royal family who wasn't a fire bender. She didn't get the natural wake-up call at dawn whenever the sun rose. She was usually the last one up.

"Good morning, grandfather." Zuko greeted his grandfather first, as was expected. Azulon merely grumbled in response. "I hope you're ready to work with the palace staff again, today. If you're hoping for an early release, you'll be sorely disappointed."

"No, grandfather. I'm fine." Zuko said, walking towards his seat and sitting. "I'll work with the palace staff until the storm's over, like you've ordered."

"Hmph. Acceptable." Azulon huffed and ate more of that morning's pheasant-swan eggs. Azulon muttered. "I must admit, you're taking this rather well."

"It's only work," Zuko mumbled, slightly confused. Azulon glanced at Zuko curiously, before a slight chuckle escaped aged lips. "Hear that, Ozai?"

"I did, Father." Ozai scowled. "Rather clearly."

"He's taking it much better than you did." Azulon snickered, poking at his food. "You and Iroh nearly burned down the servants' quarters when I gave you this punishment. My daughter-in-law must have passed on a modicum of patience to this one."

"I will argue it was my arrogant brother who nearly burned down the servants' quarters," Ozai muttered and clicked his tongue. "I was simply protesting that royalty shouldn't be forced to do such..." Zuko's gaze was focused on his plate when he felt it. His father's eyes linger on his head. Disdainful probably.

"Civilian work."

Nevermind. Definitely. Zuko could hear the disappointment.

"But, Dad." Azula joined in, innocent enough that it almost didn't sound mocking. And it wouldn't have been if it were anyone else besides Azula.

"Didn't you hear the staff?" Azula smiled at her meal. She spoke offhandedly, like it wasn't a barbed comment. "Zuzu's doing great at civilian work."

Azula smirked.

"Almost like he was born for it." Azula sneered, and Zuko ignored her. Didn't rise to the bait. He'd been called enough things by her to fill up a fire nation tank engine. Twice. Two lifetimes worth of insults. Eventually, it got old. Old enough, it didn't matter.

Old enough, he might have forgotten to keep his mouth shut after every petty little jab.

"At least I know how to make my own bed," Zuko muttered under his breath, and he could feel the glint of Azula's glare sharpening. Zuko looked up from his food and glared back. Their glaring match only ended when they remembered two others were at the table. 

"Annoying little Grandchildren." They stiffened under their grandfather's glare and his annoyed grumbles. "I would've hoped the petty squabbling would have ceased by now."

Zuko and Azula turned back to their plates.

"I didn't expect such childishness out of you, granddaughter."

Silently. Azula and Zuko stared at their plates silently.

"And perhaps a week of servant work was too light for you, grandson." Azulon narrowed his eyes. Only deterred when quiet steps trailed into the dining hall.

"Good morning, father-in-law," Ursa said when she entered the room, easily taking the seat beside Zuko. She gave Zuko a quick smile, likely noticing the mood. She spoke with an easy and polite greeting. "I hope I didn't miss anything."

"I was just wondering if I should extend your son's punishment," Azulon said, and Zuko noticed his mother stiffen slightly. Barely even a flicker of surprise before her face turned porcelain.

Her hands folded in her lap, she spoke without missing a beat. "I see." She said politely. "Is there any chance you could enlighten me, father-in-law. I heard from the palace staff that he did an excellent job yesterday. His work-"

"Was civilian." Ozai interrupted, sneering. "And obviously didn't do anything towards his petulant habit of barking without biting. Father," Ozai turned towards Azulon. "If I could suggest a... different sort of punishment. One more befitting of a royal's title. And far more likely to end the..." Ozai's lips twitched downwards. "Squabbles you despise so much."

"I'm listening," Azulon said idly.

"The training hall is open," Ozai said. "Most of my daughter's sparring partners have left for the storm. Perhaps we could schedule a spar between the two." Ozai sneered, and Zuko found himself frowning. Right. He forgot this was about when it started. A month or two after his bending was unlocked.

When Ozai had Zuko and Azula spar. Regularly. Or semi-regularly at some point. Once he realized Zuko wasn't making any leaps or jumps any time soon. Zuko remembered overhearing Ozai's reasoning one time, when he was talking to Uncle about it. 

Ozai said it was to measure their progress... 

Or Azula's progress. If Zuko was being honest with himself. That's probably what his father had actually meant. 

Zuko was certain he'd just been the most convenient punching bag his father had available.

"It could be a good way for them to... work out their disagreements." Ozai's lips tilted upwards as he ate his breakfast. "In a productive way, of course."

"Or," Ursa said with a softly controlled expression. She spoke smoothly, like honey, arguing with ease and composure Zuko hadn't noticed in his first life.

"It could spur more bickering," Ursa said. "And I hardly doubt having them face each other would teach them anything. Zuko just started."

"Which is why he needs to be training," Ozai said, eyes narrowed. "Instead of playing patty cake with the help. His lack of discipline is what caused this."

"I hardly call a harmless game a lack of discipline."

"I would," Azulon grumbled as he finished his meal. He glanced at Azula and Zuko, lips thinned. "Royalty should hardly be acting so disgracefully. I suppose..."

Azulon tilted his head.

"A spar could be conducive to their training. To ensure he hasn't been taking his training for granted." Azulon's eyes seemed to linger on Zuko a tad longer for that moment. Zuko frowned but kept his head down. 

"And of course," Zuko heard his grandfather huff. "This is also assuming my grandchildren are willing to act appropriately during such an arrangement. I would hate it if their royal training turned into another harmless game."

"Of course, grandfather," Azula said with a small smile on her lips. "I will do my best to treat my brother as a worthy training partner—a valuable asset. I am certain training with him will help me improve in my own bending. I would be delighted to train with him."

Zuko nearly scoffed. Even he could tell that was a lie. She was basically saying, 'I would love to embarrass him in front of the entire family,' but with a subtler tongue. 

"Wonderful, granddaughter," Azulon said, golden eyes flickering towards Zuko. Azulon spoke gruffly, "And you, grandson? Should I expect an ounce of proper respect and decorum out of you?" Azulon scowled. "Or will you act like a fool as you did prior?"

"Yeah, brother. Will you spar me properly today?" Azula smiled, sweetly. Zuko scowled. It was the same one she had before she shot lightning at his chest.

"It could be a good chance for you to see how you've progressed after you discarded Li and Lo's tutelage.” Azula smiled politely. “Surely you've learned something by now?"

Self-assured. In everything she did and said.

"I'm sure you wouldn't have forsaken father's graciousness and the loyalty of the royal tutors and have nothing to show for it?” Azula said.”Come on, Zuzu."

It was all so very… Azula.

"What do you say?" Azula smirked, and Zuko could hear his teeth grinding against each other. Funny. Like he had a choice. Even if Grandfather weren't here, Father would have pushed for a spar eventually. Just like the first time. A spar.

Then another.

Then another. And another. Until beating Zuko became Azula's favorite pastime. 

Until she started showing off her new moves to Father. Until she started picking out new ways to mock him when he couldn't land a hit on her. New wats to prove his incompetance. To win. Always. Always advancing. Always laughing at him for falling further and further behind.

Until eventually, she started finding new ways to make his life hell. Whether it be in or out of their little 'spars.' Because making his life miserable in training wasn't enough.

She just had to rub her genius in his face. No matter the situation. No matter the circumstances...

Zuko was sick of it.

"Father-in-law," Ursa's soft yet persistent voice pierced Zuko's dull bitterness. "If I may."

"You may."

"Fighting in the middle of a monsoon isn't advisable, is it? If one of your grandchildren were to get injured, there will hardly be a chance to find talented doctors outside the palace. We'd have to wait till the storm is over." Zuko noticed Azulon's eyes take a more considerative light. Hesitating. Debating. Ursa let out a soft breath. "And Zuko would hardly be in proper condition to fight with his calves. And he still has to serve out his current punishment with the staff. Surely-" 

...It's fine, mom," Zuko mumbled. He could feel his mother's surprised eyes land on his face. Along with most of the others at the table. The only difference was that his mother's eyes were laced with hidden worry and confusion. He ignored it.

He had to ignore it. 

"I can spar after I serve my punishment for the day.” Zuko said. “My calves are fine."

Zuko couldn't help it. He met Azula's curious, almost amused expression, and glared. 

"I wouldn't mind sparring with her, etiher."

Because two lifetimes and still, the only thing he could think about when she gave him that crappy smile, was how much he hated losing to her.

Chapter Text

A lifetime ago...

Zuko's day was going terribly.

"What are you waiting for, Zuzu?" A light snicker echoed in Zuko's ears as he pushed himself off the ground. Arms screaming in protest. Zuko snarled and punched out, spurts of fire splashing across his knuckles. His sister ducked under the blast, hands behind her back. She sneered, leaning her face only a couple of inches away. "Zuzu, what's wrong?" she whispered. "Did the air do something bad?"

Zuko growled and stepped forward to try and throw a punch at her face. Her smug, taunting face. He missed. She ducked under it and kicked his legs.

"You're really pathetic, Zuzu."

Zuko's momentum carried his body, and Zuko crashed into the ground with a loud bang. He groaned, bracing as a foot snapped into his cheek.

"I've had stomach aches that give me more trouble."

Iron. He smelled iron. A pained scream escaped his lips as he flew across the ground. He struggled to roll to his feet, to stand back up. His fingers were grasping at the tiles beneath his body. His muscles hurt. The twisting pain of shame settled into his gut. Every time. This happened every time. He'd lost count.

"Is that it, Zuzu?"

He'd lost count of how many times he'd heard her smug, stupid little voice ringing in his head.

"How embarrassing." He heard her voice, ringing in his ears. Zuko felt tears well up in his eyes, but bit them back. He pushed his palms into the training ground's tiles and forced his head to look up. What he saw was what he always saw. Every week. Every month. For the last however many years. Her. Still standing, without a scratch on her. Without a hair out of place. Without losing a single breath.

"You really ought to start considering a career change, Zuzu."

Her hands were still behind her back.

"Firebending obviously isn't for you."

Her eyes looked down with an amused gleam.

"I heard Uncle likes this tea shop in this city. Maybe you could work there."

Her lips quirked up in a proud expression.

"If you can even light a fire good enough for warm tea," Azula smirked, and Zuko ground his teeth. His eyes were boiling, simmering. He gnashed his teeth and tried to get up. He had to get up. He couldn't disappoint him again. No again. This time-

"That's enough playing with your food, daughter." A low, stern voice rang out from the edge of the ring. Zuko froze. His eyes fluttered over Azula's shoulder and towards the edge of the ring. Zuko could see his father, standing quietly and observantly. A frown on his face. One that never went away. Zuko gulped.

"End this."

And Zuko forced himself to stand up.

"If that's what you wish, Dad." Azula chirped with a mock smile. She sighed and removed her hands from behind her back. "Well, sorry, brother."

Zuko stood on shaky feet. Moving his feet into a familiar style. Sozin Style. Aggression, speed and power; the style that defeated the air nomads.

"I suppose you'll have to continue play time with mother."

The style Zuko's sister had all but mastered before Zuko even learned the first move.

"Unlike you, I have more important things to do." Azula smiled and dashed forward. Zuko tried to fight back. To defend. He didn't last long. He was torn apart, systematically, precisely, and viciously.

Eventually he was knocked out. As assuredly as always.

But before he hit the canvas and his vision went dark.

At some point during his long and tedious struggle, Zuko could see his father. On the edge of the ring.

As familiar as any habit, Zuko desperately glanced over Azula's shoulder. Zuko frantically searched his father’s gaze. Looking for something. Anything.

Ozai only scoffed. 

“Don’t look at me, child.“

Just once Zuko wished he could something else…

“Azula was born lucky.”

Anything else. 

”You were lucky to be born.”

Anything other than disappointment.

Present Day

Zuko's day went normally. Plainly, if he was being honest. He helped Aki check the windows. And when they were done, he moved on to the sheets. His mind wandered slightly as he washed the dusty covers of one of their countless guest rooms.

The storm still raged outside. Zuko heard the thunder and the harsh drops echoing from the palace rooftops. It was a dull and quiet day.

A monotonous day.

"I heard you're sparring with Princess Azula today," Aki said at some point. As the two worked and scrubbed the palace floor. Zuko shrugged.

And continued working. Without so much as a word.

He was admittedly distracted.

A little distracted.

"The kitchen staff talked." Aki shrugged when Zuko didn't answer with words. Aki continued cleaning with a slight smile. "I hope you do well."

Zuko hummed.

"Thanks..." Zuko said as the lightning thundered outside. Zuko's hands squeezed the mop tighter, for a moment, before he was able to close his eyes and take a deep breath. He forced his fingers to relax. He pushed his body to work. Even as his mind wandered back to the comet. To the day he died. The countless days and years leading up to that fateful Agni Kai. Zuko remembered how Azula moved. How she always moved. Azula was quick. Too quick.

"I'll try my best."

She had always been quick.

Azula didn't understand why her dad wanted her to practice all day. It was just Zuzu. Zuzu, who had been whimpering and whining a few months ago.

Yet, the second her brother had foolishly accepted the spar, Azula was taken to the training hall. To train. She hadn't questioned her father's intentions. She wasn't an idiot. But her eyes must have given it away. Because all her father responded with was a simple, practical and coldly logical explanation.

"If your brother had been trying to kill you that night," Ozai said, and Azula had to stop herself from laughing. Yeah right. Zuzu. The one who cried at every little thing. Zuzu. Who made a big fuss just because Azula singed the feathers of a couple turtle ducks. The idea in and of itself was laughable. Zuzu was too soft-bellied to hurt a fly.

He was too weak even to consider it. Assassination? Zuzu? Please. The idea was so foreign it didn't cross Azula's head until her father pointed it out.

"If he had been trying to kill you in your sleep," Ozai said. "Would you have survived?"

Yes. Of course she would've. Zuzu was too stupid to do any actual damage. She was pretty sure he didn't even know how to hold a knife right—panda or not.

Zuzu was too incompetent to lay a finger on her. Not without surprising her in the middle of the night, and while Azula was holding back. No, Zuko had gotten lucky. Azula had been the tiniest inch too careless.  Which was one of the reasons Azula didn't outright disagree with her father when he took her to the training hall in preparation for her impending spar.

With Zuzu. It was just Zuzu. Only Zuzu.

But Azula had let him get a hit in before—a freak, one in a million accident. 

However, Azula had allowed such a thing to occur. Once. She wouldn't this time.

This time, she would win flawlessly.

And without question.

"Well done, princess, keep your angles tight," Lo said during one of the hours throughout the day, moving in accordance with Azula. For an old hag, Lo moved quite well. Even if Azula was pretty sure she could hear the hag's knees crack with every motion. Azula fought not to roll her eyes but kept up the pressure. Quick. Fast and sharp. Never a wasted move.

Never a missed opportunity.

Never a hair out of place.

Azula moved through the forms of Sozin style she knew with mechanical precision. And the ones she hadn't fully gotten down yet, she used sparingly.

Quick. Lethal. Strong. Sharp. Fast.

Perfect.

Azula fought perfectly.

As always.

And when it was done, she stood ready, slowly catching her breath with a sharp smile. This was what she was born for. Power. Everyone said so. She stood tall and waited for her dad's approval. A glance told her what she needed. She saw the subtle nod her father gave. Perfect. She'd been perfect.

"Very good, daughter."

Azula smiled. She knew it. Perfect. She'd met his expectations. Azula preened at the praise and got ready for the inevitable next round. And while A part of her still questioned, why her father was so insistent on having her train for something as simple as Zuzu.

"Again."

She wasn't one to disappoint.

By the time Zuko had finished his work with the palace staff, it was afternoon. His stomach grumbled in request for dinner, but he ignored it. No time. He made his way towards the training hall, through the echoing palace grounds. He arrived on time. Walking into the room. He saw an audience.

A small one. But an audience.

Lo was there—one of the royal tutors.

Mom was there, towards the edge of the ring. A surprise. She usually didn't want to stay for these kinds of things. She'd stopped early on in Zuko's first life. When she realised she'd just be watching Azula beat him up for an hour or two. Instead, she'd wait until he was done. Always. With medical supplies and comforting words. A soothing smile for his injured body and ego. She'd wait for him by the turtle duck pond, usually. Today she was here.

And she wasn't the only one.

Azulon was actually present. Standing off to the side. Zuko figured it was because the storm was still in full swing. Probably no other form of entertainment.

And Zuko's father was standing at the edge of the ring. Talking with Lo. Ozai spared Zuko a glance of disinterest before returning to his conversation.

Yeah...

This all seemed about right.

"Oh, you actually showed up, Zuzu." Azula smiled across the training ring. Zuko walked up to the platform—the stone tiles firm against his feet.

"Yeah, I'm here," Zuko said, glancing at the room. Different. Different from what he remembered. Larger. Yet smaller at the same time. Nothing like the courtyard.

Nothing like the day he died. Nothing like the Agni Kai. Nothing like the sweltering comet overhead of fire that sizzled across Caldera's volcano.

In that manner...

This training hall was a lot smaller than Zuko expected.

And his opponent. Azula. The way she stood. Poised and confident. Still the same. Same yet different. Nothing, as she'd been on the day of the comet.

Not nearly as dishevelled or unsettling.

"I'm ready when you are." Zuko sighed and settled into a familiar yet annoying stance—sozin style. Zuko glanced at the audience and clicked his tongue. It would have to be Sozin Style. Zuko wasn't really allowed to try anything else. He shouldn't.

"Oh, I've been waiting for this since you broke my stuff, brother."

He shouldn't use anything that warranted suspicion.

"Try and keep up, Zuzu." Azula sneered, and launched into a quick attack. Zuko reacted as he could. Dodging and responding with his own vicious jabs. Anger. Aggression was Sozin's way. Punch after punch. Azula slid under each one and closed the distance. Hands behind her back.

"Seriously, Zuzu."

She jumped over Zuko's counter. Spinning around and kicking twice in the air. Zuko barely blocked it. Wanting to back away, but caught in Azula's pace.

"All that confidence and you still fight like a turtle duck."

Zuko responded with aggression—full force behind each swing. Azula dodged and snaked her fist out. Low. Zuko hissed and barely moved his leg out of the way. Attempting to counter with a strong, vicious jab of his fist, he got caught off guard. Azula caught his wrist and deflected his punch to the side. Turning with his momentum, she kicked the back of his calf and ended the series with a punch to his chest.

"This is all you have, isn't it?" Azula sneered as Fire singed Zuko's chest, blasting him back. He bounced against the stone tiles. Rolling to his feet and moving as he could. Forward. Always forward. Always strong and vicious. Always powerful. Zuko punched out. One, two, and a kick for the third. Fire burning with each blow. 

"You're such an embarrassment, Zuzu."

Azula dodged and advanced—one, two, and with a swinging kick, the third. A form of Sozin style Zuko hadn't been taught in this life. And wasn't confident his 8-year-old body could pull off. He cursed and dove out of the way, Fire singing his heels.

"Always crying for mother. Wasting time."

Azula pressed the advantage. And Zuko was out on the back foot. He dodged and pushed back as much as he could. Meeting her vicious onslaught by trying to enforce his own. She took a step back, and Zuko lunged. Azula smirked as her foot connected with Zuko's sternum. Zuko groaned at the pain, before Azula's other foot connected to the side of his head. Knocking him down. He braced as she kicked him away. Like skipping a stone across a pond.

"What did you think would happen, Zuzu?"

Zuko sprang to his feet. Or tried to. A fire blast had already been sent to where his foot would land. Zuko hissed as he was knocked off his balance and back to the ground. His face smacking across the tile. Zuko groaned and stared daggers at the ground an inch from his nose. He gnawed his cheek and stood up.

"Just because you got a lucky hit or two?" Azula laughed as Zuko charged. Feet firm. Angles as sharp as he could make them. Vicious and quick. Sozin style. Power and strength. He fought to overwhelm and dominate his opponent. He punched. She smiled and dodged by the thinnest margin. Not a single wasted movement. Not a millimetre off balance. Not a hair out of place. She countered with sharp and precise aggression that left no room to breathe or escape.

"Did you think you would beat me?"

And Zuko got knocked down. Again. He got back up. Again.

"You thought you had a chance?"

And got knocked down. Again.

"Don't be so pathetically naive, brother."

And again.

"We're in a different league."

And again.

"Just go back to housework, Zuzu."

It was always like this.

"You're obviously more suited to it than bending."

Zuko ground his teeth so hard they might've broken. His knuckles crunched against the tiles. He hated this. Two lifetimes and he was back. Here. Again.

"Get up, Zuzu."

Nothing had changed.

"Playtime isn't over yet."

Two lifetimes and nothing had changed.

'Patience, prince Zuko.' Uncle's voice echoed in his ears, and Zuko stopped. His bubbling ire receded like the slumbering tide. He took a deep breath. A strained breath. And sighed. No. Azula's taunts. If Zuko fell for them, it would end the same as it always did. Mocking and bitter defeat. A one-sided beating. Zuko needed to stay calm. He needed to breathe.

'Anger is strong, but it is also blinding, nephew.'

Patience. Zuko had always struggled with this lesson.

'Even an armadillo-boar is helpless in the dark.'

A lifetime ago.

'Find a way to win that burns bright and true.'

Zuko's 8-year-old limbs were still a little heavy. A little awkward. His lungs, weak and without the training Azula had, fell behind. The strength Zuko once had was abysmal. While Zuko trained with swords at this point in his time, it wasn't anything compared to Azula's training. Her talent. Her strength and skill.

At 6 years old, Azula was already outclassing his 8-year-old body.

Maybe if Zuko had more time. More training. To make up for the gap in physicality. Maybe he could think of something else. Maybe he would want to.

But for now, he couldn't.

For now, he didn't even want to think about it.

Because all he could think about now was that this was stupid. 

Sozin Style was stupid.

Sozin's style. It didn't feel right. It felt awful. Awkward. He never realised how much he hated it until he knew the alternative.

Until his uncle...

His uncle. His uncle showed Zuko it. Hinted at it. Nudged Zuko towards it. Years before the dragons. He'd shown Zuko the path, and Zuko had never walked it. Compared to that...

Compared to what Zuko had struggled to learn.

Sozin's style. In its rigid aggression. In its sharp and unforgiving nature. In its speed and fierceness. For all its unmistakable strength and power.

It didn't work. It didn't feel right,

Zuko had already walked down the other path.

And for the life of him, he didn't want to go back now.

'We're in the earth kingdom, Prince Zuko.'  Zuko recalled his uncle's words at the start of his banishment. Words meant to comfort and guide. Wise words.

'There's much to learn from their way of life. Their people.'

Zuko hadn't listened to them before.

'Look around.'

What an idiot he'd been.

'Sometimes the simple path forward is best.'

Zuko stood up. His heart was racing. His anger. It brewed and stoked. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In and out. He had to remember it.

'You can learn much from the other nations and their people.'

A lesson taught through bitter work.

'A true master will take lessons from all the elements.'

And learned through the people Zuko had come to admire.

'Earth is the element of stability.'

Toph. And her patient strength. Zuko hadn't known her long, but what he saw was honest. Bold and straightforward. An unapologetic way of life.

'Air is the element of freedom.'

Aang. And his childlike wonder. Eyes that laugh and let go. Even forgive the nation that had once taken his everything—the ones who erased his people.

'Water is the element of change.'

Katara. Her rage and her kindness. It ebbed and flowed in waves. One moment it was the softest touch of sea water. The next was a tidal wave.

'Fire is the element of passion.'

Uncle. His fire warmed tea and set campfires. A quiet and kindling flame. One who understood and strove to understand more. An honest fire.

'You never think before you leap, nephew...'

A dragon's Fire.

'One day it's going to get you in trouble.'

"Sorry, uncle..." Zuko mumbled and settled into a stance. One that wasn't Sozin's style. He couldn't help it. For a moment. He forgot. About everything. The circumstances. The danger. The recklessness. The audience. Zuko forgot it all. Everything. Except what the dragons taught him. And what his uncle had embodied. Fire is life. Whether it burns or creates is up to the person who wields it.

And Azula. Her fire...

It was cold.

That's not what fire was supposed to be.

Zuko wanted to prove it.

He wanted to win.

Just once...

Zuko wanted to prove the fire he toiled for wasn't weaker than the one Azula was born with.

"What are you waiting for..." Zuko said, settling into a proper stance. True fire bending. Not Sozin's style. His uncle's style. Zuko's feet shifted apart. Stable and loose. Strong core, fluid limbs. He took a deep, calming breath, and like the tide, he waited.

"I'm ready."

He didn't have to wait long.

"Oh, how lovely." Azula practically spat, grinning through clenched teeth. His sudden, clear, and calm demeanour was an obvious irritation. She lunged, and it was like lightning. How quickly she moved for her age. Her fire seared the air and shot past his head. He dodged. Her fist turned against his, and it burned. Itched. He deflected the worst of it. She leaped forward. Deadly. Precise. Aimed at his weakness.

'You will learn respect.'

A bolt of fire darted towards the left side of his face.

'And suffering will be your teacher.'

And for a moment, under the memory of his father's voice, Zuko felt panic surge in the deepest recesses of his chest. He felt his muscles start to seize.

'Calm yourself, Prince Zuko.'

And like a receding tide, his uncle's voice pushed it all away.

'Chaos is the cousin of defeat.'

Zuko tilted his head, and sparks licked his cheek.

'Center yourself. Focus on your breathing. In and out.'

It burned. The memory seared into his skin.

'As long as you're breathing, what's there to be afraid of?'

It didn't burn enough. The bolt of fire scraped past Zuko's ear as he snapped his fist at Azula's chest. Her eyes widened, and she barely got her arms up in time to block. She flew back, stumbling towards the edge of the ring. Zuko thought she might fly out.

But of course she wouldn't. She caught herself before the end. Springing to her feet and digging her heels into the ground. Her breath was shaky, and her arms were smoky. She looked at her arms, with light burns on her clothes. But a hit. An undeniable hit.

She froze.

And when she looked up, her eyes widened in disbelief. Pupils shaking and furious, Zuko wondered if this was how he looked...

"Get up, Zula."

A lifetime ago.

"I'm not your punching bag anymore," Zuko said. Azula sprang to life with a vicious snarl. She attacked. Sharp, quick, and deadly...

Sozin Style.

Not as perfect as it would be when she was older. At 14, Azula would be flawless. At 14, she'd be precise and graceful, always in control. At 14, she'd have never fallen for basic taunts like this. She'd laugh in his face for even attempting it. At 14, she would never show Zuko the slightest inch of an opening. Not until the comet, the day she had finally become off-kilter. And even then, she had turned such blatant provocations into her advantage. She had won.

But Azula wasn't 14. She was 6.

In both mind and body.

She was 6.

And that made all the difference.

It turned his chances of winning from zero to something above it.

"Quit fighting wrong!" Azula hissed. She kicked, and Zuko shifted out of the way—a storm. Azula was a storm, even at six. Zuko could barely weather it in his 8-year-old body. But he did what he could. He restricted himself to what he knew he could do. Basics. He reverted back to the basics his uncle ingrained into him—the basics of all elements.

Stability to block.

Freedom to dodge.

Change to counter.

Passion to endure.

Zuko positioned himself to the side as Azula targeted his calves. She always loved targeting weaknesses. He pulled his foot back as Azula's kick missed its mark. Azula smirked and twisted into a back kick. Zuko stepped forward, blocking the kick. Zuko kicked at Azula's foot while she was on one leg.

Azula fell.

And like a tide.

Zuko stepped back before a ball of fire shot up and passed his nose. He settled back a decent distance, knowing Azula was dangerous whether she was on the ground or in the air. Azula's face twisted in a mixture of anger, hatred, ire, and frustration. Her breath was hot. Her form looked up in confused fury. Zuko could tell. He could tell at a glance.

At 6, Azula wasn't used to long fights.

At 6, Azula wasn't used to fighting other styles.

At 6, Azula wasn't a master of Sozin style. Not yet.

At 6, Azula wasn't unbeatable.

Only nearly so.

And that was what Zuko relied on. When mounting desperation seemed to guide his sister as she kicked back to her feet. Immediately moving into a turning axe kick. Zuko stepped to the side as fire arced past. He didn't get cocky. She was 6. In 8 years, he'd lose. Agni, in a year, he might lose.

Today, he might lose.

His physical conditioning was lacking compared to Azula's. Azula had been training since she could spit sparks. She had him beat in every physical category, barring height and weight. The conditioning gap was large and noticeable. Zuko's only grace was that he'd already trained with Piandao at this point. The gap was still vast. Terribly wide.

But not impossible. 

So when Azula rushed back into his face, fury in her golden eyes and her lips twisted back in a searing scowl. Zuko came to a startling revelation.

One so simple it surprised himself.

He wanted to win.

And for the first time since the comet, he might actually have had a chance to.

"Slow." Zuko couldn't believe it, ducking past the fire aimed at the left side of his face. He caught Azula's knee and charged into her stomach. Throwing her back. She fell back on the ground and kicked her feet up. Zuko deflected the blast and stepped back. He took a deep breath and waited. Patiently.

"You're slower than I remember," Zuko murmured, and Azula's glare could have melted the North Pole. She let out a murderous growl and shot to her feet.

"Shut up!" She snarled and lunged, feinting one side and quickly changing to the other. Zuko hissed as her foot connected with his thigh. But he firmed it. He could face a lot of punishment, especially when he expected it. He traded blows with Azula. Making her work twice as hard for any connection she should have gotten easily. He defended and countered. She attacked and attacked.

And eventually, slowly...

When the burns and bruises on Zuko's body started to outnumber Azula's two-fold.

Zuko saw it.

Azula's breath came out on a heavy puff of steam. Her eyes started to grow frenzied and wild. Her hair matting her face in sweaty strands. She moved.

Slower.

She's going to tire out. Zuko came to the realisation during one of the many exchanges. He endured a kick to his ribs that felt like a sledgehammer. And managed to kick Azula off him and put some distance between them. Azula was tired. The rest would come in time.

And as the seconds passed by, it felt like an eternity. 

As Zuko defended and dodged. As Azula fought and fought. Blinded by anger when the one who should've been beneath her. The one who was helpless three months ago. When Zuko stood before her, calm and patient. And Azula fought tooth and nail, increasingly more furious and frustrated. Her thoughts became abundantly evident to Zuko.

A fight that should have been easy.

Had instead become troublesome.

And the desperation it caused in Azula's demeanor, the visceral, desperate response that encompassed her. It stirred something deep in Zuko's throat.

A memory of a sky on fire. A comet. A girl unhinged and off-kilter. A maniacal laughter. Zuko's mind flashed back to the day he fought so long for.

The day he failed everyone.

The day his sister killed him.

The day lightning pierced his chest.

Because Azula was quick.

She had always been quick.

But she wasn't as quick at 6 years old.

So Zuko took a breath and waited. He got hit. But every hit he gave back was meaningful and far less exhausting than the ones Azula had to fight for.

Back and forth. Back and forth. The scale settled even for a while.

Until it slowly started dipping Zuko's way.

At first, a little.

Then more.

And more.

And as the scale dipped ever lower. Zuko kicked Azula in the stomach, sending her crashing to the ground. He watched her forget herself and instead stand up in a flash of frustration, rage, and a scowl touched with paleness. Zuko watched her lunge. 

And as Zuko moved to respond. He grasped it...

Zuko came to another realisation.

A much simpler and obvious one.

I hate you.

It was an ugly truth that crawled up the depths of Zuko's mind. He hated her. His sister. He hated how she mocked him. He hated how she toyed with him. He hated how she tormented him. He hated how she had always been praised. Loved. The genius. The prodigy. The favorite. He hated her.

He despised her.

I hate you.

Zuko's anger simmered and burned. A lifetime of bitterness in each spark and cinder. He reared his fist to meet Azula's. Certain. For once. That his fire would win out, Azula had spent too much. She had gotten too angry. She was too young. In that single moment, Zuko realised he'd finally win. And in that moment, he took a step forward—a lunge of anger, desperation, and long-awaited desire for affirmation. He’d win. He’d finally win.

I hate you.

Zuko's burning fist soared to meet Azula's. Orange flames that were itching to greet each other. Azula's face was lined with sweat and a furious, desperate confusion.

I hate you.

An opening brought about by a panicked frustration. Zuko saw Azula's eyes frantically flicker over his shoulder. Before a bitter, determined fury took her face.

I hate you.

Fire racing to meet fire. Zuko's fist flew true. And like a habit long ingrained, a moment before their knuckles could connect, Zuko's gaze strayed.

I hate you.

A habit. One he'd done a hundred times before. Without thought. Zuko's golden eyes fluttered over Azula's shoulder. Expecting it. Disappointment.

I hate you.

Always. Disappointment.

I hate you.

And for the first time in two lifetimes.

I hate you.

Zuko saw something else.

I hate you.

A smile.

I hate...

Ozai was wearing the most subtle of smiles.

You.

And like a candle in a breeze. Zuko's flame snuffed out. His body stopped for a moment. Every muscle in his chest refused to move. His eyes were wide. He froze without reason. He froze. For a moment. A brief hesitation. Zuko stopped. He pulled his punch.

'You will learn respect..."

Azula didn't.

'And suffering will be your teacher.'

And Zuko screamed as the memory of a familiar agony touched his face.

Chapter Text

A Lifetime Ago...

Zuko woke up groggily. In pain. His head burned, and his tongue tasted red. He looked up and saw spots. Nothing. Half his vision was black. His skin felt fuzzy; the only thing he felt was pain. Pain and sticky stabbing sensations, prickling like a thousand tiny knives on the left side of his face. What happened? He remembered a war meeting...

"Go to sleep, Prince Zuko." Zuko heard someone's voice. Familiar. Kind and gentle. Zuko's eye began to flutter closed and to the side as the cold ceiling waited above—a metal ceiling. Zuko felt like he was in a box of some kind. A metal box that made him dizzy z The bed he was on, uncomfortable and stiff, it was swaying. Rocking back and forth. To and fro.

"Do not try to speak."

Zuko didn't know where he was. Water? It felt like he was on water. Must be the pain. All he felt was pain. Pain, numbness, and tiredness. Dull exhaustion.

"You need to rest."

Dull exhaustion and a kind voice. It lulled Zuko back to sleep. Swimming in memories. The last thing Zuko felt before he slipped back into a dreamless, cold, sleep was a large hand grasping his. Calloused and rough, hot, yet gentle enough to cradle an eggshell and keep it safe. Zuko closed his eyes.

"I'll be here when you wake, Nephew."

And the sound of his Uncle's voice almost drowned out the memory of how Zuko had messed everything up.

Present Day

Zuko woke up dizzy, his vision blurry, and his head spinning. It was dark outside. He barely glimpsed someone sitting at his bedside. A soothing voice. One he missed and missed dearly. He heard her whisper, "Don't worry, little turtleduck."

Zuko tried to open his eyes, but sleep whispered back to him. He felt something heavy over the left side of his face. Blotting out his vision. He tried to move.

"The doctor said you'll be fine."

Zuko's head lulled under the pull of exhaustion.

"Just get some rest."

And a soothing voice that warmed his chest.

"I'll be right here with you when you wake up."

That soft, familiar melody of his mother's kind voice dragged Zuko back into slumber once more without a care in the world for what happened outside it.

When Zuko sank back into the dream scape, his mind was a bit clearer than before. He looked around, half his vision blocked by the familiar itch of bandages and burn cream. Zuko frowned and touched the left side of his face. Crap.

He didn't even get a year of having both his eyes back, and it was gone.

"What a mess..." Zuko muttered and looked around. The palace courtyard. But slightly different. The walls were older. The tree was younger. People walked around in the background. More inviting. Less a fortress, more a temple.

This wasn't the royal gardens Zuko knew.

It was the one from 100 years ago.

"You're incredibly lucky." Roku's voice echoed by the edge of the dream, the courtyard near the turtle ducks. Zuko stiffened and turned to see the old avatar sitting on the edge of the water as tiny little turtle ducks played at his feet. Zuko gulped but walked towards the old avatar. "I don't really feel lucky."

"You are. Fire benders don't burn easily." Roku said, idly watching the turtle ducks pass by. "That and your sister seemed surprised enough to pull back after you screamed. Those are the only two reasons you didn't get a repeat of your previous lifetime's scar. Had her fire been blue, that would not be the case." Roku huffed. "But you're fortunate. For now. I can tell, your face will heal."

"Oh... that's good," Zuko said, sitting down next to his great-grandfather and watching the surface of the pond. Zuko touched the left side of his face.

"It felt the same, though," Zuko murmured. The sizzling under the bandages. The Phantom pains of when his father had burned half his face off.

Azula's fire...

Zuko didn't remember much of the chaos afterward; much of it was clouded by a haze of panic and fear. All he recalled was pain. The same pain.

The same pain he felt before he got banished.

"An episode, likely. I'd try to explain it, but we don't have a lot of time, and I'm sure the physician could do it better." Roku said. "Albeit with less insight."

"Oh... okay," Zuko said, curling up his arms around his legs and looking at the water. The silence lasted long for someone with so little time. However, Zuko couldn't bring himself to care. About Roku. About the familiar set of bandages on his face.

About anything.

"What you did was stupid," Roku said eventually, voice tired and without room for error. "You did so many stupid things today, great-grandson."

"I know, I know." Zuko sighed, thinking that tone reminded him a little of Uncle. Zuko huffed. "Let me guess. You made a list."

"I should've." Roku's eyes narrowed, and his voice fell sterner. "But the list would be too long, I'm afraid. Too extensive. You fought recklessly."

"I couldn't beat her with Sozin Style."

"Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't matter." Roku scowled. "Any consideration you may have had fell to the wayside when you began fighting the other way." Roku looked annoyed. Great. "How will you explain that to the others. To your grandfather and father."

"I... I don't know." Zuko winced, knowing he'd gotten carried away. Forgotten his surroundings. He'd been focused on the fight. He'd wanted to win.

He hadn't...

He hadn't been thinking past what was in front of him. The victory he'd wanted for so long. Right at the edge of his fingertips. His... anger.

Blind as an armadillo-boar in the dark. Uncle would've never let him hear the end of it.

"Sorry." Zuko mumbled into his knees, "I just wanted... for once I wanted..." Zuko bit back a new wetness in his eyes and croaked. "I'll deal with it."

"I'm sure you will. Like you've dealt with your sister so far. I'm sure it'll go swimmingly." Roku huffed, rolling his eyes like he was tired of dealing with a bratty child. Zuko wondered how Roku ever had a kid. He seemed like the world's worst babysitter. Zuko scowled, retort on his tongue, but Roku's dull and gravely voice echoed through the dream first.

"If they ask," Roku said, sharp eyes never leaving the turtle duck pond. "Say these words exactly. You did what felt right. You're a terrible liar, so we'll have you tell part of the truth. If they push further, don't give them anything else besides that. Even if they suspect something, they won't have enough to warrant any lingering suspicion. Hopefully..."

Roku sighed and pinched his nose. And for a little bit, Zuko remembered that Roku was old. Very old. It looked like he was as tired as Zuko felt.

"Hopefully." Roku sighed. "You didn't show enough of your actual style to warrant a more thorough suspicion," Roku said, and Zuko shivered. Right.

Zuko hadn't fought like a fire bender was supposed to fight. He hadn't fought like Sozin. He'd fought like a dragon. He'd fought like a waterbender. And an Earthbender. And an airbender. And if anyone in the palace suspected he'd learned under someone else, besides the prescribed tutors. Or looking into their styles would be... awkward. To say the least.

Azulon would probably despise such a thought.

It would be frowned upon at best.

Treason at worst.

"Sorry...." Zuko mumbled again, his head curled into his knees as he sat at the edge of the pond. Idiot. He'd risked everything for what? A spar...

A spar he didn't even win.

Idiot.

"You should be," Roku grumbled mercilessly, gently moving a turtleduck off the edge of his robe. Roku sighed. "But I doubt Sozin's elk have fought on the front lines in a while. So hopefully they'll chalk it up to bad habits and focus on correction rather than inquiry. It'll be painful, but so be it. You'll live."

"I'll live." Zuko agreed easily enough. Pain wasn't new. He'd survived worse than harsh correctional punishment. A few more calf lashings would be manageable. Annoying and painful, but expected. Zuko would deal with the punishment as always.

Stubbornly.

So he sat quietly by the turtle duck pond. Content to let the dream play out and deal with the fallout of his mess when he woke up. Zuko noticed Roku frown slightly, something like concern flickering across the old avatar's gaze before it faded.

Replaced by the cold logic that sought to address the Sabertooth-Elephant in the room.

"I hope this incident has made you come to your senses about her," Roku said, scowling at the water's reflection. "She's beyond hope. She burned you."

"It was a training accident." Zuko denied dully. But his heart wasn't in it. He was tired. "I stopped in the middle of a fight. If anything, it was my fault."

So tired. Exhausted.

"I'm sure she didn't mean to."

Zuko didn't even care how stale the words falling out of his mouth were. Or whether this was just another habit rearing its head. He just wanted to rest.

"No, great-grandson." Roku didn't seem keen to let him. "We both know exactly what she meant to do."

Stupid Avatar. Aang was so much better.

"It wouldn't have been an accident had she not aimed for your face." Roku frowned. "But she did. Because she saw a weakness and pressed upon it. Because she would happily disfigure your face to impress her father. Do you understand yet? She isn't redeemable. She doesn't want to change."

"You don't know that."

"A thousand times out of ten, she'll stand by her father's side. Even if it means burning the Earth Kingdom to the ground. Or killing the avatar."

"She hasn't done any of that yet."

"She'll never change her views. She'll never stop fighting the war her father's so eager to wage. And she'll win it. She'll never give it a second thought."

"Okay. I get it!" Zuko snapped, stress and annoyance grinding through his teeth. "Just be quiet for a little bit! I can't think with your voice in my head!"

"You're deflecting." Roku snapped, ignoring Zuko's plea for peace. Roku scoffed. "You can't run from this great-grandson. She's beyond hope. She's Sozin's great-granddaughter, through and through. And one day she'll kill you all over again, for the same reasons she burned you today." Roku sneered, voice deafening. "Because. She. Wants. To."

"You don't..." Zuko ground his teeth, shutting his eyes and covering his ears. No. It wasn't the same as the comet. As the Agni Kai. It was different.

'I'm sorry it had to end this way, brother.'

It had to be different.

'No, you're not.' Zuko remembered his words on the day of the comet. And he'd been so sure of it. He was still certain of it. Azula hadn't been sorry. That they'd had to fight in an Agni Kai after so long, that one of them would probably have to die. She'd been ready, eager to kill him. So ready and remorseless about it.

Azula hadn't cared about him in years at that point. Even getting Zuko back into the Fire Nation had just been a ploy. A way to excuse herself of blame in case the avatar was alive. Maybe, maybe there had been something closer to a bond back in Ember Island. Maybe not. 

Zuko could never tell. Azula...

'My own mother thought I was a monster...'

Azula had always been too good a liar.

'She was right, of course, but it still hurt.'

Zuko could never tell when she was telling the truth.

"I don't know anymore," Zuko said, holding his head in his hands. He didn't know anymore. He didn't know at all. Mom loved them. And Dad loved Azula. Azula had always been the favorite because she got both. That's how Zuko remembered it. She got both. Zuko never got Dad's love. Never got dad's attention. Never got anything other than disappointment.

Until today... he might've gotten something else today.

And it hadn't felt how Zuko expected it to feel.

"Why did you hesitate?" Roku said, and that was the question of the century-long war. Why did Zuko hesitate? He wanted to win so badly. Always.

"I..."

Zuko could have won. He was so sure of it. He was so close this time. So why...

"I don't..."

Why did he hesitate?

"I don't know," Zuko said, because he didn't know. Too much. He had too much on his mind. He had too much; he couldn't understand. Too much that was different from the first go around. Too much on his mind. His mother's conversation with Azula in front of her door the night prior. Father's smile. Azula's... everything. Everything. Her reactions.

Her mannerisms. Her constant mockery, courtesy of a barbed and honeyed tongue. Her instant discovery and use of his weaknesses. In some ways...

In some ways, Azula hadn't changed at all.

And then Zuko remembered her under the covers, shivering. Trembling. He recalled her flinch at lightning, and couldn't help but think she was...

Different. Somehow. Someway... She had to be...

Zuko just couldn't wrap his head around what exactly it was yet.

Zuko could barely wrap his head around a lot of things these days. 

"I hate my sister," Zuko murmured, and it was like grease falling off his tongue. Another thing that he couldn't wrap his head around. Or didn't want to. He hated his sister. He despised her. Admitting it out loud felt like he was spewing sludge. Uncle would've been disappointed, probably told him to take a step back and let go. To reconsider and remember...

'Your sister's crazy, and she needs to go down.'

Or maybe Uncle wouldn't. Great. Another thing to add to the mess of things flying around in Zuko's head. He sighed and closed his eyes. Great.

"I don't know what to do anymore."

If even Uncle's memory was implying Azula was a lost cause, what kind of idiot was Zuko being for refusing to make up his damn mind about her?

"Any advice?" Zuko asked reluctantly. Albeit he was certain Roku's advice would be as cold and straightforward as before. 'Kill her.' That's what the spirits wanted anyway. For Zuko to kill his six-year-old sister. Because no matter what happened, he'd never...

He'd never beat her.

Today was as good a proof as any.

"You already know my thoughts on the matter," Roku said gruffly, and yeah. That made sense. Zuko wasn't really surprised. He sighed and hung his head as the dream started to blur around him. He listened to Roku's stern and gruff words. Zuko listened even as his body began to wake up.

"Do not let your wishful thinking blind you to the bigger picture," Roku grumbled. "Your sister's destined to stand against you. She's destined to stand with her father. That's simply how it is. How she wants it to be. You can't change it. Some people..." Roku's voice began to fade.

"Some people don't want to change. Refuse to."

Zuko's dream faded. Zuko eventually woke up.

"Regardless of how many chances they are given."

And still, nothing was any simpler than before.

"Thanks for the pep talk..." Zuko murmured in the darkness. The storm was still in full swing outside. Rain battered against the window, and lightning illuminated the small physician's room. Zuko's left half of his vision was covered. Smothered in burn cream and bandages that had a familiar itch to them. Zuko sighed and glanced around, feeling something soft and warm in his hand. He glanced over.

Zuko's mom was sitting by his bedside. Head lulled to the side and face soft with sleep. No one else was in the waiting room. Zuko gripped her hand a little tighter. Right. She was still here. Zuko felt tears well up in his good eye and lay back down on his clinic bed, letting gravity keep them from rising. Zuko was exhausted. He didn't know what to do. He was so lost and confused. He wanted to rest. He...

He wanted to rest.

And his mom's hand was soothing. A tender, kind, gentle touch. Warm but not a fire bender's warmth. A loving sort of presence. It was comforting. Zuko didn't want to risk waking her. And he didn't want to go back to Roku right now. He just wanted to rest.

So he stayed. Silently looking up at the ceiling. Letting the rain and thunder outside try to drown out his thoughts. Holding his mom's hand to try to comfort him, to center him. He tried not to think about anything and just... lie down. For a while. Waiting. For something. Anything to reveal itself. Any sort of revelation to sprint across his mind.

It never happened.

And Zuko didn't sleep a wink.

Zuko's mother woke around dawn, when the monsoon still hid the sun on the horizon. And the only difference between the darkness of night and the gloominess of day was how grey the storm clouds were—blotting out the sky with rain and wind.

"Zuko..." she murmured when she opened his eyes. Zuko looked over and tried to look like he hadn't spent the entire night awake. He gave a soft smile. "Hi, Mom." He flinched as she wrapped him in a quick hug. Before her words echoed into his hair, "You had me worried, little turtle duck."

And Zuko melted. He relaxed, closing his eyes and burying his head in his mother's arms. He missed this. He missed this so much. He mumbled. "Sorry."

And that was all. That was all that needed to be said. His mother gave a soft little laugh, and Zuko sniffled. Closing his eyes and leaning into her touch.

He missed her.

He missed this so much.

"It's alright..." Ursa soothed Zuko's hair. "I'm here."

Zuko probably cried harder at that. He hid it in her clothes, his tears and exhaustion. He lingered in the moment, a few moments. Of peace and warmth. He listened as his mother spoke about this and that to fill the quiet morning. "The doctor said you only suffered light burns and the balm should prevent any scarring. You'll have to apply it twice a day."

With a change of bandages. Zuko knew. He already knew all the details about how to treat a burn wound. Especially one on the face.

He probably knew better than Mom did. But he didn't interrupt. He wanted to keep hearing her voice. He closed his eyes and settled his head.

"The doctor said you likely suffered a panic attack during the incident." His mother said, and that was something Zuko didn't know about beforehand. He stiffened, but forced his shoulders to relax. Okay... That made sense. He could deal with that. That explained a lot anyway. Why it hurt so much.

Why Roku called it an 'episode.'

Why it felt like before. Why it felt like his face was on fire again. Why it felt like his father's hand was burning his skin. Why it prickled so bad.

Phantom pains. It was only phantom pains.

Zuko would get over it. He had them before anyway. Back on the ship. Mornings when his face felt like it was on fire. Sometimes, standing near a candle flame had irritated him so much that he'd thrown up over the edge of the ship. Still, he dealt with it once.

He'd deal with it again if the issue resurfaced.

"The doctor thinks it was simply due to the suddenness and high-risk area of the injury. We'll have to keep a good look on your eye, okay?" Ursa said, and Zuko nodded dimly. He heard the door click open, and looked over to see the royal physician, Doctor Jo, standing at the door.

"Can I come in?"

And so, Zuko spent the next half hour or so getting checked over by the only physician who stayed in the palace during the storm. The diagnosis was the same as what his mother described. Nothing permanent. No visible scarring. The burn was only surface-level. All Zuko had to do was reapply the burn cream twice daily. Keep bandages fresh and dry. There should be no damage to the eye, but they'll have to keep an eye on it for the next couple of days to make sure.

It was a monotonous and practical examination. Zuko got bored about halfway through. He'd listened to a similar diagnosis back on the ship.

Not exactly the best of memories.

"He should be fully safe to take off the bandages in a week or two. Hopefully, by the time the monsoon is over." The doctor said, finishing his examination. Zuko listened with half an ear. Distracted. He heard the door open as the doctor turned to leave, and before Zuko could glance back at his mom, he saw someone else entering—a slow yet quiet gait.

"Hmph. Little snake's awake." Azulon glanced at Zuko. Zuko stiffened, but Azulon's gaze quickly shifted to Ursa. The two shared a brief, very bare-bones conversation about what the doctor said. All the while Zuko tried not to panic outwardly. He had Roku's line prepared. Waiting. For anything.

"Prudda will no longer be your teacher," Azulon said instead, plain and simple—no room for argument. Zuko blinked, confused more than anything.

"What?" Zuko asked. Confused. He was ready for a figurative, no, actual interrogation was a possibility as far as his grandfather was concerned. Zuko had been preparing to face the absolute worst of his grandfather's ire and suspicion. Not... whatever this was. Azulon only looked annoyed. Irritable.

"Did I misspeak, child?"

Like Azulon was only mad because he had to repeat himself. Nothing else.

"No." Zuko shook his head sharply. Remembering that particular lesson quite well from his first life. The Fire lord did not misspeak. Or mistake. Never.

Zuko had gotten a scar in his first life to prove it.

"I'm just confused, grandfather," Zuko admitted carefully. "I thought that father specifically chose Prudda for me. Since I..." ditched the royal tutors seemed like the wrong thing to say. "Was having trouble keeping up with Li and Lo's training."

"Things have changed. Prudda's been relieved of duty. Your father and I have agreed to schedule a new trainer for you soon." Azulon waved his hand dismissively, "Until then, Li will be drilling you on Sozin Style until your knuckles break. Your training will also be in front of the high sages until further notice. Is that understood, grandchild?"

"Yes, grandfather." Zuko nodded quietly. Letting out a small breath. Okay. That was fine. It was more in line with what Zuko had expected anyway.

Training. Brutal and unforgiving training. The fact that Zuko was going back to Li was a surprise. Not exactly a welcome one. But he wouldn't complain. Hopefully, the fact that he had to train in front of the high sages, for whatever reason, meant he wouldn't have to join father and Azula's sessions at least.

"Your training will begin after the bandages come off." Azulon huffed. Aged golden eyes lingered on Zuko's face a second before turning away. Azulon left without another word, closing the door behind him sharply. Zuko waited until his grandfather was gone, and only relaxed when the door shut. Zuko sighed.

"Yes, grandfather."

Zuko was pretty sure he could have a hundred lifetimes and never figure out what his grandfather was thinking.

Zuko spent the rest of the day in the physician's room. He had a few visitors; Aki and a few of the other staff members dropped by to check on him. Some even congratulated him, said they heard he did really well in his spar with the princess. Apparently, the rumor was spreading among the palace staff. Probably, since the monsoon discounted most of their other forms of entertainment.

"Thanks," Zuko said lamely. He didn't really like being the subject of the palace gossip. Being the center of attention had been more Azula's thing.

Azula had always been...

"Has anyone seen Azula?" Zuko asked, morbidly curious. He noticed a few of the staff flinch. Zuko narrowed his eyes, but his mother's smooth voice sounded. "She's busy little turtle duck." Zuko turned and noticed his mother offer a small, sympathetic smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll visit soon."

Zuko wasn't so sure about that, but he nodded so she wouldn't worry. "Okay..." He mumbled, ignoring the odd twist and churn of disappointment in his gut.

Dumb. He was being dumb. Of course, she wouldn't stop by... he wouldn't even know what to say if she did.

"You think far too much, my little turtle duck." Mom's smile softened as she gently stroked his hair. Zuko leaned into it and sighed. Neither refuting nor denying the accusation. He didn't say anything. Simply closed his eyes and listened. The palace staff didn't linger for too long afterwards. They gave their hopeful goodbyes, wishing Zuko a good recovery.

After that, his mom spent most of the day by his side. She had brought one of the books from the library so they could read together to pass the time. And around noon, the palace staff brought in lunch. Zuko had to get his bandages changed after. His mother offered to do it, and Zuko didn't need the help, but he didn't really argue.

"I was a herbalist once, you know," Ursa murmured as she fixed the new burn balm on Zuko's face. Zuko flinched. Listening quietly. His mother had rarely ever talked about her life before the palace. At least not in Zuko's first life. Zuko only knew the general idea later on. After his mother had already been exiled. That his mother was Roku's granddaughter. And Azulon selected her to be Ozai's wife, an arrangement.

Because the sages said they'd have powerful children.

Sometimes Zuko wondered if the sages meant they'd have a powerful child. Because right now it felt like their prediction was only half-right.

"Did you like it?" Zuko asked quietly, carefully, and curiously. He heard his mother chuckle, "Yes, I quite loved it. And I was pretty good. So I can tell."

Zuko flushed as Ursa planted a tiny kiss on his bandages, "Your eyes's going to be just fine, little turtle duck." Ursa chuckled with a loving smile.

"Mom." Zuko sighed and brushed his bandages. Ursa gave a quiet laugh, and Zuko shook his head. It was still embarrassing, but he couldn't say he hated it. He'd take a thousand if it meant his mom would stick around this time. If it meant she wouldn't go. Zuko found himself chuckling alongside his mother. And for a moment... a nostlagic, soft and sweet moment. 

He felt happy. Laughing alongside his mother. 

That moment lasted until the door clicked open.

And the last person on Zuko's list of expected visitors entered the room.

"Ursa," Ozai said, and Zuko stiffened. He didn't feel his mother do the same. Her hand softly rested on Zuko's shoulder as she turned. "Ozai."

"Leave," Ozai said. "I need a word alone."

"The doctor said his wounds should be watched over," Ursa argued easily, her words falling without pause or flaw. "In case his wounds act up again, I-"

"Outside, Ursa. You will wait outside." Ozai said, eyes narrowed. And Zuko felt his mother's fingers lightly dig into his shoulder. Zuko felt the air grow heavy in the quiet room. He noticed his mother's mouth open slightly, to argue another point Ozai would never listen to. 

"Surely, even you wouldn't go against the royal physician's diagnosis, Ozai."

Zuko saw Ozai's irritation.

"It's fine, Mom," Zuko said, burying the strike of panic when Ozai's eyes flickered his way. A familiar anger bubbled in Zuko's lungs and soon replaced it. Burned it to ash. He kept his eyes lowered, but they were boiling. Silently. He kept his voice even.

"I feel a lot better now."

As even as he could make it at least.

"You heard the boy." Ozai seemed to sneer. Lips curled upwards. Zuko felt his mother's hesitation, but she eventually spoke. "Then, I will wait outside." She said with a thin reluctance. She gave Zuko an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder and then vacated the room. Calm and regal as always. The door clicked shut behind her, and soon Zuko was alone.

With his father.

Zuko couldn't even remember the last time that had happened.

"Why did you hesitate." Ozai didn't mince words or waste time. That much Zuko remembered clearly. Zuko ground his teeth and kept his head down.

"I don't know."

"Figure it out then. Hesitation will only get you killed sooner or later." Ozai scoffed, disdain evident in his tone. Zuko clenched his jaw and kept his gaze down. Lowered. He didn't need to hear another 'you're a failure' speech from his father. He already had a lifetime's worth. "Anything else," Zuko said. Idly wondering if his father would burn his tongue this time around. For being disrespectful and all.

"Don't get snippy with me, boy. The only reason I find the time to waste here is to see whether what I saw was a fluke or my hopeful imagination." His father sneered, and Zuko buried a flinch. He scowled at the ground. He kept his expression hidden. And his clenched jaw was the only sound he uttered.

An action that was probably dumb.

Since it only seemed to irritate Ozai more.

"Why did you stop, child."

Zuko didn't answer. He didn't look up. He looked down and waited.

"Why did you waste such a perfect opportunity."

And waited.

"Why did you refuse to take what was in front of you."

And when Zuko refused to answer, and nothing happened. When the silence droned on for what felt like hours, Zuko began to tire. He stared at his feet and wondered if he'd simply missed the moment his father had left the room. And so Zuko waited. And waited...

He hadn't.

"Look at me." His father eventually said, and Zuko's teeth gnashed together. He stubbornly kept his head down and waited. He heard his father step forward and sneer. "Look at me, boy. You've been so keen on surprising me as of late. Only to disappoint me at a moment's notice. Surely this simple a task you can see through to the end. Tell me. Look at me."

Zuko stayed silent.

"Look at me."

And eventually, Zuko inched his head up. He was a terrible liar. So he was certain his anger showed up on his face. His hatred. Zuko didn't answer, but he was certain it was burning in his eyes. Zuko looked up and met his father's gaze. Golden eyes. One of the very few things they shared that Zuko didn't despise. Zuko looked up with a glare of a lifetime of anger.

Ozai's eyes looked down, revealing nothing.

Only the slightest hint of curiosity. 

And lips that twitched upwards once more.

"How paltry." Ozai sneered, and turned to leave. Opening the door without a glance. "Disregarding your lack of stomach. You performed... adequately."

Ozai closed the door behind him with a final word.

"Well done."

The door shut. Zuko was left in stunned silence. Hearing the words he'd never heard before. 

Not for anything he'd personally done anyways. 

Zuko's mother entered the room soon after, worry hidden on her face. But Zuko couldn't say anything to soothe her fears. Because there was nothing to say.

"Nothing happened, Mom..."

Nothing that made sense anyway.

"...if you say so, little turtle duck." His mom sighed, and took the seat next to Zuko. Zuko leaned against her, and neither talked about the visit. At some point, his mother continued reading the new book they were on—a tale about a soldier and a bandit.

Zuko listened halfheartedly.

And when it grew dark, his mother bade him goodnight. 

And Zuko was left alone in the same ward he'd been stuck in for the entire day. By the time dusk fell on the first reaches of night, Zuko hadn't figured out anything clearer. About anything. All he knew was that he was tired. And still, he sat. Quietly staring at the ceiling. Two lifetimes. It took two lifetimes to hear it.

‘Well done.’

When Roku asked why he was quiet, Zuko answered the only way he could. The only answer he seemed to have these days.

“I don’t know.”

Zuko didn’t know, and no matter how much he wished otherwise, nothing seemed to change that. 

Chapter Text

A lifetime ago...

The palace was smaller than Zuko remembered. The halls that had once been dark and looming were now quieter. Lifted. He could see the palace staff and the palace guards glancing his way. Confusion in some. Nervousness in others. No longer disdain or quiet mockery. Respect and hushed whispers. Word already spread, about what Zuko had done.

Back in Ba Sing Se.

"You're far too nervous, brother," Azula smirked, the two walking towards the throne room. Zuko but down the twist in his stomach. The same one he got whenever the thought back to what happened in the catacombs. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please Zuzu. Don't try lying now, you know you've never been good at it." Azula smiled coyly, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were scared to meet Dad. Why should you be? You killed the Avatar after all. He'll gladly welcome you back."

"Enough, Azula. Quit playing games." Zuko narrowed his eyes. "We both know what actually happened back in Ba Sing Se."

Zuko hadn't killed the Avatar. Azula did.

Yet she gave him the credit. So Zuko could fulfill the conditions of his banishment. So Zuko could go home... Zuko didn't buy it for a second.

"You still haven't told me why you did it." Zuko scowled. "I was declared a traitor. You didn't need to bring me back. "You were heir. Why give it up."

"Give it up? You make it sound so altruistic, brother." Azula rolled her eyes. "Ever consider I simply finished my bucket list. I conquered Omashu. Then Ba Sing Se. All without a single casualty. And in the span of a few months." Azula smirked. "I have all but ensured the end of a century-long war. They'll write stories about me one day, I'm sure."

"Horror stories."

"And you, dear brother. Will be the one who killed the avatar." Azula smirked. "I hardly see what you're complaining about. You're a hero now."

"You haven't answered my question."

"It's a dumb question, brother. Unfortunate to see three years middling about peasants and sailors didn't change your penchant for them." Azula said, and Zuko scowled. The two approached the grand doors of the palace's throne room. The doors swung open, and as the royal guards bowed. One announced. "Entering. Princess Azula."

Azula entered the room.

"And Crown Prince Zuko."

Zuko entered with her. Side by side, they walked towards the foot of their father's throne. They kneeled, and tilted down their heads.

"Raise your head children."

And when Zuko lifted his head, for the first time in three years. Since he'd dishonored himself and been banished. For the first time, Zuko saw it.

"Son..."

His father. The slight up quirk of his lips.

"You have served me well."

Too bad it was for something Azula did.

Present day

The following week passed by quickly. Quicker than Zuko expected. The monsoon continued in full force but was expected to end sometime in the following week or two. The rain was a constant flood outside, and Zuko hadn't seen the sun in days. Felt it rise but never saw it.

The dark clouds lingered from horizon to horizon. Lightning constantly flashed somewhere in the distance. Thunder became a dull reminder instead of a constant boom. The days passed monotonously, and Zuko's schedule returned as close to normal as he could get it.

Wake up. Work with the palace staff.

It was almost funny how quickly Zuko adjusted his coordination and muscle control back to half his vision being impaired. The bandages constantly covered his left eye and needed to be changed regularly, yet Zuko moved as if he had both eyes. It had been easy.

If he was being honest, it had been harder waking up with his eyes fully functional. Zuko had lived the three years before his death without the good use of his left eye. The bandages were like slipping back into old clothes. He didn't have any trouble.

The palace staff was quick to notice, too.

And they had their fun teasing him about his 'natural' talent.

"I'm starting to believe you were a civilian in a previous life." Zansi chuckled one day, her aged eyes crinkled with jest. "First, you do everything without complaint, and not even an injury stops you from completing your shift. You're such a hard worker. Whoever hired you must have been lucky."

Zuko didn't like how close to the truth that was, so he only shrugged—ignoring Sanhi's playful laugh when Zuko continued working dutifully. He completed his assigned work without trouble or delay. The quiet monotony of it was even a little peaceful. Quiet and soothing.

A way to clear his head. Or at least try to.

And when Zuko was done with his punishments for the day. His mother would sit with him most afternoons, reading. The days passed quietly, and they finished the book they'd started at the beginning of the monsoon. They were on a new one—Countless Stars. It was about spirits.

"The twins danced until the fire consumed their bodies," Ursa spoke in a soft and soothing voice. Telling the tale of two spirits that had been close enough to become stars when they died. So they could dance together for eternity. Ursa smiled. "And their ashes burned in the skies."

It was okay... Zuko hadn't really been in the mood for a story about siblings that got along. But he listened. He'd take any story he could get out of his mother. He'd lived a lifetime knowing he'd never get to hear another story out of her again. Anything was better than that.

"It's said their ashes will burn together till the end of time."

Still, Uncle probably would have liked it better.

"And when they stop dancing, the spirits will cry and birth the world anew."

But Zuko listened nonetheless. And the days passed in a quiet peace. Nothing had really changed since before the spar, the training incident, as most in the palace halls were calling it, but he'd enjoyed the days following. Somehow, they felt a little quieter.

There was only one real difference compared to before the spar occurred.

Azula hasn't said a word to Zuko since. She'd avoided him at every opportunity. Didn't even look at him when they passed in the halls. She pretended he didn't exist. Any breakfast, lunch, pr dinner they had to attend together, she finished quickly and left. Training. For training.

Apparently, she'd been training nonstop. Ever since the spar.

Aki mentioned it one day. The princess would go to the training hall in the morning and wouldn't leave unless it was for food or a change of clothes. The monsoon had made every other activity boring. That was Aki's guess to explain the princess's behavior.

Zuko wasn't so sure. But he didn't have a way to check. Any time he even glanced at Azula, she left. Trying to ask her about it would probably just end in a fight. Trying to talk about the spar would probably end worse. Zuko doubted Azula would have anything to say about it, anyway...

Honestly, Zuko wouldn't even know what to talk about either.

So he ignored it. And she ignored him. The two kept to their separate sides of the palace.

And when Zuko went back to his room at night, he didn't try to break into the room next to his. He just went to his bed. His mom would bid him goodnight, probably with a kiss to the forehead or bandages that he'd try to wipe off but never say no to.

Days passed similarly, in a similar peace.

Nothing changed for nearly a week. Zuko's father and grandfather spared him the occasional glance, but for the most part, they kept to themselves. The guards had started keeping an eye on Zuko for some reason, but he figured it was in case his wounds got worse.

Nothing beyond that really changed.

Not until his bandages came off.

He had a slight burn on his left temple and cheek, but it was superficial. Red, inflamed skin. It would fade by month's end. That wasn't what changed.

What changed was Zuko's first training session since the incident. As Azulon promised, it was in front of the high sages, at least the ones that were still in the palace during the monsoon. Zuko expected that part. Didn't really understand or like it, but he expected it.

His morning training, which was at the same time as Azula's, wasn't something he particularly liked or expected. Although he probably should have. No reason to waste Li and Lo's time by having training sessions as separate intervals.

So Zuko entered the training hall. Azula noticed, but didn't say anything. Didn't even look up from her training under Lo's guidance, which Zuko's Father was overseeing. Zuko spared his father a glance before heading towards his ring. Two of the high sages were watching.

So was Azulon, standing at the edge of Zuko's ring, watching his every move. "You can begin, Li," Azulon ordered. And the fire lord's orders were never denied. So Zuko sighed and stepped in front of Li. She began with Sozin Style, the same form where Prudda had left off.

Zuko did okay.

Azula did better. Obviously.

After the third time Li corrected him for being 'too stiff', when Zuko was basically forcing his dumb kid body to remember all the moves he hated doing in his sixteen-year-old one, Zuko was starting to wonder what the point of all this was.

Having his lackluster training be seen in front of the high sages—grandfather watching his training personally.

It seemed like a waste. Or an excuse to watch Zuko fumble around like a baby deer-cow that used to know how to walk straight.

"That's enough," Azulon said, and Zuko sighed in relief. Finally.

"Now fight freely," Azulon said, and Zuko blinked in surprise. Glancing towards Azulon, he asked. "What do you mean, grandfather?"

Zuko glanced at Li, confused. "I thought I was supposed to train first. Do you want me to spar-"

"Fight freely," Azulon repeated, no room for question in his tone. Or elaboration. Zuko frowned, but didn't have time to wonder. Li punched fire at Zuko's feet with way too much speed for an old lady. She said, "You heard the fire lord, little prince." She punched fire, quick and fast. Experienced.

"Fight."

Zuko barely got away with a singed rib. He hissed and tried to move into proper form. Only for a ball of fire to kick out his leg from beneath him. He fell with a grunt, springing back on his feet and dodging to the left. He moved to get back into proper form and counter.

Li spat fire at his hands before he could raise them. Before he could start a proper punch. Zuko cursed as she kicked an arc of fire at his chest, throwing him across the ring. Zuko groaned and got up, trying to raise his fists and retaliate. Angry and fast. He got in the proper stance.

And immediately, his other leg was hit, throwing him off balance as another ball of fire knocked him over. Zuko groaned and rolled to his feet, pushing back up and trying to retaliate. Sozin Style was all about aggression and power. Overwhelming one's opponent.

And right now, Zuko was getting overwhelmed.

Before he could even get into a proper stance to try to throw anything back. He wasn't allowed to use a single form of Sozin Style under Li's assault. She continued attacking, targeting his balance. Not even letting him lift a foot off the ground to start any motion to completion.

It was humiliating. She wasn't even aiming for critical blows. Only disorienting ones. Ones to knock him down and make him stand back up again. Only to get knocked back down again. At about the fifth interval, Zuko was starting to get sick of it.

By the seventh, he was absolutely sick of it.

Agni, it was annoying.

"Could you quit it!" Zuko snapped as he deflected one of Li's blasts by reflex and dodged past another. He just wanted to get a moment to freaking breathe. Zuko growled, moving into Sozin Style, his foot slid forward, and planted on the ground. Aiming to push his own fire against Li's, aggression against aggression, maybe if he attacked enough to slow her rhythm, he could figure something out. Get a moment to think. Zuko reared his fist and set it ablaze.

"That's enough." Azulon's voice grumbled, and Zuko was so surprised he forgot to block Li's last blast. It smacked him in the chest and threw him back, laying him out on the ground. Zuko groaned and looked up at the ceiling. Crap. That sucked. The ceiling was spinning.

"Li. Return to teaching Sozin Style." Azulon huffed. "His footwork obviously needs correction."

Zuko groaned and decided he hadn't missed his grandfather that much.

Zuko's schedule changed after that.

While the monsoon dragged on longer than anyone could have predicted, he started the next couple of days with training. Spent the noon hours working with staff, and ended his days reading with his mother. It was tiring but expected.

That said, the worst part of his day was training.

Specifically, ten minutes or so of training.

When Azulon had Li 'fight freely' or whatever.

Which Zuko had since interpreted as Li doing her damndest to make sure he couldn't lift a finger.

"That's enough," Azulon said the moment after Zuko had finally ducked past one of Li's stupid punches in a moment of irritation. Zuko scowled and stood up, rubbing his shoulder. He winced. Li had targeted it heavily this time. Zuko sighed and waited.

"Back to Sozin Style, Li. Fix his angles." Azulon said and turned to discuss something with the High Sages to his left and right. Zuko tried not to roll his eyes, dumb reason to be executed, and stepped into the proper stance. Li instructed him for a while as he got a repeat of lessons he'd already listened to.

Zuko did okay.

Azula did better.

Everything progressed as normal.

Until it didn't.

There was a crash, small and pained yet loud enough to drag Zuko's attention away from Li. He looked over, and froze. Azula was on the ground. Zuko's first instinct was to look towards Lo, thinking that the old lady must have used a move too advanced by mistake. But Lo looked just as surprised.

So that meant... Azula...

Made a mistake?

"Daughter." Ozai's voice echoed in something thick and familiar. Zuko stood stock still, completely stunned. He knew that tone well. Always.

He was used to it.

By the look that crossed Azula's face, she wasn't.

"I'm sorry father," Azula said, standing straight up and wiping that flash of panic from her face in an instant. She bowed. "I was distracted. It won't-"

"See to it that it does not," Ozai said gruffly, and waved Lo to keep going. Zuko watched with a quiet disbelief as Azula went right back to training. Not missing a beat. She moved robotically, every moment practiced and precise. Perfect.

And yet father, simply and without a word.

Turned and walked over to Zuko's training ring. Standing next to Azulon, the two talked with the high sages in hushed tones. Zuko froze as his father glanced at his training, watching over it. Watching over his training. That hadn't... happened—the first time, ever. The sight was so jarring. Zuko stopped. His eyes flicking towards his sister. Briefly.

She looked as surprised as he felt. Something pale and... strange. Crossing her face before she noticed his gaze and buried it. Darker. Her face was dark as she turned back to Lo and continued her training. Her punches angrier and faster than before.

"Pay attention, child." Li smacked a small fire whip into Zuko's shin. Zuko hissed and glared at the old hag- lady. The old lady. Zuko ground his teeth and got ready, stepping into Sozin Style. He turned his attention ahead and continued training. Whatever. Father would become bored soon enough.

"Yes, master Li."

And then things could go back to normal.

They didn't.

Things didn't go back to normal. Zuko came into training the next day. Did his time. Faced Li's stupid 'fight freely' thing for a few minutes. Then continued practicing Sozin Style. Minute after minute. Hour after hour. He practiced and practiced.

His father watched and watched, quietly conversing with grandfather and the other sages. It was weird. Unnatural. Zuko learned to ignore it eventually.

What he couldn't ignore was the sound of surprise and pain that echoed from time to time. It had been happening more and more often recently. Three times since the first one. That made four. Zuko glanced over, Azula gasping on the floor. Sweat pooled at her feet. Lo stood over her and sighed. "Princess, you shouldn't be on those moves yet."

"I can do it."

"Princess, those are advanced forms." Lo sighed. "Even for you. Trying to do them now is just a fool's errand. Give it more time and-"

"I said I can do it, you old hag!" Azula snapped, and the training hall went silent. Zuko forgot about his practice and looked over in shock. He could see Lo acting similarly, surprised. Before a scowl took the old tutor's face. "Princess, just because you've done well so far does not mean-"

"Daughter," Ozai said from the side of Zuko's ring. Zuko stiffened. Azula's face went slack. Pale. She stood up shakily and bowed her head. "Dad, I-"

"If you're not going to take training seriously," Ozai said plainly, "Then perhaps you should not partake in it at all. Lo, you can continue her session tomorrow."

"No, Dad. I can do this!" Azula said, and Zuko had never heard her talk like that. Frantic. She had this desperate look in her eyes. Almost like she was...

"I can do it. I'll do it! Please."

Begging. Pleading. It looked... it looked...

‘Please Father! I meant no disrespect.’

Familiar.

"I didn't mean to, I didn't, it was just," Azula said through heavy breaths, her eyes wide and unfocused. Zuko felt his face start to sizzle. Familiar. His face burned a familiar memory. Pleading. Begging. None of it working at all. Zuko winced and glanced away. Hiding it, swallowing it. The phantom pains passed. Zuko took a tiny breath and released it.

And when he looked back...

The left side of his face burned all over again.

"Now, Daughter," Ozai said, and turned back to Zuko's ring. Gesturing for Li to continue with Zuko's training. Li complied, and Zuko had to turn back to work on Sozin Style. Again. Zuko turned back, but before he did, he caught Azula's reaction outside the corner of his eyes. She looked shaken. Pale.

And then...

She just stopped.

It was like a light flickered off in Azula's eyes. She grew quiet, and nodded. Her head down, she left the training hall. She passed by his ring on the way out.

She caught his eye for a second. And they weren't as dull. For a brief moment. They were angrier. Darker. She glared at him before turning her head. She left in a controlled fury. Zuko watched her leave. His feet stopped even as Li waited impatiently.

"Prince Zuko. Pay attention. You still have training."

Azula had been dismissed. Just like that.

"Prince Zuko."

Father had told her to leave. Just like that.

"Boy," Ozai said, and Zuko's eyes snapped back from the door. Angrily. Boiling. Zuko was seething. He didn't even know why. His breath came in a puff of steam. Ozai dismissed her. He dismissed her. He'd never done that before. He'd never done it before. Not in his first life. He'd never do that to her. Because even Ozai hated Zuko, Azula was...

'Azula was born lucky.'

Azula was... always...

'You were lucky to be born.'

"Don't glare at me boy," Ozai huffed, "Continue your training. Now that the distraction is gone, I expect no more delays. You may begin, Li." Ozai ordered, and returned to the high sages. Azulon raised a brow at the exchange but returned to the sages as well.

They were all waiting...

For Zuko. To train. Zuko couldn't understand it.

He dismissed her...

After a second thought, he didn't really care to. He wanted nothing more than to run out the training hall and find Azula. He had to. He couldn't.

He called her...

Zuko couldn't stand it.

A distraction.

Being in the same room as father.

"Prince Zuko." Li said again, and Zuko ignored her. Running towards the door and sprinting out. He ignored the angry shouts of his tutor and the startled guards. Zuko sprinted. He barely caught up to Azula in the hall leading to her room. "Azula!" He called out, and she stiffened. Then she continued walking. Steady and sure. Her gaze was stubbornly ahead.

"Zula, wait."

Her back to him, she didn't say a word. She reached for her door.

"Wait." Zuko grabbed her arm, and she snatched her hand away. Turning back with a visceral snarl, she snapped. "What? What now, Zuzu! What!"

"I just wanted to..." Zuko stopped, his eyes widening slightly. This was the first time he'd had a close look at Azula since the spar. She'd been avoiding him so much these days, and he hadn't noticed how ragged she looked. How tired she looked. Her eyes reddened and irritated as they flicked to the left side of Zuko's face and flicked away. "What?" She scowled. "Here to brag, brother. Go ahead. Today was a fluke. Tomorrow-"

"When's the last time you slept?" Zuko asked, spotting the dark circles under her eyes. Azula scowled and turned back to her door. "I don't have time for this. Why don't you go enjoy playing parlor tricks for grandfather? Dad seems to like them well enough. You should hurry. It'll be the last chance you get."

"Azula, I just-"

"No! You just, nothing." Azula snapped, opening her door. She whirled around and jabbed a finger into Zuko's chest. "You liar!" She hissed through dagger-like teeth. "You said you didn't care about dad! You said you gave up! So shut up! I don't want to hear it anymore."

"Hey, I didn't lie." Zuko snapped, scowl growing on his face as he smacked Azula's hand away. "I don't care about whatever father's doing. He's-"

"Then why is he looking at you!" Azula all but screamed, like a wave long bubbled over. Her fingers latched onto Zuko's shirt and they burned. "All because you were weak enough to get injured! All because you fight wrong! You do everything wrong! And somehow they still look at you! All because of you! Everything's because of you! You... if you..."

Zuko felt the air heat up under Azula's palm. And yet Zuko didn't move. Or try to move. Because out of all the times he'd seen her burn something, it had never been like this before. Like she wasn't thinking about it. Like she had lost control of her bending, and her hands were burning as a result. Azula. Lost control. The words didn't even compute in his head.

"Ever since you got your bending, you've..."

But that's what it looked like. Her breath came out in ragged puffs of steam, and her eyes were wet with what Zuko could only assume was rage. Smoke burned off the grip she had on his shirt, and she didn't even seem to notice or care. The air was hot with her anger, and yet she didn't even notice it.

"You... it's always you..." she growled. It was like all she could do was glare at him, her eyes bitter and searching, like she didn't understand. "Why..."

Like she couldn't understand.

"Why is it you." Her voice cracked a hitch, before she ground her teeth so hard Zuko could have heard them break. He blinked in surprise as she pushed him away, and in his stupor he forgot to stand. He fell on his butt, looking up in shock and disbelief. Azula glared down at him. Her fists clenched so tightly that blood trickled down them. Drop by drop.

"I hate you." She seethed, quietly at first, then harder. Louder. She snapped her teeth. "I hate you! I wish you'd just freaking died last week!"

Azula glared, and Zuko realized this might have been the first time since the comet he'd seen her look anything less than in complete control.

"Maybe then they'd finally forget about you and-"

"Azula!" Ursa's voice sounded at the end of the hall. Zuko saw Azula stiffen as the two looked to see their mother coming down the hall. A slight frown on her face and a crease in her brow. "What is going on here. I heard you yelling from down the halls."

"Nothing. Brother here was being a nuisance." Azula said easily, ignoring mother's disapproval and turning to her room. "But I'm quite busy, so I'll let him go. He should go back to training, anyway."

Zuko stared up dumbly as Azula stepped into her room and glanced back, a look of utter disgust and bitterness on her face. She turned away.

"Since he's apparently so laughable at it now, everyone wants to watch." Azula slammed the door shut, and Zuko was left lying there. Stunned and confused. He heard his mother approach, kneeling by his side, "Are you all right, Zuko. Did she-"

"She didn't do anything," Zuko said immediately. Fast enough, it surprised his own mouth. He looked at the shut door, heard it click. Locked. Always locked. Zuko's eyes trailed to the drops of blood lingering on the floor. New. Something new.

"It was my fault."

Zuko felt like he'd stumbled upon something new.

“It was all my fault.”

And he didn't know what to make of it.

Chapter Text

A lifetime ago...

The royal dungeons were quiet as ever. Dirty and cold. Meant to keep fire benders away from sunlight and without dry air. The halls and rigid stone created a chilling path to walk, and the royal guards stayed silent as the grave when Zuko passed by. The dungeons were quiet.

The Palace itself was quiet...

The palace was quieter than Zuko remembered, but it was nothing he was willing to waste his breath on. The guards glanced at Zuko warily as he passed. The palace staff trembled and whispered out of sight, albeit to his face they always spoke with a sense of reverence.

Prince Zuko.

Killer of the Avatar.

Returned at last.

The palace was lonelier because of that new reputation—everyone content to keep Zuko at arm's length. Then again, Zuko had always remembered the palace as being lonely after Mom vanished. Died probably. No, definitely. Zuko wasn't a kid anymore. He could admit it.

His mother was dead. Had been for a long time.

And not much had changed since then.

Father was still cold as always, albeit wearing a smirk instead of a frown. Expectations had finally been met. Zuko had finally earned Father's forgiveness. Zuko had finally restored his honor. Father had recognized him as the crown prince he was always meant to be. It was...

Everything. Zuko had ever wanted.

And yet Zuko's sleepless nights had only increased since he returned to the Fire Nation.

Ty Lee was one of the few visitors happy to try to cheer Zuko up; whenever she was around, she always said Zuko's colors were too gloomy. Too dark and messy. Mai gave a silent comfort that Zuko desperately needed at times, a quiet reflection, in a time when even his dreams kept yelling at him for every little thing he did or didn't do. Azula seemed to find the whole situation humorous—teasing Zuko that he'd finally got a bit of credit attached to his name. Not saying that it was only because of her, for reasons Zuko could only ascertain were anything but altruistic.

Never saying that it could all come crashing down had the Avatar actually survived.

But it was all implied—veiled tricks and insults.

Lies.

That was always the case with her.

"The prisoner is here, Crown Prince Zuko." One of the guards said, opening the door towards a row of dirty, ratty old cells. Zuko shook the burning thoughts from his head. "Leave us." Zuko ordered, and like clockwork, the guards left to wait in the halls. Something else that was new.

People in the palace actually respected him now.

Listened to him.

Well... all except one. 

"Uncle," Zuko said, sitting down in front of the dark dungeon cell. Uncle was sitting in the cell, back to Zuko. Silent as a stone. But undoubtedly awake. Uncle was awake and simply refusing to speak. As was the case every time Zuko visited. Not a word spoken.

"I heard you refused the tea the guards gave you," Zuko said, his own words echoing back. Zuko bit his cheek and tried again. "If the blend wasn't right, I could order a different chef to make it. We have the best in the palace working on it. Better than anything I could cook up, at least."

And tried again.

"The fire nation's war production is high. Factories are bigger than ever. Albeit some commotion on the Jang Hui river has caught the attention of some of Father's advisors."

And again.

"Caldera has been upbeat as of late. I stopped by the fountain plaza with Mai earlier. People think the war's finally going to be over soon."

And again.

"I could have the guards bring you a pillow if you want. Blankets aren't allowed since you could use it to warm yourself but a pillow... I could get a pillow ordered..."

And again and again until Zuko got tired of the sound of his own voice. Zuko felt his patience wane with each echo of his questions and the silence that taunted him so. His tired gaze eventually hardened into a glare directed at his uncle's back. He snapped.

"I don't understand what you want," Zuko muttered through clenched teeth, his ire mounting as his voice grew louder. "What did you want? What did you expect? That I was just going to be fine living in a tea shop for the rest of my life. That I would just forget my destiny?"

Uncle said nothing. And Zuko snapped into a heavy rage.

"What did you want from me!" Zuko snarled. "If you were just going to turn your back on the Fire Nation, why did you follow me into exile? Why didn't you tell me! Why did you stick around so long? What were you looking for? What was I supposed to be? Were you just going to let me chase my tail around my entire life. What did you even want from me!"

Uncle said nothing.

"Answer me..."

There was only silence.

"Answer me!" Zuko stood and slammed his fist against the bars. He heard the guards flinch outside, but Uncle said nothing. Always nothing. No more stupid quips or metaphors no one could understand. No more false promises or fake expectations.

"I hate you." Zuko seethed, his teeth grinding against each other. "Acting like you're so high and mighty. You're not! I'm not like you, content to sit around and betray my country. I didn't. I stood by the Fire Nation! I did my duty! I restored my honor. I'm helping and the war! And. You. Did. Nothing."

Uncle said nothing. Didn't react at all.

"Just like when Lu Ten died."

And then it was there a flinch—the tiniest, most subtle flinches.

"What?" Zuko sneered, latching onto anything. Any reaction. The first reaction he could get out of his silent Uncle in what felt like months. Zuko growled, "Did I not pan out like you wanted? Was I not good enough to replace your real son? Is that it? Well?"

Nothing.

"Say something!"

Nothing. Always nothing.

"You coward!" Zuko punched the bars. His knuckles split at the contact. He heard the guards getting restless outside, and Zuko knew his time was almost up. Zuko clicked his tongue and leaned forward, his eyes burning a molten gold as he promised.

"Fine, stay here. Say nothing. I don't care. Rot for all I care."

Zuko promised himself he would never be like his Uncle. A failure that did nothing and sat around while Zuko toiled for three years, desperate to get back. Uncle had known Zuko wanted to go back and said nothing. Let him believe it while never planning to accompany him if it had actually worked. Zuko had thought Uncle was on his side, but no. Not now. Not ever. Uncle had just been silent. Always silent. About what he truly wanted. Always hesitant.

"You can stay waiting for whatever the hell it is you want. Stay here for the rest of your life, but I won't." Zuko sneered, pulling back his fist and standing up straight. Hands behind his back. As a crown prince should. Zuko gazed at his Uncle's silent back and scowled.

"The avatar might be alive."

Another flinch. Subtler this time. Then nothing. 

"I'm going to kill him. If he's still alive. This time. I'll make sure he's dead."

Always nothing.

"Anything to say to that?" Zuko raised a brow, and nothing. Uncle just stayed silent and sat. Zuko scoffed, "Thought so." And left. As quickly and unsatisfied as he entered. The guards bowed when he left, and Zuko dismissed them back to their duties. He was busy.

"Shinki," Zuko ordered one of his personal aides, a young woman named Shinki, a soldier who had recently graduated from the academy. One of the few people Zuko trusted to be at least a little more impartial toward Zuko than toward his father. Zuko frowned. "Get me the next air balloon to Boiling Rock. And make it discreet. If Father asks, I'm there to interrogate the avatar's allies. About the invasion plot Azula uncovered for the day of the black sun."

Zuko had read the recent reports in the archives. Prison transfers. And while he had actually meant to interrogate the Kyoshi warriors Azula had captured at some point. That could wait. He'd use it as a cover for now. Boiling Rock's warden was greedy. A few gems out of the family's royal treasury would be enough to buy the warden's silence.

Yes, Zuko would visit Boiling Rock. But not for the Kyoshi Warriors.

Instead, he'd see one of the Fire Nation's most high-profile prisoners. One of three. A bounty hunter who had pressed his luck too far and taken a bounty against high-ranking Fire Nation military personnel. General Uyanga. The bounty hunter attempted to complete his mission.

Uyanga won, and the bounty hunter had been kept on ice ever since.

Records said he went by Ogre back when he was active, for his stature and strange fire bending. History dictated that any mission he accepted, he would carry out to the letter. Zuko would meet this Ogre in the depths of Boiling Rock and offer a quiet release—a small fortune of gold.

"I'm done waiting."

And once Zuko was certain the Avatar was dead, he'd never lose sleep again.

Present Day.

Zuko couldn't sleep.

And it wasn't just because of the Fire lashings he'd gotten for running out of training.

"This should feel a little better," Ursa said, applying a soothing balm to Zuko's back. Zuko hissed, but nodded. Grandfather had been furious. At Zuko's little stunt few hours ago. When he ran out of the training hall. Calf lashing wasn't seen as enough. 

Zuko had received ten fire lashings for his behavior.

And now he was sitting on the edge of his bed, wondering how he'd sleep tonight. Not because his back would sting no matter how he lies down.

But because Azula's outburst from earlier, kept circling his mind.

"There. All finished." Ursa said, applying the last of the ointment. Zuko murmured a small thanks and slipped into a shirt. Relaxing as the balming numbed the pain slightly. Still there, but nothing he couldn't handle. "Thanks, mom." He said, "I feel better now."

"That's good, little turtle duck," Ursa said, stroking Zuko's head. She asked. "But please make sure you don't do that again. Your grandfather-"

"I know." Zuko sighed. Glancing at the window to his room glumly. "I know. I won't do it again mom. Today just wasn't... I couldn't... stay there."

With father watching. Waiting. Expecting something. It made Zuko sick. He had nearly been relieved when one of the guards dragged him back to the training hall after his escapade. Father's expression had been one of disgust.

Disappointment.

Zuko had almost felt relieved when he'd seen it.

"It won't happen again," Zuko said idly, glancing at the wall separating his and Azula's room. He heard his mother sigh, "Well, that's good. As long as you-"

"Can you check on Zula?" Zuko said, and it felt wrong. Wrong. The words on his tongue felt wrong to say. As if Azula needed to be checked on.

But he thought about the blood that had dropped from her palms. And the way she glared at him. Like he took something from her. She hated him...

Somehow, Zuko wasn't surprised.

"I don't think she'll talk to me," Zuko muttered, and somehow the admission stung a little. Zuko frowned and ignored it. Stupid. His sister had hated him for years. Or at least never cared about him. She'd literally killed him the first chance she got.

Hate was nothing in comparison...

And yet it still bugged him more than he wanted to admit.

"She looked tired." Zuko settled on, turning. He saw his mother give a soft smile, "then we should let her rest." She patted his head. "But I'll check on her in the morning. Okay? Now get some rest." Ursa's lips quirked up. "I'm glad you're trying to look out for your sister. But look out for yourself for now."

Ursa nodded towards Zuko's back.

"I'd like to go a week bandaging you up. Okay?" Ursa laughed quietly, and Zuko felt his face grow hot. Embarrassed. He didn't get injured all the time.

He'd just been on a bit of a streak recently. That's all.

"I'll try," Zuko mumbled, not making any promises. He heard his mother give a soft but warm sigh and kiss him on the head. "Get some sleep, turtle duck."

Zuko sighed, rubbing his head even as his lips quirked up. He nodded, slowly slipping under the covers. When his mother left the room and closed the door behind her, Zuko stared at the ceiling. The rain and lightning were battling outside. He was tired.

"Good night, mom."

And still, he couldn't sleep. Zuko lay in his bed as dusk fell. His mom had already bid him goodnight a while ago, but Zuko couldn't fall asleep. He sat restlessly. Staring at the wall separating his room from his sister's. Hours. He stayed up for hours.

He heard Thunder shake him out of his thoughts and realized it had probably only been a few minutes.

"Useless eyeballs." Zuko rubbed his face, wincing slightly at the light burns still on his left side. He hissed and sat up, shaking his head. Sleep.

He wanted to sleep. He needed sleep. He should sleep.

He couldn't get any, because every time he tried, he just kept thinking back to Azula's outburst. Her face. Her anger. Her palms were still cut. Bleeding.

He could try to give her bandages if he...

"Because that went over so well last time." Zuko sighed, plopping his head in his hands. He hissed and cursed. Stupid burn. Stupid brain. He had to sleep, but he couldn't. Didn't want to either. Roku would be waiting. Probably with a judgmental look and scowl. Zuko didn't need Avatar wisdom right now. Not when the only thing he could think of...

'Why...'

She looked so angry. So bitter. So familiar.

'Why is it always you?'

Zuko looked at the mirror at the edge of the room. His eyes had a tired and dull golden hue. Young. He looked so young. If he imagined it, he could see the burn scar on the left side of his face. The actual one. The one that had burned half his face off and left him half blind for three years. If Zuko closed his eyes, he could still see it. How he used to be.

'I hate you.'

What he used to sound like.

'I hate you!'

It sounded the same. It looked the same. Zuko's eyes snapped open as he stared at his reflection. That's what it was. Earlier. Zuko looked at his window. The rain outside. The monsoon was raging. The storms would probably end soon. The sages were talking about tomorrow at the earliest. Zuko could wait. He...

'I wish you’d just freaking died last week!’

He couldn't wait any longer. Tonight. He'd figure this out tonight. Zuko looked at the window and the extra bandages left over on his desk. He didn't have a knife. But he could always borrow one from the kitchen. And if he hurried, he could maybe...

"Ugh... whatever..."

Uncle would never let him hear the end of this.

"Not like he's here, anyway."

Then again, Zuko had done dumber things.

Halfway through climbing on the second-story sills towards Azula's window, Zuko could admit this was closer to the top of the list. He kept the knife in his teeth and dug his fingers into the edge of the slick palace walls. Rain battered against his back and face, wind tore at his clothes, and deafened his ear. Zuko heard Thunder boom somewhere else. The ocean of storm clouds above made it hard to see.

"Stupid rain..." Zuko cursed as he made it to the gap between his and Azula's windows. He jumped to her ledge, nearly slipped, and caught himself before he fell two stories in the middle of a monsoon. Zuko let out a muffled curse. Nothing. He couldn't see anything past all the rain. He tried opening it.

Locked. Always.

Zuko groaned, thought about knocking, and realized Azula wouldn't hear it with the storm. Or would listen to it, and would probably only open the window if it was to kick him off the ledge. Zuko sighed. Never mind. He'd just break in.

"Two... three... four..." Zuko counted the seconds after a flash of lightning. At the seventh thunder boomed. Zuko hooked the knife into the slip of the window and the lock, framing his foot against it. He waited seven seconds, then kicked it. Thunder boomed. The lock bent. Didn't break.

Zuko waited for lightning. Counted. Did it again.

Closer. Not yet.

The third time, the lock popped off. The kitchen knife clattered to the ground below and was lost in the storm. Zuko quickly slipped inside and quietly shut the window behind him. Zuko looked around, yanking his head to the side when he saw a glint of gold approaching. The hairpin speared into the wall where his face had just been, and Zuko sighed.

"I'm not here to fight."

"Zuzu?" Azula said, standing off to the side of her bed with a disheveled look on her face and a growl. "No. I'm not dealing with you. Get out."

"I just want to-"

"Get out! You're not supposed to be here!" Azula snarled, rubbing what looked like sleep out of her eyes. She must have woken up when he stepped inside. She snarled. "You, you just won't leave me alone! Now there's water on my floor. And my lock-"

"I'll fix the lock."

"I don't care about the stupid lock! Get out!" Azula snapped, looking to reach out and grab his collar to toss him out of her sight. Her hand ignited threateningly, Zuko flinched away from it, and her eyes flicked towards the left side of his face. She stopped, and like a candle, her fire went out.

"Just." Azula ground her teeth and clenched her fist. "Get out."

"I can't," Zuko said, and winced as Azula's face turned thunderous. Zuko was never good at these things. Talking. Agni. He should've practiced.

"Look, I," Zuko stopped as someone knocked on the door. Azula froze, cursing under her breath. She whirled on Zuko and pushed him towards the bed. "Hide." She practically snarled. "Hide! Now! I'm not going to get in trouble because of you! Not again!"

"What do you mean again?" Zuko frowned. "And where am I supposed to hide? Your closer door's broken." Zuko scowled before Azula kicked his shin, and he bit back a scream. She knocked him to the ground and kicked him under her bed like dirty laundry. Zuko hissed as his back screamed in protest. Great. Tomorrow was going to hurt.

"You're the worst." He whispered. "The worst."

"Shut up. Scum. Die." Azula said, kicking his feet under the bed for good measure. Zuko bit back a scream and rubbed his toe. But kept quiet. Settling on a glare at Azula's stupid feet as she walked towards her door and unlocked it. Zuko heard her creak it open, and then stop. Zuko listened.

"Mother," Azula said, flatly. Zuko blinked in surprise. He thought Mom was going to wait until tomorrow. He listened as his mother said, "Daughter," in a tone that was neither soft nor cold. Simply neutral. Zuko heard Ursa say. "I want to talk to you."

"Now isn't the best of times, I'm afraid." Azula seemed to scoff. Zuko saw her closing the door. "Perhaps tomorrow." Azula offered in mock consideration, "After you're done babying Zuko from dawn till dusk, then we can talk, and you can find something else to blame me for."

Ursa's foot slipped into the crack of the door before Azula could close it. Zuko watched in growing surprise as Ursa sighed. "Let's not do this tonight. I want to talk to you. And I know you'll simply avoid me in the morning if I wait until then."

"Like you even care." Azula muttered, knuckles white on the door frame. Ursa frowned, “Believe it or not, I do care, daughter. Or at least I try to.”

“You’re doing about as good a job as Zuzu then.” Azula scoffed. Ursa frowned, opening her mouth to argue. Azula sneered before she could. "Why are you even here."

Ursa’s jaw clenched, but she didn’t argue. Her eyes were tinged with a weariness that suggested she knew it wouldn’t lead anywhere.

"I’m simply here to talk. I need to tell you something, it won’t take long," Ursa sighed. "Then I'll leave you to sleep. May I come in?"

Zuko saw Azula stand quietly, her back stiff. Her grip on the door tightened.

"We can talk in the hall," Azula said and stepped outside the room. Slamming the door shut behind her. Zuko lingered under the bed for a second before sliding out into the empty room. Zuko heard a muffled conversation in the hall and moved to listen. Slowly walking towards the door, he stalled as he saw a note on the desk. Complete and still open.

Crinkled at the edges. Zuko frowned and looked at it. There was a list of books on it. Then he remembered her conversation with mother a week or so prior.

This was the list mother had asked for...

Why did Azula still have it?

Just then, Zuko heard Azula hiss, 'What!' from outside in the halls. Zuko glanced over and walked towards the door, close enough that he could listen to Azula's rage outside. "You can't do this to me! I've been doing well in training. I still need to finish my teachings with Lo. Those academy tutors will slow me down. This is idiotic!"

"Language." Ursa reprimanded sharply, "And this isn't up for debate, young lady. The Royal Fire Academy for girls accepts nobles of all ages from the Fire Nation and the Colonies. Classes start early, so you can leave after breakfast and return by dinner. The school is near the Caldera Ports, so you won't have to travel far. A carriage will be scheduled."

"That's stupid, I'll be wasting time there." Azula seemed to scowl. "The sages are already teaching me better than any stuffy tutors could." Zuko heard Azula's foot start to tap. Incessantly. As if it were trying to catch up with all the new information going around in her mind. "And I'm training with dad in the mornings. I can't miss any. And I won't let Zuzu take any more," Azula stopped tapping her foot and seemed to growl. "I'm busy. I'm not going."

"Your father already agreed that you should go." Ursa sighed, and Zuko saw Azula flinch from beneath the door. Her posture seemed to deflate momentarily before bouncing back to its customary rigidity. Ursa didn't seem to notice and continued. "It's customary for royalty. Other noble daughters will be there. You could make friends. This will be good for you."

"Zuzu didn't do it."

"That isn't a good thing," Ursa spoke with a terse inflection. "Regardless. Your father has already moved your lessons with the royal tutor, Lo, before breakfast. You'll have to wake up earlier than you're used to. But if it's too much for you, I can ask Fire Lord Azulon if your training could come after-"

"I'll do it," Azula said stubbornly. "Tell Dad I'll be there."

There was a brief silence. Then Ursa seemed to sigh under her breath. "Of course you will."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Azula growled, and if Zuko could see her, he'd suspect there would be a glare on her face. Probably a deadly one.

Ursa responded with a neutral tone, indifference. "Nothing, dear daughter," Ursa spoke without missing a beat. "You'll start school in a few months, after the monsoon has passed and all the damage has been accounted for. This one was particularly difficult, so relief efforts will likely delay your enrollment for a few weeks. Any questions?"

"Are we done here?"

"I'll take that as a no." Ursa sighed and turned to leave. Zuko saw her take a few steps down the hall before she seemed to stop for a second, adding, "And your brother has been worried about you recently. I believe he'll want to talk to you soon."

"Oh, really, I didn't notice." Azula snarked, promptly jamming her heel into the door. Zuko jumped slightly in surprise and glared. Great. So Azula knew he was listening. She didn't have to be a jerk about it. Zuko rolled his eyes and turned to walk back to the bed so he could lie down for a little bit. They were probably going to take a while. 

"I'm assuming you still don't want me talking to him, mother." Azula scoffed, and Zuko froze. His eyes were wide, and his blood was cold as he turned back to the door. He took a step forward, the tiniest step forward, before Azula seemed to sneer. "What was it again you said? After I won our little spar."

Zuko stopped an inch from the door. Listening to Azula's mocking and vindictive impression.

"'I don't want you approaching your brother anymore.' Was that it, mother?" Azula seemed to mock, her words echoing through the empty hall. Zuko waited. Surely not. He waited and waited. His heart beat loudly in his ear. It felt like an eternity before Ursa spoke. Zuko waited for an eternity.

"You know exactly what I meant by that, daughter."

And Ursa's voice was colder than he ever expected it to be.

Chapter Text

Year 90AG

The sun was high on Ember Island. The weather was beautiful. The rainy season was set to start in a few weeks, but for now, it was summer.

A haze of heat flooded the island chains, home to higher-ups in the Fire Nation nobility and military personnel. The crystal clear waves lapped at the sandy shores. A vacation house stood on its own private stretch of beach. Wooden and pristine, the vacation home of the royal family.

Quiet when unoccupied.

Less so when it wasn't.

"Zuzu!" Azula said. "That isn't your line, dumb dumb!"

"Yes, it is, Lala! See!" Zuko held up the last page of the play, Love Amongst Dragons. Pointing to the parts where the Dragon Emperor embraced the Dark Water Spirit near the end of the play. Zuzu pointed at a final set of lines. "I'm supposed to say, 'Though I was trapped in the body of a mortal. You willingly gave me your heart. Now I give you mine in return.'" Zuzu tapped the page. "See! It's right there!"

Azula raised a brow, "I see that the Dragon Emperor says that. You're reading my lines, dumb dumb." Azula pointed at the Dark Water Spirit's lines.

"You're supposed to say, 'only with your glory hidden could you recognize my devotion.'" Azula scowled. "Learn how to read."

"What?" Zuko blinked, looking offended before double-checking the lines. He flushed and sputtered. "I... Well I... why can't I be the dragon emperor!"

"Because you can't even Fire bend dumb dumb." Azula hissed. "What's a dragon emperor without fire. Now hurry up and say the dumb lines."

"They're not dumb lines."

"Then why don't you read them?"

"Fine! Maybe I will!" Zuzu huffed. And Azula rolled her eyes. Too easy. Her dumb dumb of a brother was too easy. Azula crossed her arms and waited for him say the lines. He did so, mediocrely. As expected.

Azula then said her lines perfectly. Because the Dragon Emperor would allow for nothing less.

And finally, they got to the end of their little re-enactment.

If this were the Ember Island idiots, Azula was certain the two leads would have made a sopping embrace and final kiss to declare their love.

Gross. Azula wasn't doing that. Thankfully, even my mother wasn't that insane. Zuzu and Azula had already read the lines. All that was left was to embrace and end the play.

The seconds ticked by.

Azula and Zuko didn't move an inch.

"Children..." Ursa said. While Azula and Zuko stubbornly stood apart. Both refused to move or look at each other.

Ursa sighed. "You're supposed to hug each other."

"I'm not hugging him!" Azula snapped. "He'll mess up my hair!"

"And I'm not hugging her!" Zuko whined. "She'll set my clothes on fire."

"I will not."

"You did it earlier."

"Yeah, because you said I should be the Dark Water Spirit. Because she's a girl and the Dragon Emperor is a guy." Azula huffed. "That's dumb. I'm a much better Dragon Emperor. So I was correcting you."

"That, I, uh..." Zuko sputtered, face flushed and embarrassed. Zuko blushed. "I didn't know!"

"Yeah. Well, now you do."

"You didn't have to be mean about it."

"Of course I did." Azula rolled her eyes. "How else are you going to learn?"

"I... um," Zuko tilted his head, confused. "Couldn't you have just asked me?"

"You're too dumb for that," Azula said flatly. And Zuko looked offended. Zuko opened his mouth to argue, but their mother's sigh put a stop to it.

"Children," Ursa frowned. 

Azula and Zuko stiffened but refrained from looking at each other. Neither would budge. Absolutely not. Never.

Ursa sighed and shook her head. "It seems negotiations have broken down."

"Because Zuzu's an idiot."

"And Lala's a... a jerk!"

"Wow, you get a headache thinking of that one?"

"Shut up!"

Ursa sighed, "I suppose if we can't end the play." Ursa set down her copy of Love Amongst Dragons. She then turned towards her bag and fetched two items...

Or as Azula liked to call them.

Torture devices.

"We can move on to music lessons instead." Ursa smiled and held up two instruments. A first was a handheld string instrument... The Koton Okai.

Azula scowled.

The second was a handheld brass. A kid version as the regular one was much larger... the Tsungi Horn.

Zuko's shoulders sank.

Music lessons...

Zuko and Azula hated music lessons.

"Come on, children. It'll be fun. We'll have a little concert." Ursa smiled and beckoned them closer. Her eyes were twinkling like she was about to see something adorable.

One way or another.

Azula ground her teeth and weighed her options. Thirty minutes of music lessons. Probably a small performance at the end of it.

Plus Zuzu's ear-screeching Tsungi Horn right next to her.

Azula scowled and chose the lesser of two evils. She crossed her arms and glared to her left. Zuko seemed to have come to a similar conclusion.

"One hug," Azula glared. "Two seconds. A third, and you die."

"Why do I have to be the one to do it?" Zuko glanced cautiously her way. Zuko scowled. "Aren't you the dragon emperor. He's supposed to hug the water spirit."

"He's going to kill the water spirit if you don't do what I say." Azula snapped, and Zuko flinched. He growled but shuffled over, stretching his arms.

Like he was trying to grab a rabid ferret-beaver.

Zuko patted Azula's arms. One. Two. And that was it.

Azula scowled and kicked Zuko in the shins.

"Ow!" Zuko yelped and hopped on one leg, nursing his bruise. He scowled. "What was that for!" Zuko tried to kick her back. Idiot. Azula stepped out of the way, and Zuko missed. Falling flat on his butt like an idiot. Zuko winced and rubbed his bruised tush.

"That's what you get." Azula huffed and rolled her eyes. "Dumb dumb."

"Me!?" Zuko complained, and Azula rolled her eyes.

The two bickered for a while as their mother watched with a sigh. Ursa shook her head.

And held out the two instruments.

Azula and Zuko stopped cold. Eyes wide in astonishment and betrayal.

"This is blasphemy!" Azula snapped. "We completed our mission."

"Yeah, we hugged," Zuko complained.

"That wasn't a hug." Ursa sighed and shook the two torture machines. "It was a cautious pat at best. You shouldn't treat your sister like a wild animal, love."

"But- but..." Zuko frowned sheepishly and mumbled. "Okay."

"Ha," Azula smirked. Only to frown when Ursa turned her way.

"And you, dear." Ursa sighed. "Need to stop hurting your brother. Violence isn't the answer to everything."

"Just to everything that matters," Azula muttered, crossing her arms. She heard her mother sigh, a disappointed frown crossing Ursa's face. Azula ground her jaw and repeated. "I'm not doing it."

"Daughter..."

"I don't care what you say, I'm not doing it!" Azula snapped, glaring at her mother. Stupid. She wasn't hugging stupid Zuzu. Zuzu was lucky she let him keep his hands.

Ursa sighed, shaking her head. Ursa pursed her lips in thought. "Ten seconds."

"No."

"Music lessons."

"Ugh!" Azula scowled, glaring at her mother. Azula hissed. "Half a second."

"Five seconds."

"Two seconds," Azula narrowed her eyes, "And I won't burn him afterwards."

"Three seconds," Ursa frowned, narrowed her eyes. Azula didn't care. She wasn't budging.

Ursa sighed and conceded. "And you can splash water at him later."

"..." Azula pursed her lips, tilting her head. She nodded. "Acceptable."

Zuko's jaw dropped, "Mom!?"

"Sorry, sweetie." Ursa smiled. "I had to make concessions. You'll be fine." Ursa gently pushed Zuko and Azula closer together. “Now go on, give your sister a proper hug." Ursa sat back and smiled, waiting. Zuko and Azula stubbornly looked away from each other.

They still didn't want to do it.

But eventually...

They hugged.

For exactly three seconds.

The fourth Azula stomped on Zuko's toes. Zuko yelped and jumped up in the air like a startled owl-cat, holding bruised toes. Azula laughed.

Ursa just sighed and shook her head.

"What will I ever do with you, daughter?" Ursa sighed, shaking her head as Zuko and Azula started chasing each other. Or Zuko tried to chase Azula.

Azula quickly baited the idiot into falling face-first into the water. Jumping over Zuko's head as he tried to lunge at her. Because it was Azula, and dumb Zuzu couldn't catch her even if he had ten years. Even if he had a lifetime. Agni, even two.

It wouldn't matter.

Because Azula was just born better.

Her father told her so.

Speaking of which, it was about time Azula went back to father. Azula smiled and left Zuko to play in the shallow water and sand. "Bye bye, loser. I actually have training to do now." Azula smirked. "But enjoy the water, maybe you'll become a water bender while you're here."

Azula laughed, ignoring Zuko's annoyed and bitter expression. Azula rolled her eyes and started walking towards their vacation home.

Only for her mother to grab her arm on the way past.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay out here longer?" Ursa said, and Azula blinked. Confused. She looked at the mother and saw Ursa's expression. Porcelain. Azula couldn't make anything out. Azula frowned. Ursa merely adjusted her grip and said diplomatically. "You've been spending a lot of time with your father lately. Perhaps you could-"

"What? Waste a day doing nothing like Zuzu. Yeah, right." Azula huffed, removing her arm, "I can't. I have training. Besides, I have to show Dad my new moves." Azula smirked and raised her hand as a roaring orange fire blazed in it. More than anyone her age should be able to produce. The sages said she was a genius. A prodigy. A testament of Sozin's bloodline.

A fire bender unlike any other.

One that wouldn't show up again for another 100 years.

Azula smirked...

And Ursa frowned.

And suddenly, Azula didn't want to smirk anymore.

"What?" Azula asked, frowning slightly. "What's wrong?" Azula ground her teeth. Eyes narrowed. She glanced at Zuko, who was looking at her with awe and envy. Azula scoffed and turned back to mother. "Don't tell me you don't want me to make Zuzu jealous, mother."

Azula rolled her eyes and snuffed the flame in her hands. "It's not my fault he can't bend."

"Azula..." Ursa sighed, shaking her head. Ursa said quietly. Almost tired. "Please stop insulting your brother. That's not how siblings should act."

"What? It's not my fault he's a crybaby." Azula scowled, gesturing at Zuko. Still standing in the shallow water. Soaked. Zuko frowned, opening his mouth to argue. Azula shut him up with a bit of fire at the water by his feet. It was nothing. The sages got her to stop flinching at flames ages ago. A fire bender shouldn't be scared of their element.

Zuko jumped back as steam shot up from the ocean, falling on his butt and into the waves.

"Azula!" Ursa sprang up and rushed over to her baby boy. Azula rolled her eyes.

"What? I'm just making a point. I didn't even hit him." Azula scowled, tapping her foot impatiently. Seriously. No wonder Zuzu still couldn't bend. Mother basically breathed for him.

Azula watched unimpressed as Zuko sat up in the shallow water. Holding his arm to his chest. Azula snorted. "See, he's," Azula froze as she saw a small hint of pink skin on Zuko's hand.

The back of his palm was pinkish, burned, not the usual skin color. Azula blinked. Her mind stood still for a second. But she didn't hit him...

Azula was sure she hadn't hit him. She thought back. She hit the water at his feet. Just the water. That shouldn't have hit his hand. She hadn't...

Right. Steam. Burned different than fire. Especially for a probably non-bender like Zuzu.

Azula stiffened as the thought crossed her mind, then immediately ground her teeth and looked away. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as her mother crouched down in the water, uncaring for her soaked robes. Ursa checked Zuko's hand. Zuko winced.

Azula's teeth ground slightly. Azula grumbled. "You're still babying him, mother." She crossed her arms, fingers into her biceps. Ursa helped Zuko stand up like a baby tiger-dear. Azula rolled her eyes. "See, he's totally fine." Azula said, "Can I go now?"

Azula tried not to fidget as she stubbornly looked elsewhere.

She felt her mother's gaze linger on her for a second. Azula frowned. She clenched her fingers around her biceps. What? What was the big deal? It was just a little burn. Everyone got them. It wasn't Azula's fault Zuzu was a dumb non-bender. He should've been ready.

Azula heard her mother open her mouth.

And Azula heard the door to the vacation home open. Perfect timing. Azula turned back and smirked. Watching as her father approached.

Ozai raised a brow but didn't mention Azula's mood.

Ozai said orderly. "Azula. You've played enough for today. We need to continue your training." Ozai glanced at Ursa and Zuko. Ozai's lips curled down as he noticed the small burn on Zuko's hand. Disgust flashed across Ozai's face. Ozai turned back to Azula and grumbled. "Quit wasting time, daughter. Ember Island is known for having good spots along the cliffs. Fire Benders get the most sunlight there. It would be foolish not to take advantage while you're here."

"Sure thing, Dad. I was just leaving." Azula smiled as she walked over to her father. Azula glanced back and saw Ursa's mouth close. Ursa's eyes narrowed at Ozai as she shifted her hands subtly to cover Zuko's burnt one. As if hiding it out of view. Protective. Stupid and protective.

Azula frowned, her stomach twisting as she scowled and turned away. Azula scoffed and shook her head. She walked up to her father and smiled. "Hey, Dad. Look what I learned." Azula showed off her palm, letting orange fire roar between her fingers. Her father stopped.

Ozai's lips curled upwards. "Excellent work, daughter," Ozai smirked. "You'll be an incredible bender, indeed."

Azula smirked, pride welling in her chest. There. See. That was the reaction she was looking for. Azula turned back to mother, expecting the same one.

Surely mother would get it now. Azula was special. She was going to be an incredible bender. So much better than dumb Zuzu.

Azula smirked and turned to see her mother's reaction.

And all Azula saw was a glass, porcelain expression. A flash of something, something like shock and a tense flightful understanding crossing Ursa's eyes. Ursa's face was perfectly composed the next second. Like the masks they had worn for Love Amongst Dragons.

Azula's smirk faltered. Her flames flickered, but Azula quickly reinvigorated them. Azula stood confidently, waiting. Impatiently. She didn't get it. What was Mother waiting for? Hurry up and say it. Azula ground her teeth slightly as she watched, her foot tapping incessantly.

Azula saw Ursa smile softly.

"Well done, daughter." Ursa sighed, tilting her head gently. Azula flinched, her flame sputtering out. Azula narrowed her eyes, back tensed. She watched as Ursa subtly shifted her body in front of dumb Zuzu. Ursa said the words. The words Azula had been expecting to hear.

"You... you will be an incredible bender, Azula."

Azula heard her mother say the words Azula knew to be true.

"You're your father's daughter."

They didn't sound nearly as good as Azula expected.

92 AG

Since then, Azula had learned a few things. 

Zuzu was an idiot for one. Incompetent. There had been a chance back when they were younger. That maybe Zuzu could become a decent bender, a late bloomer. But Azula gave up on it after Dad did. Zuzu was an idiot.

And mother, always babying Zuzu, was the reason. It had to be. Why else would Zuzu be so useless? Why else would Dad always complain about Zuzu's incompetence or bemoan the fact that Azula hadn't been born first? Why else would Dad say Azula was born lucky?

And Zuzu was lucky to be born.

That was what Azula knew to be true.

But then Zuzu went to the dumb Panda's place and came back a different person. He hid it well at first. Azula hadn't even noticed it. But then Zuzu unlocked his bending, and everything was clearer. Zuzu was different. Wrong. He bent wrong. He fought wrong. He walked quietly.

He wasn't...

He wasn't a complete and utter useless weakling anymore, albeit Azula would die before admitting it. At most she would admit he was a little better than before. A little. That was it. 

And he hated Dad. For some reason. Dumb little Zuzu that had always been trying to steal Dad's attention. Always been trying to undermine Azula because having Mother wasn't good enough for the greedy little worm; he had to have both. Zuzu started glaring at Dad. Arguing.

And Dad just...

Let it happen.

Accepted the sudden suicidal tendencies Zuzu had developed overnight.

Permitted Zuzu to keep his tongue for whatever reason.

And eventually, during that dumb spar, Zuzu acted differently. Again.

The spar that Azula should have won easily. The spar she had been replaying in her head every night and every morning since it happened. Losing sleep because she couldn't figure it out. The spar where everything went wrong. Where nothing had gone to plan.

Zuzu's Sozin Style had been whatever, average. Far better than what Azula had figured Zuzu capable of, but nowhere near her. Azula was a prodigy. She could do the Sozin Style in her sleep, as if it were made for her. She had been winning. Handily.

Then Zuzu started bending... weird. Wrong. Not like the Sages taught Azula to bend. 

And Azula hadn't been expecting it. Couldn't respond as efficiently as she wanted to. As perfectly as she was expected to. As her father expected her to. Azula lost control of the pace, the fight, her emotions, her mental clarity, her... her fire. Azula's control had slipped.

Afterwards, Father made no whisper of his disappointment in her performance. “Your training will be doubled.” Ozai had said, and Azula didn’t argue. Couldn’t. Didn’t dare. 

During that spar, Azula had won, but Zuzu had done something...

Something useful for once.

By a miracle. A fluke. It would never happen again. Zuzu was still useless compared to Azula; he was just less useless in general than Azula had given him credit for. Like a swamp-rat that could actually do a few tricks. It was a one-time thing. Once.

And now, standing in the hallway across from mother, Azula could only grind her teeth thinking how much things had spiraled.

Zuzu had everyone's attention now. Little snake. He'd stolen it. Father's. Grandfather's. The idiot had always had mother's. Zuzu could probably trip over his own shadow, and Mother would congratulate him for finding it. Zuzu thought Mother was this perfect little angel.

Azula clenched her jaw.

At the very least, she'd make sure Zuzu didn't have that.

"What was it again you said? After I won our little spar." Azula tilted her head, mocking the stupid little protectiveness Mother held for everything Zuko did. It was dumb. Maybe if Mother hadn't babied Zuzu, he wouldn't have frozen and taken a fireball to the face like an idiot.

"'I don't want you approaching your brother anymore.'" Azula touched her lip. "Was that it, mother?

Ursa sighed, her voice colder and more poised. Practical. Like Mother. Azula didn't understand how anyone could hear anything different. When Ursa spoke, this was the tone Azula usually expected to hear. Cold. "You know exactly why I said that, daughter.

"Do I?" Azula rolled her eyes, leaning back against the door. Recalling the night after Zuzu's dumb accident. Azula had been in her room, trying to sleep, when her mother visited. Knocked on the door this time instead of trying the handle like an... like nothing. Not like it mattered.

Azula had opened the door. Like a moron. 

Ursa had greeted Azula. Said they needed to talk. Azula frowned but let Mother inside. Like an idiot. She didn’t get it. Why was mother here? Azula figured Mother would be crying over Zuzu’s bedside by now, like Zuzu hadn’t brought the entire thing on himself.

Azula huffed and waited in her room. For Mother to do their ‘talk’ or whatever. 

And then mother had finally gotten to the point, "I think it would be best if you and your brother didn't interact anymore... at least until he's healed." And suddenly it made so much more sense. Stupid. Azula should have seen it coming from a mile away. Of course.

Ursa wanted to talk about Zuzu. What else was Azula expecting.

Azula had done her best not to gag. Typical. Zuzu gets a little burn, and suddenly Mother needs to play the role of guardian angel. Azula rolled her eyes but agreed. Because why not? Not like Azula needed Zuzu for anything. Ever. The useless idiot had gotten lucky. Lucky. Once. That was it. A fluke. 

Azula had been planning remind everyone what a useless idiot Zuzu was, and things would go back to normal. Mother could keep babying Zuzu, and Azula would go back to doing what mattered. Meeting her father's expectations. Honoring Sozin's blood. 

Winning.

Azula had agreed to her mother's dumb request. “Sure, whatever. Are we done now, mother.” And that was it. Mother frowned and did her little head nod thing and left. Azula rolled her eyes, shut the door, and locked it. 

That should have been it.

Everything should have gone back to normal. 

But things didn't go back to normal.

The next day. The very next day. They got worse.

Because Zuzu had somehow gotten even Grandfather's attention. Even Azula didn't have that in its purest form. Grandfather was too busy doting over Uncle and Cousin for that.

Somehow, Zuzu had gotten Grandfather to put him back to morning training. With Father and the sages present. 

Zuzu had stolen Lo, Azula's second teacher.

And to make it worse, Azula had been losing so much sleep trying to figure out why she messed up. It had started to affect her training.

At night; when she lay in bed and rain and the stupid lightning roared out her window. She replayed the spar in her head every night. 

The image of Mother's relieved expression when Azula looked over Zuzu's shoulder right before the final exchange. The way Azula's fire had splashed across Zuzu's left eye because he was an idiot and pulled his punch, snuffed his flame. The sound... the sound of Zuzu's screams. The way Zuzu was writhing on the floor, like he was dying. Curled up on the ground after her blast, Azula's fist still outstretched and frozen.

Zuzu's body had been trembling. He’d cradled his left eye, like he was expecting it to be gone.

Azula clicked her tongue.

It was all because Zuzu was so stupidly weak. The physician even said it wasn't as bad a burn as Zuzu's reaction made it out to be. Zuzu had been overreacting. 

It wasn't her fault. 

Zuzu had been the one who stopped moving like an idiot. Zuzu had been the one who stopped fighting in the middle of a spar. What was he expecting? Flowers?

It wasn’t Azula’s fault. 

But of course, dumb Zuzu had to be dramatic, so scared of fire that he'd screamed so loud Azula couldn't get it out of her head.

At least not quick enough to get her sleep schedule back in order. Or for this stupid monsoon to be over so the lightning would stop. Every night seemed longer than the last. 

And. Azula. Still. Couldn’t. Sleep.

Azula had been exhausted the days after the spar ended. Dead tired the week after it ended. 

And of course, Grandfather was still watching Zuzu every morning. Observing Zuzu's training. While the sages took their dumb notes. Even Father watched it at times. 

Azula hated it. What was everybody looking at? Zuzu's funny bending. So? Zuzu couldn't do Sozin Style correctly. So what? She didn't get it. She thought everyone knew that.

Azula could do it perfectly. Sozin Style. She always did it perfectly.

She waited for Grandfather to get bored and for Zuzu to stop showing up in the morning training hall. For his dumb burn on his dumb face to go away so she could finally stop seeing it. Azula waited. And waited. And waited. 

And Zuzu kept showing up at morning training. At Azula’s morning training sessions.

And eventually, eventually, it boiled over. Azula had made a mistake in training. A hasty decision to try an advanced move she hadn’t perfected yet.

She regretted it instantly. Inexusable. Idiot. Moronic. A dumb mistake she could have avoided if she were in good condition. Easily.

Azula had tried to correct it, but it was too late.

She'd disappointed Father.

And now Father's attention had been stolen, too.

And now Zuzu was hiding in her room, listening in. Because the little creep thought breaking into her room every night was a good use of time.

It had been annoying when he tried to steal her hairpin. It was infuriating now that he'd broken her window. Stupid idiot. Couldn't he take a hint?

Azula ground her teeth and leaned back against her door, her heel hitting it subtly with a thud to startle Zuzu. Azula rolled her eyes and said. "I don't understand what this is supposed to accomplish, mother." Azula scoffed. "You act like avoiding Zuzu is suddenly going to make him useful."

"That is not why I asked you to stop talking to him..." Ursa sighed, holding her head like she expected a headache out of talking to her own daughter. Ursa frowned. "I didn't want you taking out any of your grievances on him while he recovered. I know you, daughter."

"Sure you do." Azula snapped, scowling. Seriously? Mother thought Azula would get revenge on Zuzu while he was still recovering. Please. Azula wasn't petty enough to sneak into her brother's room while he was already incapacitated. Just to feel better? 

Azula wasn't petty like Zuzu.

Besides, Azula won the fight. Zuzu had just gotten lucky and made it closer than it should have been. There was nothing to avenge.

As soon as Azula corrected everyone's sudden delusion that Zuzu was worth wasting time on, everything would go back to normal.

Azula scowled and crossed her arms, leaning back against her door. She huffed. "Whatever. So do you want me to keep avoiding the idiot or not?" Azula sneered. "I'd tell the imbecile to leave me alone, but I don't think he'll take the hint. He's too stupid to listen to words."

"Only violence, right." Ursa's snapped, eyes narrowed.

Azula's back stiffened, but otherwise, she didn't react, only shrugged.

Ursa took a breath and closed her eyes, her shoulders drooping slightly. Ursa pinched her nose. "No. We're not doing this tonight." 

Ursa sighed. "Your brother wants to see you. If he approaches you tomorrow, please don't insult or berate him. Please do not burn him. That's all I ask." Ursa frowned. "I didn't want you to avoid him, but I don't know what else to do, daughter. You make it hard to..."

"To what?" Azula snapped. Her eyes narrowed. Azula scowled. "You act like it's my fault Zuzu was an idiot. We were sparring. He's the one who stopped moving like an idiot. He's the one who stopped fighting. It's not my fault he didn't have the stomach to keep going."

"Do you truly believe that?" Ursa muttered, with a porcelain face. Completely even and composed. Azula scowled. She watched as Ursa’s lips curled downwards half an inch. "Is that what happened? When you burned your brother's face. It was entirely his fault. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I. Won." Azula sneered, her posture tense. Her arms crossed, and her fingers were digging into her biceps. Azula snapped. "I won. We were fighting. I won. I'm sorry if you want to live in theatre and music lessons, but I'm going to be the best fire bender this family has ever produced."

"Daughter..." Ursa frowned. 

Azula ignored her. She was so sick of it. Azula scoffed. "I can't sit around like Zuzu and do nothing. Unlike him, I'm actually competent. I saw a chance to end a fight, so I ended it. That's what Father taught me to do." Azula growled. "It's not my fault, Zuzu is a terrible learner. A terrible bender. A terrible everything! He can't do anything right! It's not my fault." 

"Daughter," Ursa said more firmly. "Enough." 

"No. What is it? What's so hard for you to do!" Azula snapped, her breath getting heavier.

Arguing. She always ended up arguing with Mother. It was like Mother was blind. They were at war. An a hundred year war. Why else were Uncle and Cousin always on the front lines? One day, Azula would be leading armies. Conquering Cities. Doing what was expected of her. Making her father, her family proud. 

She would be invincible. The best Fire Bender her family has ever produced.

And her brother would still be the useless idiot who couldn't chew his own food without Mother's help. 

Azula's arms still crossed, her fingernails dug into her biceps. Azula scowled. "Spit it out, Mother. I'm not naive like Zuzu." Azula rolled her eyes. "Unlike him, I don't need you to try and do everything for me." Azula spat with a barbed tongue. "I don't need you at all."

The words slipped bitterly. Quicker than Azula expected. They surprised Azula a little. Only a little. But she swallowed it and refused to let anything show on her face. She waited.

Whatever Mother wanted to say, she could just say it.

That way, Azula could go back to what mattered.

Tomorrow, she would go back to training, do it perfectly, and remind everyone that Zuzu wasn't important. Not compared to her. Azula would make it up to Father.

She'd be perfect. Better than perfect. Father would realize Zuzu can't be perfect. Never could be.

And Grandfather would eventually get bored watching Zuzu's funny bending. Azula would get Lo back. And that would be it. 

Things would go back to normal.

So Azula needed Mother to hurry up and get on with it. Azula had three days of sleep to catch up on if she wanted to be in perfect condition for tomorrow.

Azula waited, arms crossed and foot tapping against the floor. She waited, glaring at her mother. Azula's lips thinned. "Well?" 

Ursa said nothing. Ursa's hangs clasped slightly in front of her. Ursa's finger clenched slightly tighter. Her eyes narrowed, but otherwise she remained composed.

Cold as always.

Azula scowled. “What?” What disappointed diatribe was Mother going to give this time? Couldn't she hurry up? Agni, this was so stup-  

"To trust you," Ursa said finally, firmly.

Azula flinched. Her body was tense, and her shoulders were tight. She froze for a second. For the longest second. Azula recovered instantly, frowning. She looked up at her mother. Azula's eyes narrowed. Mother didn't look away. Mother's eyes were constant, distant, the same stupid icy mask. 

"You make it hard to trust you… to be near your brother," Ursa said, and Azula bit her lip; she thought it might bleed. It didn’t.

Azula glared. 

Ursa met the glare with a flat, exasperated expression. "You're right. You're not naive, daughter. You’re incredibly smart for your age." Ursa chuckled quietly. "You would have made a beautiful actress had we been in my home village. With our little stage plays. The best actress..." Ursa murmured softly. "You're not naive, daughter."

Azula's fingernails dug into her biceps hard enough that they would probably leave marks tomorrow. She ground her teeth. Waiting. 

"That's why I can't excuse your behavior," Ursa said finally, lips curling down, eyes narrowed. Azula didn’t back down.

If Mother was expecting Azula to sob and wail about Zuzu’s incident she’d be waiting till death. Azula wasn’t going to feel bad because Zuzu had stopped and gotten himself hurt. Azula ground her teeth and stubbornly looked away. It wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t. 

Ursa merely shook her head and turned to leave.

"Have you even thought about apologizing?" Ursa asked quietly, glancing back at Azula.

Ursa's lip’s thinned. "You burned your brother."

Azula's spine straightened; she refused to show it. 

It was Zuzu's fault. He was supposed to fight. Fire benders were supposed to fight. The Royal Family was supposed to produce fire benders who fought the best. Father had taught Azula that since she could walk. It wasn't Azula's fault Zuzu still didn't get it. That he was too stupid to. 

Azula growled. "So?"

Ursa simply frowned.

"So... I don't know what to do with you," Ursa sighed, and Azula suddenly felt a chill colder than she'd ever felt. Like the air in the hallway had turned to ice.

Ursa shook her head and walked away.

Leaving Azula alone.

The rain outside was heavy. Thunder boomed outside, and Azula didn't hear it. 

She took a shaky breath. 

And snapped her jaw shut. She shook her head. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. 

Azula turned around and ripped her door open. Zuko backed up, startled, face pale. Azula ignored the idiot and slammed her door shut. She growled and opened it again. And slammed it again. And again. And again. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! STUPID!

Azula slammed the door one last time, she heard a crack in the priceless wood and didn't care. She  would have burned it if her room wasn't already a mess. She wanted to scream. She didn't get it. She did everything right. She always met her father's expectations. 

She always did it, but mother...

It was like Mother wanted her to be weak. To make mistakes. To be more like Zuzu. It was stupid. Azula hated it. She didn't understand it. She hated it.

"Get out," Azula growled, the last of her patience thinning. Zuko stood there with a dumb expression on his face. Azula turned back and glared at her idiot brother. Idiot. Stupid. Useless little Zuzu that apparently mother knew what to do with. Azula snarled, steam in her breath.

"I said get out!" Azula smashed her fist into his cheek. Zuko fell back on his butt, stunned. Looking up without a hint of fear. Only confusion. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Zuko was so stupid. Everything he did was so stupid. Idiot.

That Agni forsaken idiot! He was still standing there! Not even registering the punch. Just staring at her. 

She hated it...

She hated him. She hated him! 

"Get. Out. Of. My. Room!" Azula growled as the last of her patience dried. She lunged at the idiot. Her fingers were clawing around his collar. Zuko did nothing as his back hit the floor, and she pinned him there. He did nothing. Nothing. 

"What does she even see in you!"

Always nothing. Didn't speak. Didn't say a word. Her brother did nothing. Always nothing. Was worth nothing. And it enraged Azula to no end.

"Why does she always look at you!" She snapped her fist into Zuko's dumb face. Just to get a reaction. Nothing. Azula couldn't stand it anymore.

"Why does she visit your room every night!" Azula threw another punch. Nothing. 

"Why does she say good night to you!"

No reaction on her brother's dumbstruck face. 

Azula gnashed her teeth and threw another. "Why does she read to you!"

And another.

"Why does she take you to the library!"

And another.

"Why does she look relieved when you're about to win a fight, but not me!"

And another. Every question she asked was followed by a punch to Zuzu's stupid, blockheaded face. She threw another punch. And another. And still...

"Why does she only ever worry about you!"

Every hit went unanswered.

"Why! What is it! What is it with you!"

Soon, the dull thuds of the rain on her window were marred with the sound of Azula's knuckles cracking against her brother's skin. He didn't answer. Just stared at her, quiet. Shocked. Silent. Like a failure. Failure. Failure. Her brother was a failure.

"What's so special about you!"

Always a failure. Zuko was a failure. Zuko had always been a failure. And recently, it was like no one remembered it except her.

"Why does she care! Why does anyone care about you!" Azula demanded, snapping her fist into Zuko's cheek over and over again. The idiot didn't even try to defend. Just took it. Like a weakling. Everything he did was weak, and yet it never seemed to matter.

Not to mother. Never to mother. And now...

"Say something!" Azula spat. "How'd you do it!"

Now Zuzu even got dad to care. Grandfather too. About his weakness. Zuzu did bending wrong. He did everything wrong. Zuko was weak of heart and mind. But. It. Didn't. Matter. It never mattered. Poor little Zuzu gets to be a screw-up and no one else.

"Answer me!"

Only Zuzu. Always Zuzu. Zuzu gets to be weak. And it doesn't matter. He gets to be bad at everything, and it doesn't matter. He didn't do a single thing. Not one good thing to earn their attention, and yet he had it. Mother and now Father's. Both.

Now they were both looking at him... How... How did he do it? How!

"Fight back!" Azula's fist snapped into Zuzu's nose, and a loud crunch sounded. Azula's Bloody knuckles. Zuko's Bloody nose. Zuko's bloody lip and cheek that would probably be purple in the morning. If Azula wasn't so... so frustrated. She'd stop. She'd just be inviting mother's disappointment come morning time—Not like that was anything new.

"Do something!" Azula's knuckles started to hurt, and she didn't care. If Azula were thinking clearly, she'd see this was a waste of time. Zuzu was a waste of time. Azula wasn't thinking clearly, even she could admit it. She hated it. She hated him. Zuko... he...

"You little thief!" Azula grabbed Zuko's collar and didn't notice the smoke drifting from her palms. Didn't notice her breath grow more ragged while steam hissed from her lips. She didn't notice it.

"You're not supposed to have both!"

All she noticed was Zuko's stupid eyes and stupid face. Silent and quiet. As if seeing something for the first time. She didn't get it. Why? What was it!

"Weakling!" Azula's fist snapped into Zuko's cheek one last time. The side she'd burned, the flash of red and irritated skin. She reared her fist and fire bathed it. Orange flames flickered from her hand. She didn't even mean to. She just hated it. His face...

His stupid face.

Why did everyone look at it? Why. Why. Why. Why! WHY! WHY!

"You're a worthless idiot who couldn't even bend three months ago!" Azula seethed. "Now everyone's looking at you! Everything's wrong because of you! Ever since you got your bending! Everything's wrong! Because of you! It's because of you!"

Azula's palm opened, and an orange light escaped. The rain outside thundered against the window of her dark, damp room. Azula saw Zuko's eye.

"Why's dad looking at you, now!"

It was wide in shock and a trace of fear. Zuko flinched. A flinch. A familiar flinch. A familiar Weakness. Zuko was weak. Always weak.

"Why's mother always looking at you!"

And still...

"Tell me!" Azula demanded. Her palm was ablaze and hovering over his left eye. She wasn't thinking. She didn't care. Everyone looked at him. Always.

"What's so special about you!" Azula snarled, her breath steamy and ragged. She wasn't thinking. She didn't care. Everything was because of him.

"What is it!"

Everyone always looked at him.

"What do you have that I don't?"

Azula would make them stop looking at him.

"What does she even want from me!" Azula screamed, and the thunder outside drowned it out. Heavy rain battered against her window and dulled her mind. Azula raised her fiery palm, ready to slam it down over Zuzu's stupid eye. His stupid face...

She'd make sure no one ever looked at it again...

Forever.

Her arm whipped downward.

Lightning flashed through the window. And Azula flinched. Stupid. Weak. Worthless. She hesitated, and under the light of her fire and the cold flame outside, she saw it. Zuko's full expression. As her flames hovered an inch over Zuko's left eye.

Zuko didn't flinch. For the first time since Azula figured out his weird fear towards the left side of his face. Zuzu just stared at her. Not in horror or in fear. Not in anger. Not hate. All he responded with was a broken whisper. Soft and quiet. Remorseful? She didn't get it. 

"...sorry..." 

Weak, his weak voice broke through the harsh and heavy rain.

"I'm sorry..."

Zuko spoke, and it was only with the sickening sound of something soft and tender. Quiet. Broken.

"Lala."

Only with weakness, Azula would never understand.

Chapter Text

A Lifetime Ago...

It was night, inside old people camp as Bumi had dubbed it. June had done her job well, locating the white lotus. And now there was only one thing left.

It was the first time...

It was the first time Zuko had been so terrified and relieved in his entire life.

Zuko sat down, legs crossed. Staring at the entrance to his uncle's tent. A few meters away, that's all there was. His uncle was there. Waiting. Probably cursing Zuko's name. Zuko had betrayed him, insulted him. Said horrible things. Uncle had only ever supported Zuko and now... Now he was there. Uncle...

Just a few feet away.

And Zuko couldn't open the tent flap to see.

Zuko felt Katara sit next to him, her hand gently resting on his shoulder. "Zuko..." Katara said. "Are you okay?"

"No I'm not okay, uncle hates me I know it." Zuko bit his tongue, his heart welling with fear and shame. Guilt and regret. Zuko choked out. "He's only ever loved and supported me and I turned against him. How can I... how can I face him after that."

"Zuko." Katara said sincerely, "Are you sorry for what you did."

"More than anything in my entire life." Zuko said, because he did. He regretted it. Betraying his uncle, had been his worst mistake. An unforgivable mistake. Zuko could never take it back. Zuko would've given anything to take it back.

And still...

Katara only gave a small smile.

"Then I'm sure he'll forgive you." She said, with a self-assurance Zuko wished he could mimic. A faith he wished he could share. She squeezed his shoulder in support.

"He will," Katara said again, and she sounded so sure of it, Zuko wanted to believe it. In her. Zuko closed his eyes and took a breath, a deep one.

He opened his eyes and stood up. Opening the tent flap. His voice came out hoarse and hesitant: "Uncle..."

Uncle's snores overpowered his quiet greeting. Zuko stopped, hand still on the flap.

He smiled, softly. Relieved and quiet. He closed the flap and stepped inside, waiting. He waited for hours, all through the night. Not a word uttered.

Uncle had waited three years for him.

Zuko could wait a night.

And finally, when Zuko felt the sun start to rise, as all fire benders did. He heard his uncle's snores stop. His uncle sat up on his cot, stretching.

His uncle stiffened, seeming to notice Zuko's presence.

And once again, just like in the dungeons.

Iroh said nothing.

"Uncle..." Zuko tried, hesitant and scared. Tears were already flowing down his face. Zuko pleaded. "I... I know you must have mixed feelings about seeing me," Zuko let out a shaky breath. "But I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am for everything I've done."

Zuko had betrayed his Uncle. The one person who had always been there for him. 

"I'm so sorry..." Zuko croaked, tears streaming down his face. "I know... I know you have no reason to forgive me, but I-," Zuko's breath caught as he was yanked into a warm embrace. The warmest set of arms he'd ever known. Zuko's breath hitched, and he cried into his uncle's shoulder, "How?" He croaked, trying to understand, "How can you forgive me? After everything I've done."

"Oh, Zuko," Iroh murmured, and Zuko felt a similar set of tears stain his shoulder. Iroh held Zuko tightly and said profoundly. "I was never angry with you..." Zuko's shoulders shuddered, and his breathing became ragged. Iroh simply held him closer. Tightly and firmly. 

"I was simply sad..." Iroh cried quietly, warmly into Zuko's shoulder, "Because I was afraid you lost your way."

"I did." Zuko cried; he'd lost his way. The way his uncle had tried to show him. For years. And the shame he felt was agonizing. He cried, but his Uncle's embrace grew tighter, more grounding on his shoulders. Supportive as always. Warm as always. A warmth Zuko missed. 

"You did," Iroh said simply, pulling back and placing his warm hands on Zuko's shoulders. Unconditional support and love in Iroh's touch and prideful tears in his eyes. Iroh said deeply. "But you found it again," Iroh's lips curled up, "And you did it by yourself."

Zuko shook his head, not believing it. He hadn't been alone. Not until he'd betrayed Unce. Because before that, before Zuko's greatest mistake. He hadn't been alone. Uncle had been there, since the beginning of his banishment. For years, he'd shown Zuko the way. Even when Zuko had been too stubborn and angry to walk it. Zuko had never been alone. 

"I am so proud," Iroh said, tears still dripping down his cheeks to match Zuko's. Iroh smiled, "That you have returned here."

And Zuko smiled, a tearful smile.

"It wasn't hard Uncle..." Zuko said, muddling his tears as Iroh pulled him into another hug. Zuko closed his eyes and savored it. Remembered it. The warmest feeling in the world. Zuko would never forget it again, because he'd thrown it away once. And he never would again. Zuko didn't understand it, how Uncle could be so forgiving, so kind. But Zuko would never take advantage of it again, Zuko owed Uncle everything. Because it was thanks to Uncle, that all these years...

"You have a strong scent."

Zuko had never once been alone.

Present Day...

Azula wished Zuko would just leave her alone.

"...sorry..." He croaked, and it angered Azula. Because so far, ever since he got his bending, all he'd done was irritate or confuse her.

"I'm sorry..."

And this night, the third time he'd broken into her room, was definitely the latter. Or the former. Maybe both... no, who was Azula fooling?

"Lala..."

It was definitely both.

"What?" Azula scowled, her breath heavy and a hint of confusion in her voice. Her hand trembled, flames still hovering above Zuko's face. The left side of his face. She knew he could feel it. The flame flickered against his left cheek. The side he was so careful about for whatever reason. She scowled.

Because Zuko didn't look afraid. Or at least not focused on it. He was just looking at her.

And he looked sad.

"I'm sorry, Lala," Zuko said again, breath shaky and choked. Weak. Azula hated it. The sound got on her nerves. It made her want to bring down the fire in her palm and shut him up for good. Burn the left side of his face so he would never look at her like that again, never talk to her again. So no one else would even bother looking at dumb little Zuzu.

So Azula would never have to feel that dumb little twist in her stomach every time Zuzu looked at her like a kicked puppy and said, 'I'm sorry.'

Azula snarled, "Stop saying that." She ground her teeth. Her fingers were digging into Zuko's shirt as her other blazing hand was wavering above his left eye. The left side of his face, "And stop calling me that!" Azula snapped, "It's such a stupid nickname. 'Lala.'" She mocked. "I'm not a baby, Zuzu. I'm not-,"

Thunder boomed outside. Zuko and Azula flinched.

Zuko froze.

Azula's face grew furious, murderous, like a boiling teapot that had just reached its limit, and she ground her teeth so hard Zuko thought he heard them crack. There was another strike of lightning, another clap of thunder outside. Azula flinched again and let out a muffled scream of utter frustration. "Just shut up, already!" Azula snapped the fire in her palm at the window reflexively, without thought, as if only focused on trying erase the source of her ire.

Her flames flew true, because of course they did. Azula rarely ever missed. The screen panel broke, blasted in half as wood chips flew outside.

Immediately, the heavy rain and winds rushed into Azula's room. The thunder grew louder. Lightning grew brighter. Azula's eyes widened, as if realizing what she had just done. Azula cursed and let Zuko go, moving towards the window. The rain entered.

The wind chilled the room.

Azula growled and moved to fix the window. Stepping towards it, the rain and wind caught her instantly. Her hair was getting soaked as she tried the broken shutter hinges. Nothing. Nothing salvageable.  Azula tried the broken shutter, failed, and got angry. Nothing. Nothing...

Nothing was going right.

"Useless!" She shouted into the raging storm, prying off the remnants of her screen window and throwing them outside. Thunder carried her shouts away. The wood screens fell down to the ground two stories below, where the rain and wind stole them, too.

Azula glared at the storm outside her window, the rain and wind currently getting in through the open cavity, soaking her hair and puddling her floors. She clenched her fists as steam hissed off her shoulders. Nothing, nothing, nothing was going right. Nothing!

Her body was heating up and evaporating all the crappy rainwater clinging to her skin. And clothes. And hair. Oh, and the rainwater was also soaking her floor. Fun. Amazing. Great. Azula punched the wall. It cracked but didn't break. Azula got angrier, fire bathing her hand, about to break it for real.

She only stopped because she heard her idiot brother grunting in exertion somewhere behind her. Azula turned, fire in her hand and fury in her eyes. She saw Zuko trying to push her bed, her royal, queen-sized bed with pillows that cost more than Zuko's life, closer to the window.

Azula's eyes burned. "What are you doing, idiot!"

"The headboard..." Zuko grunted and pushed, his stupid, weak legs slipping on the water starting to spread across the floor. Azula frowned as her idiot brother fell into a puddle. Azula resisted the urge to roll her eyes and looked at the headboard.

It was flat, large, and obviously expertly carved. Using the best wood the Fire Nation had to offer under the hands of the best artisans in commission. To depict two dragons encircling the sun, imagery indicative of the royal family and their status as rulers of the Fire Nation.

Azula scowled, annoyed.

It was also tall enough to cover the window.

Azula grumbled, "When did you get actual ideas..." She clicked her tongue and moved towards the bed, pushing the side of it because weak pathetic little Zuzu couldn't do it himself.

Zuko pushed himself off the floor and pulled the other end, the two slowly guiding the heavy bed towards the open window.

Azula snapped, "Not that way, idiot, you have to angle it!"

"It's not my fault your bed's so heavy!" Zuko snapped back as thunder boomed outside. The two, basically having to shout over the wind coming into the room, Zuko pushed his back against the far side of the bed. "What do you sleep on, Mountains!"

"Chameleon-Peacock feathers," Azula growled as she pushed her bed, admittedly heavier than she expected, must be the bed canopy. The sheer curtains, probably. Which were also going to be ruined after this, too, great. Azula growled as the foot of the bed bonked against the wall. The heavy rain was making it harder to get a grip on the floor.

Azula's brow twitched, "Push your side in the right direction," She snapped, "Or I'll make the next one out of your bones! You're scratching my walls!"

"You were about to break your wall!" Zuko snapped, huffing irritably as he tried to catch his breath, "And I am pushing it in the right direction!"

"No, you're not, idiot! Do you have eyes?"

"You're the one who's supposed to turn it!"

"I can't turn it on my side, Zuzu." Azula sneered sarcastically, grinding her teeth as she controlled her breath. Unlike Zuzu, she refused to show any sign of exhaustion to a dumb piece of furniture, of all things. No matter how tired she was. “My nightstand's there."

"Then push it out of the way."

"I'll push you out the window!" Azula snapped, fire escaping her lips as steam hissed off her body. "Just do what I say, you're wasting time!"

The rain was getting worse; her floor would probably be soaked by morning, but if dumb-dumb over there hurried, it wouldn't be flooded.

Wind roared into the room as Zuko's teeth chattered, and he grumbled under his breath, "Fine." Zuko scowled and started pushing his side of the bed in the right direction. Zuko's shoulder hissed with steam as he entered the splash zone of the rain pouring into Azula's room, his teeth grinding.

When he had the bed at the proper angle, Azula finally pushed her side, shifting the bed in the right direction. Inch by inch. The legs were scraping on the floor. Another thing ruined. Azula's foot nearly slipped on a puddle of rainwater, but she caught herself.

Azula scowled.

Maybe it was made of mountains.

Azula grumbled under her breath and ignored it, the weight of her bed that only piled onto the weight of her bones. She hadn't slept right in days, and now her room was flooded because Zuko couldn't stop breaking into it and saying dumb things.

If Azula ever met the dumb panda that taught Zuko how to break into places so consistently, she was going to kill him. Mercilessly.

But for now, her floor was in danger, so she pushed.

Minutes. It took minutes to move the giant piece of furniture, so it was facing the right direction. Minutes Azula and Zuko spent arguing, annoyed, shouting because the wind getting into the room was loud and cold, and the rain smacking them in the face wasn't helping.

Neither were the puddles starting to spread across the floor. Azula had to warm her feet so she wouldn't slip. Zuko slipped in an extra puddle or two before he thought to do the same thing. Idiot. Azula didn't get what anyone saw in him. He had a bright idea once every full moon.

She growled as the bed was finally turned the right way, the headboard facing the window. Azula went to the foot of the bed and pushed.

Zuko pushed beside her.

And after what felt like forever, the headboard finally thunked against the broken window. Sealing it. Not completely, water still trickled down between the cracks, but it was enough so there wasn't a monsoon barging into Azula's room. Azula slowly sank to the ground, uncaring for the water all over the floor; she didn't care anymore. She took controlled, tired breaths as she sat with her back against the footboard of her soaked bed. Exhausted.

Azula felt exhausted. Drenched and exhausted.

Zuko seemed similar. He sat next to her, a foot or two separating them. His back was against the other end of the footboard as he panted, like he'd just fought an Eel-Hound. The rain and wind battered them from behind as their makeshift barricade held. Leaving the two alone in the dark, trashed, soaked mess that was Azula's room.

Lightning struck somewhere outside. The light was bleeding through the cracks between the headboard and the broken window.

Zuko flinched at the sound.

Azula flinched and ground her teeth, bringing her head to her knees. She warmed herself as steam began to fill the room. Zuko did the same.

The two sat silently, catching their breaths as the storm raged outside. Hated it. Azula hated everything about this day. This night.

This dumb week.

Her dumb brother.

And she hated it even more when a dumb night guard knocked heavily on the door to Azula's room. "Princess." They said, "Is everything fine?" Whoever it was jostled the doorknob; their knocking became more demanding and urgent. "We heard-"

Azula snapped, "If you break my door down, there is not a force alive that will stop me from having you and your family executed!" She grabbed a nearby piece of window screen and threw it at the door. It shattered against the door with a loud thud. Stupid guard. Stupid window.

Stupid Zuzu.

Azula scowled as the dumb guard finally seemed to get the message. There was a squeak from the other end. Whatever idiot was on the other end said something similar to, 'As you wish, Princess.' And scurried off. Azula scoffed and rolled her eyes, resting her chin on her knees.

Steam still flickered off her body, faintly stinging the air. A similar steam echoed off Zuko's body at the other side of the footboard, only a couple of feet away. The two dried off slowly but surely as the storm raged somewhere behind them. Loud and constant. Thunderous.

Eventually, when it was clear enough and warm enough, and Azula had composed herself to take a proper breath without sounding as exhausted as she felt, she decided to end it.

Whatever dumb obsession Zuzu had with breaking into her room at night.

"Get out," Azula growled, her head resting on her knees as she hissed. "Get out of my room. Get out of my sight. Don't come back until tomorrow when you explain to Grandfather that it was your fault my window's broken! And your fault my room's a mess!"

Puddles everywhere. Bed ruined. The vanity mirror was broken from the first time Zuko snuck in. The closet door had been broken since that time as well. The wind that had rushed in after the window broke had thrown every loose object in Azula's room every which way. 

Azula's room was trashed.

All because of him.

Zuko said tiredly, "Sorry..." without excuse or any hint of resistance. Just tired. Azula ground her teeth. She hated that. 'Sorry.' Now Zuzu was apologizing. Great. She didn't even know for what. She didn't care for what. She just wanted him to stop. For him to go away. 

Out of her room so she could go to sleep.

But he didn't move. He sat there. Tired. Still panting slightly and looking up at the ceiling. He said. "I'll take responsibility... for everything..."

Azula frowned.

"This time..." Zuko murmured, quietly. Tired. His eyes were looking up at the ceiling like he was searching for something, something far.

"This time I'll do it right."

Azula scowled and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," Azula grumbled, biting back the exhaustion that was still trying to get the best of her.

She scowled. "Just get out." She tried to stand, but remembered her bed was blocking the rain from entering her room, so her sheets were soaked by association. Azula scowled and sat back down, quietly, her back against the footboard of her bed. She leaned her head against her knees and decided she'd just sleep here. Sitting on the cold floor.

As soon as her idiot brother got the hint and left.

But minutes passed, and he still hadn't moved.

Zuko mumbled. "Hey, Lala..."

Azula growled. "Quit calling me that."

"Hey, Zula," Zuko said without missing a beat.

"What?" Azula snapped, her eyes twitching. Her growing annoyance was fighting her exhaustion. She looked over towards Zuko and growled, "Do your ears not work? I told you to get out. What do you want?" Azula scowled, glaring. Zuko's face was bruised and bloody from where she'd hit him, even had a cut on his lip that she was still proud of.

But he didn't seem to care.

Zuko continued sitting. Quietly.

He looked over. Eyes clear.

And the words that came out of his mouth were so dumb, Azula thought the thunder outside had messed up her hearing.

"Can I stay here?" Zuko asked awkwardly. Azula's face twisted into a scowl. Disgust on her face. Zuko narrowed his eyes and huffed. "What? What's with that face?"

"Don't 'what' me, what's wrong with you? Azula scowled, her eyes twitching in annoyance. Ever since Zuzu got his bending, it was like he was a different person. Doing dumb things. Saying dumb things. Asking the dumbest questions. It was annoying.

Azula glared. "What happened to you. Ever since you got your bending..." she ground her teeth. "It's like you're a different person."

Zuko stiffened slightly.

Azula noticed it instantly. She narrowed her eyes. "What?" She demanded. "What did that Panda guy do to you that's made you so... so weird lately."

"Piandao," Zuzu said automatically, and Azula rolled her eyes. Zuzu murmured quietly, still breathing in tired breaths. "And he didn't do anything..."

Azula scowled.

"I just don't want to leave." Zuko glanced away, and Azula's eyes twitched. She glared at her dumb brother. Her dumb idiot brother.

He was such a bad liar.

And he was still refusing to move an inch.

Stubborn, a stubborn idiot, brother. At least that hadn't changed.

"And why..." Azula growled through clipped teeth, her fingers digging into her palms. Annoyed. She scowled. "Do you not want to leave, dear brother?"

Azula waited, her eyes low and irritable. She watched as Zuko looked over to her, his words stopping for a moment. He waited. Looking at her like... ugh, she didn't even know, but it was annoying. It was like he was searching for something with those quiet, tired golden eyes that were too somber to be useful.

Azula scowled. That look. That stupid look. She was starting to hate it. It made her feel the same way his stupid 'sorries,' did. What was wrong with him?

"Well..." Azula set her jaw. Her patience was thinning. No, it was gone by now, so far gone that all that was left were embers. What? What was he looking at? She just wanted him gone. Wanted him to get out of her room and never come back. She hated him. She despised him. 

Why couldn't he just take the hint and leave? The blockheaded, dumb-dumb, socially incompetent, stupid face-wearing idiot.

She was about to snap at him to just shut up if he didn't have anything to say and get lost. Die. Drown. She didn't care. Just don't be here.

But then he spoke.

And all of Azula's thoughts died in an instant.

"Because I'm afraid of lightning," Zuko admitted softly into the quiet of the room, and Azula froze. Her blood turned cold. Then red hot. Her first instinct was anger. Was he stupid? Obviously, he was scared of lightning. Azula could see the loser flinching every time that dumb noise shook the room. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid...

It was stupid. To be scared of lightning.

Exactly something that weak little Zuzu would do.

Azula saw blue light flashing across her room, sneaking in through the creaks of the window's makeshift barricade. She ground her teeth instantly. Not a second later, she heard thunder boom behind her, outside the palace. So loud and close it felt like it was shaking her bones. She hated it. The noise. The randomness of it all. She despised it. 

But she didn't flinch. She refused to flinch. She bit back any hint of a flinch before it could surface. She wouldn't flinch. Never. Especially not while dumb Zuzu was there. Because no matter what he thought he knew, she wasn't scared of lightning...

She wasn't.

Zuko obviously was, and he wasn't even trying to hide it. Azula growled, glaring at her brother. Her weak brother. Was he making fun of her? She studied his expression, searching for anything mocking. But there wasn't. Zuko still wasn't good at lying. The worst, actually. His expression was dreadfully honest, wincing every time lightning hit, and thunder boomed.

He rubbed his chest idly. A distant, pained look on his face.

Azula ground her teeth.

"Whatever," Azula snapped, turning her head away, "Do what you want," She clicked her tongue. She curled her arms around her knees and leaned her head against them. Whatever. Azula didn't care anymore. She didn't have the energy.

"I hope grandpa executes you tomorrow..." Azula grumbled, closing her eyes. Exhaustion set in the second she did. She heard lightning; she ignored it. Her muscles were too tight to even contract properly anyway. Azula's lips curled down as she started to drift off.

If Zuko was too scared to sleep through a measly little storm alone, that was his problem. If he wanted to be weak, that was his problem. She didn't care. Not a bit.

Because Zuzu was weak...

And Azula would never be.

Zuko watched quietly as his sister fell asleep, only a couple of feet away. Her head slumped against her knees, the two sitting on the damp floor. Opposite ends of the bed's footboard, their backs to the royal bed that helped block out the endless rain.

Zuko looked at her in the darkness of the cold room.

The room that looked like it had through a monsoon. The erratic flashes of lightning sneaking through the cordoned-off window behind them were the only sources of light. Flashes of blue and white. Amidst the coldest, darkest air of Azula's destroyed and soaked room. The shadows stretched across the floors and walls. The palace rattled under rain.

Zuko curled his arms around his knees, similarly to Azula. He leaned his chin against his knees. He heard her breathing relax, softer than before.

Zuko closed his eyes... Azula's steady and quiet breathing signaling she had fallen asleep...

Zuko took a quiet, shaky breath. 

"I'm afraid of lightning..." Zuko admitted in the quiet of the room. In the silence of it. Broken at random intervals every time lightning flashed and thunder shook the world. Zuko closed his eyes and murmured, "I'm afraid of lightning..."

Zuko admitted it to the empty, dark, and soaked room. As blood dripped down his lip, bruises began to swell on his cheek. When he was certain Azula was asleep and wouldn't hear it. Zuko closed his eyes. He had so much on his mind. His mother. His sister. Their argument. He knew that when he fell asleep, Roku would want to talk to him. A lot.

"I'm afraid of lightning..."

And still Zuko waited. Eyes closed.

"I'm afraid of lightning..."

Quietly admitting it to himself over and over again, under the phantom pains that seared at his chest every time he heard that familiar 'boom.'

"I'm afraid of lightning..."

Zuko murmured himself to sleep. Softly to his own ears. His muscles eventually grew so heavy that they couldn't respond to every erratic pop of the storm outside. The rain. The wind. The Monsoon that hadn't kept quiet for the past three weeks.

"I'm afraid of lightning..."

Zuko's head lulled and started to drift off. Ignoring the rain raging outside. Zuko had to talk to Roku; he knew that, but for once, he wasn't dreadful. Not like before. Because for the first time since Zuko woke up in the past, he felt a little calmer. More settled. His eyes were clearer than before. His mind at rest.

"I'm afraid of lightning..."

Sitting on the cold, damp floor at the foot of the bed, with Azula sleeping only a few feet away, her head lulled to the side, same as his. Zuko listened to the storm raging outside. The rain was pounding against the palace roof tiles. The thunder and winds were battling in the background. He fell asleep as the room lit up. Brightened by sporadic flashes of not so distant lightning... Lightning that Zuko found scary.

"Because it reminds me of you."

Lightning that took a lifetime to forget.

Chapter Text

A lifetime ago...

Zuko didn't know where to start.

"Dear Mai..." He muttered, testing it on his tongue. Would that work? No, that sounded wrong. Dearest Mai? No, now that sounded too formal. Then again, sometimes it felt like Mai wasn't one for anything but formalities. And reading a letter of sensitive thoughts didn't feel like Mai at all. 

Zuko scowled as he looked down at the parchment in his hand. Empty. For the last two hours. He burned the terrible attempt and decided he'd just try it again later tonight. When he was alone and things were quiet. Everyone would be busy tonight. Preparing. 

Because tomorrow was the day of the Black Sun. 

The day Zuko would chase his destiny, his true destiny.

"I'll be at the courtyard." Zuko told the nearest gaurd as he exited his private chambers. Zuko turned down the winding halls of the palace, towards his favorite place in the palace. The green courtyard where the turtleduck pond rested. Zuko sat down at it's edge. Watching the little creatures swim. His mother had loved this place. Zuko loved this place. It was quiet. Calm. 

Home. 

And it stayed that way, until he heard his sister approach from the palace gates. She spotted Zuko, sitting by the water and feeding the turtleducks. 

Zuko heard her scoff from an ocean away. 

"Seriously Zuzu," Azula scoffed, walking over with a bored roll of her eyes. "Still feeding this little freeloaders." Azula crossed her arms and leaned against the tree beside the water's edge. Her golden eyes scanning the turtle ducks with a vague disinterest. "I never saw the point. These creatures are lucky nature kept them around so long. They have zero survival skills except to waddle around and hope bigger animals find them cute enough not to eat."

"What are you doing here, Azula?" Zuko sighed, glancing back. He already had a lot on his mind. A lot on his plate. He didn't need her mocking. Zuko frowned. "Here to burn little animals again, don't you have better things to do."

"Oh plenty, but lucky for you, I'm a gracious sister." Azula smirked. "And lucky for Mai, I'm an even more gracious friend. She said you've been acting all moody and Zuko-ish lately. What happened." Azula snorted. "Don't tell me you two broke up. After all the work I did reuinting you."

"You didn't do any work," Zuko rolled his eyes, his voice growing a little annoyed. Not today. He didn't want to deal with Azula today. Zuko said. "You wanted me back so Father would have someone to blame if the Avatar survived. You didn't care about Mai. Or me."

"So it's one of those days, huh." Azula narrowed her eyes. Her jaw clicking quietly. "Mai was right. You really are in a Zuko mood. Ugh," Azula rolled her eyes. She clicked her tongue. "Whatever. You're lucky I'm feeling nice today. Otherwise I'd-,"

"Nice. Is that how you felt." Zuko asked, eyes flicking back with a hint of annoyance. Outrage. Zuko scowled. "When you suggested to Father to burn the Earth Kingdom. Burn Ba Sing Se. Were you feeling nice when you proposed to use the comet to wipe out an entire city."

"You're being overdramatic." Azula snapped, eyes flashing with annoyance. Azula growled. "I knew you'd be all weak and squeemish about this. The war isn't over Zuzu. The Earth Kingdom's aren't going to stop just because Ba Sing Se was conquered. They need a message."

"You proposed a slaughter, Azula. A genocide." Zuko frowned. "Just like the air nomads."

"So?" Azula scoffed, rolling her eyes. "It worked then didn’t it? Pretty effective if you ask me.” Azula smirked. “I'm just ending what our great grandfather started, Zuzu. You're worried about who will die on the comet, think about how many have died in the last a hundred years." Azula sneered. "If anything, my plan is merciful."

Zuko scowled. Azula just smirked haughtily. 

"Think about it Zuzu." Azula taunted, lazily circling the tree with her fingers tracing along the bark. "If all goes well, the war will be over in a single day. Compared to how many years it might take to get the remnants of the Earth Kingdoms to stop resisting."

Azula's smile grew vicious. "Troublesome forces like Yiwen's army will lose their will to fight.” Azula smirked. “And those neutral nations like Kyoshi Island, Si Wong Desert, or the Jasmine isles. Well they certainly won't be having any second thoughts about trying to join any resistance against us."

Azula sneered, proud. "My plan will trade one city, a trashy city mind you, for complete and utter dominance on a world stage. No one will continue to defy us after that."

Azula barked a laugh, noticing Zuko's frown. Azula rolled her eyes and snorted. "Come on, stop being so dramatic. I mean you lived there yourself, Zuzu. Did you actually enjoy the lower ring? What are we actually burning besides run down establishments and shoddy tea."

"There are good people in the Lower ring." Zuko said quietly. Jin being one of the first to come to mind. There were thousands of people in Ba Sing Se, just living their lives. Going about their days. Sure, the city wasn't perfect, but the people weren't to blame. 

They definitely weren't meant to burn and die. 

All because Azula had suggested a brutal and swift end to an a hundred year war that started the same way. 

Azula noticed Zuko's dissaproval. She scoffed, "Typical of you Zuzu, getting attached to a city that treated you like a pauper. Maybe you should have been born a peasant. It would suit you better than a prince." Azula rolled her eyes, "Either way, my plan is happening, whether you like it or not. Father already approved, so you can keep moping about it or just get over it."

Azula narrowed her eyes. "We will use the comet to torch Ba Sing Se to the ground. It'll send a message to any remaining forces in the Earth Kingdom that there is no point in resisting." 

Azula snorted. "And then, if those dumb savages in the North Pole don't surrender themselves  outright, Agna Qel'a will be the only city left in the world that could possibly try to oppose us. And we can crush them any time we want."

Azula rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. "After we rebuild all those ships we lost in the Northern Siege. Seriously Zuzu, I've been meaning to talk to you about that." Azula scowled. "You couldn't have killed that idiot Zhao earlier. His plan set our navy back five years at least."

"I didn't kill Zhao, the ocean spirit did. And I thought you said father blamed Uncle for..." Zuko said, pinching his nose. Zuko shook his head. "No, nevermind. We're not talking about that now. What did you really come here to say, Azula. I know it wasn't just to check up on me."

"Even if it was out of the goodness of my heart?"

"Especially that." Zuko scowled. Azula snorted, her lips curling up in an amused tilt. 

"Well maybe you aren't so dumb after all brother." Azula snorted, shaking her head as she stood up off the tree and said. "I was just stopping by to inform you that I'll be preparing the tunnels for those idiots' invasion plan tomorrow. Father wanted to know if you'll be joining me in the diversion or joining him in the secret bunker down below." Azula rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I'll be fine with or without you, but I figured you might as well get the chance to squash this dumb suicide plan. I did find it in Ba Sing Se after all. And you 'helped' me conquer that city."

Zuko's lips twithced downwards. Azula smirked, her fingers touching her lips mockingly. "Who knows, maybe the avatar will be there. If you're lucky you might even get the chance to kill him. He'll be cocky because of the Black Sun. And you aren't horrible with those dumb chopsticks you call swords. One strike and-,"

"I'll stay with father, thanks Azula." Zuko said, frowning at the water. Zuko said. "Is that all."

Azula frowned, her eyes twitching. But whatever irritated her was gone in a second. She rolled her eyes and said. "Nothing, brother. I have better things to do. Don't spend to long brooding." Azula turned to leave. Zuko watched her go. For the briefest, quietest moment. 

He had the insane idea of asking her if she wanted to leave with him tomorrow.

And the next millisecond he shook the idea out of his head. Standing up, he took one last look at the turtle ducks before leaving. Heading back towards his room. He had a letter to write, and a bag he needed to pack. Tomorrow he'd have to be fast. To confront Father. 

To free Uncle from the dungeons. 

To leave the Fire Nation and find the Avatar's group.

To chase his destiny.

Zuko couldn't hesitate. He wouldn't. 

Zuko would find the Avatar, and help him restore balance to the world. 

That was Zuko's destiny. 

And Zuko wouldn't waver anymore. 

Present day

Zuko sat at the turtle duck pond. His hands were in his lap as if he were cupping an invisible fire. 

Zuko watched, in the midst of one of his many dreams. As his old memories played out in black and white. 

Azula had walked right, towards the inner palace. To set up the tunnels for the day of the black sun. 

Zuko had turned left, back to his room to pack. For the next day. For the day he left the Fire Nation for good.

That had... that had been the last time they weren't enemies.

Before Boiling Rock.

Before the Western Air Temple.

Before the Comet.

Before the Agni Kai.

Before Zuko died.

Before Azula killed him.

Zuko watched as the world blurred, greyed out, without color. The dream paused, and the scene shifted. He could see himself standing across from Azula. At their Agni Kai. His last day. She was smiling. Laughing. Mocking. As always...

'Oh, you want lightning?'

Always.

'I'll show you lightning!'

The dream was so familiar it stirred the phantom pain in Zuko's chest. The burn scar that would never be there. Zuko murmured. "Why are you showing me this again..." Zuko watched as Azula's lightning built in her fingertips. Zuko watched as Azula laughed, her manic smile burning as brightly as the comet. Zuko watched as Azula's eyes snapped past Zuko.

Zuko watched as Azula's lightning flashed towards Katara.

Zuko watched himself jump in front of the blast.

Zuko watched as it hit, and he tried to redirect it.

Zuko watched as he failed. His back hit the ground. It was too late.

Because Azula was too quick.

She had always been too quick.

"I already know what happens," Zuko said as he died. Writhing on the ground with burns searing through his chest. Zuko mumbled. "I know..."

Zuko watched as Katara tried healing his wounds, futile.

Zuko watched as Azula writhed against her chains in the background.

Zuko watched Azula break. Shatter. Breathing fire out of her mouth and sobbing on the ground. Zuko watched, his eyes low and quiet. He watched.

"I know," Zuko said quietly, eyes clear as he watched the scene shift one last time. Back in the courtyard. The palace courtyard of 100 years ago.

Roku sat across from him. His hands cupped in his lap just like Zuko. Cradling an invisible flame. A fire. Fire was life. It had to be nurtured. Directed.

It could burn or build.

Zuko knew that now. He was certain.

"Then why..." Roku frowned as he noticed the look in Zuko's eyes. Roku scowled. "Why do I have a feeling you aren't going to do what's necessary?"

"I won't kill her," Zuko said, and it felt like a weight off his shoulders. Replaced by another, a heavier one, a weight he wouldn't mind carrying.

"I won't kill Azula."

The same weight his Uncle had once held.

"I'm sorry, great-grandfather," Zuko said, his eyes never wavering. He bowed his head, his eyes swimming in memories. He couldn't do it.

"I won't be able to do what the spirits wish of me."

He couldn't kill his sister. Of that he was now certain.

"I won't kill her," Zuko repeated, his mind set. He looked up and saw what he expected to see. Roku's scowl was irritable and tired. The scene shifted.

"Why?" Roku demanded an answer, eyes firm. Zuko watched as the scene shifted again, the parade. After Zuko's death. His friend. His Uncle. His home.

All of it, broiled in war, Zuko was unable to prevent.

All because he died.

Roku ground his teeth, "You know what's at stake here." He frowned. "You know what hangs in the balance. So why, what holds you back?"

Roku's jaw clenched. "Is it because you found out your mother wasn't as charitable as you remember?" Roku's scowl deepened. "Do not be naive."

"I am not."

"Then quit acting like it!" Roku snapped, eyes angry and focused. "Your sister and your mother didn't get along. Unfortunate, but hardly an excuse for what your sister did. What she is going to do."

The scene shifted, Fire Nation banners falling over two cities.

"Capturing Omashu and Ba Sing Se," Roku growled, as if trying to get Zuko to understand. "Killing Aang, jailing the Kyoshi Warriors."

The dream shifted to the war meeting in the Fire Nation palace. The airships over the Earth Kingdom on the day of the comet. The world set ablaze.

"Using the comet to burn Ba Sing Se to the ground. Burn the Earth Kingdom." Roku's scowled eyes darkened, "That was her idea. Remember?"

Zuko did, he remembered. He remembered almost all of the heinous things his sister had done. He closed his eyes and listened. Waiting. Patiently.

"Killing you..." Roku said, finally, growing aggrieved by Zuko's calm and quiet demeanor. Roku clenched his jaw and grumbled. "You're not listening."

"I am..." Zuko said simply, softly, he opened his eyes. And they were clear. "I'm listening." Zuko said earnestly, "I am listening to you Avatar Roku."

"Then why won't you see it!" Roku snapped, the dream shaking as he spoke, "You're going to get yourself killed at this rate! All of her actions, everything she has ever done. She chose to do. To impress your father, that has always been her priority. Her choice."

Roku ground his teeth, growing frustrated at Zuko's refusal to see reason. "If there's anyone to blame," Roku said in a clipped tone. "If you feel 'bad' for her, because Ursa doesn't coddle her. Then open your eyes. It was your sister's decision to mimic Ozai's footsteps that pushed Ursa away in the first place."

"Maybe..." Zuko admitted, a note of conflict in his voice. The argument he'd overheard between Azula and Ursa. The words Azula had said when she was taking out her anger on him. 

Zuko couldn't pretend he hadn't heard them. Hadn't seen that there was more to Azula's grievances than the mere annoyance at mother for being 'too soft.' There was an actual rift there, and Zuko couldn't ignore it.

The relationship between Azula and Ursa was... strained. To say the least. Zuko knew that.

He didn't know how to fix it or even how to address it. Who was at fault, or was there even a way to change it? Zuko didn't know.

But it was there. And he couldn't unsee it.

No matter how... uncomfortable he felt.  

Ursa. His mother loved him unconditionally. His mother, who had disappeared one night to save his life.

Ursa might not have been able to show Azula the same warmth Zuko remembered. The same soothing love he clung to for years.

For one reason or another...

Azula might not have ever felt that love that kept Zuko warm on stormy nights.

"I know..." Zuko said quietly, "That Azula isn't blameless, I know that better than anyone." Zuko rubbed his chest. "But that doesn't change what I saw. What I now know..."

Zuko looked up, and Roku's expression was frustrated.

Frustrated at Zuko for clinging to an image that would get him killed.

A mirage in Roku's eyes.

"You're making a mistake." Roku tried again. "A grave mistake. She won't change for you. Even if you had ten lifetimes. She won't change. She doesn't want to." Roku's jaw clicked shut as he muttered. "You're being sickeningly selfish, putting your own family ties above the sake of the world. Trust me, that doesn't end well for you. For anyone."

Zuko nodded solemnly, accepting that criticism for what it was. Probably true. In some way, Zuko understood that Roku was probably right.

He was being selfish, putting the small glimpse of vulnerability he'd seen in his sister tonight over the potential lives of all his friends. His uncle...

Zuko knew he was being selfish, risking the balance of the world. On a girl he'd already seen toss it aside to impress Ozai. Zuko had died once because of it.

He might die a second time because of it.

And still...

Zuko's response was the same.

"Azula was alone," Zuko repeated, because that mattered. That mattered to him. It meant a lot to him, even if it was selfish. Zuko said. "She was alone on nights like this. Stormy nights. Father would never be the type come to see her, even if she wanted him to. And Mom... she couldn't do it either."

Zuko's expression turned somber.

"Azula was alone whenever it stormed at night."

Roku scowled. Zuko never wavered.

"And she was afraid of lightning..." Zuko whispered, eyes low and glossy. He laughed, a bitter, wet laugh. "I was a room over, and I never knew."

"She never cared for you to know; that was her choice." Roku ground his teeth. "Everything she ever did was her choice. Do not forget that. Do not conflate that with something else."

"I know."

"She killed you."

"I know."

"She'll do it again, to impress her father. To meet his expectations. To follow in his footsteps." Roku scowled. "Your sister already made her choice."

"So had I," Zuko said quietly, holding Roku's irritated gaze. Zuko said. "Back in the Catacombs, I made my choice. I changed. Uncle forgave me."

"Your sister isn't like you." Roku snapped, eyes twitching. "Some people change, some people don't. At best, they die. You can't change that. You can't change her. Open your eyes..." Roku pleaded, the dream shifting to show his sister. On the day of the comet. 

The dream showed how she laughed as she killed him. Her manic voice, her wild eyes. How volatile she was.

It scared him, even now...

Her lightning.

And yet this time, he couldn't bring himself to look away.

"Don't do this.." Roku tried again, as if seeing Zuko's gaze start to set in stone. Roku ground his teeth. "Don't throw it away. Not for her. Reconsider."

"She was alone..." Zuko responded simply, as if that was all that mattered. "The last time this monsoon hit the palace, she'd been alone. Mom..."

Zuko's hands trembled slightly in his lap. His mother. Zuko loved his mother. He always would. And on some level, Zuko believed Ursa loved both her children. Honestly. Zuko still believed that.

"Mom never visited Azula's room."

But that love hadn't been the same for Azula as it was for Zuko. Zuko knew that now. He accepted it, even if it was hard to think about. Azula didn't have Mom like Zuko had Mom. Zuko knew that.

"Mom never kissed Azula goodnight."

Zuko knew all too much now that Azula and Mom didn't get along. 

"Mom never read to her, or bandaged her, or sought her out to read at the library."

In his first life, he'd just assumed it was Azula's fault. Her choice. Because she hated Mom, even though Mom loved her. Zuko had believed Azula had both Mother and Father's attention. Their love. She had everything Zuko didn't. That's why he had hated her.

That's why she had always been the favorite.

And yet...

On Ember Island, Azula had said otherwise.

'My mother thought I was a monster.'

Zuko had assumed Azula was lying. As always.

'She was right, of course, but it still hurt.'

Now he knew that maybe Azula had a reason for saying what she said. Maybe her words weren't completely unfounded. Maybe they hadn't come from nowhere.

Maybe Azula had actually believed that.

"Azula was alone," Zuko said quietly. "Every night. Every monsoon. Every year, I was banished, and every year before. She was alone, and I wasn't."

"You're exaggerating." Roku scowled, fists clenching. Roku scoffed. "So maybe she was lonely every time the monsoon season rolled around or a stray thunderstorm hit. That isn't enough to excuse her. What she did. What she chose to do.” Roku scowled. “And even then, I would hardly call her childhood one spent alone." 

Roku's lips curled down in distaste. "Even if you want to discount Ozai, whom she was happy to impress, eager to follow and ready to please, no matter how many people she hurt in the process."

Zuko shifted uncomfortably.

Roku noticed it and huffed. "She still wasn't alone. She had her friends, something you never had. Friends, she chose to lock up in Boiling Rock. All because they did little more than talk back to her and refuse to follow her every order. You're giving her too much slack. Every choice that led her to that Agni Kai, to killing you in cold blood, was her own." Roku scoffed, rolling his eyes. "If you ask me, you had the worse childhood. The worse life. But you changed. You had the potential to change. And she didn't. Never even got close to it."

Roku frowned. "What does that say about her?"

"I don't know..." Zuko admitted, eyes quieter. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, thinking, waiting. Eventually, Zuko opened his eyes. Zuko looked up at Roku. Zuko murmured. "But..." He said assuredly. "I don't believe it means she can't change. I won't believe it."

"Don't throw your life away for someone like her," Roku snapped, sounding more urgent. "Trust me. I did it. I know how badly you want to believe in her, but there's nothing there." Roku tried to reason. "No matter what you do, she won't change. She doesn't want to. Trust me, I know."

Roku's jaw set and his eyes shadowed. "I loved Sozin, I knew him my entire life, we were with each other since we first learned to walk. We were friends before we could figure out what the word meant. We were not blood, but we were brothers, Zuko, brothers for over sixty years."

The dream shifted, a lifetime of memories. Two boys were introduced via their mothers. Curious and confused at first, but eventually they started seeking each other out. The dream shifted through Roku's memories, a lifetime's worth.

Starting with how Roku and Sozin spent the warm-season days playing at the turtle-duck pond. While their mothers sipped tea in the background.

Sometimes, Sozin and Roku argued and bickered over breakfast.

Other times, they trained together, too. Sozin had always been the better bender, but Roku never minded; he just enjoyed their time together.

The dreams shifted, so Sozin and Roku were laughing at the academy. Joking with each other during classes. One of the students tried to bully Roku for being a commoner.

Sozin punched the other student in the face. Leading to a brawl that Roku immediately joined.

Afterwards, they were chewed out by the headmaster. The two left the headmaster's office with a warning and a few cuts and bruises.

Sozin and Roku shared a glance.

A young Sozin threw his arm over Roku's shoulder, the two laughing. Smiling. Walking down the halls without a regret in the world.

It was a lifetime...

A lifetime that didn't make a difference all the same.

Roku clenched his fists in his lap.

"I loved Sozin as a brother, and what did that get me?" Roku scowled, "Nothing, I died. Sozin killed me for his own ambitions. Some things can't change. Some people can't change. Listen closely and listen well, great grandson, if you keep this... this childish, selfish attitude towards your sister. It won't just be your friends who suffer for it. It'll be you..."

Roku's jaw set, and his eyes grew dark and stormy. His face aged and old. Nothing like the boy had had once been an eternity ago. Roku spoke, and it was with the experience and assurance only someone who had lived through such an ordeal could speak of. Roku spoke sternly.

"She'll kill you, for her father's approval. Like she did once before."

And without a hint of a lie.

"You can spend the next eight years trying to 'save' her, and in the end, it won't matter. She won't want it. She won't change. When the time comes to make her choice, she'll choose wrong. Same as Sozin." Roku frowned, his eyes burning and bitter.

Desperate to make Zuko see sense. The world hung in the balance, and a bad choice could doom it to another 100 years of war. Roku knew that better than anyone. The desire to ignore the world's warnings because of someone you want to believe can change. More than anything. Even if...

Even if there's nothing there to change.

"She'll choose Ozai over you," Roku emphasized, the dream shifting back to Roku's death. Sozin's choice. Roku clenched his jaw.

"Without fail," Roku said, as the dream shifted to Zuko's death. Writhing on the ground with his chest searing. Roku ground his teeth. "If push comes to shove. If she is asked to choose between you and Ozai's approval. Sozin's vision. Then believe me."

Roku spoke sternly, with no room for error.

"She will not choose you."

Roku needed Zuko to understand. Before Zuko made a mistake, and it became too late to correct it. The same foolish mistake Roku once made.

"No matter what you do or how hard you try."

The same mistake Roku never stopped regretting.

"She will never choose you over Ozai. And when the time comes, you will suffer for it." Roku frowned. "And your destiny... your destiny will not survive it.”

Roku spoke with a sense of necessity. Urgency. A firm voice that compelled Zuko to understand before it was too late.

“She will take everything you have ever done for her.“ Roku ground his teeth. “Everything you try to do to show her the way. And she will burn it. Throw it back in your face. Don’t you get it! She won’t change.”

Roku spoke with a sense of finality.

“She will betray you, if you decide to put such unwarranted faith in her.”  

Zuko listened, and when he spoke, it was with a resigned sense of acceptance.

"Then I guess I'll know how Uncle felt all the more," Zuko said softly, his eyes quiet and clear, the calm fire that lingered in the hearth of home. He met Roku's dark gaze, and Zuko spoke without worry. Without hesitation. Without doubt. For the first time since he woke up eight years in the past. He spoke with a quiet, calm sense of assurance. Peace.

"Uncle never gave up on me..."

The peace that came when one truly accepted a weight worth more than their own.

"I will not give up on her," Zuko said, finally, his eyes firm and unyielding. Roku scowled, fists subtly clenching in his lap. Roku ground his teeth.

Roku muttered. "Then you are making a mistake you may not live to regret." Roku's eyes narrowed. "Even your uncle that you believe to be honoring..."

The dream shifted to the small shack in the Earth Kingdom. 

It was after Uncle had been hit by Azula's fire. Zuko had sat down and asked for more training. To defeat Azula. To stop her. Because she was chasing them through the Earth Kingdom, and Zuko could beat her. He'd never been able to beat her. The Dream echoed the conversation.

Zuko was sitting, offering Uncle tea. Zuko had said. "I need your help, Uncle. I need more training for when Azula finds us. I need to know how to bend lightning. How to beat her. I know you'll say that we're siblings and supposed to get along."

The dream stopped after Uncle's response.

"Oh no, she's crazy and needs to go down."

Zuko watched the dream and flinched, hesitation crawling in his gut for the briefest moment. Roku noticed and narrowed his eyes.

"Your Uncle, on that big pedestal you place him on," Roku said, voice grave and brutally honest. "Was he not the first to warn you she was a lost cause?"

Zuko's fists clenched slightly. His head lowered, he remembered that conversation. 

Back then, he'd been relieved. That Uncle, for all his unending kindness and understanding and tea-filled wisdom, saw what Zuko had seen. A monster. His sister, who burned turtleducks and tormented Zuko throughout childhood. Zuko had been relieved then.

He was less so now.

"You're right, he did warn me not to trust her. Multiple times. And I didn't listen..." Zuko said quietly, remorseful. Regretful. "If I had, I never would have made the mistake I made in the catacombs. Uncle warned me about Azula."

Roku's eyebrow quirked slightly. The dream shifted towards the catacombs, the day Zuko had the chance to choose his destiny and chose wrong. Zuko saw himself join Azula and attack Katara and Aang. Zuko saw Azula's lightning hit Aang's back. Zuko saw Aang fall. Zuko saw Uncle step in to buy Katara and Aang time to escape. Zuko saw Uncle give up as soon as they were safe, and let himself get captured by Dai Lee. Zuko saw Uncle's face fall in disappointment.

Zuko saw his greatest mistake play out once more.

When it was over, Zuko kept his head down. His eyes lowered in shame and regret. Roku waited. 

And eventually... 

Zuko murmured. "Maybe Uncle already believed Azula was too far gone. I know that..." he said. "I know that."

And Roku frowned. As if sensing the caveat on Zuko's tongue.

Zuko looked up and held Roku's gaze. Zuko's eyes were steady, even though the details in his head were complicated. 

Zuko's voice was clear.

"But I believe..." Zuko said quietly. "That if he saw what I've now seen of her, if he knew what I now know..."

Zuko's voice grew calmer, more solid. They held weight. The weight of a quiet certainty. 

"Uncle's response would be different."

If Uncle had heard Azula and Ursa's conversation. If he had seen Azula snap and break down, taking her anger out on the world. On the person closest.

If Uncle had seen what Zuko saw tonight, when Azula had slammed the door shut and taken her frustration out on Zuko. Cursing his name.

Zuko believed Uncle would have laughed.

Because Zuko had once been the same.

"He would want me to stay by her side," Zuko said softly, eyes level. Remembering the days during his banishment. The days on the Wani. Where he'd been angry and frustrated, and Uncle was usually the recipient of his bleeding tongue.

"As he once stood by mine."

Zuko remembered how awful he used to be to  Uncle, along with all the shame and regret that came with it. Zuko remembered his Uncle's support and the warmth and understanding he showed, despite everything Zuko said or did. Even if Zuko hadn't wanted it. Hadn't deserved it.

Uncle had stayed and weathered Zuko's storm.

Waiting for day to break.

With all the confidence that it would one day happen.

"I will choose to believe in Azula," Zuko said quietly, with all the confidence he never once felt for himself. Zuko met Roku's gaze. Zuko held it sincerely. Without a hint of doubt. Even if it hurt. Even if it led to despair.  Even if it backfired. Even if Azula betrayed him.

Zuko would believe in her, Azula. In the Azula he'd seen tonight. The Azula that was scared of lightning. The Azula who looked so frustrated and hurt after her argument with Mom. The Azula who took all her pain out on Zuko. The Azula that reminded Zuko so much of himself during his banishment. 

Zuko would believe...

Zuko would believe there was more to his sister than a mirror image of Father's cruelty and greed. Zuko would believe Azula could change.

Zuko would believe in her.

"As Uncle once believed in me."

Zuko wouldn't change his mind. Roku could recognize it in Zuko's voice and the fire in his eyes, soft and unending, like the eternal flames the Sun Warriors had worshiped. Zuko bowed his head and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Great Grandfather," Zuko said earnestly, his hands and head touching the floor as he closed his eyes. "I can not follow your advice this time."

Zuko wouldn't give up on his sister.

"Thank you for trying to guide me."

Not again.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to live up to your expectations," Zuko said, his head bowed in apology. He waited; a minute must've passed.

Roku said nothing.

"You..." Roku eventually said, disappointment and frustration in his tone. He scowled. Zuko looked up at his great grandfather at accepted it. Roku saw Zuko's eyes and clicked his tongue.

 "You will regret it," Roku warned, cautioned. Voice strained and tired. Pained. "You will always regret it. Forever."

Zuko's eyes were soft. Roku's eyes were hardened, worn from experience.

"For every day for the rest of your life and afterlife, you will regret not being able to do what was necessary," Roku warned firmly. "You..."

Roku's words fell hard and without doubt.

"Will suffer. Your friends will suffer. The world will suffer. And if you aren't dead by the end of it, you'll only be able to watch." Roku said bitterly. "As your act of hopeful delusion dooms the world to another 100 years of war that you could have prevented."

Roku spoke one final time, a final attempt to stop Zuko from making the biggest mistake of his life. A mistake Roku made 100 years ago. A mistake of love.

"Will you not charge your mind, great-grandson?"

A love that blinded those to the sad truth, that some people couldn't change. Because they at no point in their lives, see the need or want to.

Sozin had twenty years to change.

Roku had tried for twenty years to change his brother.

He failed.

And Roku knew, when Zuko held Roku's gaze with quiet and steady eyes, that Roku's Great Grandson was doomed to repeat it as well.

Zuko said with finality, "I will not change my mind." The words echoed through the silent dream like a vow. Zuko met Roku's gaze and didn't waver.

"Even if it's a risk, Great Grandfather..."

Never again.

"I won't kill her."

Never again would Zuko waver.

"That's the path I believe Uncle would want me to choose," Zuko said, and Roku's gaze turned dull. Resigned. Like Roku was going to have to watch his great-grandson repeat every futile step Roku had once walked, towards the very same futile end.

"If you truly believe that..." Roku's lips thinned, voice bitterly tired and resigned. "Then you are a bigger fool than I thought, Great Grandson."

Zuko flinched. But accepted it.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Great Grandfather."

Roku gnashed his teeth and turned away as the dream shifted. A pond. The Turtle duck pond in the palace gardens of a hundred years ago.

Roku sat at the edge, his back to Zuko.

"Do what you want," Roku said bitterly. Eyes staring out over the motionless water. Roku scowled. "You will see as I did, it will not matter."

Roku's fists tightened slightly.

"You will attempt to change your sister who does not wish to change. And you will fail. You will try, hope, and make excuses on her behalf, and in the end, it will not matter." Roku warned quietly. "The spirits will remind you, destiny will remind you, that some things can never change. Some things aren't ever meant to be. No matter what you try to do."

Zuko watched as the water quietly spun in the memory of the old turtle duck pond. Roku's words echo through the silence of time and misery.

"You will fail," Roku whispered with a tone of utter exhaustion. The eyes of someone who had failed. Someone who had tried and tried and still failed.

"I only hope when you do, there will still be enough time for you to realize your mistake and correct it," Roku said with finality. "Before it's too late."

That was it. Roku said nothing else. He looked out over the turtle duck pond. Zuko's fists clenched slightly, but he only nodded. Accepting his great-grandfather's criticisms. Zuko sat on his knees, bowing his head to the ground. A proper kowtow.

"I'm sorry, great-grandfather, thank you for trying to help me. I am grateful for your wisdom. Even if I can't agree with it." Zuko said honestly. Roku scoffed, but didn't reply. Only stared out at the water. Zuko looked up at Roku's tired, weary back. 

It looked like it bore a hundred years of guilt and sorrow. A hundred years.

Zuko lowered his gaze and asked. "Will you stay..."

"...Will you even listen if I do?" Roku asked, raising a brow. Zuko didn't answer. Roku scoffed, looking back out at the water. Minutes of silence passed.

And eventually, when the dream started to blur and fade. And Zuko wondered if this would be the last conversation he had with his Great Grandfather.

Roku spoke, a murmured, resigned sigh of sorts.

"I suppose I have no choice in the matter," Roku grumbled. "Not much else to do until Aang wakes up," Roku scoffed. "And I spend another countless, fruitless talks trying to convince him to just listen to Yangchen and kill Ozai. I swear, you two..."

Zuko watched as the dream started to blur, and Roku's back started to fade. As Zuko got closer and closer to waking, Zuko heard Roku's final grievances.

"You and Aang..." Roku grumbled. "Are the same type of stubborn."

Zuko stood in the fading dream, stunned, before a tiny smile graced Zuko's lips. He heard his great-grandfather grumble something about 'of course you took that as a compliment,' before the dream faded to black, and he felt the familiar tug of the sun deep in his body, pulling him out of slumber.

Fire benders woke at dawn, when they could feel their element creating the horizon. Today was no different. 

So Zuko woke at dawn. Under the haze of groggy sleep and back in Azula's room. His first glimpses of vision showed the destruction left over from yesterday. Puddles soaked into the floors. Loose objects were scattered about. A piece of the broken window screen was still lying about. The room was a mess.

But it also felt warmer.

Because when Zuko opened his eyes a little more fully. He felt it. The heat. Sunlight trickled through the headboard, blocking the window. Zuko didn't hear the rain he'd grown accustomed to. The wind he'd grown to hate. The lightning that made him wary, he only heard a breeze and birds chirping somewhere outside. Somewhere far outside.

The Monsoon, one of the worst in Fire Nation's recorded history.

Had ended.

And when Zuko woke that morning, he didn't feel relieved or satisfied.

He felt confused.

Because of the weight he expected to feel. The weight of responsibility he had decided to take on in this life that he hadn't been able to in his last one.

That solemn weight...

Was replaced by a weight on his shoulder.

And the softest of snores.

Zuko slowly opened his eyes and looked to his right, confused. Last night, he'd fallen asleep a few feet from Azula, the two sleeping on the cold ground, backs to the foot of Azula's bed. When Zuko woke, she was right sitting beside him. He saw a head of obsidian hair hanging loosely. Azula's head was resting against his shoulder as she slowly started to wake.

Azula slowly but surely woke, as the weight of the rising sun beckoned her out of her slumber just as it had Zuko. Azula blinked her eyes open.

She looked at him.

Zuko looked back.

Azula punched him in the face and sent him sprawling on the ground. Azula stood up like an angry Bat-Leopard and hissed. "What are you still doing here! Get out of my room! I told you that a million times already, Zuzu, don't you listen!"

Zuko blinked away the stars in his vision, blood trickling down his nose. His back resting on the damp floor, Zuko looked up and saw Azula crossing her arms and glaring down at him. Her eyes were piercing and angry. Zuko stopped, because the light of the sun was starting to creep in through the damp and dreary room. He saw it.

The tips of Azula's ears...

Were red. Flushed. Embarrassed. Despite Azula's attempts to hide it. 

Zuko laughed. He laughed loudly and freely. Relieved. Probably looking like a madman. He laughed as Azula fumed in the background.

"You! You little..." Azula kicked Zuko in the side, and Zuko didn't even care. He just kept laughing. Which only made Azula angrier. Azula ground her teeth. "Get out! You little... ugh! I hate you. What's gotten into you. Are you having a stroke or something. Do it outside, not here. Just… get out, dumb dumb!” 

Zuko laughed, wiping tears out of his bruised eye. He shook his head. He heard Azula growl, 'fine, have it your way!' before stomping off. Probably to try and get Grandpa.

Zuko probably should have been more concerned. Azulon would be furious when he learned Zuko had disobeyed his orders. Again. But at the moment, he couldn't care.

Zuko heard Azula's footsteps stomp out of the disheveled room, slamming the door behind her. Zuko shook his head and lay flat on his back. He looked up at the ceiling. His laughter slowly abated as he watched dust particles float and mingle under the morning rays. The sun crested over the room and lit the stale, cold air. Zuko watched.

And as the dark storm clouds that swept through the Fire Nation for the last three weeks finally faded. And a long-overdue morning sunlight took its place.

Zuko smiled.

Because for the first time since Zuko was brought back to the past.

The stone in his stomach finally started to crack.

Chapter Text

At the end of 92AG, if one were to peruse the annals of Fire Nation's long and rich history. If one were to look at the scrolls or history records kept by the Fire Nation, one would find many things.

Starting after the spark of the Hundred Years' War and the successful use of Sozin's comet to eliminate the imminent threat the air nomads posed.

One would see the successful campaigns against Earth Nation cities, such as General Yeoh's march on Jianzhu in 79AG or General Uyanga's burning of Bao King in 87AG. General Gong's seizure of Dao Long and Dao Shu in 75AG and 76AG, twin cities that had been untouched since the war's beginning. Or any of General Iroh's successful campaigns in his long and illustrious military career.

One would see the Fire Nation's failed campaigns of General Bau, 49AG, and General Mo, 65AG, against Ba Sing Se and Omashu, respectively. Great Admiral Yeayu's failed siege of 72AG against the Northern Tribe's crown jewel, Agna Qel'a. Or Admiral Shia's failed attempt to conquer Kyoshi Island in 84AG.

One would see revered names like Azulon, the Dragon of the South. Or General Iroh, Dragon of the West. General Gong, the Lion of Caldera. Great Admiral Chen, conqueror of the bountiful coastal cities of Saipong and Lin Fe. Or Admiral Yon Rha of the Southern Raiders, and his decades of successful campaigns against the Southern Water Tribe.

One would see cursed names like Bumi, the Mad King. Jeong-Jeong, the deserter. General Ko the Unending. Or General Hau the Undying. General Doanmu the Unbreakable. General Shao Feng the Underhanded. 

But at the end of 92 AG, when the sages and fire nation historians were updating their catalogues with the events of the year. If one were to read the history books later recorded, in 92AG, there were only two events marked down as truly significant. Two events worthy of being immortalized in the Fire Nation's historical record and archives.

The first was a Monsoon, later labeled Hua. The third strongest monsoon in Fire Nation history. Lasted three weeks and devastated coastal villages. Reconstruction efforts spanned months. And rumors said it delayed Fire Nation military interests just as long. The Monsoon of 92AG was one such incident the sages deemed important enough to record.

The other...

Was an incident that took place in the southeastern sea just a few weeks prior to the monsoon.

An incident that happened among the neutral Island chain, known as the Jasmine Isles.

An incident that the locals of the Jasmine Isles later called the Great Devastation.

92 AG

A few Months before Monsoon Hua...

In the South West Sea, a naval fleet of over eight ships waited. Resting. The head ship, run by Admiral Shia, a decorated veteran with a stellar track record.

Shia's headship, the Oki, was currently being used to head to a nearby port.

To drop off cargo.

And in Shia's office, there was a young woman, 24 years old, standing in middling Fire Nation armor, with a burly, bulky, intimidating build. A soldier and a brawler. She had tanned skin littered with tiny scars, old and new, especially along her strong arms and calloused hands. She had shorter, messy dark brown hair that trailed just down her neck and below her shoulders.

Along with dark greenish brown eyes.

Her name was Onomu.

And she was said 'cargo.'

"You're being transferred, Private Onomu." Admiral Shia, an old, aged bitch of a woman, said. Brown eyes and weathered black hair tied in a bun.

Onomu scowled.

There were a few things Onomu learned since serving under Admiral Shia.

Onomu fucking hated this ship. And water. And boats in general. Since they could never figure out which fucking way they wanted to rock and tilt.

And second.

Onomu hated Shia.

Because the bitch hated her.

"Why?" Onomu scowled, grinding her teeth. "I haven't even-,"

"Done anything? That's the problem." Admiral Shia scowled. "You don't follow orders properly."

"Because your orders were stupid as fuck!"

"You talk back to superiors using vulgar language as well, regularly." Admiral Shia narrowed her eyes. Onomu ground her teeth but held her tongue.

Fuck. This. Bitch.

How was any of this Onomu's fault? Onomu talked back, so what? Shia shouldn't have given such a shit order. Every single order since Onomu was transferred here was designed to waste her time and piss her off even more. Clean the latrines. Mop the deck. Work cleanup at the mess hall. Onomu joined to be a soldier, not a fucking dumbass.

Since Onomu arrived under Shia’s employ, the bitch had been giving Onomu jobs reserved for recruits and greenhorns. Of which, Onomu was neither.

Shia had been wasting Onomu’s time. For months.

Until eventually Onomu snapped and refused to do one. 

And now they were here. Because procedure said defying an order, any order, was a bad idea.

And, apparently, that procedure outweighed the fact that Onomu hadn't been defeated once. Not by Earthbenders.

Not by anyone under Shia's command.

Even the prissy ass elites that graduated from Fire Nation Prep Academy. Even they couldn't beat her.

Onomu was unmatched.

And yet...

Admiral Shia was going to transfer her.

Just like General Buying did at the last station.

And Admiral Mamushi, the one before that.

Onomu scowled as she glared at Shia. This bitch. Did she really think Onomu was blind? That Onomu couldn't see the small tug on Shia's lips.

The reason for the transfer was fucking obvious.

"Fine, Admiral," Onomu growled, planting her hand on the table with enough force to shake it. Onomu glared at her current, or former boss, probably, since Onomu's can was being kicked down the line. Again. Onomu leaned forward and scowled. "But, are you sure this is only because I talked back a little?"

"A lot." Shia frowned, her eyes narrowed. "And yes..."

Admiral Shia held out the transfer orders. Requested and stamped for approval by Shia herself. Sending Onomu off to Admiral Yeayu.

Admiral Shia smiled. Pleasantly.

"This is simply because you were too stubborn to follow orders." Shia placed the orders on her desk and tapped them. "I am sorry this had to happen-,"

"Holy fuck, save your breath." Onomu scowled and snatched the paper off the desk. She saw Shia's eyes narrow. Onomu rolled her eyes. Fuck her. If Admiral Shia wanted to teach Onomu a 'lesson,' she could go ahead and try. Onomu's would wipe the floor with this condescending, arrogant, racist-,

"Private Onomu, you have been excused," Shia repeated, because Onomu hadn't given a fuck to listen the first time. Onomu's scowl deepened as she turned and left Shia's office, her heavy footsteps stomping down the metal ship halls as the dumb boat rocked on the harsh sea waves. Fuck.

"Bastard!" Onomu ground her teeth and punched the wall, her fist echoing against the metal with a loud clang. She ground her teeth. Damn it.

Onomu knew Shia had it out for her since day one. Green eyes. That's all Shia saw, most anyone ever saw in this goddamn circus act of an army.

Onomu growled as she saw a few officers spot her, snickering as they walked past. One of the sneered and asked. "Admiral finally cut you loose, halfie?"

Onomu snapped. "I don't know. Why don't you come closer, and we can talk about it?" Onomu ground her teeth, glaring death at the passing pansies. They stiffened, noticing the blood dripping down Onomu's knuckles and dripping down the iron walls of the ship.

Onomu sneered. "What? Missing something?"

They scowled and kept walking.

Like bitches.

One of them muttered. "Whatever, mongrel." The two turned the corner. "Should've known a halfie couldn't follow orders. Too much dirt in their ears."

Onomu ground her teeth as they scurried off. Her hands heated up as she placed her burning palm on the metal wall. The metal started glowing orange. Smoking. The air started burning, the kind of hard-to-breathe burn that Onomu liked. The muddy kind.

Fuck it.

She'd kill them and throw their bodies overboard. She was getting sacked off anyway, she might as well take those pansy ass bitches with her.

Onomu took a step to follow them around the corner, before a familiar voice stalled her hand.

"Onomu." A lithe woman said, clad in fire nation armor. About Onomu's age. Onomu rolled her eyes and turned back to see a had long black hair that fell down her back like a lion's mane, and sharp golden eyes. Peach skin. She smirked. "Uh oh, I know that look. What happened this time? Was Shia mad?"

"Shut the fuck up, Gija, I'm not in the mood," Onomu grumbled, even if her shoulders relaxed a little. Gija, daughter of Gong the Lion. Ever since Onomu had been stationed together, Gija had been the only person Onomu could stomach being around. Onomu clicked her tongue. "I..."

"You..." Gija raised a brow. "Got transferred."

"Fuck, was it obvious?"

"I don't know," Gija tapped her chin. "How many times have you been transferred since joining the army again? The number slips my mind."

"Three, now fuck off," Onomu growled, stomping towards the training hall below deck. "I need to go hit something. Hard."

"I'll join, can't get rusty, can I?" Gija said, stepping beside Onomu with ease. Gija smirked. "So, what was it? You finally snap and try to kill her?"

"No."

"Was it when you punched Jao off the crow's nest?"

"He deserved it." Onomu snapped, grinding her teeth. She clicked her tongue and grumbled. "Whatever. You know, Shia had it out for me."

"I mean," Gija smiled, drawing out her words. "I'm not sure I knooow that."

"Oh yeah, because she just chooses to kick me out after making my life hell for three months." Onomu scowled. "I kept my mouth shut and dealt with her shit for three months, Gija. Three. She kept sticking me on latrine duty and trying to get me to explode."

"And she succeeded."

"Fuck yeah, she did. I'm not a pushover, or a rookie."

"You technically are a Private."

"I'm one of the best fighters on this ship, in Shia's entire fleet. I should be a higher rank by now." Onomu rolled her eyes. "And I'm only saying 'one of' because I don't want to hurt your feelings."

"And not because Kalyan would be pissed."

"Kalyan can fuck off and die. He can't beat me."

"There are a lot of people who can't beat you, Onomu. Whether Kalyan or I are on the list is debatable." Gija smirked and knocked the back of her fist against Onomu's breast plate. "And I'm only saying 'debatable' because I don't want to hurt your feelings."

"Bitch." Onomu rolled her eyes and knocked the back of her fist against Gija's breast plate in return. Onomu huffed; her lips twitched upwards. Gija, the one good thing that came out of this show of a station under Admiral Shia. Onomu was actually gonna miss the cheeky bitch.

Kalyan, not so much.

Onomu scowled as they got to the training hall. She saw Kalyan, tall and well-built. Not a behemoth like his father, Yeoh the Bear. But confident enough not be cowed by it. And smart enough to be annoyingly smug about it. Onomu fucking hated the guy; he put her on edge.

It always felt like he was planning something.

Kalyan finished punching the training post, his knuckles cracking against the wood. He stopped, quickly noticing Onomu and Gija.

Kalyan smirked, "Look who it is." His pasty skin sheened with sweat and sharp black hair that fell over his golden eyes. A handsome face and a sharp jaw line, if the fucker was interested in anything besides climbing the ranks, he'd probably be a heart throb.

And if he was never able to open his mouth, Onomu might even consider him her type.

Kalyan glanced at the two. Kalyan skimming past Onomu and towards Gija. Kalyan said. "So, what are you hanging out with the brute for? Got bored?"

"Onomu got fired," Gija said with teasing disappointment. "So I figured I'd enjoy every fleeting moment we have left together."

Gija leaned against Onomu's side. Onomu scowled, ears red as she pushed her off, "You traitor!" Onomu growled. "I didn't get fired."

"Sorry," Gija smirked and touched her lips. "Transferred."

Kalyan hummed. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"Got something to say, Cub?" Onomu snapped a glare at Kalyan.

Kalyan smirked and said. "Well, Boar, just saying that despite your obviously 'good manners' and 'respectable behavior' and 'great personality.'"

"I'll kill you," Onomu said seriously. "No one will know."

"Everyone will know. You aren't exactly subtle. And you couldn't kill me if you tried." Kalyan smirked and leaned against the training pole. Onomu glared. 

Kalyan rolled his eyes and said. "But, despite all that. I could've told you months ago that Shia would never keep you around. Much less promote you."

"And why," Onomu snarled. "The fuck not."

"Because she hates you." Kalyan shrugged.

And Onomu, for once, once, was happy Kalyan still drew breath in this world.

"Ha!" Onomu barked at Gija. "Told you. Even smart ass over here says so."

"Yeah, yeah." Gija rolled her eyes and went over to her own training post. "I know, I was just messing with you. Everyone knows Shia hates you."

Kalyan went back to punching his training post. "Yeah, she's still bitter about failing to take Kyoshi Island eight years ago." Kalyan hummed. "You were screwed the moment she saw your eyes."

Onomu grumbled. "Thanks fucker, you write motivational speeches in your free time." She went to her own training post. Bashing her fist against it. She clicked her tongue. "Well, whatever. Glad your fancy prep academy crap was finally useful."

"You act like I'm the only one who went." Kalyan rolled his eyes. "Gija was there too. Third in our age group."

"And Kalyan was second." Gija smirked. Kalyan flinched, like he was still annoyed at the fact. Gija laughed. "Oh, doesn't feel so good? Does it? Second place."

"Shut up..." Kalyan muttered, rolling his eyes and going back to punching his training post. He clicked his tongue. "Point is, Onomu."

"Don't call me that."

"Your name?"

"It sounds slimy coming out of your mouth." Onomu scowled.

"Okay, boar." Kalyan scoffed. Onomu growled. Kalyan rolled his eyes. "Just because you learned in the wilderness and we didn't doesn't mean we're weaker."

"I grew up in the colonies." Onomu snapped. "Not a goddamn forest."

"Sorry, I just meant because of your 'civil' demeanor, I assumed," Kalyan ducked as a fireball flew past his head. Kalyan chuckled as he stood back up and kept punching the post. "Missed."

"Next time I won't," Onomu grumbled. Gija chuckled. Onomu rolled her eyes and muttered. "Glad to be off this hunk of junk. Never see your faces again."

Gija sighed dramatically. "So rude."

Kalyan chuckled. "What'd you expect? She probably learned manners from the whimsical fox-monkeys."

Onomu's eyes twitched. "Shut up."

Kalyan and Gija laughed. And Onomu rolled her eyes, punching the training post and imagining it was Shia's face. Onomu huffed and kept punching.

And later, if Gija dragged her with Kalyan to the mess hall for goodbye mead, Onomu only did it because she was hungry.

Nothing else.

Yeayu was a hard ass.

That was the first thing Onomu learned as she stepped into the woman's office aboard the Zai. Yeayu, an old woman, basically a hag, but still fit enough that she wasn’t a useless hag. She had wavy dark gray hair, and sharp hazel eyes that seemed annoyed at everything that breathed.

Hard ass.

Onomu was certain of it because Yeayu wasted no time proving so.

"Onomu," Yeayu said, idly glancing at Onomu's papers. Yeayu said. "Didn't attend the Royal Fire  Academy for Girls. Joined directly from the colonies."

"We're here for a storytelling session or..." Onomu muttered under her breath, and Yeayu didn't even flinch. 

Yeayu simply kept flipping through the papers on her desk. "Next time you interrupt me," Yeayu said simply. "I'll have you executed."

And Yeayu kept flipping. Onomu frowned, unsure whether that was a threat or just posturing. Onomu had time in the military where her superiors were both. Mamushi had been the real deal. A real bitch, but the real deal. Bujing probably hadn't had a fight in so long his bones would shit dust after a punch.

Yeayu seemed more like a Mamushi than Bujing.

So Onomu let out an annoyed grunt and said nothing. Letting Yeayu read through Onomu's military history so far. Her track record.

Yeayu hummed. "Your combat records are exceptional. But you have consistent problems with disrespectful conduct towards authority and are notorious for failing to get along with your peers. You have been transferred from Admiral Mamushi, General Buying, and now Admiral Shia's employ."

Yeayu closed the records and looked up at Onomu. Yeayu said simply. "I'm going to put you under a Lieutenant I currently have under my command."

"Currently?" Onomu asked, raising a brow.

"Currently. He's here to get his sea legs." Yeayu clicked her tongue. "More like probation, but I highly doubt that'll last. He's bound to climb quickly."

Yeayu narrowed her eyes. "Hence why you will be working under him. And if he requests your transfer, as every other one of your past superiors has."

Yeayu put the parchments away.

"I will not be granting you a transfer. I will be moving for you to be discharged. Dishonorably." Yeayu said simply. Onomu stiffened, her fists clenching. Yeayu leveled a cold gaze at Onomu. "You are only still in this military because your combat potential is useful. However..."

Yeayu frowned. "I think differently." Yeayu tilted her head. "Your strength is not special. It's adequate at best." Yeayu shrugged. Onomu scowled, but didn't speak. Yeayu snorted, as if amused by Onomu's reaction. "The Fire Nation does not need someone it can't trust," Yeayu sneered. "And based on the report of your initial transfer from Mamushi’s employ, you can't even be trusted to follow orders. That's a liability I will not tolerate. Do you understand?"

"...Yes, Admiral."

"Excellent," Yeayu said, dismissing Onomu. "Captain Zhao will take you to meet your new superior. Don't become a liability, Private Onomu. Dismissed."

"...Yes, Admiral Yeayu." Onomu's words came with an annoyed grunt. Onomu turned and walked out of the office. He found Captain Zhao waiting. A middle-aged man with dumb facial hair and dumb dark amber eyes, who looked like he had a vendetta against life and anything that breathed its air.

He looked like the type that pissed Onomu off most.

The Kalyan type.

Onomu scowled. "The fuck are you looking at?"

"Lovely." Zhao sneered, "You sound as barbaric as all the reports suggest."

"You-,"

"Follow me. Don't talk." Zhao said, walking away. "You wasted enough of Admiral Yeayu's time. And I will not hesitate to report you for any disrespect."

Onomu scowled and stomped behind Zhao. She muttered. "How manly. Snitch."

"This is the military. Not the academy." Zhao glanced back and sneered. "Then again, with your... background, I suppose it makes sense you never learned the difference."

"Excuse me." Onomu ground her teeth.

Zhao merely scoffed. "What? I was simply saying you weren't educated. That isn't a secret. The academy is hardly known for wasting time on orphans. Especially ones that spent the majority of their lives rolling through the muck in the colonies."

"You read my entire file or just stick it up your ass and let it talk for you?" Onomu growled. "Wanna say something? Let's go to the training hall and talk."

"Oh, I would love to, but unlike you, I actually have work to do, and a record of doing it efficiently." Zhao sneered, stopping in the hall. He turned to Onomu and leaned over, whispering in her ear. "And unlike you, I don't have dirt clogging up my brain, so I actually know when to bark and when to bite."

Onomu bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Zhao leaned back and smirked, a shit-eatin smirk. He turned down the hall and pointed at the end door.

"Your Lieutenant will be in his quarters." Zhao walked away with a passing sneer. "Good luck under his excellency, Dirt eater." Zhao barked a snide laugh. "I'll be sure to wish you goodbye when you inevitably screw this assignment up as well."

"You fucking..." Onomu ground her teeth, watching as Zhao walked down the hall and turned the corner. Onomu clenched her jaw as the ship rocked. Her hands balled into fists, smoke rising out. It took Onomu five minutes to make sure she was calm. Otherwise, she would risk blowing up her new boss. Lieutenant, whatever the fuck, it didn't matter.

Because now Onomu would have to be squeaky fucking clean for the next however long she was here, and it was going to be hell.

Absolute hell.

"Fuck this," Onomu growled as she finished blowing off steam. Opening her hands as smoke stopped blowing off them. She clicked her tongue.

Whatever. She could do this. She just had to not fuck up her shitty ass superior for once. Easy peasy. Onomu's time here would be a breeze.

A fucking breeze…

Yeah fucking right, it was gonna be hell. 

"Wish I never got booted off Mamushi's ship..." Onomu grumbled to herself. Mamushi was the only boss Onomu hadn't hated working under. The only one Onomu had actually respected. First one too. Onomu actually would've stayed there.

If she hadn't fucked up a mission royally, and Mamushi was forced to remove Onomu or get in big trouble with the upper brass.

Onomu still felt bitter about that one.

But this time... this time would be different.

Onomu would be fucking spotless.

So Onomu got to the door at the end of the hall, fancy fuck ass door. But she guessed Lieutenants get their perks. Last rank before General after all.

Onomu waited.

And when the door opened, she saw a soldier, a woman with messy hair and armor that looked like it was put on far too hastily to be proper. The girl glanced at Onomu, face flushed, before walking past. Onomu scowled, wrinkling her nose. Seriously?

Her new boss couldn’t keep it in his pants. Fun. Awesome. Just great. Onomu already didn't like the prick.  She scowled and watched as her new boss stuck his head out the door. He glanced at her and smirked. "Oh, you must be my new Private. Onomu, right?"

The man stepped out, armor put on perfectly. Which made Onomu more annoyed because it meant he had practice at this kind of thing. She rolled her eyes as she saw him lean against his doorframe, arms crossed. He had tanned skin and black hair, tied in a small ponytail, with a bit of a sideburn thing going on. He smiled, and it could've cut diamonds. Pretty boy, that was what her new boss looked like. And it annoyed her. She wanted a boss who could actually do shit. 

Not say shit with a pretty smile and have others do the work for him...  Fuck this was gonna be the worst station ever. 

Still, despite Onomu's initial reservations. And there were plenty. What caught Onomu's attention wasn't his good-looking face. Or even the fancy-looking swords crossed on his back, Dual Dao swords. Of which she was highly doubtful he could use, probably just for show. 

What caught her attention was his eyes.

Golden eyes.

The sharpest hue of gold she'd seen.

"Pleasure to meet you." The guy smirked, holding out a calloused hand. Onomu glanced at the offered hand, raising a brow at the calluses. Okay, maybe the swords weren't for show. Still, Onomu scowled and crossed her arms. The guy chuckled, "Relax. I don't bite."

"Do I look like I give a fuck." Onomu scowled, flinching as she realized she just cursed a superior lieutenant. She blinked. Noticing her new boss's wide eyes.

Shit.

She was gonna get discharged at this rate.

Onomu's mind stalled, grasping at straws. "Uh... I mean-,"

The guy laughed, actually laughed. His laughs echoed through the halls of the metal rust bucket of a ship they were stuck on.

 Onomu's shock quickly turned to outrage. "Oi, something funny, fucker!"

"Yeah..." The bastard shook his head, wiping a tear from his eye. The bastard snickered and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms. He smirked with a growing grin, "Sorry, just find you a little funny. That's all."

"Funny?" Onomu snarled, stepping up. She growled. "You saying I look funny, asshole?” She sneered, a vicious, mean looking grin on her face. “Them's fighting words. Sure you can back it up, pretty boy?" 

"Sure." The handsome bastard shrugged, and Onomu's ire was temporarily switched to confusion. She blinked as the guy stepped out of his quarters and waved her to follow. "Come on, we can spar in the training hall. I could use the extra practice anyway."

Onomu watched in quiet silence as the man, her new boss, started walking down the hall. Towards the ship's training room. Onomu grinned a feral grin and followed, stepping in time beside him. Her new boss glanced at her out of the corner of his eye but didn't say anything. 

Except for one little thing...

"My name's Lu Ten by the way." Her new boss said, and Onomu almost ran into the door towards the training hall. She stopped, frozen. Lu Ten. Fucking everyone knew about Lu Ten. And even growing up in the muck of the colonies, Onomu knew his name. 

Lu Ten, the Prince. 21 years old. Son of Crown Prince Iroh, the infamous Dragon of the West. Joined the military at 18 and climbed the ranks faster than anyone. 

He was her boss.

Onomu was working directly under goddamn royalty. 

And the bastard seemed amused to see her reaction. 

"Oh, and I never said you looked funny. Just that I found you funny." Lu Ten smirked as they arrived at the training hall. Confident, coy even. “But since we're sparring anyway, wanna make a bet?” He stepped out into the middle of the quickly quieting room, in the middle of stares and whispers. Awe, fear, excitement, and respect in every passing soldier's gaze.

Except for Onomu. 

She just looked stunned. 

Lu Ten's lips twitched upwards as he easily unsheathed the swords on his back. 

"If you win..." He offered, lazily spinning the blades through his fingers. He held them loosely, idly pointing a sword at Onomu. Lu Ten smirked and tilted his head, and it was the confident kind, the stuff matched with intelligence that warranted a little amusement. 

"I'll promote you."

And Onomu suddenly had the very odd feeling she was gonna like this new boss. 

Chapter Text

Two weeks before Monsoon Hua...

Colonel Onomu was starting to wish she hadn't gotten promoted.

"Why do I have to be here again..." Onomu grumbled under her breath as she waited on Yeayu's main ship, the Zai, a destroyer. She listened to the rain battering the ship's metal hull. Onomu was waiting in the war room with several other higher-ranking officers.

Lu Ten was one of the most prominent among them.

Also, the most annoying one.

Onomu growled as Lu Ten chatted with one of the rear admirals. Lu Ten, the Prince, well-liked by fucking everyone apparently.

Everyone except Onomu.

After their first bullshit spar a couple of months ago, she barely tolerated him at best.

Lu Ten noticed her annoyed gaze. He finished his conversation and walked over. He smirked. "Don't be jealous, Colonel. You're still my favorite."

"Fuck off and die." Onomu snapped. Lu Ten laughed, and the room continued milling about without notice.

Waiting for the goddamn admiral to show up. Onomu rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms.

This was gonna be a while.

Yeayu worked on her own time. Onomu learned that early on. She waited for no one, but everyone else would be killed if they even considered making her wait. It was annoying, but Onomu respected it at least. Yeayu could back up her authority.

Because Yeayu was a hard ass. Onomu had been right in their first meeting all those months ago. Yeayu could, and would, toss anyone overboard who tested her without a damn good reason for it. Onomu had seen a recruit get tossed overboard and forced to swim laps for missing the roll call.

Funniest. Shit. Ever.

Even the great Prince Lu Ten wasn't exempt. Onomu had been present for a lot of Yeayu's annoyed tirades against the informal Prince.

And Onomu had enjoyed every second of it.

So now, after a few months. Yeayu was her second favorite employ. Right under Mamushi. Oceans ahead of Shia and Buying. Onomu loved seeing her chew out her underlings. It was free entertainment during the long, boring months at sea.

And the months had been long and boring.

They fought like two groups of pirates, who sucked and died easily. And one division of the Earth Kingdom ships. Who died slowly. Yeayu's fleet was just too far south to find shit else. They should be in the colonies, the contested waters there.

But Yeayu wanted them in the south.

When it was stormy as shit out most days. Cloudy at best. The last three days had been nothing but rain. There were only two weeks before Monsoon season, and it showed.

And yet they were still in the southern seas.

For whatever reason.

Onomu heard one of the rear-admirals whisper. "Aren't waters this far South Yon Rha's responsibility. Why are we still here..." And she couldn't agree more. She sighed and leaned her back against the wall. She started dozing off.

Onomu closed her eyes.

And bit back a curse as Lu Ten stomped on her toes. Onomu bit back a curse and swung her fist back at Lu Ten's head. The dumb Princeling ducked, and Onomu's hand slammed into the wall, clanging off metal in the war room. Onomu growled, "You little-,"

Yeayu's voice echoed at the door to the war room, "Colonel Onomu, silence." Everyone went quiet, and Onomu's face turned a furious red as she bit her tongue and stood at attention.

Lu Ten let out a silent snicker and stood next to her.

Onomu ground her teeth and promised to kill him later. But for now, she clicked her tongue and faced forward. Onomu muttered. "Sorry, Admiral Yeayu. It won't happen again."

"See to it," Yeayu said coldly, stepping up towards the front of the war room. Captain Zhao followed close behind her. Zhao glanced at Onomu, a shit-eating smirk on his ugly, smug face. Zhao scoffed, muttering under his breath 'Mongrel couldn't be quiet. Who could have seen that?'

Onomu scowled; she still didn't get why the Admiral kept Zhao of all people under her wing. All the arrogant prick was good for was badmouthing anything not-fire nation, and acting like he was the smartest person in the room.

Onomu glared and clicked her tongue.

Not now. Onomu would find a way to get the prick into a training arena soon. 

And then Zhao would see exactly how far his arrogant mouth could get him.

But until then, Onomu rolled her eyes and let it go.

Zhao followed Yeayu to the front of the war room.

The room shut up and watched. Even Lu Ten seemed to get a little more attentive, standing at attention and glancing at the admiral with a quiet eye.

Yeayu stood at the front of the room, hands behind her back. The war meeting had officially started. 

"We'll be approaching the Jasmine Isles soon," Yeayu said. Onomu raised a brow; she didn't know what the fuck that place was. Never heard of it. Neither had some of the other officers. Lu Ten perked up slightly, which meant he'd heard of it. Onomu raised a brow his way.

Lu Ten shook his head and waved off her silent question. Later.

Yeayu unfurled a map and continued. "The Jasmine Isles are an independent island chain, small and nestled in the southern sea. South east of the Fire Nation. Southwest of the Earth Kingdom."

"They're also neutral." Lu Ten interrupted, one of the few with the rank and status that would even dare to talk up in Yeayu's presence.

Yeayu scowled as the room glanced at the Prince.

Lu Ten raised a brow at Yeayu. "They've been neutral since the start of the war."

"They've reconsidered." Yeayu ground her teeth, plopping a few correspondences on the table. Yeayu said, "Reports have sighted Earth Kingdom military ships spending longer and longer in their waters since Saipong got taken a few months ago."

Zhao said. "That Coastal city," Zhao muttered, "Used to be one of the Earth Kingdom's best entry points into the Southern Seas." Zhao sneered pompously at Lu Ten, "Now that it's firmly in our control, your excellency, it is safe to assume our enemies-,"

"Yeah, the Earth Kingdom might be looking to use Jasmine Isles as a new base. I get it." Lu Ten sighed. "And I wasn't talking to you, Captain Zhao, I was talking to the Admiral. So if you don't mind..." Lu Ten returned his attention to Yeayu, ignoring Zhao.

Zhao's face turned a new shade of red. Of which Onomu was happy to see. Maybe he'd explode? Into tiny little pieces... That would be great.

Onomu smirked as Zhao nearly snapped a retort out, before Yeayu raised her hand and Zhao silenced himself. Yeayu's eyes narrowed on Lu Ten.

"What Zhao said is perfectly accurate." She said simply, although her eyes were still jagged shards of ice. Yeayu said. "So, unless you have anything else to add, Lieutenant, Lu Ten. I would suggest you keep quiet. With the Monsoon season ahead, this operation needs to be quick and orderly."

"Yes, Admiral." Lu Ten sighed, but stood back and let the meeting continue. Zhao shot Lu Ten a smug sneer and returned to listen to the Admiral.

Onomu rolled her eyes but tuned back into whatever Yeayu was saying.

And what she was saying turned out to be pretty fucking important.

"I sent correspondence to confirm or deny the reports; nothing was returned," Yeayu said, tossing some more papers on the desk. "Scouts say Earth Kingdom forces have already been seen transporting supplies to the main island, Jasmine Island. Earth Kingdom soldiers have been spotted unloading the supplies at the docks. Earth Benders among them."

"That could just be for trade." Lu Ten interrupted, and Yeayu's gaze turned venomous. Even Onomu stiffened, surprised. What the hell was Lu Ten trying to do, arguing with the Admiral about this? She scowled, shaking her head at her new boss.

Lu Ten ignored her, "Or maybe they're just using Jasmine Isles as a resupply point. Since Saipong's out of their control now. It doesn't mean-,"

"Doesn't mean anything, Lieutenant?" Yeayu snapped, her jaw clenching. "Weeks of scouting reports beg to differ. I have reports of Earth Kingdom uniforms, Earth Benders specifically, building something on the far side of the island."

Lu Ten's lips twitched downwards. He furrowed his brows, face cold in thought. He eventually narrowed his eyes at Yeayu. "What's the progress on it?"

"Slow." Yeayu ground her teeth, tossing out multiple reports. Sightings. Something about land leveled on the far side of the island. Signs of the beginning of large stone walls being set up by earthbenders in green uniforms. Yeayu sneered. "The approaching monsoon season has discouraged any substantial progress. However, after it's over..."

Yeayu emphasized to the other officers in the room. "There will be nothing to stop construction before we get the chance to interfere. The Earth Kingdom will control the Jasmine Isles, and taking them will be costly rather than beneficial. I have already sent the Fire Lord my request for a preemptive invasion. He has since responded."

Lu Ten stiffened at the mention of the Fire Lord. Onomu raised her brow, watching how quickly Lu Ten fell in line at the mention of his grandfather.

Yeayu must have noticed it too because she sneered. "And Fire Lord Azulon was very clear: no outpost is allowed to be built."

Yeayu scowled at Lu Ten, an annoyed sneer crawled up her face. "And if you had shut your mouth and let me finish, Lieutenant Lu Ten. You would know that my first move is to take a small party to the far side of the island to personally verify the reports before continuing."

Yeayu scoffed. "Which I will be doing. While you will be here, cleaning the brig for insubordination. Is that clear, Lieutenant Lu Ten?"

"...yes, Admiral." Lu Ten clenched his jaw and backed down, a minor annoyance still in his eyes. Onomu shook her head as she listened to Yeayu fill out the rest of the plan. The main ships of Yeayu's fleet, six total, would stay back, three miles off the coast. And were not to approach the isles.

Meanwhile, Yeayu would take a small party consisting of four of her most trusted soldiers, of which Onomu was annoyed to see Zhao being part of the mix. And that party would take a small boat and head to the far shore under the cover of nightfall. Investigate the new stronghold being built.

If she wasn't back in one day's time, or hadn't sent word back, the rear-admirals still on the main ships were to assume the worst. That they had been captured or killed by Earth Kingdom forces stationed on the island, and that the Jasmine Isles had become allies of the Earth Kingdom.

And if the Jasmine Isles were found to no longer be a neutral entity in the war.

Yeayu's orders were clear.

Invade Jasmine Isles under the cover of nightfall, so they wouldn't have time to stage a defense or call for reinforcements.

And don't stop until the main island is burned to the ground. Thereby destroying any and all resistance they may encounter from the island where the new stronghold is being built. Eliminating the core of Jasmine Isles defenses and any Earth Kingdom allies they may be housing in one fell swoop.

Afterwords the remaining two islands will have no choice but to surrender. And the Jasmine Isles would be firmly under Fire Nation control.

The Fire Nation would then immediately start construction of their own outpost on the main island. And any attempt by the Earth Kingdom to establish an outpost would become impossible. Ending the issue concerning the Jasmine Isles.

Yeayu's strategy meeting came to an end. "The Jasmine Isles are a powerful strategic position; the Earth Kingdom is not allowed to have them. My team will be heading out an hour after the first signs of sundown. Should everything go smoothly, we'll return tomorrow at noon." Yeayu rolled up her maps and parchments. "Everyone dismissed."

Onomu sighed and left the war room with the rest of the officers, then turned left to rest in her barracks. She scowled, suddenly wishing she could go back to the more boring months at sea she'd had.

Scorch-and-burn campaigns were the worst...

But sometimes they were necessary. Cleaner in the long run.

Onomu had learned that the hard way under Mamushi.

Onomu clicked her tongue, "Have fun cleaning the brig, idiot." She said, smacking her shoulder into Lu Ten's on the way out. Her mood suddenly became shitty.

She planned to rest in the barracks. Before tomorrow.

Her plan ended a few hours later, when someone tapped on her door in the middle of the night, well after Yeayu had already taken her group to the far side of the island under the cover of darkness. Onomu groaned as she heard someone knock.

Again.

And again.

The third time, Onomu was ready to suffocate herself with a pillow so she didn't have to answer.

"What the fuck..." Onomu murmured as she woke up, rubbing her eyes as she stood up from her shitty bed. She grumbled and opened the door.

Onomu scowled. "What do you want?"

"Oh come on, Onomu, I thought we were friends." Lu Ten smirked, leaning against the doorframe, "Can't I just check up on my favorite underling. Make sure she's getting her beauty sleep."

"Call me an underling again, and I'll break your nose!" Onomu snapped, eyes twitching as she crossed her arms. "And I don't need beauty sleep."

"Right, your natural beauty is more than enough to-,"

"I need sleep-sleep, asshole." Onomu rolled her eyes. Lu Ten snorted, chuckling. The sound pissed Onomu off. She clicked her tongue. "So unless you're here to give actually me orders for once..."

Onomu tried to slam the door, Lu Ten held it open with a quick hand. Onomu growled. Lu Ten smiled. "But I do have orders, sort of. More of a request."

"Shouldn't you be cleaning the brig?"

"Already did it."

"Bullshit."

"Fine. Finished half of it and paid someone else to finish the rest." Lu Ten rolled his eyes. "Come on, Onomu. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot."

"Because you threw our match!" Onomu snapped, breath steaming as she put her hand on the door. Smoke hissing off it, "You think I wouldn't notice?"

"Notice what?" Lu Ten tilted his head, confused.

Onomu didn't buy it for a second.

"Our spar. Back when you promoted me. I shouldn't have won that." Onomu sneered, glaring at Lu Ten, "You know how humiliating that is. A pity win."

"It wasn't pity." Lu Ten said flatly, dropping the act instantly. "I needed an excuse to promote you quickly. You earned your rank before you got to me."

"That doesn't change the fact that I got promoted off a fucking fake spar." Onomu scowled, grinding her teeth. "All because I 'defeated' the great Lu Ten."

"You think I'm great?"

"Fuck off and die." Onomu tried to slam the door shut, but Lu Ten held it open. Barely.

Lu Ten grinned, grip straining against Onomu's to keep the door open.

"Sorry." Lu Ten grunted out, tilting his head with a laugh. "If you want, we can have an actual spar later. Privately. I'll fight for real, I promise."

"How do I know you're not gonna half-ass that too?" Onomu sneered, not believing her new boss for a second. She growled. "You know what I think..."

"I'm handsome?"

"You're a liar." Onomu snapped, and Lu Ten flinched. His smile was twitching at the corners. Onomu sneered, grinning. "Prince, my ass. You're just a liar. Aren't you?"

"...well, you aren't wrong about that." Lu Ten said, his smile turning brittle for a second before it went back to its natural charm. "You're smarter than you look, you know."

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?" Onomu scowled. "Wanna fight, asshole."

"Why? According to you, I'd just win anyway." Lu Ten ducked as Onomu swung a fist at his head. He slipped into her room, chuckling. "Kidding. Truce?"

"The fuck? No! Get out of my room!"

"But it's so much cozier than mine." Lu Ten sighed, flicking a nearby candle as Onomu debated how to get away with murdering the Prince.

Lu Ten stepped over a pile of Onomu's dirty clothes and chuckled, "Seriously, though. I need a favor."

"I. Don't. Care." Onomu grabbed the back of Lu Ten's collar, and this time he didn't dodge. She dragged him out her room and tossed him in the hall. "Don't call me until morning. I need to sleep and forget that you're my shitty boss now."

"So rude. I just wanted to ask you something..." Lu Ten glanced back, smirking. "You sure you don't want to hear it. I meant what I said. I'll fight you for real."

"Not interested, half-ass." Onomu rolled her eyes, swinging her door shut.

Lu Ten's foot stopped it an inch from closing. Onomu growled, "I swear, Princeling, I'll-,"

"It's okay if you're scared, I get it." Lu Ten's voice echoed from the hall, and Onomu froze. Her blood boiling as she swung the door open.

Lu Ten was standing casually, his lips curled up in that stupid smirk that pissed Onomu off. She was pretty sure a vein in her head popped.

Onomu growled. "The fuck did you say?"

Lu Ten shrugged, "Just that I get it. It's okay. I wouldn't want to fight me for real either." He nodded. "Don't sweat it. I completely understand."

"Scared?" Onomu stepped forward and growled in Lu Ten's face. She snarled. "I get colds scarier than you. You're not gonna bait me, bastard."

"Then you shouldn't have an issue hearing me out." Lu Ten said easily, tilting his head up with a coy little upwards tilt of his lips. "I just wanted to ask if you wanted to take a midnight swim with me before tomorrow. I promise it won't be far."

Onomu scowled.

"Only like three miles," Lu Ten shrugged, and Onomu stepped back into her room and slammed the door shut. Quickly returning to her bed.

No. Fuck no. Whatever he was planning was not her problem. She was going to sleep. And tomorrow, after Yeayu gave the word or if she didn't return.

Onomu was going to follow orders and burn the Jasmine Isles to the ground. Because they chose to join the wrong side in the war.

They housed Earth Kingdom soldiers and were building an Earth Kingdom outpost...

That made the Jasmine Isles a threat.

Yeayu and the Fire Lord himself said so. Command wanted the threat gone, so Onomu would do her job and get rid of it. Nothing more. Nothing less.

She wasn't going to let the dumb prince's impulsive decisions get in her way.  Yeayu had ordered everyone to stay on the ship. Onomu wasn't going to risk getting discharged just because the Prince decided he was bored.

No, he could fuck himself over on his own. She wasn't touching that with a ten-foot stick. No matter what he said, she wouldn't change her mind...

She wouldn't!

6 hours later...

The Jasmine Isles were an independent territory consisting of a small, quiet island chain. The island itself was dominated by towering mountains, which are cut through by deep river valleys and jasmine-filled estuaries. There was barely any flat land on the island; most of the mountain sides were terraformed to grow tea leaves and jasmine flowers. Any flat land on the island was left at the foot of the mountains, where the village lived. Nestled between the coast and the hilltops.

The village itself was similar to any middling village you could find in the Earth Kingdom. Or the Fire Nation. Or a mix of both.

Probably because of The Jasmine Isles' location, Onomu saw signs of both. 

South east of the Fire Nation and south west of the Earth Kingdom. And nestled close enough to the South Pole to be one of the Southern Water Tribe's only trading partners.

The Jasmine Isles' unique location made it one of the few remaining places in the entire world...

Where one could find members of all three ethnicities, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Water tribe, mingling about. Residents of the Jasmine Isles. Wearing the signature gold and white colored clothing that the Jasmine Isles adopted.

Which was great... awesome... fucking sweet...

For everyone except Onomu.

Onomu grumbled, "You gotta be kidding me..." shaking her head as she looked up at the cloudy morning sky. Grey clouds. It was going to rain tonight, probably tomorrow. Might even storm.

And Onomu would have to suffer through it, because instead of her quarters, she was on the Jasmine Isles. And not just Jasmine Isles, no, that would be too easy.

She was on the main island, aptly named Jasmine Island, the place they probably had to burn tonight. Onomu had swam fucking miles to get to in the middle of the night because her shitty boss had done it first.

And if Onomu lost her boss, and he fucking died, she was pretty sure Yeayu discharging her would be the least of her worries. She was pretty sure she'd be executed if the Prince got himself killed on her watch. So now she was stuck on Jasmine Island.

Looking for her boss, who had disappeared in the early market rush.

She spotted a couple walking nearby: an Earth Kingdom man and a Water Tribe woman, both wearing dark yellow-and-white tunics. Onomu snapped, "Any of you seen a Fire Nation soldier. Tan skin. Black hair. Gold eyes. Looks annoying." She asked, and the couple stiffened.

They looked at her warily, her uniform getting cautious but not fearful glances. Which made a bit of sense. They were probably used to seeing uniforms of all kinds: Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Southern Water Tribe savages, if they even had a proper uniform.

According to Onomu's boss, Jasmine Isles was a neutral nation, or used to be, depending on the results of Yeayu's scouting trip on the far side of the island. Onomu's uniform probably wasn't the first the couple had seen. Hopefully, they'd seen one earlier today.

And Lu Ten, the dumbass wearing it.

The man coughed into his fist politely, "Uh... I believe I saw him heading to the plaza." The man pointed toward the center of the island, where a large, expensive-looking building stood atop a hill. "The Island's Central Plaza is at the foot of Council Hall. You might want to look there."

The water tribe woman nodded, "Hope you find who you're looking for." The woman smiled as she pulled her partner away. She waved a light goodbye. "If you ever want hot fish soup, come find our restaurant. We make the best on Jasmine Island."

"Will do..." Onomu stopped, the automatic reply dying on her tongue. She watched the couple disappear into the crowd, probably heading back to their dumb restaurant.

Which would probably be a pile of cinders tomorrow.

Onomu growled, shaking the idea out of her head. If they didn't want this, they shouldn't have started doing shady deals with the Earth Kingdom. They should have stayed neutral, the idiots. This entire island was full of idiots with a death wish.

It was also full of tea. Fucking every other shop she saw was a tea shop. Claiming to have the 'best golden tea' on Jasmine Island.

The island smelled of boiling tea leaves and mud, leftover from the rain the previous night. Onomu followed the muddy streets until she got to the central plaza. The market square, where people were selling junk, tea, or anything in between.

Onomu scanned the large market square, eventually spotting the red-and-black uniform in the sea of yellow and white.

Onomu couldn't believe it.

He was exactly where she thought he would be.

Flirting. Lu Ten was flirting with a water tribe woman by a market stall. The clouds above were grey and gloomy. But that didn’t seem to deter the Prince. 

The girl he was talking to wore gold colored fabrics in her clothes, like pretty much all of the islanders here, and had the same light brown skin and brown hair as any other water tribe girl. She was selling herbs and totems that looked like wooden carvings.

Onomu rolled her eyes and marched over, "Not today, asshole." Onomu said, grabbing the back of Lu Ten's collar and dragging him away.

"What? No, Onomu!" Lu Ten whined as he was dragged away by the back of his collar. Lu Ten tried to flash a smile and a parting wave at the water tribe girl, who seemed to be giggling into her gold-colored sleeve.

Onomu rolled her eyes and dragged her boss through the streets of Jasmine Island like a scolded child. Seriously. It was like she was babysitting.

Case in point. Lu Ten was complaining as soon as they were out of the water tribe girl's line of sight. Lu Ten lamented. "Seriously, Onomu? Have some mercy."

"Mercy?" Onomu scoffed. "Fuck that shit. I've been looking for you for thirty minutes."

Lu Ten muttered. "If you gave me ten more, I could have had a date."

Onomu rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you'll get over it."

"Will I? Have you seen water tribe women?"

"I have eyes, yes."

"They're gorgeous." Lu Ten threw up his hands like that would do shit. "And this is one of the only places I can meet them that isn't covered in snow."

"How sad," Onomu rolled her eyes and continued dragging her boss through town. "Too bad you actually have shit to do. Like getting back on the ship so I don't get punished for your stupid shit, Lieutenant Lu Ten."

"Is it too late to retire?"

"It's too early, dumbass." Onomu dropped Lu Ten and let the idiot prince plop on the ground. Onomu stomped off, "Come on, we're leaving." Lu Ten groaned in defeat but stood up, brushing the dirt from his armor. Lu Ten clicked his tongue and caught up, walking in step with Onomu.

Lu Ten said. "Fine, but you're taking me drinking before then. We're not talking sober."

"Trying to get in my pants already, boss?"

"Trying to drown my sorrows about my heartless subordinate." Lu Ten sighed, shaking his head.

Onomu scoffed, but didn't immediately reject the offer to drink. She was fucking starving after swimming three miles. She wanted something in her stomach before she did it again.

"Fine," Onomu grumbled, "But you're paying."

"I always do." Lu Ten smirked, glancing at the nearby houses, his earlier joking demeanor falling away. Lu Ten's golden eyes idly scan their surrounding area. When he seemed satisfied no one was listening in, his dumbass smile returned, "So," he tilted his head playfully. "What do you think?"

"About what?" Onomu scowled, "Chasing your dumbass all morning. I hated it."

"The island, Onomu." Lu Ten rolled his eyes. "What do you think of the island?"

"What's there to think? It's an island," Onomu grumbled, moving out of the way as an elderly couple politely passed, probably heading home. Onomu ground her teeth. "The other two islands are probably exactly like it. Who cares?"

"Actually, they aren't," Lu Ten said, walking idly beside Onomu. "The other two islands get a lot less revenue than this one. So they're worse off." Lu Ten hummed. "This island is the biggest and attracts the most trade. What you're seeing here is the best Jasmine Isles has to offer."

"You got all that while chasing little Ms. Water Tribe, back there?"

"I got all that from talking to little Ms. Nue, back there." Lu Ten rolled his eyes, "I was trying to get more information when someone dragged me away." Lu Ten grinned. "Not my fault, I prefer talking to pretty ladies. And you prefer violence."

"Violence is honest. You're obviously not." Onomu rolled her eyes. She snorted. "And who the fuck says 'pretty ladies?' What are you? Ninety?"

"What, no? My dad just always said 'pretty ladies,' and..." Lu Ten stopped, his eyes widening in horror. "Agni no, I'm turning into my dad."

"Your dad." Onomu raised a brow, disbelief obvious in her tone. "You're telling me the Dragon of the fucking West is a shitty flirt?"

"Uh, excuse me, I'm a great flirt." Lu Ten looked appalled, as if that was the biggest offense Onomu had committed under his command. Onomu rolled her eyes, waving her hands in a mock apology.

Lu Ten snorted. "Accepted." He said, walking beside Onomu. Lu Ten said. "And no, my dad isn't a 'shitty' flirt anymore. But apparently, he was when he was younger. Auntie Gong always complained about it when she was babysitting me back at the palace."

"Auntie Gong?" Onomu looked at Lu Ten as if he were insane. "You mean General Gong?"

"Yeah, who else?"

"The Lion of Caldera." Onomu tried again. Surely not?

Surely yes, apparently. Because Lu Ten just raised a brow. "Is there another Gong I don't know about?"

"You call her fucking auntie?"

"I mean, she's basically family. She's my dad's right hand and all." Lu Ten mumbled. "And she's been his best friend since they were in the academy, so..."

Lu Ten shrugged and added. "Plus, I've been her daughter's friend since I was like six. I even went to their house a bunch of times. So yeah, Auntie Gong."

"That's..." Onomu shook her head, not even wanting to think about all the high-profile people Lu Ten probably knew personally.

If he called the Fire Lord grandpappy, she might just lose it.

Onomu shook her head. "You're friends with Gija?"

"Yup, practically grew up together." Lu Ten smirked as they got to a small afternoon tavern. Lu Ten checked inside, but not before glancing back.

Lu Ten flashed Onomu a smug grin. "I was also number one in our age group back at the academy, but don't tell her I said that. She still gets annoyed when I bring it up." Lu Ten smirked and ducked inside the afternoon tavern. And Onomu stiffened, surprise and disbelief catching her face.

No fucking way...

Lu Ten. Her boss, who had proven so far to basically be an overgrown, horny teenager that she needed to babysit every once in a while. That Lu Ten had gotten first place in Gija and Kalyan's age group in their fancy fuck ass academy.

Onomu's boss had beaten out smug, smart ass, jackass Kalyan out of first place...

Onomu's day couldn't get any better.

"Hehe..." Onomu smiled an evil smile as she plopped into a seat at Lu Ten's table. Next time she saw Kalyan, she was going to rub it in his dumb face. For hours. It would be glorious. Fucking glorious. Onomu would never let it go.

Lu Ten raised a brow at her sinister expression, but ignored it.

Lu Ten ordered a couple of drinks. Soju, not tea. Along with some food, seared pork with a golden jasmine flower on top it, seasoned Fire Nation style. Lu Ten paid with a generous tip, of course, since Lu Ten's family was fucking loaded and he didn't seem to mind sharing.

"So," Lu Ten said as he got his first cup. He said. "Want to hear what I found out?"

"Do I have to?" Onomu scowled, downing her first cup and ordering another.

And another.

And another.

Onomu smirked.

Her new boss had a lot of annoying habits she had to deal with...

But an endless tab was a big bonus in her eyes.

Onomu burped, "Can't we just drink and swim back. There's nothing to see on this island besides flowers and tea. And I don't like either."

"Prettu sure my dad would have a heart attack if he heard that." Lu Ten raised a brow, but shook his head. "But come on, Onomu. You had to have noticed."

"Noticed what, the smell?" Onomu grumbled, a tad too quickly.

Lu Ten raised a brow, "See any Earth Kingdom soldiers here?" He leaned back in his chair.

The tavern was filled with milling Island dwellers. There was an Earth Kingdom couple near the front. Water tribe man running the bar. A Fire Nation and Water Tribe family near the corner booth.

All Yellow and white clothes. Not a speck of green.

Lu Ten said. "I haven't seen any. The most I saw were those warriors with white and gold armor and those gold masks, and they're the Jasmine Isles protectors. Not Earth Kingdom soldiers."

"That doesn't mean shit. Maybe they're in civilian gear. Or wearing white and gold to blend in with their new allies." Onomu grumbled, downing another drink. "And the stronghold is being built on the far side of the island. If there are Earth Kingdom soldiers, they'll be there, not here."

"Still,” Lu Ten said. “You think we'd see one, don't you?"

"Maybe there's just less around. " Onomu shrugged, "Monsoon season's coming."

"That too," Lu Ten said, biting a piece of Komodo-chicken off a meat stick, "It doesn't make sense."

"You don't make sense." Onomu snapped. "Can't you just shut up and let me eat?"

"You know, one day I'm going to make you admit you like talking to me."

"You'd have better luck finding a fucking bear." Onomu bit into her pork. "Not a platypus-bear. Just a bear."

"I’m just saying.” Lu Ten continued despite Onomu’s ire. “Why would the Earth Kingdom start construction weeks before they'd have to stop it? Monsoon season isn't a secret." Lu Ten said idly. He tapped his chin, ignoring Onomu's scowl.

Lu Ten leaned back in his chair and mused. "Doesn't sound like a smart idea."

"Who. Cares." Onomu ground her teeth. Her eyes were twitching as she jabbed at her food. "Maybe instead of asking useless questions, you can finish your shit so we can get back on the ship. If you forgot, Yeayu is already verifying everything as we speak. So all this is pointless."

"Possibly," Lu Ten shrugged, "But I wouldn't call it pointless..."

"I would," Onomu said flatly, sick of her boss's shit. She finished her meal and stood up. "And unlike you, Prince. I don't have a royal family to keep me safe from her. Because when she gets back and realizes we're not there, I’ll be fucked. And you’ll get a slap on the wrist. So if we're done here." She growled. "I'm going to swim back to the ship. With or without you."

"Wait," Lu Ten said, but Onomy didn't wait. She stomped off, leaving Lu Ten to pay the tab. She heard Lu Ten toss way too many Yuans at the bartender before hurrying to follow.

She ignored him as he caught up to her. Lu Ten held his hands up in apology. "Okay, okay, I hear you."

"Fucking finally." Onomu grumbled.

"But..." Lu Ten said, and Onomu picked up the pace. Determined to ignore the fucker.

The Prince was persistent, keeping pace with her stride. Lu Ten argued. "Come on, Onomu. Since we're already here, we might as well visit whoever's in charge. See if they can't be convinced not to take a deal with the Earth Kingdom. If they remain neutral, no reason to-,"

"What is wrong with you?" Onomu snapped, stopping in her tracks and jabbing her finger in Lu Ten's chest. "You want to go to the leaders. Of the fucking Island we're about to..." Onomu looked around the street, her jaw set.

Onomu whispered lowly. "You want to hold their hands while you warn them, too? Yeayu already said she's verifying it. Drop it." Onomu hissed through clenched teeth. "We're already risking everything by coming here because you wanted a late-night swim. I'm not risking our entire operation just because you're getting cold feet."

"Hey, relax. I'm just being extra cautious." Lu Ten said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Expending every available option. I don't want to go with Yeayu's plan unless I'm certain it's absolutely necessary. I figured you'd understand best, after all..."

Lu Ten's tone was sheepish...

But his golden eyes were cool and appraising. 

"Weren't you released from Mamushi's employ for thinking similarly to me?" Lu Ten tilted his head, and Onomu flinched. Her fists clenched, she ground her teeth hard enough to crack.

"What did you say?" She snarled, reaching out and grabbing the front of Lu Ten's armor, lifting him off the ground.

"You don't know shit about what I did," She hissed under her breath. The nearby civilians grew a little tense, but Onomu didn't care. Two of the Jasmine Island protectors, or whatever, the ones with the golden masks, looked over.  Onomu didn't bat an eye.

Onomu only focused on glaring at her boss. "Don't you ever bring that shit up again." Onomu snarled. "Or prince or not, I'll kill you."

Lu Ten kept a smile on his face. But his eyes were quiet and observant. Holding his hands up in surrender, he said. "Alright, alright, I get it. No more talking about your files. Understood."

Lu Ten's smile faltered as a light drizzle hit the island. The gray clouds kicked up a dull wind. Lu Ten's body heated up, steaming the rain off. 

Onomu's did similarly.

Lu Ten sighed, his smile fading to match the sincerity of his eyes.

"Now." Lu Ten asked quietly and honestly. Shoulders slumped. "Can we finish this later? We have company."

Lu Ten nodded towards the corner of a nearby alley. Onomu frowned, surprised to see steam hissing from behind a few half-worn crates.

A little boy's head poked out, street rat. Easy to tell. Mud and dirt on his face. 

Light brown skin. Short dark brown hair. 

Golden eyes. 

The kid ducked back into his hiding space behind the box crates, and Onomu dropped Lu Ten unconsciously. 

Lu Ten smiled, warmth in his eyes as he nudged Onomu's frozen shoulder, "Thanks." Lu Ten walked over to the alley as other people, Jasmine Islanders, still milling about, started heading inside stores and nearby shops. Finding shelter from the incoming rain. 

Lu Ten was the exception. He didn't head for cover or to find a parasol. He crouched in front of the alley, uncaring for the rain or cold. He smiled at the kid hiding behind the boxes.

"Hey, kid, I need some directions." Lu Ten said, lightly pulling out a bag of Yuan. "If you answer a question of mine, I'll pay you."

That got Onomu to shake herself out of her stupor. She scoffed, the idiot. A stranger offering money out of the blue. 

Even if Onomu hadn't grown up poorer than dirt, she would know not to trust that. 

And the kid didn't either, smart kid. He stayed behind his crate, eyeing Lu Ten suspiciously. Onomu heard a few Island protectors start to point at them. Probably suspicious of seeing Lu Ten and Onomu, Fire Nation soldiers, Fire Benders, hissing steam in the middle of the rain. 

In the middle of the street that was quickly becoming empty. 

Onomu ground her teeth, "We need to go, Princeling." She tried to grab Lu Ten's shoulder. 

Lu Ten shrugged her off, his eyes still on the crates and the kid hiding behind it. Given away by the small line of steam trickling into the air above the little brat. Onomu ground her teeth and tensed as she heard Jasmine Island Protectors start to approach. 

She stood straight, jaw clenched, and arms crossed firmly. Waiting for her boss to give up or for the kid to get lost. Whatever came before, those Protectors came over and started asking questions that could ruin the entire operation. The last thing they needed was to get arrested. 

But apparently Lu Ten was hell-bent on it, because he continued crouching on his toes. Watching the kid hidden behind the box crates. Lu Ten smiled and lightly held up his pointer finger, "I get it. You're smarter than most. How about this..."

A flame flickered over Lu Ten's index finger. A candle flame. 

"What if I show you something cool?" Lu Ten smirked as the flame above his finger grew. Brightly. But not largely. Hissing in the rain. Onomu tensed, her eyes wide as she wondered what the fuck her boss was doing. The nearby protectors stiffened and instantly reached for their weapons. 

Onomu growled and clenched her fists by her side, fire just beneath the skin of her palm. 

But Lu Ten didn't stop. His gaze was solely on the boy in the alley, hiding behind the box crates. 

And when the flame above Lu Ten's finger grew bright, it condensed enough to shine under the dark and gloomy rainclouds. Onomu began to see it take shape. Something that could fit into the palm of one's hand. 

A flower bud, the flame looked like a flower bud. 

Lu Ten smirked and blew it. 

The flower bloomed. The fire bloomed.

In the shape of a golden Jasmine flower. 

And the bright burning flower. 

It broke apart. 

Into tiny little pieces, carried off by the wind. Hissing in the rain as they dissipated into smoke, one by one. They fluttered into the wind, carried off down the street like harmless little trinkets. A few of the nearby patrons stopped to stare out their shuttered windows. Watching. 

Like little flower petals fluttering away in the cold rainy wind. 

Onomu forgot about the fire in her palm. She stared, quiet. She could feel the protectors get distracted by the display as well. And the kid in the alley, he was the most startled by it. The most captivated. The kid poked his head out, quiet golden eyes wide in surprise and wonder. 

Lu Ten smiled. "Any idea who this Island's leaders are?"

"The council..." The boy murmured, so distracted by the fading petals that he didn't even seem to realize what he'd said. The boy stiffened, glanced back at Lu Ten. The boy hesitated, but a wayward glance at the vanishing petals was all it took. The boy said. "Jasmine High Circle."

"A council? This place has councilors?" Lu Ten asked, raising a brow. "How many?"

"Three." The boy shrugged slightly, rubbing his arm. "There are three. A leader for each island. Yu Ming, head of the Ming family. Fa Shin, head of the Fa family. And Qi Guang, head of the Qi family. Yu Ming has the most sway. Since her family runs the main island."

"And where would I find them?" Lu Ten asked. Even as the Jasmine island Protectors seemed to wake up from their stupor and rushed to close in.

Onomu stiffened, focusing her body back at the threat. She grabbed Lu Ten's shoulder, growling that they needed to go. 

Lu Ten ignored her and kept watching the kid. Expectantly.  

The kid frowned, glancing between Lu Ten and Onomu.

The kid seemed to notice Onomu's green eyes that shouldn't have matched with the steam hissing off her body. 

The kid froze.

Onomu noticed. Her jaw tensed. Her fists clenched tighter.

The kid's shoulders relaxed for some reason. "Moonlight mountain, behind the Council Hall..." The kid said suddenly, surprising Onomu.

"The Ming family lives there." The kid said. Abruptly and without reservation. 

Onomu blinked, watching in quiet silence as the kid seemed to glance her way quietly. Before glancing away sheepishly. 

Lu Ten smirked and tossed the kid the entire bag of Yuan, motioning for the kid to get out of here.

"Thanks, kid," Lu Ten waved slightly, "I owe you one." Lu Ten smiled as the kid looked at the bag like it was going to vanish any second.

The kid gulped and tucked it into his chest, nodding. He ran away, down the dirty alley, giving one final look towards Onomu before turning a corner. 

Onomu watched the corner for a second longer than she would have liked.

But the Island Protectors' shouts, 'Hey! What are you still doing out!' Got her to wake up. She cursed and looked towards the threat.

The Jasmine Island Protectors, two. Holding a spear and sword. Taking them out would be easy but loud. And they didn't need any more attention. Onomu had to hurry. The protectors were only a few feet away. 

Onomu growled and grabbed Lu Ten's shoulder, yanking him upwards. "We're leaving!" She snapped.

Onomu grabbed Lu Ten's collar, ready to run from the Protectors even if she had to drag him. Onomu turned to run. 

Lu Ten sighed. "Yeah, about that..."

Onomu stiffened as something kicked the back of her knee. Onomu's eyes widened as her knee planted firmly into the ground, sinking into the mud. The rain covered her vision as her arm was bent behind her back, and she was slammed into the ground. 

Onomu froze, trying to process what was happening as her face lay half-stuck in the mud.

Lu Ten chuckled, stationed above her, pinning her to the ground and holding her arm hostage behind her back.

"I changed my mind." Lu Ten whispered in her ear, and Onomu saw red. 

"You bastard!" She thrashed and cursed, "You’re dead! You hear me! You and your lying fucking mouth are dead! I'll fucking kill you-," her words were stolen as the hilt of Lu Ten's sword slammed into the back of her head.

Her vision started fading.

Her ears started to ring as her muscles went limp in the growing wind and rain. 

She barely caught the Jasmine Isles Protectors approaching. One of them shouted warily, "What's going on? Why..."

Onomu started to slip into unconsciousness, hearing Lu Ten's sickeningly apologetic voice hit her ears. 

"I'm so sorry, my name is Lee. I'm an officer," Lu Ten said with so much worry and sympathy it made Onomu sick, even in the midst of passing out. She heard Lu Ten lie without skipping a beat. "We were sent here to get some quality tea for our boss. She has a meeting with the higher-ups this week, and she wants to make an impression. You can see our boats a few miles off the coast if you don't believe me. We used a porter ship since we didn't want to stir any panic at the docks."

Onomu's hearing started to fade. The voices she heard sounded more blurry than clear. Yet Lu Ten’s was still irritatingly clear.

"My subordinate here, unfortunately, got greedy and stole some jasmine." Lu Ten said, in the most aggravatingly apologetic way. "You have my deepest apologies. I don't want to disrespect your customs or your people here. So I won't ask for her to avoid jail time."

Onomu muttered one last curse that slurred on her lips. “Bastard…” Stolen by the wind. Ignored by Lu Ten and the protectors. 

Lu Ten's apologetic voice hit her pounding head. "But this really is her first time doing something like this..."

Onomu's vision blackened, her adrenaline faded. The last thing she heard before passing out was Lu Ten's bullshit apology. 

"Is there any chance I can speak to Yu Ming about trying to let her off easy?" 

When Onomu woke up, she was in a cell, and contemplating all the ways she could get away with murdering the future Fire Lord.

Chapter Text

78 AG

Shugeo, a tiny, worthless village. A colony of muck and dirt. Stuck on a river bend that snaked miles towards the coast.

The people there lived poorly; it was more a military station than an actual town. Fire Nation soldiers passed through constantly on there ways to the front lines. And Earth Kingdom citizens lived in constant discomfort. It is said that when Shugeo was first taken in 68 AG, ten years ago, riots sprang up.

Once.

At the very beginning, some idiots tried to revolt. They always did. Untrained idiots not even fit to be soldiers. They got pitchforks and stones and tried to fight Fire Nation soldiers that had taken their town and claimed it for their own. They tried it once.

The young and dumb, the old and righteous.

They were executed, mercilessly. Bloodily. Without exception, they were killed. The riot was squashed and never tried again. Not enough people to try again.

In 68 AG. What remained of Shugeo quickly became accustomed to subjugation. The people hid any signs of discomfort as the Fire Nation took control.

And kept it.

Now, ten years later, that discomfort had turned to resignation.

Earth Kingdom citizens, unable to resist Fire Nation control, had long since learned to cave to it. Those who didn't were dead. There was little in between.

Some were morose. Some bitter. Others moved on. A few accepted it. Some were happier under Fire Nation rule. Some saw it as an opportunity.

Shugeo was still a nothing town, but now at least it had foot traffic. Soldiers brought trade, and traders brought business. Mouths to feed. News from the Front Lines was constant here, in this weak town that had already succumbed to conquest.

Fire Nation citizens, soldiers, and citizens alike were now free to live in Shugeo. And some did, not many, but some did. Opportunists and escapists.

Fire Nation settlers began showing up in Shugeo.

They started running things in Shugeo. Some who hated the Earth Kingdom subjects. Some who didn't care. Some who took advantage and didn't stop.

Shugeo was a colony, a rather recent colony in the grand scheme of things, only ten years, and that meant it was chaotic at times. Tense. Dirty.

Mucky.

A real shithole, as most of the poorer colonies tended to be. At least the ones that the Fire Nation didn't see the value in renovating, like Yu Dao. Or Lin Fe.

In 10 more years, maybe there would be more Earth Kingdom people in Shugeo who liked Fire Nation rule than hated it. In 20, maybe that's all there'd be. 

In 30 years, maybe no one would remember Shugeo before it was a colony.

But for now, Shugeo was a colony where parents had been born as Earth Kingdom citizens, but their children would be born as colonials.

Some children had already been born as colonials. Citizens of the Fire Nation. In the ten years since Shugeo was colonized, children had begun to bloom.

Children surrounded by Fire Nation settlers and the Earth Kingdom subjects.

And that brought along its own set of challenges.

For some more than others.

A nine-year-old girl, about to turn ten, skinny, with shoulder-length black hair, green eyes, and tanned skin, was thrown out of the restaurant. She hit the ground hard. Her ratty red tunic was covered in dirt and holes. Her baggy white pants were stained brown.

The owner shouted. "And don't come back, Ash Maker!"

"Fuck you!" Onomu spat out a wad of blood, pushing off the ground and grabbing the flyer she'd held onto. 'Help wanted.' Yeah right.

She looked at it and growled, crumming it up and tossing it aside.

Onomu grumbled, "I didn't want your stupid job anyway," and she wiped the blood trickling down her lip with the back of her palm. Her cheek was bruised, whatever. She clicked her tongue and stuffed her hands in her pockets.

The dirty town of Shugeo.

It sucked. She hated this place.

Colonists worked in the cloudy morning. The market square was gloomy and depressing. Green eyes noticed Onomu's approach, and suddenly they had to check their wares to make sure nothing was burned. Soldiers milled about unquestioned and uncontested. No one was stupid enough to challenge them. 

A passing soldier glanced at Onomu. Fire Nation armor. Golden eyes locked onto her figure from behind the shadow of his helmet.

Onomu kept her head down.

The soldier ignored her. Kept walking. Onomu ground her teeth and kicked a dumb pebble out of the way. She hated it. Shugeo was the worst.

Onomu's stomach rumbled. She growled. Biting her tongue. She needed food. It had been a day since her last meal. Onomu wasn't good at sneaking around and stealing shit. Footsteps too loud. She didn't know how any of the other orphans did it.

She walked. Towards the town square. Mrs. Soli and Mr. Len were selling their wares like always. Old bastard Qhanshi was working at the dumb tea shop no one liked. Mushi was selling her clothes and sheets. Gene was selling his excess crops and grains.

Onomu couldn't go up to any of them for food. They hated her. So Onomu brushed past their places and walked. Looking. Searching. For something.

She needed a soldier. A Fire Nation soldier to give her food. Fire Nation soldiers were more likely to give her food than any of the Earth Kingdom families around here.

The second word had spread that Onomu was a fire bender.

She might as well have been a plague. 

So Onomu looked elsewhere. And eventually she found it, one of the dumber looking recruits on the Fire Nation stations.

Someone who she hadn't seen in Shugeo before, probably just got in and stopped by on his way to the frontlines. Or just got back from his first trip to the frontlines, Onomu didn't care. The point was, she didn't recognize him from around here.

So hopefully he wouldn't recognize her either.

The guy was average looking. He was eating out of a bowl of noodles with bread near the center of town, between nothing and no one. He looked part of a small team. His Fire Nation soldier buddies left him alone for a bit, patting him on the shoulder before leaving.

The man was alone. Perfect. 

The man looked up, and noticed Onomu staring briefly. His eyes meeting hers. Onomu snapped her head down and walked over. Hurried, she had to get there. If his friends came back she was screwed. Groups were harder to convince. When she got near, she made sure not to look up, her eyes low and to the ground.

She held out her hands quietly. Palms up and cupped together. 

Fire ignited, a candle flame, held together in her hands. 

"By Agni's grace, may I... please have that bread. If it's not too much trouble." She asked, trying to sound weak and shaky. The word Agni felt odd on her lips. Kaze told her about the Sun spirit before. Everything about the great spirit Agni, except how to ask it for food.

Onomu had never listened too hard. Sounded boring.

But apparently, the Fire Nation loved it. The Sun spirit.

And soldiers seemed to like this Agni.

So she made sure to mention him whenever asking them for food.

"By Agni's light, may I have some food, sir," Onomu said, ignoring the vomit at the back of her throat. She hated it. She despised this part of it.

Using pity to get food was one of her least favorite options. But food was food. And Onomu wanted to try this before she had to go digging through the trash. Again. Or finding one of the kids that actually had a family and beating them up for food. Again. Pity was better than starving. So she tried it.

Sometimes it worked.

Sometimes it didn't.

"Please?" She asked, head stubbornly lowered and flame cupped in her palms. She waited. Her eyes were low and staring at the ground. It started raining. Great.

Her day was even fucking worse. She ground her teeth and waited. Waited.

She heard the soldier snort. "Sure..."

Bread plopped on the ground in front of Onomu. Onomu stared, grinding her teeth. Guess he didn't buy it. Her little act. Fuck. Piece of shit. 

The soldier sneered. "Here. That's how you dirt-eaters like it, right? You think a little flame would hide it. I saw your eyes before you walked over. Street rat."

The soldier glanced over towards the quickly clearing street. A few orphans were hiding under the edges of the nearby building. Probably to try and get any food people left out in their attempts to get out of the rain.

The soldier scoffed. "Look at all of you, lining up for leftovers. What a joke."

The Fire Nation soldier stood up and stomped on the piece of bread. Burying it further in the dirt that was quickly becoming mud. He scoffed.

"Go ahead. Take it." The soldier lifted his foot. He sneered. "It's what you want, right?"

Onomu extinguished the flame in her hand. She clenched her fists and ground her teeth. Looking down at the broken bread covered in muck.

She growled, "Thank you..." She kneeled down. Digging through the mud, picking up pieces of the bread the soldier had tossed. Food. She needed food. Clawing at it. Stupid rain. Turning everything to mud. Now it would be harder to get the food that the soldier tossed. She got the biggest pieces easy.

Onomu's stomach rumbled.

She ground her teeth and kept digging. Rain was hitting her head and dripping down her face, and she didn't care. Her body warmed up and turned the wet to steam, hissing off her shoulders. Food. She didn't care where it came from. She dug through the mud and found more pieces of bread. Little dirty, chewy pieces that tasted like shit and muck.

Onomu swallowed one and took another. She didn't care.

She ate it. Because she was hungry. And she'd do what it took to eat.

Onomu heard the soldier scoff, laughing to his returning buddies. "Told you that's all they know how to do." His voice faded; their footsteps faded.

"Dumb Dirt Eaters."

The rain kept pouring. Steam kept hissing off Onomu's body. Onomu kept eating. She didn't care. She'd eat. Everything. With a vengeance.

Who cares what they called her.

She didn't care. She'd heard it all before.

Half-born. Colonist. Peasant. Dirt-Eater. Ash-Maker. Onomu had the pleasure of hearing both sides of people's disdain.

All because Onomu was a mixed child. Half Fire Nation. Half Earth Kingdom. Born same year that Shugeo was taken.

Yeah, Kaze tried not to mention it, but it wasn’t exactly hard to connect the dots on that one.

Onomu’s father was probably some scum bag Fire Nation soldier. Her mother was probably some nobody from the Earth Kingdom. Who had Onomu, probably unwillingly, and dumped her off on someone's doorstep. 

Apparently, Onomu had been dumped off on a couple of doorsteps before an old man, Kaze, finally took her in. The old idiot was a Fire Nation Navy officer who retired after losing an arm. Worked as a fisherman in retirement. Cursed like a sailor and a good one too.

He took Onomu on a couple of fishing trips, taught her how to use the nets and work the rows. He was supposed to give her the dumb thing eventually.

Then he died. Last year, in his sleep, lucky fucker, and ever since, Onomu had been living on her own.

She couldn't afford the boat Kaze used to own or the spot at the docks he'd kept it. She couldn't afford Kaze's dumb hut by the river and couldn't afford to care. She survived. Like the other orphans or street kids whose parents probably died in the war.

Safe to say they didn't like Onomu's firebending either. So Onomu didn't even get along with the other orphan nobodies. She had to do it all on her own.

And she did. She would. Do it all on her own. She'd eat every piece of this shitty bread. Then look for any food people left when they vacated the square. If any of the other street rats tried to take it first, she'd beat them to a pulp. Onomu wouldn't waste a crumb.

Then when she was old enough, she’d join the military. They had a draft anyways. She’d join and be a soldier, like Kaze. Better than Kaze. 

Better than her scumbag father or the asshole that just tossed her food on the ground. 

Onomu would be a soldier. A strong one. And then she wouldn’t have to beg to anyone. For anything. Ever again. 

One day, Onomu wouldn’t have to rely on pity ever again.

But until then she’d eat. Outside in the gloomy rain. She’d eat. Steam hissing off her shoulders. She’d eat. This dirty, soggy, smushed bread. Every last crumb. 

Onomu would eat all of it. 

Even if she had to claw it out the mud.

92 AG

Onomu's stomach rumbled.

"Fuck." She growled, sitting in chains inside Jasmine Island's prison. Metal bars and earth walls kept her stuck. Metal chains on her wrist as she looked up at the ceiling. Bored. She was bored and angry. Two things Onomu hated feeling simultaneously.

Onomu snapped at the guard, "Hey, when can I get some food. It's been hours." The guard was a basic-looking Earth Kingdom guy. A Jasmine Island protector stationed outside, wearing gold and white robes. A spear strapped to his back. He had his dumb gold-colored mask on his hip.

The man looked tired.

Tired and annoyed.

The man grumbled, "Shut up, thief, my shift's almost over." The man yawned. Onomu's growl intensified. Damn it. She'd been here for hours.

The second she found Lu Ten's slimy little neck, she was going to-.

The door to the mud prison opened, and Onomu looked over to see the slimy little snake poke his head around the corner. His golden eyes spotted her.

Lu Ten smirked. "Miss me?"

"I'll fucking end you!" Onomu snarled, startling against her stupid chains. She growled as they refused to break. That fucker. That piece of shit fucker.

Lu Ten chuckled, and that pissed Onomu off even more.

The guard let out a tired sigh and knocked his fist against the cell bars. "Quiet." 

Onomu growled. The guard clicked his tongue and turned to Lu Ten. Or Lee. Whatever bullshit the fucker had spouted before Onomu passed out. The guard looked at Lu Ten and sighed. "What do you want? I have enough trouble dealing with one Fire Nation soldier."

"I know, I'm sorry for her behavior." Lu Ten apologized sheepishly, rubbed the back of his neck, and Onomu ground her teeth so hard they cracked. Lu Ten ignored her and continued explaining to the gaurd "Yu Ming and I talked. She said I could take my officer back."

The guard raised a brow. "Got proof?"

Lu Ten pulled out a letter and handed it over. The guard read it, shrugged, and folded it up. "Fair enough. She's all yours." The guard said, getting the keys to the cells. 

"Thanks," Lu Ten said as the gaurd opened the cell door. "Sorry for the trouble she may have caused you." The guard went into the cell to unlock Onomu's chains. Onomu felt her adrenaline start to pump. Good. Perfect. She ground her teeth, muscles tense. The second she was out. 

The second she was free she was going to show the smug, stupid, lying princeling, how much she-,

The guard stopped as Lu Ten's hand fell on his shoulder. Lu Ten said with a nervous chuckle. "Uh... actually... maybe leave the chains on." 

Onomu froze. Her eyes were wide.

No... no, he wouldn't. That fucker wouldn't dare. 

Even the guard didn't believe it. The guard looked back, confused. "What?"

Lu Ten chuckled and smiled, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Well, I just think she's still a little heated about before. So yeah..." Lu Ten gave Onomu an apologetic expression that the guard ate up. Ate like fucking Komodo Chicken with fire flakes on a cold winter day. 

Onomu didn't. She didn't buy it for a second. 

Because Lu Ten's lips twitched like he was trying not to laugh. 

"If you could just leave the chains on until I talk her down," Lu Ten respectfully asked the guard. "That would be great."

"You're dead!" Onomu hissed, struggling against her chains. "You're dead, you hear me! Dead! You-,"

The guard sighed and shoved a rag in Onomu's mouth. Onomu growled and tried to bite the guard's finger off. The guard pulled his hand back as if it had been burned. She wished. If Onomu knew how to do that fire-breathing garbage. 

Onomu never learned it; she never had a proper teacher, and even then, she probably wouldn’t have learned it. Apparently, it was an advanced technique. The Dragon of the West was famous for using it. 

Bastard. Onomu wished she could breathe fire. Not the occasional little wisps of steam or smoke passing her lips. Real fire.

Enough so that Mr. Guard over here would be dead.

The Gaurd and the snake behind him. 

The edge of Lu Ten's lips flickered down for a second as he watched Onomu get gagged. But the next second, Lu Ten wore a grateful expression. Lu ten patted the guard on the back and let out a breath of relief. "Thanks." Lu Ten sighed. "Any chance I can talk to her alone? This may take a while."

"Be my guest." The gaurd huffed, tossing Lu Ten the key. "My shift is over. I'm not dealing with her anymore. Take her and go when you're done. She's caused enough trouble." The guard walked towards the door and left, slamming it shut behind him. 

Onomu glared at the door. 

Then glared at the person responsible for her situation. 

'Fuck you,' She muttered into the gag. It came out as a muffled, impossible-to-understand threat. 

Lu Ten seemed to understand get the message regardless. He winced and said. "Yeah, my bad. Had to think quick." Lu Ten walked over and reached for the gag. He stopped, tilted his head. Onomu's glare doubled. Lu Ten raised a brow. "If I remove this, will you bite my fingers off?"

Onomu growled.

Lu Ten shrugged, "I'll take that as a no." 

He removed the gag. Then yanked his fingers back as Onomu tried to bite them. Lu Ten yelped, "Hey! You said you weren't going to bite me."

"I didn't say shit. Bastard." Onomu muttered, spitting out a wad of blood. Fuck. She bit her cheek. Onomu clicked her tongue and glared at Prince back-stabber. "Let me out."

"Will you try to kill me if I do?"

"There won't be a try about it," Onomu snarled, and Lu Ten sighed. 

"Thought so." Lu Ten sat down across from Onomu, just out of reach of her chains. Smart bastard. Lu Ten sighed. "Anyways, I talked to Yu Ming."

"The fuck you mean anyways," Onomu scowled, yanking at her chains. "Let me out!"

"Later. Be patient, Onomu." Lu Ten said calmly. Like a monk or a dumb teacher trying to impart a lesson. Lu Ten closed his eyes and recited. "All good things come to those who wait. Like the mighty peach tree and its..." Lu Ten frowned and furrowed his brows. "Many flowers?"

Lu Ten creaked an eye open, as if to see if his 'wisdom' had done anything. 

It did.

It made Onomu drastically less enthusiastic about the Fire Nation's future. 

The look on her face...

Pure disgust and disappointment at her future Fire Lord. 

Lu Ten huffed. "Oh come on, even I don't know all of my dad's dumb proverbs." 

"I. Don't. Care." Onomu growled and tugged at her chains. "Just let me out so I can kick your ass, you slimy, back-stabbing, lying little-,"

"Yu Ming didn't know." Lu Ten interrupted, cutting off Onomu's rant. Onomu flinched; her outrage temporarily abated. 

She narrowed her eyes at Lu Ten. "What?"

"She didn't know about the Earth Kingdom Stronghold." Lu Ten repeated. Sitting with his legs crossed and his hands resting idly. He didn't look like he was lying. His eyes were quiet and calculating as he recounted his conversation. "To her knowledge, there isn't anything like that being built on the far side of the island."

"That's impossible." Onomu scowled. "You sure she didn't just lie to you, Officer Lee."

"Oh, come on. Give me a little credit, Onomu. ," Lu Ten rolled his eyes. "Of course, I didn't ask her outright. If she were trying to ally Jasmine Isles with the Earth Kingdom, the last thing she would do is tell a Fire Nation soldier." 

"So you lied to her," Onomu said flatly, sarcasm dripping on her tongue. "I'm shocked." 

"You're just bitter it worked." Lu Ten snorted, lips tilted upwards. "And yes. I may have mentioned that the Fire Nation might be interested in building a Fire Tower on the far side of the island, for ships lost at sea." Lu Ten's eyes narrowed. "She said she'd ask the council."

"That doesn't mean anything." Onomu frowned. "Maybe she was playing you."

"Maybe," Lu Ten frowned, "But I didn't get that impression of her."

"And why's that?" Onomu rolled her eyes, "Because you're so lovable and trusting."

"If only..." Lu Ten siighed, lips twitching downwards. He muttered. "Look. It'll be better if I just show you." Lu Ten held the key up and approached. "I got her to agree to take us to the top of Moonlight Mountain. Apparently, you can see the entire island from there." 

Lu Ten opened Onomu's cuffs. "When we get there, we can see-,"

Onomu's fist cracked into his nose. 

Lu Ten hissed, falling back and holding his bloody nose. Onomu stood up, rubbing her wrists. She marched over and picked Lu Ten up by the collar, slamming him up against the bars of her cell. Onomu growled lowly, "Are you out of your fucking mind!"

"Ow, my nose." Lu Ten muttered, wiping his bloody nostril. "You couldn't have aimed for the cheek."

"We can't stay here." Onomu snapped, her voice barely restrained. The only reason she wasn't yelling was that she couldn't risk anyone overhearing. Onomu ground her teeth and whispered in a seething hiss. "The Admiral's probably already back at the ship by now. I'm probably going to get discharged as it is. If we stay here after sundown..."

Onomu ground her teeth. "We could fuck up the entire operation."

"There might not have to be an operation." Lu Ten said with an ounce of irritation in his voice. He put his hands on Onomu's wrists, the ones holding him up. He didn't squeeze harshly, but they were there. A warning.

Lu Ten narrowed his eyes. "Yeayu might be wrong about this place."

"She already went to the far side of the island, to verify it herself!" Onomu snapped, "Whatever this Yu Ming says isn't-,"

"It's important." Lu Ten said flatly. Onomu snarled. Lu Ten simply stared at her, eyes cold and unyielding. A cold fire. He spoke frankly. "What the leader of this neutral island has to say is important. I at least want to make sure I hear it before we resort to drastic measures."

"You're going to get us all killed." Onomu snapped, her grip on Lu Ten's collar tightening. "We have orders. Yeayu is already verifying the information on the far side of the island. We need to go back to the ship. Because she'll be the one telling us if we have to burn this place."

Onomu scowled. "Not you, princeling. You're not Fire Lord, yet. Quit acting like it."

Lu Ten's jaw clenched minutely. His eyes narrowed, and for a second, Onomu thought he'd try to swing. She hoped he tried it. Prince or not, Onomu would slam him through a fucking wall.

But he didn't. Bastard. Lu Ten took a small breath through his nose and released it through his mouth. He met Onomu's glare, and his expression was calmer. Concise. Lu Ten said simply. "I am going to the top Moonlight Mountain with Yu Ming, I'll be able to tell off her reaction if she's hiding something or not. You can swim back to the ship if you want to. I'll even write a letter excusing your absence." Lu Ten said quietly. "But I'm going. With or without you."

Onomu growled. Lu Ten leaned forward, his golden eyes clashing against her green. 

"Now release your hands before you lose them, Colonel."

Onomu scowled, seething. She threw Lu Ten to the ground with a snarl. Marching off with a growl. "You want to be here when this place burns. Go right a fucking head. Be my guest." Onomu marched towards the exit to the mud prison. She opened the door. 

"You can go die for all I-,"

Onomu stopped, frozen as she opened the door. There was a girl, a kid no older than 15, standing outside. She wore gold and white, but not just the colors. There was actual gold silk in her robes, and white in the jasmine designs decorating them. She looked up and flinched. 

"Oh, sorry. You must be Onomu, Lee told me about you." She said, coughing into her fist. She had straight black hair and green eyes. Earth Kingdom, obviously. There were two Jasmine Island protectors, a man and a woman, silently standing guard by her. 

They had gold and white uniforms that Onomu had seen on almost all the Jasmine Island protectors so far. Gold masks covering their faces. But Onomu could tell their eyes were narrowed on her instantly. 

The woman had shoulder-length light auburn brown hair and golden eyes.  No weapons, so probably a fire bender. 

The man was older and had similar features. Greying light brown hair and golden eyes. Sun-kissed skin. He had a staff on his back. The woman's father, maybe? He stood loosely but confidently, like he knew how to use the staff on his back and was ready to do so should the need arise. 

The girl they were protecting seemed to notice the tension and looked back with a worried frown. "Akataa. Aiko, quit it. She made a mistake, but she's a guest." The girl turned back to Onomu and smiled politely. She extended her hand. "Sorry, where are my manners?"

Onomu watched the girl fidget lightly, as if she were a little nervous. Shy maybe. 

"I'm Yu Ming. It's nice to meet you."

The girl reeked of inexperience. Onomu saw it all over her face. Onomu scowled and watched as the girl, head of the Ming family, apparently, flinched. That pissed Onomu off even more. Onomu ground her teeth, her jaw clicking tightly. 

This girl, Yu Ming, was the head of Jasmine Island. The Island that had brokered a secret alliance with the Earth Kingdom to try and get an outpost built here. To try to join the war. This was the girl who was supposedly ready to risk her people and her island in a bloody war Jasmine Isles had avoided for a century. 

The girl fidgeted with her robes, shuffling uncomfortably under the long silence.

And Onomu suddenly felt a massive headache coming on. 

She heard Lu Ten walk out of the mud prison behind her. He patted her shoulder. 

"Told you." He said, walking past her and talking to Yu Ming about going to the top of Moonlight Mountain. Apparently, Yu Ming hadn't gone there in a few months, since she spent most of her time in her estate or in town. And the climb was a longer one. 

Convenient. Was Onomu's first thought. 

And annoying was the second. 

Because Onomu didn't think the girl was capable of lying well enough to fool her and Prince Lee over there. 

"Fuck..." Onomu grumbled under her breath as she pinched her nose. Grinding her teeth. She looked at the sun. It was past noon already. Yeayu was definitely back at the ship. And in a couple more hours, it would be dusk. And a few hours after that, it would be dark. 

Midnight. 

At midnight, this place would be under siege. 

Onomu lowered her gaze to the island, the village. The town of Jasmine Flowers and tea and everything in between. Onomu ground her teeth. She caught part of Yu Ming's conversation with Lu Ten. Yu Ming was saying, "I can take you up the mountain now if you wish, Lee."

Onomu's jaw clenched. 

Yu Ming asked, "Would your friend like to come too?" 

And Onomu cursed under her breath. She looked over and saw Lu Ten glance at her expectantly. Yu Ming was looking between them curiously. The Jasmine Island Protectors were waiting behind Yu Ming, waiting cautiously.

Onomu closed her eyes and took an annoyed breath. Running everything through her head.

She was probably already fucked. Demoted at best, discharged at worst, so no, staying any longer wouldn't fuck her any worse. 

Because as much as she hated to admit it, Yeayu was probably already on the ship, and had already noticed Lu Ten and Onomu weren't there.

And if Yeayu had also confirmed the reports about the other side of the island. 

Then at midnight, this place would burn. 

"...Fuck it, whatever," Onomu muttered. "I'll climb your stupid mountain."

So in the end, Onomu decided she might as well get a good look at the damn island before its ash, and make sure her royal boss doesn't die in the process. 

Chapter Text

75AG

Onomu hated the water.

She hated being on it even more.

"This is shit," Onomu growled as she tried to pull the ropes on Kaze's dumb fucking boat. They were in the port docks of Shugeo, and Kaze had taken her to get her 'sea legs' or whatever. Using the riskiest, rattiest, closest to sinking-looking row boat he could find.

Onomu planted her feet; water under her foot said fuck that. Onomu slipped, the rowboat rocked, and she fell flat on her ass.

"Fuck!"

For the third fucking time.

Kaze laughed from the bow. "Ha! You got the sea legs, a baby deer fox, little spitfire."

"Fuck off!"

"Oi! What the fuck do you say to me! I'm still your father, brat!"

"I said fuck off!" Onomu growled and rubbed her ass. Her bruised, humiliated ass as she tried to stand up and grab the dumb gunwale again. She heard Kaze's snickers from the bow. And it pissed her off even more. She glared at the old fucker. "Shut up."

"Make me, shithead." Kaze smiled. His dark grey eyes were twinkling with mischief. He stood lazily, tanned skin, a thinner man with a puffy grey beard and balding grey hair. His right arm was missing, smashed by a boulder in the war. His left arm was still attached, left lazily on his hip. He raised a leg and beckoned Onomu over with his stupid, ugly toes.

"Come on," Kaze taunted, snickering. "If you can even make it to me, I'll let you get a punch in." Kaze's toes flexed. "I promise. Sailor's honor."

"Your honor's shit."

"And your balance is worse. Chop chop." Kaze giggled, and Onomu growled. She grabbed the gunwale and marched over. Her foot fell heavily.

She fell heavily when the dumb, tiny rowboat tilted, and she nearly fell over the side. Onomu's hand sank into the water, and she cursed. "Fuck! This is stupid!"

"Sounds like someone's having trouble."

"I hate you!"

"Want a hint?"

"Fuck no!" Onomu growled and stood back up, nearly tipping over the other side in the process. She grabbed the gunwale before she could get flung off the port side. Her stomach hit the lip, momentum did its thing, and she held onto the boat as she was tilted over the ship's edge. Her head plunked into the water.

She took a second to scream into the stupid ocean.

And when she resurfaced, wet hair matted over her head, and her fingers were digging into the gunwale of the boat. She looked over and muttered. "Tell me."

Kaze's smirk widened, and he cupped his hand around his ear. "What was that? I am an old man, you know? My hearing's not what it used to be."

"Fuck you!" Onomu snapped. "Just tell me how to do it!"

"Alright, alright, Agni." Kaze rolled his eyes and stood atop the bow of the ship. He jumped onto the top of the gunwale's lip, walking along the edge. The boat rocked under his shifting weight. Onomu had to hold onto the dumb bench to not tip over.

And still, Kaze walked easily. Basically tip-toeing around the dumb boat. Onomu glared at him. Kaze laughed and said. "Your feet are too heavy."

"The fuck does that mean?"

"When you plant your feet, it's solid, weighty. Like an earth bender. Good for land." Kaze smirked and got to the bow of the ship and stood on one leg.

"Bad for the sea."

Onomu rolled her eyes. Dumb show-off.

Kaze smirked. "Try to loosen up," Kaze said, tucking his free leg under his knee. "Keep it light. The ship's gonna rock whether you want it or not. You can either rock with it." Kaze smirked and did a little hop; the boat rocked, and Onomu lost her balance.

"Or fall." Kaze laughed as Onomu fell over the edge. She resurfaced a few seconds later, spitting water out of her mouth and cursing up a storm.

"I fucking hate you," Onomu growled. She pushed the strands of hair out of her eyes. Kaze merely laughed and walked along the edge of the gunwale.

He stopped in front of where she was treading water.

"Oh, no. You hate me?" Kaze held out his hand. Kaze smirked. "Really? Cuz I think you're a shitty liar." Kaze wiggled his outstretched hand. "Brat."

"Screw you." Onomu snapped, planting her feet on the side of the boat. She grabbed Kaze's hand and pulled him into the water.

Kaze sputtered and cursed. "Dammit! Onomu! My beard! You're in big trouble, young lady!" Kaze treaded water, shaking his drenched hair

And Onomu laughed. Laughed hard enough she choked on water when Kaze dunked her head under. She came back up sputtering. "Fuck!"

"Ha!" Kaze's laughter rang out. And Onomu growled. She tried to drown Kaze. Twice. She failed. Barely. And at the end of the long day, she still hadn't figured out how to stand on the stupid boat.

She didn't learn the next day either. Or the dumb day after that.

But eventually she got it. She even learned how to toss the dumb rope onto the poles at the docks so she could keep the dumb rowboat from floating away.

Because Kaze was an idiot...

But she guessed he wasn't a totally shitty dad.

92AG

He walked like Kaze.

Akataa, or whatever his name was. The older Jasmine Island protector with tan skin, golden eyes, greying, slicked-back hair, and the Bo staff.

He walked like Kaze.

With perfect balance.

Akataa walked easily up the beginnings of the mountain path, towards the large estate halfway up the hill. He seemed to take the lead, even with Yu Ming, the island's leader, albeit young and naive-looking, in the group. If Onomu had to bet, she'd say off that alone, Akataa was probably the best protector Jasmine Island had.

Lu Ten seemed to agree, because he walked nearby and catted. "Your bo staff is cool. I don't see those often these days." Lu Ten smiled, politely gesturing to the swords on his back. "I prefer my Dao Blade, but I'd be happy to exchange notes later if you want." 

"If time permits." Akataa gave an aged and bemused chuckle. "Maybe if you're as good as I think, it'll finally show my stubborn daughter the benefits of using a weapon."

Aiko groaned, "I'm a fire bender dad. I can't use a bo staff without burning it."

"Excuses, excuses." Akataa sighed, and he and Aiko started playfully bickering in the front. Lu Ten smiled and joined in every once in a while, likely enjoying getting the two to argue about nonsensical things like a bo staff's durability and something called Jasmine-style combat.

Onomu rolled her eyes and glanced at Yu Ming. 

She was walking along happily, oblivious to the threat just off her island. Agni, she had to be fifteen at the most. Why was she running an island? More than that, actually, she was technically the head of a neutral nation. The Jasmine Isles. 

Onomu grumbled. "So how the hell are you, island leader, anyway?"

Yu Ming flinched, looking away nervously. "Um... my parents got sick a while ago. I don't have any siblings, so..." Yu Ming shrugged, smiling slightly. "Guess I'm the leader."

Great. Now Onomu felt shitty.

Onomu grumbled. "Sounds like shit."

Yu Ming stiffened, eyes wide, before she laughed and said. "Yeah, it is... that word."

"You're the leader of an island and can't curse?"

"Qi Guang said it was improper."

"He sounds fucking lame." Onomu rolled her eyes. Yu Ming giggled, and the group continued up the mountain path. Jasmine flowers were in bloom on the side of the stone-laid trail. Farm fields terraced up the mountainside, full of tea leaves and farmers hand-picking their yields. 

Eventually, the group made it to the foot of the Ming Estate, halfway up the mountain. 

It was grand and elaborate. Gold-tiled ceramic rooftops, bold white exterior. Jasmine flowers lined the path upwards. Their golden petals marked the front gardens, and their image was etched into the front gates and white stone walls.

The place looked fancy.

Way too fancy for Onomu's liking.

She scowled, and Lu Ten snorted beside her. The prince smirked. "You think this is tacky, you should see the Fire Palace. Gold dragons on every pillar."

"You disgust me." Onomu scowled. And Lu Ten laughed. Onomu rolled her eyes. The two followed the Jasmine Islanders up the mountainside. Up a shit ton of steps, until they got to the front gates, guarded by two Jasmine Island protectors.

The one on the left was a Water Tribe man, late thirties, with long dark brown hair and light grey eyes. He tilted his head, mask hanging off his side. He had a spear on his back. He wore standard Jasmine Island uniforms, gold and white fabrics.

The other was a shorter girl with brown eyes and basic brown hair. She looked a little fidgety, full of energy. She had two knives at her waist, and her uniform looked like she'd overslept and put it on five minutes before she had to get to her shift. Her mask was o also a little crooked.

Yu Ming waved. "Siku." She greeted the water tribe man. "Fu Meili." She greeted the brown-haired girl. Yu Ming smiled and pointed to their group. "We have guests. They want to see Moonlight peak. I'm going to take them up the mountain, okay?"

Siku's eyes flicked towards Onomu and Lu Ten. His eyes narrowed, but he sighed and said. "You might want to run that by Qi Guang first."

"He's here?" Yu Ming asked. "I thought he wasn't coming in today. I didn't see him at the council hall this morning."

"Arrived just a few minutes ago." Siku shrugged. "Said he wanted to stop by for a moment and make sure you were ready for Monsoon season. Since travel between islands will be impossible once the rainy season starts."

"Fu Shin's still at home, though." Fu Meili sighed. "Big brother's such an idiot sometimes. Getting sick right before monsoon season. Idiot."

Yu Ming nodded. "Alright, I'll talk to Qi Guang first. Can you open the gates for us?" She nodded towards the rest of their group. Siku and Fu Meili pulled the golden handles and opened the large looming gates to the Ming Estate. The large and heavy stone doors creaked open. A courtyard of jasmine flowers and a decorative stone pond lay on the other side.

Akataa and Aiko followed behind Yu Ming.

Lu Ten and Onomu followed behind them. Fu Meili gave them a friendly smile and a wave as they passed. "Hope you enjoy your time here." Fu Meili smiled and started talking faster than an Ostrich Horse could run. "You're going to love it. Jasmine Island has the best tea. Ooh, and the best flowers. Ooh, and Ming's estate is gorgeous. They've been running the main island for generations. They were the first ones to figure out the recipe for golden Jasmine tea."

Onomu blinked and just nodded. Hoping that would be enough to keep the hyper guard at bay. Lu Ten smiled and said, "We're looking forward to it."

Fu Meili grinned and gave a final, chipper wave as Onomu and Lu Ten walked past.

Siku's eyes narrowed at Lu Ten as he passed by.

Siku said, "Don't linger." And closed the gates behind them. Shutting it with a loud click. 

Onomu scoffed as the gates closed. She muttered. "What's his problem..."

Lu Ten shrugged, "Who knows?" He continued further into the Yu Ming estate and all its Jasmine filled glory. He glanced at Aiko.

Aiko noticed his gaze and fell back as Yu Ming and Akataa talked up ahead.

Aiko said quietly. "Yeah, sorry about Siku. He came here only recently. And he's not really..." Aiko winced. "He's not a fan of the Fire Nation."

"Why?" Lu Ten asked. "The Fire Nation doesn't come to the Jasmine Isles often. At least not from the reports I've looked at."

"Siku isn't from the Jasmine Isles." Aiko sighed, "His mother was apparently southern water tribe." Aiko mumbled. "His father was a fire nation soldier. A prison guard or something."

Lu Ten and Onomu stiffened.

Aiko scoffed. "Yeah, I think you can guess the rest."

They could. Onomu and Lu Ten could guess the rest.

And suddenly neither felt the need to touch the topic again.

So they followed in relative silence. Glancing around the lavish estate. Gold and white decorated curtains. Jasmine flowers decorate the interiors. A few other Jasmine Island locals traversed the main hall of the estate: servants, other residents, and workers.

One man, a gangly earth-kingdom man with a thin mustache, seemed to stand tall, his pristine gold fabrics and hands hidden behind his robes.

The man's green eyes flicked towards the group.

His eyes narrowed on Lu Ten and Onomu.

And the next second his face was plain.

He glanced at Yu Ming. "I was unaware we had guests."

"Sorry for not informing you, Qi Guang. But they stopped by to get tea for one of their superiors." Yu Ming said, rubbing her neck sheepishly. "He's Officer Lee. And she's Private Onomu. They want to see Moonlight peak before they leave."

"That's wonderful for tourists." Qi Guang said flatly, head tilted and eyes twitching slightly. "I hardly see how that matter involves you, Milady."

"I'm going to take them up the mountain."

"Before a storm?" Qi Guang raised a brow. Lips twitching down. "Have you seen the sky outside. It's grey and cloudy. Not to mention the rain earlier."

"I know, but I want to show them." Yu Ming pouted, pleading. "Besides, I haven't gone to Moonlight Peak in forever. Please. I'll be back before dusk."

Qi Guang frowned. "I'm not sure if that's the best idea." Qi Guang said. "Is today truly the best day. When Fu Shin has fallen ill. Why not invite your..." Qi Guang's lips curled down. "Uninvited guests to see the mountain tomorrow morning."

"But they might not be able to stay that long." Yu Ming pleaded, bouncing up and down on her toes like she really wanted to go to Moonlight Peak.

"Please." Yu Ming tried again. "I'll have Aiko and Akataa with me."

Qi Guang's brow twitched. "You were supposed to have Basalt guard you tonight."

"He can take a break."

"Milady..." Qi Guang's voice clipped, and he held his head in his hand. Like he just remembered he was talking to a 15-year-old and was already sick of it.

Qi Guang clicked his tongue and sighed.

"Fine." He said, "I suppose as long as you take Basalt, it should be fine. Just ensure you're back at your estate before dusk. Midnight at the latest."

"Yes!" Yu Ming said excitedly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're welcome, Milady." Qi Guang's voice sounded exasperated. He rolled his eyes and turned to leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I was here to ensure you were ready for the stormy seasons, but it seems you will be occupied for the rest of the day. I'll come back tomorrow to discuss proper arrangements."

"Of course, I'll see you tomorrow, Qi Guang." Yu Ming bowed politely, and Qi Guang gave a huff as he moved to leave the Ming estate.

He walked past Onomu and Lu Ten.

His lips curled in a slight frown.

Onomu rolled her eyes.

Lu Ten's face brightened, and he reached out and grabbed Qi Guang's shoulder. "Actually, I'd like to talk to you after we get back from the mountain."

Qi Guang's eyes narrowed. He shrugged off Lu Ten's hand. "Whatever you have to say, I'm sure it can wait until tomorrow. You seem busy as it is."

"But the Fire Nation has trade interests in all the Jasmine Isles, not just Jasmine Island." Lu Ten smiled. "You sure you can't wait a few more hours?"

"Positive." Qi Guang's voice sounded clipped. He brushed past Lu Ten. He almost made it to the doors, his foot at the threshold of the estate.

Yu Ming spoke up hesitantly, "Actually, Qi Guang." She said, and Qi Guang let out an exasperated sigh. He turned. Yu Ming chuckled nervously and asked. "I uh... I was supposed to meet with members of the Southern Water Tribe today to talk about new trade deals. Is there any chance you could meet them instead?"

"Milady." Qi Guang sighed, "If you were supposed to meet them today, I hardly see why you agreed to go galavanting around with Fire Nation soldiers."

"I..." Yu Ming winced. "Forgot?"

"Clearly." Qi Guang's voice was bland and annoyed. He sighed and said, "Fine, I suppose I can meet with the Southerners. However, I'll only entertain them for an hour or two. I plan to be back on my island tonight and sleeping in my bed. Is that clear, Milady?"

"Crystal." Yu Ming giggled, and Qi Guang huffed and turned back into the Ming estate. Heading down a separate hall of the manor, Onomu caught a glimpse of the supposed Southerners waiting in a large foyer. Two men, well-equipped and dressed in Southern Water Tribe blue coats. The doors closed behind Qi Guang before she could catch anything else.

Onomu scoffed and whispered under her breath. "Guess even savages like the dumb tea here." She muttered. "Surprised they know how to trade."

Lu Ten rolled his eyes and said. "Oh, relax, Onomu. We haven't had to raid the Southern Water Tribe in decades. I'm sure they're civil by now."

"Or waiting to ambush us and eat our bones."

"You know that cannibal stuff was probably exaggerated, right?"

"I don't know, Kaze said they had sharp fangs for teeth," Onomu smirked, wagging her fingers under her lips. Lu Ten snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You're impossible." He said. "Come on, we might as well go before we stir up trouble. Not like they'll do anything on a neutral island anyway."

"Yeah..." Onomu said, mood dropping slightly. She glanced around the Ming estate. The people and workers who were milling about, minding their own business. Doing their jobs. 

"Neutral."

Onomu frowned slightly, ignoring the twist in her stomach. Lu Ten glanced at her, but didn't say anything. Simply kept walking. They left with Yu Ming and the others to grab this Basalt person. Hopefully, afterwards, they could climb this stupid mountain and be done with everything.

Onomu didn't want to be on this island any longer than necessary.

Meanwhile...

Qi Guang stepped into the side foyer of the Ming Estate. Closing the doors behind him, he sighed and took a seat at the table.

"Apologies. Yu Ming has other priorities as of the moment." Qi Guang said, flipping through a small set of papers detailing the point of these talks. He said. "It says you've been here since this morning." Qi Guang said. "Who let you inside Ming Estate?"

"A man with a beard and a woman with long black hair." The Southern Water Tribe man sitting across from Qi Guang said, leader of this impromptu delegation, obviously. He had blue eyes, light chocolate skin, and dark shaggy brown hair pulled back in a wolf's tail. 

He had weapons on his back.

The warrior he brought with him, his bodyguard if Qi Guang were to take a guess, was the same. The bodyguard was standing nearby. He had narrower eyes, lighter blue eyes, and the same light chocolate skin. Long, silky brown hair hanging halfway down his back.

Qi Guang sighed, "I heard you came here to talk trade deals. I am remiss to inform you that I find it unlikely that Jasmine Isles will change our rates anytime soon. Especially with the monsoon season just around the corner. Perhaps if you were to schedule another visit in a few months?"

"We'd love to." The man across from Qi Guang said, "But I have a family at home and don't want to keep them waiting months for some of your island's world-famous tea. I promised my daughter after all."  The man smiled politely. "Not to say everything has to get done today. Or even before the Monsoon starts in the coming weeks. We'll be happy to come back after the monsoon season is over and pick up right where we left off."

Qi Guang scowled as he watched the body gaurd pull out a few parchments, old trade agreements the Southern Water Tribe probably had with Yu Ming's parents before they died so... tragically last year. Qi Guang scowled and scanned the documents.

The Southern Water Tribe man smiled. "But getting the grunt work done before then would be beneficial to both parties. Don't you agree?" 

Qi Guang scowled and shifted the papers to the side. Great. He can see why that little brat Yu Ming didn't want to deal with this. The Southern Water Tribe had come prepared to negotiate, right before the monsoon season, when the Jasmine Isles were obviously busy and focused on the coming monsoon season. 

Yu Ming would have been eaten alive if she had tried to take these negotiations upon herself.

So instead, she took the first opportunity she saw to pass it off to Qi Guang.

She was more cunning than he'd given her credit for. He was almost proud.

Almost.

Qi Guang sighed, "Very well. Let's begin." He shifted the papers aside. He introduced himself properly as common political courtesy demanded. "My name is Qi Guang. I am head of Jasmine Isles' second island, Lua, and will be standing in for Yu Ming for these negotiations. Are there any problems with that arrangement?”

“None.” The southern Water Tribe man smiled slightly and stuck out his hand. "My name is Hakoda, and this is Lieutenant Bato. I'm the chief of the southern water tribe, and have come here to renegotiate our current trade deals with the Jasmine Isles."

Qi Guang's eyes widened slightly before his face fell flat.

He sighed and pinched his nose. "Then let's not waste another moment..."

Qi Guang ordered some Jasmine Tea from the Ming Estate servants. 

"Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe."

Qi Guang had the annoying feeling these negotiations would run longer than most.

Chapter Text

88AG

The first raid is the worst.

Scorch and Burn campaigns. Rare yet necessary campaigns in the Fire Nation targeting villages and towns rather than military targets. They were rare.

Most of the time, the Fire Nation targeted military units.

Most of the time, they fought frontline battles.

Most of the time, they targeted highly defended cities.

But sometimes, they didn't.

On rare occasions, they targeted weak towns. Remote villages. Fields and crops.

With orders to scorch and burn.

That's why, if one were to ask any soldier about their first Scorch and Burn campaign. That's what they will say. The first one is the worst.

The sights. Glowing orange over mud and clay.

The sounds. Screams and cries of all ages.

The smell. Burning smoke and ash that clogged the lungs.

The first time one's ordered to burn a village.

Is the worst time.

However, some things are necessary.

And some thoughts can lessen the burden.

Houses can be rebuilt. It's necessary because the Earth Kingdom keeps resisting. In the heat of war, where enemies are everywhere, it becomes easier.

Killing becomes easier.

Scorch and Burn campaigns become easier.

Faces start to blur together.

Because enemies don't need expressions.

The Earth Kingdom keeps resisting. Dragging out the war. So, Fire Nation soldiers are sent out to deal with it. They burn because it's necessary.

They always burn for a reason. Never for nothing.

There's always a reason.

'Because otherwise the Earth Kingdom will never give up.'

And when Scorch and Burn campaigns are instituted. When Admirals or Generals order their troops to raze a village. To conquer. Or to take anything of value. To destroy enough huts and burn enough houses that the pompous idiots back in Ba Sing Se finally got the message to just give up.

Stop resisting.

Stop fighting this senseless war that the Fire Nation is destined to win.

Stop dragging it out and killing more Fire Nation soldiers, smushing them under boulders. Burying them alive. Crushing their hands and feet.

When the smoke and ash clog the air.

Fire Nation soldiers are expected to burn.

And they follow orders.

Because there's a reason.

There's always a reason.

That's why after the first, it becomes easier.

Because there's a reason.

There's always a reason.

'Because sometimes it's necessary.'

They didn't burn villages just for fun.

If there were resistance forces in a village. They burned it to rout out the fighters and eliminate them. If there was a strategic reason to hold that position. They burned enough of the village to get the dirt eaters quiet so they could subjugate the rest. Conquer it. Make it better if the time allowed. If their goal was to march to point B. They burn the village at point A so they don't have to worry about an attack from behind. There was a reason.

There was always a reason.

There were countless reasons.

'Because they'd do the same to me.'

If any single Earth Kingdom soldier had the chance to kill a Fire Nation soldier, they'd do it. So mercy was useless. It just makes you an easier target.

If any Earth Kingdom civilian had the chance.

They'd kill that same Fire Nation soldier without question.

Age. Gender. Screaming. Running. Fighting.

It didn't matter.

Every single one would kill that sleeping Fire Nation soldier given the chance.

Or they'd alert the Earth Kingdom soldiers and have the Earth Kingdom do the dirty work instead.

Either way, the Fire Nation soldier was dead.

So every single Earth Kingdom person the Fire Nation came across had to be the enemy. And every enemy killed was an ally saved.

That's why Fire Nation soldiers burned when ordered to.

Because there's a reason.

There's always a reason.

'Because the Fire Nation has to win the war.'

To spread their technology and good fortune to the rest of the world. For Agni's brighter future. To spread their glory and their prosperity.

The Fire Nation had to win.

So they burned.

Because there's a reason.

There's always a reason.

'Because after the war is finally over, they could build something better.'

Far better than anything those dirt eaters could come up with. Just look at Yu Dao. The colony. At the start of the war, it was a pile of bricks and clay.

Now it was one of the wealthiest cities in the Fire Nation for metalwork.

That's why they say the first scorch-and-burn campaign is the worst.

Because it's hard to remember all the reasons the first time you scorch a building someone had lived in. Dirt eater or not. It's hard to remember the lessons when you hear people screaming. It's hard to remember when you smell charred meat, and it's hardest when you see people crying. Screaming.

Fleeing.

And you're ordered to keep marching. Because when people flee, they spread fear. And then the Earth Kingdom will send soldiers. So they can't run.

If too many people run, the next march will be harder, because they'll warn the next city, town, or village that the Fire Nation is coming.

And sometimes, if the Fire Nation is on a long march, they can't afford to take prisoners. Too many resources. Too much risk. Too much time.

It's hard enough to feed themselves in enemy territory as it is.

Much less any captives they'd have to watch every hour of every day.

It's hard to remember the reasons the first time.

It's easier to remember it when someone else, someone who already had their first campaign, takes the first step. Burns the first house.

Kills the first enemy. Soldier or otherwise.

It's easier after the first time. To remember the reasons. Some things are necessary. Every step forward, every order, will be worth it at the end.

When this hundred-year war is finally over.

That's why the Fire Nation did it. Burned.

Because there was a reason to.

That's why, when Onomu thinks back to her worst Scorch and Burn campaign.

It wasn't her first.

It was her last.

It was after a failed campaign against Gongmen City. A great city at the foot of a large lake, where multiple rivers running through the earth kingdom split off from. It was supposed to be a joint venture by Admiral Mamushi and Great Admiral Chen.

Shao Feng the Underhanded had routed Admiral Mamushi's assault. Cut her off on her way towards Gongmen with a preemptive strike.

Separated Mamushi from her ally.

Forced her to take one of the narrower riverways away from Gongmen city. Where she couldn't turn and try to regroup with Great Admiral Chen.

Mamushi had been forced to take her ships downstream.

Into the deeper Earth Kingdom.

Behind enemy lines.

With the only destination possible being the South Ce Sea.

Four weeks. It would take four weeks to reach the South Ce Sea, to hit open waters. With Mamushi setting course through the deeper Earth Kingdom. Forced to traverse far behind enemy lines thanks to Shao Feng. Four weeks to get back to safety.

But they were low on food. They had been expecting to receive more food and water from Great Admiral Chen when they met at the resupply point.

But thanks to Shao Feng, Mamushi never made the rendezvous.

She had five ships. Five Fire Nation cruisers.

And not enough food to feed all her men.

Not enough food to last the four weeks.

Not even enough food to last one.

So she gave an order.

Shu Ying was a small village at the foot of a large mountain range. Hidden and remote. Out of the way. The population was small, and right by the river, carving through the mountain range. The river they needed to take to get out of the deeper Earth Kingdom territory as soon as possible.

The first week after Shao Feng's assault, a week into Mamushi's month-long voyage behind enemy lines. Right before entering the larger mountain range.

Before food had the chance to dwindle.

Before her troops had the chance to starve and weaken.

Mamushi gave the order.

Raid Shu Ying village.

And leave no survivors.

92AG

Onomu really wished they hadn't had to take Yappy up the mountain.

"Hey," Fu Meili asked another question, for what felt like the thousandth time. "What's it like being a Fire Nation soldier. I've always wondered."

"Boring," Onomu growled, her ostrich horse trotting up the mountainside path. She really wished she didn't have to ride next to talks-a-lot.

But Lu Ten was paired with Aiko.

And Akataa and Basalt were at the front. Leading Yu Ming.

Basalt turned out to be an older man from the Earth Kingdom.

Tanned skin and scars along his arm and at the edge of his lip. He had green eyes and long black hair. He talked to Akataa as if they knew each other for a long time. Basalt didn't carry weapons, so Onomu had to assume he was an Earthbender.

And he had a broad back.

Broad enough that Onomu doubted he'd gotten it just from working the tea fields.

Onomu grumbled towards Fu Meili. "That Basalt Guy. He used to be from the Earth Kingdom?"

"No." Fu Meili said a tad too quickly. Onomu's eyes narrowed. Fu Meili sighed. "Fine, yes. He used to be from the Earth Kingdom. But he was born in the Isles. On Lua." Fu Meili shrugged. "He left Jasmine Isles for a while when he was younger to fight for Ba Sing Se."

Onomu grumbled. "Doesn't sound very neutral."

Fu Meili's smile flickered. "He left the islands. He didn't fight as a Jasmine Isles Protector." Fu Meili muttered. "We have people like that sometimes. They leave to go join the war. And before you complain, it's both sides. Saiko left a few years ago to fight for the Fire Nation."

Fu Meili sighed. "Basalt's just one of the few that comes back."

Onomu's jaw set slightly, but she didn't comment. Onomu glanced at Yu Ming. Riding on her ostrich horse that was a little smaller than all the others. Onomu sighed. "You're part of the Fu Family, right? They run the other island."

"Yeah, Hana Island." Fu Meili smiled, tilting her head. "It's the smallest island, but we have a lot of fox-koalas. They're adorable." Fu Meili sighed, smiling. "Plus, we have a lot of the fire nationals on our island, so we get fire flakes galore directly from the Fire Nation. You should visit sometime." Fu Meili smirked. "Our Kamodo chicken is way better than anything on Jasmine Island. It tastes just like it came from the Fire Nation."

"That... actually sounds pretty good," Onomu mumbled, tilting her head. The pork she ate earlier was good, but she'd had better. She could tell it was a Jasmine Island spice instead of the real thing. She'd never say no to more fire flakes directly from the source.

Onomu raised a brow. "Why does your island get stuff directly from the Fire Nation. And Jasmine Island doesn't."

Fu Meili shrugged, "It's just kind of how it turned out. Lua gets a lot of the Earth Kingdom people. Hana gets the Fire Nation people. And Jasmine Island gets all three. Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation. Probably because it's the biggest and has the best tea. More people go there."

Fu Meili huffed. "It does get a little annoying, though. Especially since Yu Ming's parents died last year. My brother used to talk with the Ming family as equals, but now we basically listen to Qi Guang. And he gets annoying real quick."

"Qi Guang?" Onomu furrowed her brows. "The guy with the fancy robes."

"Yeah. He's Yu Ming's mentor. She does everything he says." Fu Meili snorted, her eyes narrowing slightly. "She might be the head of Jasmine Island, but for the last year or so, Qi Guang's been running everything. My brother and I are pretty sure he'll be in charge till she's eighteen."

Fu Meili's go-lucky expression fell for a second as she muttered under her breath, "Or grows a spine."

Onomu blinked, surprised. Fu Meili seemed to catch herself and smiled. "So, we talked about my home. Where'd you grow up?"

"And conversation over," Onomu said flatly, kicking her ostrich horse into high gear. Fu Meili whined but followed along. Pestering Onomu with questions, Onomu was never going to answer. Fuck no. Onomu kept her mouth sealed shut as they traversed the mountain path.

Andeventually, they made it to the top.

Moonlight Peak.

Moonlight Peak was a small grassy stone clearing at the top of the tallest mountain on Jasmine Island. There was a natural pond resting at the center, cool and misty. And a large jasmine flower patch that encircled it, still just flower buds, but their petals were a slightly different hue than other jasmine lilies Onomu had seen so far on the island.

The flower buds which encircled the pond were a vibrant, bluish-gold.

Yu Ming smiled, "Moonlight peak. They say every full moon, golden Jasmine lilies will bloom with the hues of shimmering blue and gold."

Yu Ming giggled. "My family has a recipe to use these fliers to make Royal Gold Tea. It's the Island's rarest brew. And only comes in stock once a month."

Yu Ming's fingers trailed past the flower patch as she turned to the cliff side overlooking the rest of the island. "Maybe if you come and visit I can..."

Yu Ming's smile flickered. Then stopped.

She stared out over the island. Confused.

"What's..." she asked, looking over the cliff's edge. Onomu's eyes trailed to the edge, the entire island was in view. Jasmine flower fields, mountains, long and winding dirt roads, forests, all under the grey and cloudy skies. The village on the distant shore. The sun hanging low in the sky just passed it. There would only be a few hours until sunset.

Only a couple of hours passed until midnight.

And under the light of the hazy afternoon, on the opposite side of the island from the village.

There was a new structure, a large open stone tower barely jutting out of the trees. It was only half-finished and rested on a riverbed near the eastern shore. Onomu couldn't make out many details, but what she saw was enough.

It was there. The start of the stronghold.

Just like Yeayu said it would be.

Onomu's eyes snapped towards Yu Ming.

Lu Ten's hand snapped to her wrist, standing in front of her with a smile. Onomu hissed underneath her breath. "The fuck are you doing."

"We still don't know yet."

"I have eyes. I know." Onomu snarled, standing back and looking towards the structure in the west. Early signs of a stronghold's construction.

Right where Yeayu said it would be.

Still, Lu Ten smiled and glanced at Yu Ming.

Lu Ten asked firmly yet politely. "Sorry, the Fire Nation wasn't aware you were already constructing a fire tower. Why didn't you say anything before?"

Yu Ming said quietly, "Um... sorry. I didn't..." She glanced at Akataa. Akataa shook his head slightly, eyes narrowed at the far side of the island.

Akataa said, "You have my deepest apologies." He bowed. "We were unaware of a project currently being developed on the far side of the island."

Lu Ten's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything.

Onomu's face twisted into a scowl.

Akataa frowned and said, "I'll take a small team to check it out." Akataa said, nodding towards Basalt. Basalt grumbled but nodded.

Akataa told Aiko to stay with Yu Ming.

"Stay here. Protect Yu Ming."

Basalt told Fu Meili to do the same.

"Keep an eye on Lady Yu Ming. Make sure she's back at her estate by midnight."

Fu Meili and Aiko stayed behind as Basalt and Akataa went off towards the far side of the island. Onomu clicked her tongue and dragged Lu Ten away. Near the cliff's edge overlooking the island.  Where Yu Ming and the others couldn't hear.

Onomu lowered her voice and hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Enjoying the view." Lu Ten shrugged, looking out over the cliffside. "Pretty, isn't it?"

"Yeah, minus the enemy foothold on the far side of the island." Onomu scowled. "You have your proof, Yeayu's information was right. We need to leave."

"You and I both know Yu Ming didn't know about it." Lu Ten said, eyes narrowed on the stone structure on the far side of the island.

Onomu ground her teeth. "Even if she didn't."

"She didn't."

"It's there," Onomu stressed, teeth clenched tight. "The Earth Kingdom military already has a presence on this island. There isn't anything else to discuss."

"Maybe Yu Ming will be able to kick them out."

"Really, have you seen her. She doesn't have a backbone in her body." Onomu scoffed, jabbing her thumb at the far side of the island. "The Earth Kingdom's here. Yeayu's information was right." Onomu growled. "Which means you have all the fucking proof you need. It's time to go."

Lu Ten's eyes narrowed, stubbornly. He held Onomu's gaze and didn't budge. He turned his head back to the far side of the island. "A few hours."

"We don't have a few more hours." Onomu ground her teeth. "It'll be sunset by then."

"And the raid doesn't start till midnight." Lu Ten said, voice clipped and stubborn. "We can waste a few more hours. There's still time to negotiate."

"No. There isn't." Onomu ground out, her fingers digging into Lu Ten's arm. "Ever wonder what happens if Yu Ming doesn't kick them out. If she promises but later changes her mind. When we're gone. After she realizes we had six fucking Fire Nation ships surrounding her island."

Onomu's gaze drifted toward the sea. Dots lingered off the edge of the coast. Fire Nation ships. Far enough away not to stir suspicion or panic.

Close enough to attack come midnight.

Onomu ground her teeth. "If she decides to go through with it. Hell, if one of the other two leaders already agreed to it. What can she do? I don't know if you noticed, Princeling. She didn't even know they were building on her own island. I doubt she could kick them out if she tried."

Lu Ten's jaw set. Eyes set but not saying anything.

Because Onomu was probably right, and he knew it.

Onomu scoffed. "If you ruin this raid by sticking around too long. We won't get another chance. They'll have time to mount defenses. They'll call their Earth Kingdom buddies if they're not on the fucking island already. And we won't be able to take Jasmine Island before the monsoon."

Onomu ground out. "And after the monsoon season, there won't be enough time to stop the stronghold's construction. This place will be the Earth Kingdom's ally. Our enemy."

Onomu let go of Lu Ten's arm.

"And the Fire Lord made it perfectly clear that can't happen." Onomu sneered. Lu Ten ground his teeth. Onomu scowled. "You want to commit treason? Because I don't. You defy the Fire Lord's orders, fucking ruin Yeayu's plans, that's what you'll get."

"Of course, I don't want to commit treason." Lu Ten scoffed, rolling his eyes bitterly. "Have you met my grandpa? Even I won't get away with that."

"Then. Let's. Go." Onomu's eyes narrowed. "We saw everything we needed to see. There's nothing else to do. Not enough time, even if there was."

Onomu's jaw set. "We'll fuck everything up if we-"

"I'm staying." Lu Ten said, and Onomu's fist nearly burst into flames. She opened her mouth to snap Lu Ten's head off, but the prince kept looking out at the island. He said. "Just a few more hours. If we leave, even a little after dusk. There'll still be plenty of time before the midnight raid. Just wait a little longer."

Onomu ground her teeth, crossing her arms. Fingers digging into her large biceps. She muttered. "Fucking. Why."

Lu Ten's golden eyes remained fixed on the rest of the island.

"Just..." Lu Ten said quietly, "Give me a little more time to figure this out. At least until Akataa and Basalt come back." Lu Ten said, "Please."

And that was the moment Onomu's patience thinned enough. Fuck it. Fine. He wanted to stay, she'd stay. If the Prince was so insistent on stalling and wasting time. On trying to fuck up their mission and ruin it for everyone involved. On getting more people killed because he didn't have the stomach to do what needed to be done, and was still looking for a way to weasel out of it. 

Then fine. Onomu would stay. 

"Fine." She growled, marching towards a stone near the pond. "But don't fucking blame me if we're stuck here when the horns start blaring."

"I won't." Lu Ten sighed, relieved. Onomu ignored it. Lying down and closing her eyes.

She heard Fu Meili and Aiko talking nearby.

She heard Yu Ming settling down by the cliffside, apologizing to Lu Ten about the apparent confusion.

And Onomu ignored it.

Because Onomu had orders.

And if they were still here come fucking midnight, she would do what Lu Ten apparently didn't have the stomach to do.

She'd follow orders. 

With or without the Prince's approval. 

Chapter Text

88 AG

Shu Ying village, it was a nothing village. At the foot of a mountain range, at the edge of a river bed that snaked down the earth kingdom. Remote. Quiet.

A nothing village.

There was nothing of value in Shu Ying village.

Nothing except food.

Food that the Fire Nation needed.

Food that they had been ordered to take.

Everything else...

Mamushi ordered them to burn everything else.

Everything.

Everything and everything.

They were ordered to burn it all.

So they burned.

Until the orange glow stung Onomu's eyes, and the only thing she could see was smoke. Until the center of the village was up in flames. Straw hit and roofs burned all the same. The flames raged and towered over the tiny village, a writhing, agonizing funeral pyre lit at the foot of the large mountain range.

She heard someone scream for help, but it wasn't someone she recognized, so she ignored it.

She kept doing her job.

They'd encircled the village so that no one could get out. Not a single soul could escape. Even as the flames licked at their houses and smoke rose relentlessly.

As Fire Nation soldiers walked into houses in pairs. One to get the food.

One to drag out any hiders.

Anyone who tried to run would just meet a soldier waiting to finish them off at the village's exits.

There wasn't any escape.

That didn't stop them from trying.

"Stop..." Onomu muttered as she watched an older man try to charge at her. A laborer, probably picking daisies up on the mountainside in the middle-of-nowhere village. Onomu had been given the part of the village bordering the forest at the foot of the mountain range.

One of the only escape routes.

She ground her teeth as the man ran, recklessly. He had a goddamn shovel as a weapon. He swung.

She ducked, her first arcing overhead.

Her fist caved in his nose, and he fell. Screaming. Pained. And Onomu stomped on his head until he stopped moving. Stopped feeling pain. He quit screaming after the second one. Onomu kept going to make sure he didn't wake up. She didn't need fire for these people.

These nothing people in this nothing village.

"Just..." Onomu ground her teeth as someone else approached, a woman this time. Desperate. She had a stupid fucking vase in her hand. Jagged edges, like she tried to break it for some leverage. Her arm was burnt, and her hair was dirty and uneven. Desperate. Desperate. Desperate.

"Just stop..."

Dead. Onomu killed her quickly. Knocked her out first so she wouldn't feel anything. No fire.

She didn't need fire for these people.

These nothing people in this nothing village.

"Just stop..." She muttered to herself over and over. Her jaw clenched so tightly to keep her stomach from turning over. Soon, fewer and fewer people started trying to escape her way. Fewer and fewer people escaped the blazing inferno. Fewer and fewer.

Until the fire burned so long that Onomu's vision was cloudy with smoke.

And her nostrils were filled with the scent of charred meat.

And she had to hold her stomach in her chest to stop it from spewing up her lunch.

And her knuckles were wet with sticky, dry blood.

And her skin started to sweat at how long and how large the village inferno kept burning.

Eventually, they stopped trying to escape her way.

All except three.

"Stop..." Onomu ground her jaw as she stood, feet rooted in place and her shoulders heavy. Her breath was ragged, from the blaze in the air or the exertion to just keep herself from vomiting all over her shoes, she didn't know. She didn't care. She had orders. She'd follow orders. She had to follow orders.

So why...

Why did they have to come this way?

"Just stop..." Onomu muttered, her face twisting as she saw a mother running with her kids, small hands clasped in hers, dragging them faster than their legs could carry. The mother was a water tribe. What was she even doing out here? She ran and stumbled and ran again.

She escaped the blaze and smoke. The fire that was destroying her village by the second.

She saw Onomu up ahead.

And a blast of fire hit the back of the woman's heels. The woman screamed and fell, her earth kingdom rags singing as her children stumbled and fell with her. Crying out, they tried to get back up and drag their mother along. They couldn't see that she was too heavy. Her calves were burnt.

A man, Fire Nation soldier, Eiji, one of the fuckers Onomu despised in Mamushi's lower-ranking employ. He stepped out of the smoke, his lips curled upwards.

"Where are you running, Water Tribe, whore?" Eiji snarled as he approached, his hands burning. "We weren't done."

The water tribe woman pushed her kids away, told them to run. Onomu's thoughts turned to stone.

Don't do it.

Don't run this way.

They were good kids; they listened to their mother.

Onomu wished they hadn't.

The mother screamed, "Run!" as Eiji reached her, tearing at her clothes and searing handprints in her light chocolate skin. She cried out and fought back, and it was useless; her son, the little brat, stood stock still, frozen. It was the older sister who grabbed his hand and dragged him away.

Closer.

And closer to Onomu.

The girl stiffened at the sight of Onomu, the blood on her knuckles, and the remnants of everyone else who tried to escape her way. The girl was crying, tears staining her light chocolate skin as they dropped from her green eyes. Her brother was the same, trembling. Sobbing.

Onomu took a step towards them.

The girl flinched, seized, and shoved her little brother behind her.

Onomu took another step closer.

And closer.

And closer.

Until her shadow fell over the mixed brats. Drowned out their Water tribe skin and Earth Kingdom eyes.

She took a final heavy step towards them.

They braced themselves. The sister covered her brother with her body. Hugging him.

Covering his bright green eyes.

And before Onomu realized what was happening, she was grabbing Eiji's wrist, snapping it in two. She heard Eiji shout something about 'what the fuck are you doing,' and Onomu couldn't care. Her ears were ringing. Her blood was boiling. She couldn't think straight anymore. She couldn't think anymore.

She couldn't breathe with so much smoke in the air.

She couldn't stand breathing the same air as this scum.

She must be going insane.

Her knuckles slammed into Eiji's nose; she pummeled him. Over and over her fists fell on his face. Breaking it. Crushing it. Until he was gasping and choking on his teeth. Until Onomu heard another soldier in the village smoke shouting at her to stop. Approaching in the midst of chaos.

Until Onomu had to remind herself that she couldn't kill him. She'd be hanged. She wasn't allowed to kill him.

Because she had orders.

And she had to follow them.

Onomu dropped Eiji the second he fell unconscious, his body slumped on the ground. The random soldier approached, checking to make sure Eiji was alive. Onomu heard the soldier shouting at Onomu for beating an ally. Demanding a reason. Onomu couldn't remember his name right now.

She couldn't care. At all. About anything. Everything was fuzzy. She ignored the shouts of the soldier checking on Eiji. Onomu couldn't care.

Because she had orders.

And she still hadn't finished them.

Onomu's eyes turned towards the disheveled mother. She was shaking, clutching at her clothes with useless fragility. The woman stared at Onomu in disbelief, then in shock. Then suddenly, it was like Onomu didn't matter at all to the woman. Her head snapped past Onomu. Past the screams and fire consuming her village and smogging up the air.

Towards the edge of the village.

Towards the forest at the foot of the mountain.

Towards the little feet of her son as his sister dragged him away, sprinting away. Disappearing into the underbrush. Onomu glanced at the path she had been supposed to gaurd, watching the brats disappear into the forest. Onomu’s vision was still hazy with red and smoke. Her mind felt oddly numb, tired.

Exhausted.

She hated this.

When she looked back, the look in the woman's eyes was what she hated most. The woman lowered her, head, crying. Her voice wet and thick with tears.

"You..." the woman croaked, sobbed. Onomu raised her fist. She didn't say anything. Even as the woman cried. Onomu didn't respond. Onomu didn't use fire.

"Thank you."

Onomu didn't need fire for something like this.

92AG

Onomu's dumb dreams finally stopped playing as she heard Aiko fall on her ass. Onomu groaned, waking slowly. She creaked open her eyes, glancing at where Lu Ten and Aiko were sparring. In the clearing atop Moonlight Peak. Where Fu Meili and Yu Ming were sitting off to the side. Fu Meili snickered. And Yu Ming clapped happily.

Lu Ten had won the round, whatever round it was. Onomu had been asleep so long that the sun was starting to set. It could be round twenty for all she knew. 

And Aiko had fallen, rubbing her tailbone as she stood back up with a grumble.

"Ow, Lee, that hurt." Aiko huffed. "Who taught you to use those swords. I've only ever seen my dad use a weapon that well."

"I dabble." Lu Ten shrugged noncommittally. He sheathed his dual dao swords.

Lu Ten's eyes turned thoughtful glanced at Aiko. "What style of firebending did you use?" Lu Ten moved his legs, spacing them out. Fire blazed in his palms as he stood in standard Sozin Style, the same kind everyone learned in basic training. Lu Ten hummed. "I've never seen it before."

Fu Meili snorted from nearby and called out. "I wouldn't be surprised. It's a Jasmine Island exclusive. Her dad made it up."

"He did not make it up, he founded it." Aiko snapped, brushing her hair out of her face as she said. "It's based on Jasmine flowers and how they bloom," Aiko smiled, lighting flames in her hand as she stood quietly, balanced on one leg. She brought her knee upwards.

Aiko smiled, "It's about flow, and balance," she circled her fists, like yin and yang, they centered around her body. Lu Ten snapped his fist out, aggressive and quick. He punched twice. Aiko grinned and batted away the flames, spinning lightly on her feet as she danced like the breeze.

Rotations that worked for defense, Onomu's eyes widened slightly as she watched. Sitting up.

Lu Ten's eyes narrowed slightly as he attacked again, this time with a vertical arcing kick.

Aiko spun on the balls of her feet, deflecting the blade of fire as it grazed past her nose.

Then, without missing a beat, she switched, planting her feet and spinning into an attack. Lu Ten's eyes widened as he had to dodge a blast of fire that came out of nowhere. Lu Ten backed up, unbalanced. Aiko kicked, rotating her body with every attack. Lu Ten cursed and was forced to back up, to retreat.

Like a Jasmine flower spinning in the wind. That's what it looked like.

Aiko's style. Jasmine Style.

Aiko laughed, "It's cool because it works for anything." She punched out. Lu Ten leaned back to dodge it, flipping into a kick that sent a blade of fire arcing towards Aiko. Aiko planted her feet and switched again, spinning into pure defense.

"Weapons."

Aiko batted away Lu Ten's counter.

"Earthbending."

She spun, stepping back as her other hand batted away the next.

"Firebending."

And the next.

"Waterbending."

Lu Ten let out a lightning-fast flurry of punches, fire blazing towards Aiko. Aiko deflected each blow, all the while rotating with each step backwards.

Like a Jasmine flower spinning in the breeze.

Lu Ten's attacks were deflected. One by one.

Then all of a sudden, after deflecting a blow, Aiko planted her feet and spun the opposite way, twisting forward, into a counterattack. The change was almost instant. Lu Ten cursed and responded with his own; the two blasts of fire met. Lu Ten took the opportunity to spring back into an offensive.

Aiko spun back, defending, her steps receding like the tide. Every time she rotated her body, she deflected a blow.

And every time Lu Ten opened up, she'd plant her feet and switch, attacking with her free hand and turning the momentum into a counteroffensive.

Momentum and rotation. It was a style made for a bo staff that Aiko's father had turned into a bending style. One that Aiko could learn and master.

A style based on Jasmine flowers spinning in the wind.

Onomu was almost impressed.

Almost.

Because at some point, Aiko overstepped on an attack, and Lu Ten didn't miss it. He kicked her approaching leg, making Aiko overshoot her rotation. She spun too far, farther than she meant to. She planted her feet awkwardly, her back slightly overexposed to Lu Ten.

Lu Ten snapped a high kick at the back of her head, flames at his heels. It connected with a pop of fire, and Aiko fell face-first onto the ground.

Aiko immediately hissed and rubbed the back of her head, cursing up a storm. "Ow, ow, ow! Lee, what the hell! That was uncalled for."

"Crap, sorry." Lu Ten winced, immediately extinguishing his flames. He helped Aiko up. "My bad, I acted on instinct."

Onomu snorted from her spot on the stone. "What Officer Lee means is that he panicked because he was about to lose and tried too hard."

"I did not." Lu Ten snapped, ears slightly flushed. He looked at Aiko's bruised nose and unpleased expression.

Lu Ten coughed into his fist. "Okay... maybe I did... sorry."

Aiko rubbed her nose and grumbled. "You're lucky you're cute."

Blood dripped down Aiko's nose, and her expression turned thunderous.

"Never mind," Aiko muttered, cupping her nose. "You're a jerk."

"I said I'm sorry..." Lu Ten sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Looking like a scolded fox-puppy. He sighed as Aiko glared and started treating her nose.

Yu Ming tried to help, but it wouldn't stop bleeding.

And eventually Aiko snapped. "Forget it, I'll just go back to the estate real quick and grab something for it." She went to her ostrich horse. "Fu Meili, watch Yu Ming for a little while, would you?" Aiko glanced at the horizon; the sun was already setting. "I'll be back a little after dark at the latest."

Fu Meili jumped up. "Ooh, I want to come." She stole one of the ostrich horses despite Aiko's protests.

Aiko snapped. "You can't come, Fu Meili. You have to watch Yu Ming."

"But I'm bored." Fu Meili whined. "Besides. Yu Ming will be fine. Lee and Onomu will watch her, right you two?" Fu Meili glanced back at them, smiling.

Onomu nearly laughed. What a shitty idea.

Lu Ten said. "Of course. We promise to keep her safe."

And Onomu could have face-palmed her fucking head off.

Thankfully, Onomu wasn't the only one with a brain on this mountaintop.

Aiko looked skeptical. "No offense, but I can't just leave our leader with you two. Your fire nation. Even if they're neutral to us we can't just... you know..."

Lu Ten smiled. "I get it." He said. Aiko sighed in relief. Fu Meili huffed, looking annoyed but resigned. Yu Ming just seemed politely curious.

Onomu rolled her eyes. Finally. Someone who could see sense.

Lu Ten said. "I swear on my honor I'll keep an eye on her."

And Onomu's eyes got so wide they could have been plates. Honor? The prince really swore this on his honor. What.... What the fuck was his problem?

Onomu hissed. "Are you out of your mind!"

Lu Ten shrugged. "What. How else can they trust my word? We just met today after all."

"That isn't..." Onomu ground her teeth and pinched her nose. No point. There was no point trying to figure her boss out. He just swore on his honor.

To protect a girl.

They'd probably have to kill in a few hours.

No, definitely have to kill. That fucking stronghold was sitting nice and pretty in the east. This island was fucking toast. And Lu Ten...

Wanted to bind himself to the girl.

Fucking moron.

Onomu's teeth ground together as she watched Fu Meili and Aiko's eyes widen. They knew. Fuck, of course, they knew what an honor vow meant.

To the Fire Nation, honor was everything.

Yu Ming didn't seem to understand that; she just looked between the two groups with a confused, blissfully ignorant expression on her face.

Eventually, Fu Meili's eyes twitched, and she said, "Maybe I should stay behind, actually. I wouldn't want to force you into such a difficult position."

Aiko said nothing. She stared at Lu Ten.

Then she grabbed Fu Meili's ostrich horse and tugged it down the mountain path. "Come on, you heard him. He'll keep her safe till we get back."

"But," Fu Meili sputtered, eventually giving up. Her face darkened in an annoyed scowl briefly before she kicked her ostrich horse into high gear.

Onomu watched with narrowed eyes as Fu Meili and Aiko took their ostrich horses down the mountain path. Towards the Ming Estate. The sun was setting, casting longer shadows across the mountains as the low, amber skies darkened.

Onomu's jaw clenched as Yu Ming shifted quietly.

Yu Ming said hesitantly. "I'm... I'm not sure what you did." Yu Ming bowed her head. "But thank you. I'm glad you're willing to protect me for a while."

"Don't mention it." Lu Ten smiled, tilting his head. He said. "Hey, do you mind waiting by the pond for a moment. I think Onomu's itching to talk to me."

"Oh, of course. Take your time." Yu Ming bowed and drifted towards the pond at the center of the mountaintop clearing, sitting by the flowers.

The second she was out of earshot, Onomu's eyes snapped at Lu Ten. Furious. Lu Ten sighed and held up a hand. "Before you say anything."

"Oh, I want to do more than say something, moron."

"I said I'd keep an eye on her." Lu Ten said, quietly and calmly, walking towards the edge of the cliff overlooking the rest of the island. He sat down.

"I never said I'd protect her." Lu Ten mumbled, legs crossed, and a fire cradled in his palm. "It can just be construed that way. I knew what I was doing."

"Did you?" Onomu scoffed, growling as she plopped down next to Lu Ten. "Because I'm not sure you do anymore. You might as well have said you'll protect the girl. By your logic, your offer to 'keep an eye on her' can also be construed as keeping her safe."

"Maybe." Lu Ten shrugged. "Just until they get back. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that we'll probably have to kill her by tomorrow." Onomu hissed under her breath. Lu Ten stiffened but didn't say shit.

Onomu growled and snapped her head towards the rest of the island. She muttered. "I don't get it. Why the hell are you... attaching yourself to this. You know what's going to happen." Onomu frowned, her eyes traveling to the faint shadows of ships waiting miles offshore. Distant and silent. Waiting.

Onomu's fists clenched slightly in her lap.

"Why..." she asked. "Why are you doing this."

Lu Ten said nothing. He simply looked out over the island. Onomu scoffed, getting ready to stand up and go back to her place by the pond.

Lu Ten murmured. "When I'm Fire Lord..."

Onomu stiffened. Glancing at Lu Ten.

His expression was quiet. His gaze was in the distance as the sun set behind them. His golden eyes were like cold embers. "I won't get the benefit of small choices."

Lu Ten's fists clenched slightly in his lap. His eyes quietly looked out over the vastness of the island. The fading light of dusk bathed its Jasmine fields and trees. The shadows of the island were lengthening as the sun descended closer to the horizon.

"That's why I have to be sure." He said simply. Clearly. As the breeze carried itself over the island, it brushed his hair. He sat quietly yet firmly.

"If there's a chance I can avoid destroying this place..."

His golden eyes didn't hold a hint of jest.

"I will find it."

Nor a hint of doubt. Only resolve.

"That's the kind of Fire Lord I want to be." Lu Ten said quietly. He gave a quiet shrug. Onomu didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say.

Eventually, after looking out over the island next to Lu Ten. She found something. The only thing she could say to the foolish and stubborn prince.

"Then you'd better hope they come back soon."

The sun set behind them, and the first signs of darkness encompassed the island. Soon dusk had passed. And the cloudy night sky lingered above. Blotting out the stars, threatening to rain and Thunder. The island fell to darkness of night.

"Because you don't have anymore time, future fire lord."

And there still hadn't been any sign of Akataa or Basalt.

Under the cover of the first night, and the dark and gloomy sky above. At the far eastern edge of the island, a half-built stone tower lay hidden by trees, on the edge of a riverbed. Eight Earth Kingdom soldiers had been there.

"What are they doing here..." Akataa murmured, his bo staff spinning idly in his hand. He frowned, standing amidst eight unconscious soldiers.

He frowned and glanced at the tower.

"Hey, Basalt," he asked, heading towards the shadowed entrance. Basalt had headed inside to see what was going on. He hadn't come out yet.

"What did you find?" Akataa opened the gangly wooden door. He stopped, frozen and confused. The night sky loomed overhead the naked top of the unfinished structure. And on the floor, lining the ground, were boxes and crates of fireworks.

"What?" He asked, momentarily stunned. He took a step forward.

And then felt something sharp and cold plunge into his back.

"How..." he gasped, blood trickling down his lips as he glanced back. His eyes wide as he saw one of his oldest friends. Someone he'd trained together with.

Basalt's face was grave as he yanked the knife out.

"Sorry," Basalt grumbled, cleaning the blood off the dagger as Akataa stumbled backwards, falling outside. Basalt's figure loomed in the door.

"I know I could never beat you in a fair fight," Basalt grumbled, pulling out spark rocks and lighting a torch on the wall. He held it loosely.

Akataa growled, stumbling back as he tried to hold his wound. He cursed, his grip shaky on his bow staff. He snarled. "Why? Why do this?"

"Because I have to," Basalt said simply, tossing the torch back into the tower. Lighting a rope towards the mass of fireworks. Basalt said simply. "We’re sick of it..."

The rope burned.

Basalt scowled. “Qi Guang. Lua. We're sick of Jasmine Island getting everything. Lua's sick of keeping neutral in this war when Jasmine Island gets all the benefits of such a decision. It's gone on long enough." Basalt said as fireworks shot off into the sky behind him.

The fireworks burst high above the island. Lighting the night sky and bursting under the stormy clouds. Basalt slipped his dagger back into his waistband. "Qi Guang made a deal with the Earth Kingdom. They've agreed to send the bulk forces after the monsoon. Not just the scout squad you wiped out."

Akataa clenched his jaw, stumbling back as his foot sank into the riverbed. 

Basalt tilted his head. "The Earth Kingdom had one condition."

Basalt approached, cracking his knuckles. “We have to have control over all the Jasmine Isles by then, so they don't get implicated as usurpers," Basalt said, tilting his head. His green eyes were burning with the reflection of the fireworks exploding above. Basalt said quietly. "Qi Guang agreed."

Akataa slipped back into the river. Face twisted in pain and urgency.

"Fu Shin gave his full support."

Akataa slipped his Bo staff to his back. The water of the river trickled red as he stepped back, the currents moving up to his trembling knees.

Basalt scoffed. "Those ash makers made things complicated, so I had to send the signal earlier than I wanted. But I'm sure Fu Meili's found a way to kill Yu Ming by now. It works better, actually." Basalt said as Akataa slipped under the water. Letting the river carry him away. Basalt snickered, stomping the earth as a Boulder found his hand. Confident he wouldn't miss, not at this distance. Not with Akataa swimming so slowly and bleeding out. Basalt reared his hand.

"We'll blame those Fire Nation soldiers for the assassination." Basalt grabbed the Boulder and aimed it right at Akataa's submerged head. "And after Qi Guang controls Jasmine Island, everyone will..." Basalt flinched as something, a sound, sharp and deep, pierced through the air. A blaring sound that messed up his aim as Akataa disappeared underneath the water's currents.

Basalt cursed but didn't have time to finish the job; he turned towards the sky, watching. As the final of the fireworks started to end, the cover of a stormy night sky encompassed the island in darkness. 

Basalt heard a familiar sound. 

And saw a familiar sight.

One he knew from the front lines.

He held his hand out, eyes wide as flakes of ash hit his palm. 

And Fire Nation war horns sounded over the distant shores. 

Chapter Text

88AG

Onomu wasn’t apologizing.

It was two idiot kids. They would die by themselves in the mountains anyway. Onomu had killed twice as many adults. She didn't do anything wrong.

She did her job.

Unfortunately, Onomu's Admiral wasn't in the mood to hear any of that.

So Onomu had to stand silently in Mamushi's office.

While Admiral Mamushi herself leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers. She had long, sharp, chestnut-brown hair tied in a large, high ponytail, with a strand hanging over her amber eyes. Her lips were painted red and tilted down. In her late 30s or early 40s, her face was all sharp angles and noticeably unhappy.

Mamushi frowned. "Captain Onomu..."

Mamushi scowled.

"Eiji has finally woken up, and his reports were quite alarming. He said you let two civilians escape." Mamushi's freed and tapped her desk. The other tapped one of the two sabres at her waist. Onomu's eyes narrowed.

Onomu ground her teeth. "They were just two idiot kids who ran into the forest. I didn't feel the need to chase them into the mountains."

"The need or the stomach?"

"They were nothing." Onomu snapped, "Who cares."

"Who cares?" Mamushi said, eyes sharp and venomous. She stood up and grabbed Onomu's chin with a dagger-like grip. "I care, Captain. That's why I gave the order." Mamushi sneered, "We are behind enemy lines. Shao Feng could be after us. We can't afford any word of our location getting out to the Earth Kingdom. I asked for food and discretion."

"They won't make it far." Onomu snapped, grinding her teeth as she felt Mamushi's nails sink into her jaw.

Onomu scowled. "They were just kids, dumb little brats. They can't do anything. They can't ruin anything. They won't make it out of the mountains." Onomu ground her teeth. "I did my job. We have enough food to make it to open waters. Sorry, I didn't kill two mud-rats. Admiral."

"You think that's what this is about?" Mamushi scoffed, throwing Onomu's chin to the side. Onomu set her jaw, but stayed silent. Mamushi brushed past Onomu, her voice low. "I have not only promoted you for good service since you came here. I have been fair in all my conduct towards you. I treat you like any one of my soldiers. If you don't believe me, go ask Eiji, the man you beat half to death for his," Mamushi scowled, "Excitement. During the raid."

Onomu scowled. She glanced at Mamushi.

Mamushi's eyes were as disgusted and bitter as Onomu's.

Mamushi sneered. "He'll be speaking to you without a tongue, Captain. Because I have since removed it after hearing what he tried to do." Mamushi scowled. "It is my job to punish my men, Captain Onomu. Not yours. Your only job is to follow my orders.” Mamushi stressed. “Good soldiers follow orders.” 

Mamushi leaned back and said bitterly.

"And you couldn't even do that," Mamushi said, turning towards her desk. Mamushi said. "You'll be demoted." Mamushi scoffed. "If you're lucky. I'll let you stay on, assuming you can eventually learn to follow my orders." Mamushi scowled. "Can you do that, Captain? Follow my orders?"

Onomu growled, her fists clenched as she glared at the back of Mamushi's head. Demoted. Because she let a couple of brats escape. Fucking bullshit. Onomy ground her teeth as her anger bubbled over. She muttered under her breath. "It was a shitty order to begin with..."

Mamushi stalled, fingers frozen on her desk. Mamushi looked back with a venomous glare. "What was that, Captain?"

Onomu growled. "That village was shit fuck in the middle of nowhere. We didn't need to burn it. All of it. Everyone." Onomu ground her teeth. "The ones that resisted, fuck the little that did. Sure. Fine. But everyone else. They would have just cowered. Hid in their shabby little huts. They wouldn't have cared."

Onomu could still smell it.

The smell was the worst. The glow of orange. Fighting soldiers was easy. Onomu could fight as many Earth Kingdom soldiers as necessary. They chose to fight, resist, and they signed up to die. And Onomu had long since accustomed herself to it.

Fighting Civilians, not even with the intent to subjugate, but to slaughter.

She couldn't stand that. Not from Mamushi, a woman Onomu respected.

"Your orders were bullshit," Onomu growled. "Burning that dainty little village did nothing but kill Earth Kingdom nobodies who couldn't fucking challenge us even if they tried. I didn't sign up for that shit, Mamushi. There's a reason I didn't join General Uyanga's army, Admiral."

"You think I'm like Uyanga." Mamushi scoffed, That bloodthirsty bitch and her army of slaughterers." She her head. Mamushi sneered. "You surprised me."

Mamushi scowled. "Captain Onomu. I thought you were smart and loyal, but you're naive and sentimental. You'll be punished later."

Mamushi scoffed, "I expected better from you, but apparently I was wrong." Mamushi idly grabbed a parchment, a map detailing their current course. "You're obviously far too soft to be reliable. After we're out of this little impasse, I'll expect more-,"

Mamushi's lecture stalled as a booming laugh echoed from somewhere outside. Mamushi froze. Onomu stiffened, confused. Mamushi stilled, snapping her gaze towards the door. She pushed Onomu out of the way and stomped outside. Onomu frowned and followed onto the deck.

Mamushi's ships had been cutting through a mountain pass since earlier that morning. The heavy waters of the ravine sloshed against the Fire Nation cruisers. A shortcut to the South Ce Sea. A necessary route to cut their journey length in half. Taking the narrow waters through the large mountain range in the midst of the Earth Kingdom. A necessary risk.

There were towering rocks and steep forested cliffs on either side. Onomu stood on the top deck next to Mamushi. The deck was quiet. Silent. All Mamushi's soldiers were stationary, frozen, staring up at the nearby cliffside in shock and dawning dread.

A booming laugh echoed somewhere above.

And when Onomu looked up the cliff.

She saw a giant man with chocolate skin, bulging muscles, black spiky hair, and dark green eyes standing at the top of the ridge. Standing in Earth Kingdom armor with the sleeves ripped off. He planted his foot on the ledge and leaned forward, looking over the river and their ships.

The man's grin widened. "You look a little lost, Ash Makers." The man lifted a large Glaive, a hilt made of metal and jade. A blade made of steel. He rested it on his broad shoulders, as if it weighed nothing. The sun glinted off the giant blade, almost mockingly. The man smirked, "Let me direct you."

More Earth Kingdom soldiers started coming into view behind him. An entire battalion showed up above, their shadows stretching over the cliff faces.

They stood on the cliffs above. Their presence heavy and irritated. Their eyes bore down at the five Fire Nation cruisers that had invaded their waters.

Mamushi's eyes narrowed on the man leading them. She muttered under her breath. "Looks like those brats survived the mountain pass after all."

Mamushi scowled and slid her sabres out from their place at her waist.

"Congratulations, Captain, Onomu..." Mamushi's blades lit afire.

"You killed us."

Onomu froze. Her mind ran as the air turned heavy. Gravity seemed to weigh more on her shoulders under the gaze of Be Sing Se's Third Army.

Onomu bit her tongue to come back into focus. Her back straightened, and her fists clenched. She looked up, muscles tense.

Onomu's eyes narrowed on the man with the glaive...

Onomu hadn't known of the man before then.

But she did after.

Doanmu let out a booming laugh, "Well, looks like we got ourselves a fight, boys!" Doanmu smiled. And his soldiers responded with a resounding roar. They stomped their feet. Shaking the ground. So many. Too many. The water started shaking. The boat Onomu and Mamushi stood on trembled.

Mamushi growled.

"Ready yourselves!" Mamushi barked out orders. "We're pushing through! Full speed!"

Onomu ground her teeth. Her fists were burning. Fire Nation soldiers ran the decks and below, increasing the ships' speed.

And all the while, Doanmu laughed. Doanmu the Elephant. The Laughing General. The Iron Bodied. Doanmu went by many names and fought by many titles. However, his most famous moniker, the one his enemies and allies knew best, was simple.

Doanmu the Unbreakable.

General of Ba Sing Se's Third Army.

He looked down from the cliff's edge.

Soon, a young sand-tribe woman with chocolate skin hidden by Si Wong Desert garb stepped out beside him. Doanmu's Lieutenant: Nazushi the Scorpion. She wore a brown cloak and hood, and a masked scarf covered her mouth; she looked down.

Her gaze was serious and cold. Green eyes that looked down, quiet and ready.

The rest of Doanmu's army stepped out behind her. Their expressions were more in line with their Generals. Eager. Confident. Proud. Veterans of war and how to win it. Experts at guerrilla warfare, the entire battalion stood waiting. Ready and waiting.

All for their General's orders.

Doanmu grinned, "What's wrong, Fire Nation? You're all so silent." Doanmu lifted his glaive and held it out, blade pointed down. He let it drop, and the heavy glaive crunched into the ground. The handle stood up like a spire of jade.

Doanmu smiled.

"Don't tell me you're scared?"

Doanmu crossed his arms and let out a booming laugh that echoed through the ravine. His smile was wide and challenging; his laugh was proud and unabashed. Fire Nation soldiers shuddered. The air suddenly became thick with tension.

And still, Doanmu laughed more heartily. His arms crossed and looking down at his opponents. He shouted proudly, for the entire world to hear.

"Show some courage, invaders!"

His words washed over the Fire Nation ships like a wave. A demand only the strong could make. Fight proudly. Die prouder. Doanmu the Unbreakable. A man who lived to fight. They say he never entered battle without his bold laugh and belligerent smile.

"You've already come all this way!"

Doanmu grinned, and it was a challenge to try to wipe it off his face. He picked up his heavy Glaive with a single powerful hand and pointed it down at their lead ship. At Mamushi.

Mamushi scowled, sabres burning and poised.

Doanmu's challenging grin widened. "Don't scurry off just yet, Fire Nation."

It was later recorded, three weeks into Mamushi's escape through the depths of the Earth Kingdom.

"You shouldn't leave before we've had the chance to greet you."

Doanmu, General of Ba Sing Se's Third Army, found them.

92AG

A massacre.

The battle had been a massacre.

Doanmu's main army had stayed on the cliff sides, throwing boulders and shooting arrows at the Fire Nation ships. Onomu's men had been sitting ducks. Doanmu had come down himself to finish off the weaker of Mamushi's forces. The ships that lagged behind.

Mamushi herself had to hold him off.

Onomu had to be the one to keep the sandbender, Nazushi, busy.

And even then, all Mamushi's forces could do was flee. Doanmu's army chased them for a week down the rivers of the Earth Kingdom. They clashed multiple times; the Fire Naion, at a disadvantage, suffered endless casualties.

Doanmu's army suffered hardly any losses.

At the end of it all, when the Fire Nation had finally, miraculously reached open waters. And escaped Doanmu's forces.

Mamushi had lost all of her ships, barring one, and over eighty percent of her troops.

The campaign had been a complete disaster.

And Onomu was to blame.

Afterwards, she was demoted and transferred at Mamushi's orders.

Onomu...

Had not uttered one complaint.

Because she deserved it.

Because she hadn't had the stomach to do what was necessary.

And now the Prince, Lu Ten, was sticking his nose in places it didn't belong. Interfering with orders. Onomu was in the middle of another scorch-and-burn campaign that could become disastrous at any moment. Things like this could go bad in a second.

Maybe the Earth Kingdom sent reinforcements. Maybe the other islands noticed and sent some of their Jasmine Isles Protectors to help. Maybe more of those fucking Southern Water Tribe savages showed up, it didn't matter.

Maybe this, maybe that.

Onomu didn't care.

It wasn't her job to know. It was her job to conquer. To follow orders.

It was Lu Ten's job as well. To follow orders.

Lu Ten wasn't doing his job.

And Onomu couldn't allow that.

Because this time...

She would do what was necessary.

That's why, when the fireworks shot up in the sky on the other side of the island. And lit up the freshly darkened night sky.

When Onomu's confusion faded, and she heard the horns of war.

When she looked towards the western shore and saw shadows of Fire Nation destroyers looming closer, hidden under the cover of night. 

When she realized the plan had started early.

She didn't hesitate.

She did what was necessary.

While Yu Ming was looking out over the island, confusion and dawning panic on her face. 

Onomu lunged, her foot falling heavy behind Yu Ming. Her fist sailed at the back of Yu Ming's head. Flames flickering off her knuckles. Quick.

Onomu would make it quick.

Yu Ming wouldn't even feel anything.

Onomu would make it quick. It would be a mercy.

Or she would've, if Lu Ten's foot hadn't snapped against her forearm, kicking it out of the way just an inch. Yu Ming screamed and fell back as Onomu's fist crunched into the ground, sizzling and burning the mud underneath her heavy knuckles.

Onomu growled as Lu Ten turned, flames flickering off his heels. He kicked at Onomu's head. Onomu blocked with her forearm.

Fire erupted from the soles of Lu Ten's shoes.

And Onomu was pushed back, heels digging in the dirt, her green eyes narrowed as the flames singed her clothes. She huffed and ignored the singes on her arm. 

Onomu's eyes narrowed at her boss.

Lu Ten narrowed his eyes in return, stepping in front of a terrified Yu Ming.

Onomu clicked her tongue and straightened her back. She held out her hand. "Hand her over," Onomu said lowly. "This island will be easier to take without its head." Onomu glared at Lu Ten, Yu Ming hiding behind his back. Onomu growled. "I'm serious, Princeling. Yeayu won't have to burn as much if she's dead. Hand her over."

Lu Ten narrowed his eyes, pushing Yu Ming further behind him. Lu Ten chuckled. "Yeah, Yeayu. It sure seems convenient that Yeayu targeted this island." Lu Ten's lips twitched downwards. "I mean, those fireworks were new. Yeayu never mentioned there being a signal for the raid. And she started early? It's not even midnight yet. That wasn't part of the war meeting."

Onomu scowled, "Maybe she was forced to when she realized we weren't on the ship. Like I wanted us to be hours ago.” Onomu ground her teeth, her hand was still out and waiting.

Onomu narrowed her eyes. "Either way, it doesn't matter."

Onomu ground her teeth, "You know the leader of this island can't be allowed to live if we're taking it over." She stubbornly held her hand out. Fire Nation ships let out their piercing war horns near the shores. Ash and smoke filled the air above Jasmine Island. Making the dark night sky even darker.

The raid was starting. There was no time.

The longer they stalled, the further into the island Yeayu would march to kill Yu Ming. More people would die. The islanders would resist and die. Those protectors could kill more Fire Nation soldiers. And then those protectors would inevitably die too.

More people would die the longer the raid lasted.

Lu Ten was wasting time.

He was going to get everyone killed.

All because he didn't have the stomach to do what was necessary.

Onomu clenched her jaw as the first Fire Nation cruiser made land on the distant shores. "You had your chance to talk things out. You ran out of time. Stop stalling." Onomu growled. "The raid's starting. The girl needs to die. If you can't do it, give her to me."

Onomu wouldn't hesitate. Not now. Never again.

Onomu's green eyes narrowed. "You want to save lives, princeling. Don't get in my way. If I kill her, this raid won't be nearly as difficult. Won't be nearly as costly." Onomu ground her teeth, orange fire burning in her upturned palm. She glared at her boss. The time for talk was over.

They had a job to do.

"I won't ask again," Onomu stressed, her jaw tight. "We have our orders. You're committing treason if you protect her, and you know it."

Lu Ten's jaw clenched subtly, but he didn't budge. Didn't speak or defend himself. Just stood, stubbornly rooted in front of Yu Ming. 

Onomu stood just as stubborn. Hand outstretched and unyielding. A flame in her upturned palm. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice. This time...

This time, she would do her job.

Whatever it took.

"Hand her over," Onomu said lowly, her fire reflecting off her green irises. "I'll make it quick. She won't feel a thing."

Lu Ten's eyes narrowed, his golden irises cool and appraising. The barest hints of conflict and hesitation flashed across his face.

And the next, it was gone, decisive and focused. 

His hand slowly reached behind him, towards Yu Ming.

Yu Ming flinched, cowering back a step.  

He pushed Yu Ming back some more. "Yu Ming, go hide in your estate. Open your doors for any evacuees." Lu Ten's hands drifted to the swords on his back, leaning forward, his golden eyes never leaving Onomu. "I need to have a talk with my subordinate."

Onomu growled and clenched her fist, extinguishing the fire. Steam hissed off her lips.

"Fine." Onomu snarled, her fists burning as she stomped on the ground.

"Hard way it is, traitor." Smoke escaped from Onomu's mouth as the air began to burn. Thunder roared in the dark clouds overhead. And rain fell across the island. Steam hissed off Onomu's body as she reared her fist, her feet sinking into the dirt as it quickly started turning to mud.

Under the cover of rainfall, atop Moonlight Mountain, the highest point on Jasmine Island.

As the Fire Nation horns sounded on the distant shores.

A large ball of fire roared from Onomu's fist.

Lu Ten sprang forward like a tiger, unsheathing his swords. The blades caught fire, and he cut through Onomu's attack. He kept his momentum, barely touching the ground before lunging; lightning flashed above, and in an instant, Lu Ten had closed the distance. Flames flickering off his heels.

Lu Ten planted his feet, eyes low and golden irises cold as ice. Steam hissed off his lips.

Onomu planted her feet, standing tall as a stone wall, eyes gritty and green irises burning. She reared her burning fist.

Lu Ten's blades sang. Onomu's fist flew straight down at Lu Ten's head.

Blood cut across Onomu's forearm.

Fire grazed off Lu Ten's cheek.

And Yu Ming stumbled back, running away. Her feet carried her down the mountain path and towards her estate. The sound of fire and steel echoed behind her. The sight ahead showed Fire Nation warships crashing through the docks of her village. Yu Ming closed her eyes and ran, she ran, and she ran.

And as she ran towards her Ostrich horse, pushing it to get to her estate.

Under the harsh haze of rain and echoes of thunder. Under the grey clouds and stormy skies. Under the smog of rising ash and pitch-black smoke. Under the darkness of night. 

It is said that on this night, in 92 AG.

Two weeks before one of the deadliest Monsoons in Fire Nation history.

The skies above Jasmine Island turned black.

As ash and soot mixed with the raging thunderstorm above.

Chapter Text

On the west side of Jasmine Island, under the cover of darkness and heavy rain. 

Metal carrier ships crashed through the wooden docks, their shadows falling over the shore as native residents abandoned their houses and ran. The first of the metal ships docked, and two figures stepped out.

Captain Zhao walked out, hands folded behind his back.

"Your orders, admiral," Zhao smirked.

Yeayu walked out onto shore. "The same as always, Captain." She smirked as a warrior in white-and-gold armor reacted, trying to attack her to buy time for the rest of the civilians to escape. Yeayu raised her hand, and Fire bathed her palm. An orange glow stood alone on the darkened shoreline.

"Burn it."

Five more ships crashed through the docks and made landfall. Breaking the wooden planks and any fishing huts that rested upon them.

"Burn it all."

Yeayu smiled, and dozens of fire nation soldiers jumped off the warships and into the shallow waters of Jasmine Island. Heading towards landfall, they marched under the cover of night. The Jasmine Island protector hesitated, the briefest panic.

Yeayu lunged, her fingers blazing as they tore out the idiot's throat. He sputtered and fell. Blood smoked off Yeayu's sharp fingernails. She chuckled and turned towards the island. 

The village's center hill, Council Hall, rested atop it. And the grand Ming estate resting halfway up the mountain behind it. The two best targets to cripple any lingering sparks of resistance these islanders had.

Yeayu smiled. "I'll leave the leader's execution to you and your men, Captain Zhao." She flicked the blood off her fingers. "I have a landmark to raze."

It is said that those near the western shore that night, the ones who survived the ordeal. 

When they looked out at the pitch-black ocean and the dark horizon. They'd see the looming shadows of the metal ships that destroyed their docks. They'd see the haze of rain and thunderclouds above, mingled with ash that rose and fell with the oily rain.

They'd see dozens of Fire Nation soldiers leaving smoky footprints in their wake. Steam hissing off their armor as the heavy rains fell from black storm clouds. They'd see fire, arcing towards the village as Fire Nation troops marched, burning everything and everyone in their way. They'd see orange flames encroaching on their island, setting it ablaze.

They'd see their village illuminated by dozens of burning buildings under the darkness of night.

And at the front of it all stood a woman with grey hair, sharp amber eyes, and a calculating, sharply and subtly confident smile. She tilted her head up and sighed, lips curled upwards as the rain and ash soaked through her hair and dripped down her face. 

She ran her sharp fingernails through her hair.

"What a lovely night for rain."

The Great Devastation had officially begun.

They came out of nowhere.

"Run!"

And burned everything in sight.

"The Fire Nation is-!" A scream rang out as one of the fleeing citizens was struck down. Falling on the docks and writhing as Fire Nation soldiers marched past. Their flames illuminated the darkened village. The Jasmine Islanders ran and ran as the village started to burn. 

Houses caught fire quickly, their tiled roofs blazing high and bright. Orange flames spread through the streets, burning away the darkness.

In a way, it was terrifyingly helpful. The fire.

It was the only way the evacuees could see. Could navigate the city under the heavy rains and the stormy winds. The dark thunderclouds made the night sky seem bottomless and pitch-black. As a result, soot mixed into the rain, making it taste like oil. 

Every slip and fall became a chance at death.

And still, the islanders ran.

Men. Women. Children. They fled towards the center of the island. Towards the Jasmine fields and away from the shores.

Yet even those were soon burning too. Fire soared over the fleeing islanders, setting the Jasmine Flower Fields ablaze. Igniting and spreading.

A wildfire, sizzling and hissing against the rainstorm engulfing the island. Fire reached up high into the sky as it carved through acres of Jasmine. Burned trees and houses alike. The rain seemed to aggravate it, the fire, leaving steam and smoke everywhere.

There was nowhere to go.

It was like the world was burning.

And the skies were thundering in agreement. Fanning the flames with harsh winds and heavy rainfall. Too much. Too much fire. Too much smoke. Too much chaos and not enough places to run and hide. The islanders who fell behind didn't get back up, and the ones who fought were snuffed out.

Nowhere to run.

Nowhere to hide.

In the blink of an eye, in the darkness of night.

Jasmine Island had become a furnace.

As Fire Nation invaders marched up their shores.

Kai, a young orphan with black hair, light chocolate skin, and golden eyes, was one of the first to realize it. He looked back, in the midst of a street crowded by people trying to run uphill. Towards the Council Hall. Towards something. 

Anything that wasn't the Fire Nation soldiers slowly approaching behind them, taking out any Jasmine Island Protectors brave enough to stand in their way.

To stall for just a few more seconds.

So more people could try to escape.

Kai looked back and saw the red and black armor dyed dull under the dark night sky. Steam hissed off the soldiers in droves as they marched. Kai saw their helmets creep up over the crowd, marching up the slopes of Jasmine Island's village. Kai turned.

Big mistake. His foot slipped in a puddle, oily and black with ash and soot. He fell, curling in on himself as he was trampled by other people.

Foot after foot. Stomped on his ribs and side in order to escape. Kai screamed as he heard one of his ribs crack, his vision swimming as he tried to cover his head. He couldn't move. Couldn't hear, so many people running and screaming. The air was so hot and smoky it was hard to breathe. He couldn't...

Kai couldn't die here.

He screamed as Fire burst from his palms. Scaring away the closest people trying to jump over his body to safety. Kai heaved and huffed, gasping as he stood up, shaking his head. Trembling. He took a shaky step towards the center of the island, where everyone was heading. He took a step.

He heard fire roaring towards his back.

He looked behind, heat grazing his cheek as he felt the scorching flames singe the air. Fire. Getting closer. 

Fire Nation Soldiers. A platoon. They'd gotten closer.

Kai was going to die to them.

Fire Benders.

The irony.

Kai winced and covered his head, bracing for the blaze. He waited.

And waited.

He heard fire burst, like it had been deflected elsewhere. When Kai glanced back towards the approaching soldiers, he saw her.

Aiko. Daughter of Akataa, the head of the Jasmine Island Protectors.

She was cut up, but her golden eyes burned with fury. Her gold-and-white robes stood out against dozens of red-and-black uniforms. She took a breath, and steam hissed off her lips.

"Hurry up and get out of here," Aiko said, her shoulder-length auburn brown hair glowing under the orange light of the burning town around them.

Fire burst from her palms as she planted her feet.

And when Kai looked back towards the center of the village. Towards Council Hall and the Ming Estate, looming further inland. He saw them.

Jasmine Island Protectors. Finally rounded up and organized, they moved into formation, standing behind Aiko as they ordered civilians to safety.

Aiko growled at the nearest one, a guy with a spear. "Where's Siku!"

"I don't know! He wasn't at his post." The man shook his head, readying his spear. He scowled, wiping rain off his brow. "Where's Akataa and Basaukt. Or Fu Meili."

"Dad and Basalt were on the other side of the island, so they'll be a while," Aiko said, trying not to think about how those odd fireworks came from that side of the island, too. Or about how convenient it was that this raid happened right after.

Aiko ground her teeth. "I left Fu Meili to protect Yu Ming," Aiko said, fingers blazing as she readied herself for the battalion of approaching soldiers.

"She'll be fine." Aiko snarled, "We'll use the council hall as an evacuation point until we get a better understanding of what's going on."

Fire roared from a Fire Nation soldier's fist.

Aiko's fist snapped out to meet it, her fire clashing against the soldiers. The warring flames rose upwards as the rain and wind sizzled in response.

Aiko took a small breath. Golden eyes flashing with fury.

“Until then, don't let a single invader get past us."

Fire Nation Soldiers marched, Jasmine Island Protectors rallied, and war broke out as the streets echoed with steel, fire, and the haze of battle.

Yu Ming could see it in the distance.

Her village, burning. Her island. Bathed in orange flames. The storm and rain blurred her vision. The wind howled and deafened her ears.

And yet she could see it all, as her Ostrich horse raced to her estate.

Jasmine Island was burning.

Her home was burning to the ground.

"Why..." she murmured, choked as the wind stole her tears away. She had to hurry. She pushed her Ostrich Horse, Mochi, to get her to the Ming Estate. When Yu Ming finally saw the gates, she practically jumped off her Ostrich Horse and sprinted towards the doors. Slipping in the mud, she picked herself up and pounded on the gates. She had to hurry. 

There had to be something she could do. Anything.

Lee, had he known about this? No, it didn't matter. He said to open the gates for evacuees. That made sense. The Ming Estate was well fortified. It's a land surrounded by walls. And since it was halfway up the mountain, Fire Nation soldiers would have to march through mud and stone.

Easily defendable. It could work. It had to work.

If only someone would open the darn gate! Where were the guards anyway? They should be at the gates to open them when she arrives. Where were they!

"Aiko! Fu Meili! Siku!" Yu Ming shouted over the wind and rain. "Anyone! Open the gate, it's me, Yu Ming! We have to start evacuating people here!"

Yu Ming heard a grunt somewhere inside.

"Please hurry!" She shouted and let out a breath of relief as she watched Fu Meili shove the large gate open. 

Fu Meili smiled, "Hey, Yu Ming. Get in."

Yu Ming sighed, relieved. She slipped into the gates before Fu Meili closed it behind her. Yu Ming said, "Thanks, Fu Meili. Now we have to hurry and..."

Yu Ming froze as she looked at Fu Meili, noticing blood staining her cheek. Blood that was washed away by the rain. Fresh blood.

Blood that didn't belong to Fu Meili.

Fu Meili snickered. "Wow, you're such an idiot."

Yu Ming backed up, tripping on the slick mud. She looked down, her hands stained red. She turned her head, and a body lay by her feet. Unmoving.

Not breathing.

Yu Ming glanced back at her estate and saw another Jasmine Island protector. Dead. Strewn out in the muddy courtyard with a gash in his neck.

These two Protectors. They were the ones who should have been guarding the gates. 

They were dead, and Fu Meili's blades were still red.

Yu Ming looked back further into the estate. The doors to the manor were closed. With the rain and storm, she wouldn't be surprised if none of the guests or maids heard anything. They were probably hiding, terrified. Yu Ming glanced back.

Fu Meili was tilting her head, smiling proudly.

"So..." Fu Meili said, tilting her head. "What'd you think?"

"You..." Yu Ming tried to back up, stumbling back in the mud. She heard Fu Meili snicker as Fu Meili casually strolled closer. 

Yu Ming's heart raced. "Stay away!" She screamed, fumbling back towards the doors to her manor. She pulled them open, startling the guests and other servants.

Yu Ming stumbled inside, covered in dirt. Soaked by rain. She fell back, slipping on the floor. She heard Fu Meili snicker behind her. Laughing. Mocking.

"Agni, I can't believe you were our leader. For a whole year." Fu Meili snorted, twirling her daggers through her fingers. "How pathetic is that?"

"Why are you doing this?" Yu Ming scrambled back, her servants panicking and giving Fu Meili a wide berth. Guida, an older servant, tried to stop Fu Meili.

Fu Meili didn't even blink.

She threw a throwing knife right between Guida's eyes. Guida fell like a bag of rocks.

Yu Ming let out a horrified gasp, covering her mouth. Another servant shrieked. The rest panicked and backed away. Fu Meili ignored them all and sauntered towards Yu Ming. 

Fu Meili sneered.

"Really." Fu Meili said. "You don't know?"

Yu Ming felt the wall against her back and realized she had nowhere to run. She let out a whimper, shaking her head. She didn't know. She couldn't know.

Fu Meili snorted.

"It's because you're an idiot who can't think for yourself." Fu Meili scoffed. "You didn't even notice a coup right under your nose. How dumb are you?"

Yu Ming flinched.

Fu Meili rolled her eyes. "I mean, honestly. You and Qi Guang are so arrogant that it pisses me off." Fu Meili scoffed. "Qi Guang thought he could rope my brother and me into killing you just so the Jasmine Isles could become another Earth Kingdom outpost. Just so we could listen to Qi Guang boss us around like he's been doing for the past fucking year under your watch. As if."

Yu Ming's expression paled. She hadn't... known. Any of this.

She hadn't known anything at all.

Fu Meili snickered. "You and Qi Guang are the same kind of stupid. You know that?" Fu Meili sneered. "My brother made a deal with the Fire Nation ages ago. They burn this island, only this island, and after they've conquered the ashes. The Fu Family gets to run the new Jasmine Isles Colony. It's a win-win for us. Lose-lose for you and Qi Guang."

Fu Meili flourished her daggers.

"Then again," Fu Meili sneered. "It's not like you'll get to see it." Fu Meili sprang forwards, her dagger poised towards Yu Ming's neck.

Yu Ming's eyes widened, and she turned around. Bracing. Waiting for the stabbing bite. She closed her eyes and flinched, waiting. She waited.

She waited.

And heard a sharp clank and grinding of metal.

"Sorry, young lady." A warmer voice echoed behind Yu Ming. 

Yu Ming turned around and saw a southern water tribe man standing behind her, a bone club blocking the knife aimed at her neck. He wore Southern Water Tribe blues that matched his blue eyes. His hair pulled back in a wolf's tail.

"Do you mind if I handle this?" The man chuckled, planting his feet and completing the swing of his club, pushing against Fu Meili's knife. Her eyes widened as she was flung back, crashing into the wall with a grunt. She cursed and kicked off the wall, knife aimed at the man's neck. 

He blocked the blow. His blue eyes were calm and collected. 

Fu Meili snarled, "Damn southerners! This has nothing to do with you!"

She kicked off the man's arm and jumped back. Slipping throwing knives into her hand. She flung them at the man while still in the air.

The man deflected them with his bone club, his blue eyes snapping towards Fu Meili as he stepped in low, his weapon aimed towards where she was landing.

Fu Meili cursed and tried to block with her knife. The man swung his bone club, the clubbed side instead of the blade. He caught the dagger's hilt.

Fu Meili let out a muffled cry as her finger broke. The dagger flying out of her brutalized hand. She used her free hand to thrust out a second dagger.

The man's open hand caught her wrist before she could. His head smashed into her nose. Breaking it. Fu Meili let out a pained cry. Blood was flying from her nose. Tears at the corner of her eyes. Fu Meili didn't see it when the man snapped his knee into her gut.

It was like all the air left her lungs at once. Fu Meili folded over the man's knee, spittle flying from her mouth. Bile wrenching from her throat.

For a moment, fear crossed Fu Meili's face.

The next second, it was replaced with rage.

"Bastard!" Fu Meili gnashed her teeth. Her broken hand snapped towards the nearest weak point. Her broken fingers speared straight for the man's balls.

The man's grip on Fu Meili's other wrist tightened.

There was a snap, and as Fu Meili screamed out in pain, tears welled up in her eyes. The man slammed her into the nearest wall while she was stunned.

Fu Meili's shoulder landed flat on the hard wall.

There was a crack, and Fu Meili's shoulder broke.

Fu Meili's screams echoed over the stunned hall.

And the next second, the hilt of the man's bone club snapped into Fu Meili's temple. Fu Meili's eyes trembled, fading quickly. She slumped over.

Silent.

The man released his grip on Fu Meili's wrist. She fell limp on the ground. Unconscious. The man lightly kicked her weapons away.

The daggers scattered across the floor.

All the while Yu Ming watched, trembling and stunned. The other servants and guests were in similar states of shock and nervousness.

The southern water tribe man sighed, cracking his neck. He glanced around, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "Uh..." he asked. "Does anyone have a rope?"

Yu Ming blinked and nodded quietly.

Another servant, Rika, helped get a rope so the man could tie up Fu Meili, leaving her by the back wall.

Another servant, Se, helped to move Guida outside, her body slack and unmoving. Dead. Dead. Dead.

Yu Ming couldn't get that word out of her head.

Not until everything was done, and the man slipped his bone club to his back. He turned to Yu Ming. Yu Ming stiffened, standing straight.

The man approached.

"You're Yu Ming, right? The leader." The man introduced himself. "My name's Hakoda. Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. I'd love to talk some more, and not just because I'm worried the trade deal I worked so hard for is in jeopardy." Hakoda chuckled at his own joke.

Yu Ming didn't. 

She just stared, wide-eyed.

Hakoda coughed into his fist, almost looking embarrassed for a warrior of his obvious stature and expertise. "But uh..." he said. "I sent already sent my lieutenant ahead to assist the others. So I have a feeling I'd serve better out there than in here. You understand, right?"

Yu Ming didn't have words. Things were happening too quickly. She just nodded. Trying to get her brain to catch up with the world burning around it.

Hakoda walked toward the doors, stopping slightly. He set a gentle yet grim hand on Yu Ming's shoulder. Yu Ming stiffened. Hakoda spoke, and it was clear.

"Being a leader is hard," Hakoda said softly, yet unyielding in his tone. "But that isn't an excuse not to lead. Even if it's hard and scary. There is no excuse."

Yu Ming felt blood go cold. Listening to Hakoda's words, spoken harshly yet honestly. A brutal truth taught not just by wisdom but by experience.

"Your people need you." Hakoda patted Yu Ming's shoulder before heading out into the storm to help. To fight. Yu Ming stared, her eyes wide.

"Don't keep them waiting." Hakoda closed the doors to the Ming estate behind him. Leaving the main hall silent and dark. Yu Ming froze, her mind reeling.

She felt the eyes of everyone in the room turn to her. Servants, guests, and diplomats of the Ming Estate. Yu Ming felt her heart rate spike. She felt it.

Stubbornly, in the depths of her stomach.

Pride.

She had to have pride.

"Open the gates." Yu Ming ordered the nearest messenger. Her eyes hardened as she walked to the doors and shoved them open, letting the rain and thunder outside roar into the house. Yu Ming felt the rain and wind bite at her skin. She didn't care.

"Tell the protectors to evacuate everyone here."

The Fire Nation. The Southerners whom she'd been afraid to negotiate with just a few hours ago. Lee. Onomu, who had tried to kill her. Fu Meili, who nearly succeeded. Qi Guang, who betrayed her. Fu Shin, who betrayed them both. Everything.

"We won't..."

Later. Yu Ming would think about everything else later.

"We won't let anyone else get hurt."

Right now, she had to make sure her people were accounted for.

Chapter Text

This wasn't the night Qi Guang had envisioned.

The Fire Nation wasn't supposed to be here.

"Damn it." Qi Guang muttered under his breath as he followed two of his personal Protectors, raised on Lua. Loyal to his family and only his family. They traversed the dark forests of Jasmine Island's southern tip. Smoke trailed in the distance.

The Fire Nation wasn't supposed to be here. 

The Earth Kingdom wouldn't send its army until after the monsoon season. That's why they hadn't been able to complete the damn fortress in the first place. The most they could do was get started, so construction after the monsoon was quick and uninterruptible.

But the second the fireworks, the signal to kill Yu Ming, went off early.

The Fire Nation horns sounded.

And Qi Guang had to leave Ming Estate in a hurry, all because those damn southerners held him hostage for hours of brutal negotiations.

Qi Guang should have been on his island by now.

Yu Ming should have been assassinated by now.

Tomorrow, Qi Guang was supposed to be the leader of the Jasmine Isles.

Instead, the Fire Nation launched an assault.

And now Qi Guang had to make it back to Lua. If he hurried, he might be able to fortify his island. Use his own supply of protectors and send messages to his contacts in the Earth Kingdom. They wouldn't make it in time to save Jasmine Island. Or Hana. 

But if Qi Guang hurried, Lua could still be saved.

He just had to make it to his escape route.

"Here." Qi Guang told his bodyguards. "My ship's in here."

They stood at the edge of a small grotto, hidden on the southern side of the island by the bed of a small river. Qi Guang had kept his personal ship here. A small vessel. He'd hidden it in case he didn't make it off the island before the fireworks went off. 

It was supposed to be a quick, subtle way off the island to avoid implications with Yu Ming's murder.

That way, before anyone could look for Yu Ming's killer, Qi Guang would be safe and sound on his island. And no one would be able to claim otherwise.

Now it would serve as his escape. He told his guards. "Get the ship ready. We have to move fast." Qi Guang said. His guards nodded and went into the hidden grotto to recover his personal ship. Qi Guang sighed and glanced back at the rest of the island. The west side, specifically.

Fire was raging across the island. He could see orange glowing over the tree tops. The rain did little to quench the fire, as those ash-makers simply kept fanning the flames. The wind and thunder rumbled above, the dark clouds and ashy smoke creating a pitch-black night sky.

The rain tasted like soot.

And the devastation looked like the end of Jasmine Island.

"This place is doomed." Qi Guang scowled, turning back to his guards. They'd disappeared into the grotto to get his ship. Qi Guang followed.

"Lua will not suffer the same..." Qi Guang stumbled at the entrance to the hidden cave. His eyes were wide as he saw his guards lying flat on the deck of his ship. Unconscious. Qi Guang hadn't even heard when they fell. His eyes turned to the source.

A man with tan skin and soaked, slicked-back, graying hair stood over the unconscious Jasmine Island defenders. A Bo staff held loosely in his hands. 

His shirt had been ripped off, and there was a fresh, bloody, red, and raw burn scar on his stomach and back. Like the flat side of a burning blade had been pressed to the front and back of a deep wound. It looked horrible.

Yet the only reason Qi Guang stumbled back was that the man's golden eyes snapped his way.

Akataa let out a tired chuckle. "Qi Guang, you came to me. How timely of you." Akataa stepped off the ship, and Qi Guang scampered back.

Akataa approached leisurely. "You know I have to thank you. I might've bled out if I hadn't found your ship docked here. You stocked up well." Akataa spun his Bo staff slowly behind his back as he walked closer and closer. "Still, it's times like these I wish I were a fire bender. Cauterizing my wound would have been so much simpler a task if I were."

Qi Guang tried to run. He turned to escape the cave.

Akataa chuckled. "I wouldn't have needed spark rocks at all." Akataa's Bo staff smashed into Qi Guang's ankle, breaking it. Qi Guang howled in pain, falling to the ground. He held his ankle as he tried to find his voice. Only for the butt of Akataa's staff to smack down on Qi Guang's windpipe. Qi Guang coughed, trembling.

Qi Guang coughed raggedly. "Please." Qi Guang held his hands up in surrender, shaken as he lay on the damp cave floor. "Please don't kill me."

"Now, why would I do that. You still need to stand trial after this is all over." Akataa snorted. "You and that bastard, Basalt. But that can come later."

Akataa crouched down, Bo staff planted on Qi Guang's broken ankle. Qi Guang screamed, blots of darkness dancing in his vision.

Akataa's golden eyes were cold and uncaring. "I know you, Qi Guang. You're not the type to leave things to chance." Akataa's staff hovered above Qi Guang's broken ankle. Qi Guang trembled. Akataa continued speaking. "Those fireworks Basalt lit..."

Qi Guang felt the staff press down on his broken ankle. Light enough that it hurt like magma. Qi Guang cried out, and still. Akataa didn't flinch.

He simply pressed his staff down a little harder.

And made his demands.

"I'm guessing you kept a small supply of extra fireworks on this island," Akataa mused. "In case the ones Basalt used turned out to be duds."

Akataa ground the bottom of his staff into Qi Guang's broken ankle.

"Where are they."

And the last thing Qi Guang remembered screaming out before he was knocked out was exactly what Akataa wanted to hear.

The sounds of war and violence echoed through the streets of Jasmine Island. The burning houses and harsh rains did little to stifle the shouts of warriors and screams of the dying. Organized chaos, the definition of war, was familiar to Zhao. 

It rang sound and true in his ears as he ordered his men to advance, and backed away to take stock of the current developments spanning the island.

The invasion was going well so far, despite starting earlier than anticipated.

And yet there were still annoyances Zhao had to deal with.

"Those irritating protectors..." Zhao scowled as he led his troops into another clash with those pesky defenders. Their gold-and-white uniforms bleeding against the Fire Nation's red and black. 

The girl with shoulder-length auburn hair, acting as the de facto leader, was one of the first issues to arise. A fire bender, filthy traitor, and her strange, inferior bending style made conquest all the harder. She'd rallied her protectors in the nick of time, and now they were fighting tooth and nail to keep their petty little island intact.

It was aggravating.

But the worst were the southern savages that had joined the defense efforts.

Their bone clubs were sturdy and dangerous. And their experience was that of a General and his loyal Lieutenant. They led troops that weren't theirs, coordinating the leftover Jasmine Island Protectors that the auburn-haired girl hadn't been able to gather in time, and they feasted upon any Fire Nation soldiers that fell out of formation. Non-benders, yet easily the biggest threats.

Ever since they showed up, the Fire Nation's progress had slowed significantly.

It was beyond irritating.

But also indicative.

"They're desperate," Zhao murmured as he looked at the map of Jasmine Island. Provided to Yeayu weeks ago by Fu Shin, the only competent man in the isles. The water savages were fighting in the south. The girl was fighting in the north. Both were prioritizing and securing the evacuation routes. Which seemed to have changed destinations at some point.

At the beginning of the raid, the fleeing islanders were being caballed towards Council Hall. Now, most islanders seemed directed towards the mountains.

The Moonlight Mountain, to be specific. They must be evacuating people to Ming Estate. Large and well defended. Higher elevation for the defenders.

Same as the Council Hall. Smart idea.

Poor execution.

Because now there were two places to defend instead of one.

Zhao's eyes narrowed on the two points in the village that the girl and the southerners were defending. The girl was holding the main path to the Council Hall. The southerners were holding the main pass to Ming Estate. They were holding, but barely. 

These protectors, they were stretched thin.

Too much ground to cover...

Too few people and too little time to cover every little gap.

Zhao ordered a near handler, "Prepare a platoon under my direct command, the most capable. And release the Eel Hounds. I want to move quickly." Zhao tucked the map under his arm. He looked towards the village that had quickly turned into a war zone.

Fire spreading. Islanders fleeing. The Fire Nation soldiers were holding rank and file. The Jasmine Island Protectors were still getting in the way.

These islanders, they were a defiant bunch.

Not that it would matter.

Eventually, the southern savages and the girl would be stretched too thin. It was impossible not to be. Guarding two evacuation routes at once.

And when that happened, Zhao would be prepared.

As he'd always been.

As Jasmine Island burned, and Fire Nation soldiers marched in the night, the smoke. As rain and wind battered the island, flames engulfed the distant village and terraced Jasmine fields. As the Great Devastation had already progressed past its early stages.

Atop the highest point on Jasmine Island. On Moonlight Peak.

Where one could see flames engulfing the entire island. And where one could see the orange flames reaching high into the dark sky.

Atop the highest point of Jasmine Island.

Another battle came to an end.

Exactly as Onomu expected it to.

"Fucker..." she gasped, her back on the ground and blades touching her throat. She glared up. Lu Ten stood above her, golden eyes cold. Lightning flashed in the sky behind him. He'd beaten her. Just like he should have back when they first met. Asshole.

"I knew it..." Onomu said between heavy breaths, her body stinging with all the cuts she'd received. She ground her teeth. "I knew you... were lying..."

Lu Ten's blades pressed slightly against Onomu's neck. He let out a shallow breath, steam hissing out under the rainfall from the dark clouds above. Lu Ten sighed. "I told you I needed to promote you quickly..." Lu Ten's eyes softened. "But yeah..."

Onomu ground her teeth and clenched her fists. Her back lay against the mud as rain poured over her. Lu Ten stood above her, hands firm on his swords.

"I lied." Lu Ten said, his blades pressed against Onomu's neck to prevent her from getting up. She growled and raised her head, and blood trickled from her throat. She didn't care. She glared up at Lu Ten, her eyes burning and bitter. Bastard. Liar. Coward.

Traitor.

Onomu sneered. "Well..." she snarled. "Hurry up."

Onomu didn't care anymore.

"Don't hesitate now, traitor." Onomu scoffed. She raised her head, and blood started flowing in a thin line down her neck where Lu Ten's blades rested.

Lu Ten's golden eyes grew colder.

Onomu's green eyes grew fiery and bitter.

Onomu scowled, "Finish. The job."

Lu Ten's eyes narrowed. His jaw clenched subtly, and he clicked his tongue. His eyes were twitching in annoyance. "You can't make anything easy, can you?"

"Not my style." Onomu sneered, glaring up at Lu Ten. Waiting. Daring. She felt the cold metal pressed against her neck. Another inch and she was dead.

And still...

Her green eyes blazed.

"Go ahead." Onomu tilted her head and sneered. "Pussy."

Lu Ten's eyes twitched, but he didn't give in to her taunt. He simply sighed and removed his blades from her neck, stepping off her, he said. "You..."

Lu Ten let out an aggravated sigh and looked up at the thundering sky. Rain was dripping down his face as he muttered. "Do you even know why you're here..."

Onomu's eyes narrowed, fists clenched. She pushed herself to her shaky legs with a grunt. "Admiral Shia hated my eyes," Onomu scoffed, breath heavy and tired as she planted her feet in the mud. "So she transferred my ass. Same old, same old."

Onomu's jaw tensed as she clenched her fists harder. "Now stop talking and fight. Or knock me out so I don't have to look at your ugly mug anymore."

Onomu sneered, "Since you're too much of a coward to kill me."

The temperature in the air skyrocketed as Onomu built it. In her core. More fire in her body. She needed more fire. To do her job. She had to do her job this time. She wouldn't fail again. She'd do whatever it took. This time, she wouldn't fail.

If she couldn't beat Lu Ten as she was now.

She'd find more fire.

She'd bring it out of herself.

Even if she had to claw it out of the mud.

And as a large breath of steam escaped her lips.

Lu Ten didn't even raise his swords; he just looked at her with a tired and disappointed look.

"She didn't." Lu Ten said, and it was like all the fire in Onomu's lungs left her. She flinched, eyes wide and startled. She hesitated, her posture confused.

Onomu's voice came out more brittle than she'd like to admit. "What?" She asked, her eyes narrowed, as anger took over. "The fuck are you talking about?"

Lu Ten sighed. "Admiral Shia didn't move to transfer you."

The rain was heavy. The thunder above was loud.

"She moved to discharge you. Dishonorably."

Onomu didn't hear any of it. She ground her teeth and snapped. "Bullshit." She said with a well of defensiveness she didn't know she had.

"I was transferred," Onomu said stubbornly, clenching her jaw. "Transferred to Yeayu's employ. Just like with Mamushi and Buying. Shia told me herself. Why the fuck else would I be here."

"Because I asked for you." Lu Ten said, and it was like the mud had been stolen from beneath Onomu's feet. Onomu's fists unclenched, unconscious of her own thoughts on the matter. Her eyes wide and silent, the Fire in her blood doused with the rain above and the words hitting her ears.

Words she didn't want to hear.

Words, Lu Ten made no attempt to hide.

"I asked my dad to pull some strings and get you transferred." Lu Ten said. "Apparently, he called in a favor with Shia. That's why you're here."

Lightning flashed in the black skies overhead.

Lu Ten slipped his swords onto his back. "I wanted you here. I even asked Yeayu to give me command of you when you arrived." Lu Ten said, "Because when word got around about what you did. When word got around, you got your entire company killed because you let two civilians escape, and they alerted the Earth Kingdom authorities."

Under the heavy rain of Lu Ten's words, Onomu's blood turned cold.

And still, Lu Ten wasn't accusing or threatening. His words were quiet and sincere.

"I agreed with you."

Lu Ten's golden eyes spoke without a hint of doubt.

"You weren't wrong to spare a life where you could find reason to. You weren't wrong to spare two kids who'd done nothing. I didn't think you were wrong." Lu Ten argued, "I respected that you hesitated to kill. I'm glad you did, so. You weren't wrong."

Onomu couldn't breathe.

"Your admiral was wrong for giving you the order."

She couldn't fucking breathe. Her chest rose heavy and rushed. Lightning flashed somewhere above, blinding her. Disoriented her. More air. She needed more air. Ragged breaths of fury and bitterness recoiled inside her panicked chest. Frustration clouded her thoughts and stabbed her head. "Shut up!" Onomu's voice snapped, "Quit talking like you know anything! You don't know shit!"

Onomu's feet might as well be lathered in honey with how stuck they were to the mud. Rain dripped into Onomu's eyes as she ground her teeth. Her recoiling as she shouted over the roaring winds. "Mamushi didn't have a choice. I was the one who fucked everything up! I didn't have the stomach for what was necessary! I got everyone killed!"

"There's always a choice." Lu Ten said instantly, eyes clear and voice clearer. "She chose the last resort. Whether she had to or not doesn't matter."

His golden eyes flashed with conviction.

"It was her order."

He took a step forward. Onomu's feet moved back.

"The blame lies with her." Lu Ten said, stalking forward. Onomu backed up against her better judgment, panicking. She slipped on the mud.

And when she fell on her ass, her head was low and dazed. The rain was matting her hair and dripping down her lips. She saw boots enter her vision. 

She looked up, hesitant and... brittle.

Lu Ten was standing above her. Lightning flashed in the sky behind him, and his golden eyes burned into her green ones. He spoke without a hint of doubt.

"I'm going to save this island," he said simply. As if that was set in stone. "Because it's right in front of me. And I don't want to rely on a last resort."

Onomu's ears were ringing.

Lu Ten gave her a small sigh.

"That's what your admiral should have done." Lu Ten turned, his words burning in her ears. "Find another way. Instead of ordering you to do it for her."

Onomu stared, her world tilted on its head as Lu Ten walked towards his panicked and soaked ostrich horse.

Onomu stuttered, "What are you..."

She didn't mean to speak; the words escaped her lungs on their own. And yet she couldn't stop. She saw Lu Ten tilt his head back at her. She froze.

Onomu gulped, head lowered as rain blurred her vision. "What..." she ground her teeth and hissed. "What are you going to do. There's nothing..."

Onomu's voice was hoarse.

"There's nothing you can do. It's too late."

Onomu's mind was clouded and muddled.

And when Lu Ten spoke.

It was with ease that Onomu found laughable at best and enviable at worst.

"I'll figure it out." Lu Ten shrugged, hopping on his ostrich horse. He glanced at Onomu and said. "If you don't believe me, head down to Ming Estate, and you'll see. I swear on my honor."

Lu Ten made the promise easily. Like it was obvious.

"Not a single Fire Nation soldier will set foot there." Lu Ten said. Before giving Onomu one last, sympathetic glance.

"If anyone asks..." He said. And Onomu sat there, dumbly, her muscles deflated as she sat in the mud under the pouring rain. It was like her bones were hollow. She felt like shit.

And Lu Ten's parting words didn't make it any better. Or clearer. Just more... muddled. 

"I ordered you to follow me to this island." Lu Ten said. "You resisted and even fought me to uphold Yeayu's orders. I'll verify any claims you make as to what happened here tonight." He kicked his ostrich horse into high gear. "I don't want you to be implicated for treason after all. So now if they ask, you can say you followed Yeayu's orders as best you could."

Lu Ten's ostrich horse sprinted off. And Onomu sat stone still. Stuck sitting in the mud atop Moonlight Peak. She watched in utter silence as Lu Ten's back disappeared down the mountain path. Away from her. Closer to the blazing inferno consuming the island. Lu Ten's parting words carried in the raging wind.

"All the blame will lie with me."

And it felt like Onomu's mind was as stormy as the skies above.

Chapter Text

The Southern Water Tribe

The South Pole was a cold place where the night lasted days, and the sea spoke soft and dangerous whispers. Family was everything.

And Kya loved her family.

But sometimes...

She wished her children got along better.

Katara yelled across the dinner mat. "Sokka stole my bone whistle!"

Sokka whined. "But I need it to alert everyone if the Fire Nation shows up! Katara was just using it to sing dumb girly songs at the tiger seals. I need it more!"

"It's a lullaby, Sokka. Gran-gran taught it to me." Katara huffed and crossed her arms. "Spirits, you act like any music that isn't a war chant is girl music."

"Because it is," Sokka said, and in an empty wood bowl, clonked against his head. Sokka yelped and fell over, shouting. "Hey! She threw that at me!"

"He deserved it." Katara huffed, crossing her arms and turning her head away from Sokka. Katara muttered. "Mom. Tell Sokka I'm not talking to him until he stops being an idiot."

"Oh yeah?" Sokka said, rubbing the new welt on his head as he sat down and crossed his arms. Turning his head in the opposite direction to Katara's. "Mom. Tell Katara I'm not talking to her until she stops being annoying."

"What was that?" Katara tilted her head. "I didn't hear anything?"

"I said," Sokka's stopped, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not falling for that again."

"Huh?" Katara tilted her head. Katara's little face tilted in confusion. She glanced at Kya. "Did you say something, Mom. I thought I heard something."

Kya sighed, trying not to smile. "No, dear. I didn't say anything."

Katara asked with perfect cluelessness plastered on her face. "Then is Gran-gran awake? I swear I heard something." Katara shrugged and returned to her meal. "Must've been the wind."

Sokka ground his teeth, his eyes narrowed as he stubbornly resisted trying to say something back. Thunderclouds rolled over his face as he ate.

He muttered under his breath. "Your hair loopies are uneven."

"They are!?" Katara startled, checking the hair loopies Kya had braided for her that morning. Kya sighed, shaking her head as she hid a small smirk behind her bowl of soup.

After a few seconds, Katara realized the loopies were, in fact, even. She froze and glared at her brother. "Hey. That's cheating."

Sokka smiled. "Ha! I win." He ate his food, and Katara rolled her eyes. Muttering something about 'lucky shot' under her breath. They continued bickering, and Kya eventually decided to intervene. Siblings fought; Kya had learned from other mothers in the tribe that siblings' bickering was natural.

But Kya never wanted it to linger for too long.

She liked it so much more when her children got along.

"Now, Katara," Kya said. "Sokka just wanted the whistle because he wants to protect you while your father's away. That's nice of him, isn't it?"

Katara flinched, jabbing her wooden spoon in her bowl.  "I guess..." she muttered. "He's still being a jerk about it."

Sokka gasped, "I am not."

Kya sighed. "Sokka, you kind of are." Sokka flinched, panic across his face. Kya sighed and said. "Did you ask your sister if you could borrow her whistle?"

"Yeah." Sokka pouted. "She said no."

"Did you explain to her that you want it so you can protect her because you love her, very, very much?" Kya said, and Sokka flinched. His face burned red, and he picked at his bowl.

Katara looked at her brother expectantly.

Sokka let out an embarrassed groan. "I'm... I didn't think about it!" Sokka gave up on his food and whined. "I'm not saying that! That's girly stuff."

Kya smiled. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. Your father loves you both very much. You wouldn't call him girly, would you?" Kya hummed. "Should I tell him you said that?"

"What? No!" Sokka stiffened, panicked. He looked at Katara and said with a serious, 'warrior' expression. Sokka said. "Love you, sis. Super duper much. All that stuff mom said."

Katara perked up, her face noticeably brighter.

Sokka perked up, too, but for a different reason. "So can I have the whistle now?"

"You can borrow the whistle." Katara rolled her eyes, but the corner of her lips curled upwards in a tiny yet pleased expression. She said. "And I love you too." She ate her soup and chuckled. "Even if you are dumber than a walrus-elephant sometimes."

"What? No way," Sokka recoiled. "Did you see the last herd? They thought our spears were sticks to chew on. Dad didn't even kill them; he felt so bad."

"That sounds like you," Katara giggled. And ducked as Sokka lightly pulled a piece of kelp from his seal-fin soup and tossed it her way. Katara poked her head up after the kelp had missed and stuck her tongue out, "You sure you've been practicing with that boomerang lately? Your aim's still a little off."

"I have too." Sokka huffed. "I just felt bad for the kelp. Landing on your face isn't a crime I wanted to subject it to."

Katara snorted. "At least I brush my teeth."

"Hey," Sokka flushed. "That was one month, and you know it!"

"It smelled like a year." Katara snarked. And Kya sighed as she watched the two trade tiny jabs back and forth.

Maybe sibling bickering was just inevitable.

No, it was definitely inevitable. Kya never had siblings, but she knew it was here to stay.

But still.. It wasn't so bad.

Kya liked seeing the little smile on Katara's lips now every time she traded increasingly playful jabs with her brother. It wasn't there previously. Sokka had a little smirk too, as if trading teases with his sister was a fun way to pass the time. Even if he was on the losing end of this one.

Thank La...

Kya must be doing something right.

So Kya returned to her meal and savored it, just as she savored watching her little kids trade teasing little jabs back and forth. Her children. She loved her children. Even if they didn't get along sometimes. She always knew it would pass like the tide.

And even if some of the other men in the village were giving Sokka less-than-savory ideas.

She knew he meant well, and this 'manly' phase would pass as well.

After all, Kya still remembered when Hakoda had been a tad too eager to prove himself as the future chief of the village. Back when they were both children.

It was almost funny how embarrassed Hakoda got every time Kya brought that part of his life up again. She loved watching her husband flounder.

Kya thought it was cute.

Katara asked, "Mom," and Kya blinked, looking up from the soup she'd been swishing around aimlessly. She tilted her head at her daughter.

"Yes, dear?" Kya said attentively. "Do you need something?"

Katara asked. "When's dad getting back?"

Sokka jumped in excitedly. "Yeah, I have to show him my new moves."

Katara looked at her brother, confused. "What new moves?"

"Boomy of course," Sokka said, pulling his boomerang off his back. "You should've seen it, sis. I hit every target this morning. It was awesome."

Katara gave her brother a disbelieving look. "How many targets were there?"

Sokka fidgeted, sliding his boomerang on his back and sighing. "One."

Katara giggled. Sokka shot her an annoyed glance.

Kya smiled. "That's very impressive, Sokka. You're already shaping up to be a great warrior." Sokka perked up. His shoulders were straight, and a proud expression found his face.

Then Sokka's posture immediately deflated as Kya said. "But no weapons at dinner."

"What? But, but it's Boomy!" Sokka said, holding up his boomerang. Which had gone through seven nicknames in the last week. And would likely go through seven more by the next. Kya gave Sokka a stern look. And Sokka sighed, setting his boomerang to the side. Sokka mumbled, "Fine."

Then, Sokka perked up once again and said. "But I still want to show dad when he gets home. How much longer?"

"Only a few more days, Sokka." Kya sighed, eating her soup that had gotten cold because of how much they'd been talking. Kya said. "Now eat your dinner. Both of you."She ordered. "Your father will be back by the week's end. He'll definitely be back before the monsoon season in two weeks, so there's nothing to worry about except your food getting cold. "

Kya smiled.

"I'm sure when he gets back," Kya smiled softly, catching her children's eager attention. "He'll tell you both all about his visit to the Jasmine Isles."

Katara and Sokka shared an excited glance before returning to their food. Sokka ate with a new gusto as Katara gagged at his bad manners. Kya chuckled and returned to her food. Eventually, Kya's mother-in-law woke from her nap and joined the family for dinner.

It was a quiet dinner, warm and lovely. Even in the frigid ice of the South Pole. The ice Kya had always known and always loved.

Kya thought back to her husband's departure. It was supposed to be a standard trip. Boring, all things considered. Yet, Kya knew her husband wouldn't forget to bring back gifts. Toys, flowers, tea, or something Jasmine related to their children.

Kya was sure Hakoda would be back by week's end. As he always did whenever he made trips to Jasmine Island. They never lasted longer than a week.

But still...

Kya wondered how her husband's trip was going so far.

Jasmine Island

Hakoda was never going to tell his wife about this.

Hakoda muttered. "Kya's going to kill me." As he ducked under a bolt of fire. Hakoda was supposed to be discussing trade with the Jasmine Isles. Perhaps sneaking in a few Jasmine Island toys and extra tea crates for Katara and Sokka. His plan had been to stay a few days at most, but gone well before the monsoon season kicked into full gear.

He wasn't supposed to be standing on a battlefield, leading the Jasmine Island defenders Bato had managed to gather before Hakoda arrived.

Hakoda used his club to block a swordsman's swing towards his head.

Hakoda growled, "This was supposed to be a trade visit." Hakoda kicked the fire nation soldier away, changing focus as he ducked under an adjacent enemy's stream of fire. Hakoda swung his club into the fire bender's jaw, shattering it. Then he returned his attention to the swordsman.

The man lunged, the sword pointed at Hakoda's chest.

Hakoda slid past it, slamming his knee into their stomach. The soldier folded over his knee with a gasp, and Hakoda silenced them by smashing the hilt of his club on the back of their head. They fell to the ground with a deafening thud, and Hakoda moved onto the next.

And the next.

And the next.

Jasmine Island Protectors followed his lead, forming a line against the line of encroaching Fire Nation soldiers. Assuring they couldn't get to the Ming Estate, where half the evacuees had been gathered. Jasmine Island protectors through boulders, water, and fire at the encroaching forces. Wave after wave of unending flames was the response.

The Fire Nation soldiers were relentless. They left ash and fire in their wake, as they marched under rain that steamed off their skins.

From what Hakoda had been able to gather amidst the chaos, there was similar fighting in the north. Someone else was defending the other half of the evacuees on the northern side of town. Protecting the path to the Center hill, where Council Hall lay.

The balance of battle was delicate so far.

It would only take a moment to change it.

Hakoda tilted his head as a spear was thrust at his skull from behind. He grabbed the wooden hilt, flipping it out of the attacker's hand. It spun through the air. Hakoda caught it with his free hand, reversed the grip, and thrusted the spear tip back into the wielder's stomach.

Hakoda kicked the bleeding man away and flipped the spear once more, yielding it as a spear fisherman would. Hakoda had hunted fish all his life, back in the South Pole.

Bato had always been a better aim.

But Hakoda was pretty confident he wouldn't miss with so many targets lined up in front of him.

Hakoda grumbled, "Haven't seen a raid like this since I was a kid," his blue eyes snapped towards the nearest threat. He threw his spear into the flurry of approaching Fire Nation soldiers. One was smart or lucky enough to notice it in time to duck.

The one behind wasn't.

There was a crunching sound as the spear crushed through their chest and threw them back a couple of feet.

Bato scoffed from nearby, cutting down another enemy with his whale-tooth spear. "Yeah, not a pleasant memory to revisit." Bato flicked his spear, deflecting a nearby polearm. Bato's spear pierced the attacker's throat, and Bato kicked the man away.

Bato lunged to kill another. His spear pierced the staggered man's stomach. Bato pulled it out to defend a sword stroke overhead.

Bato grunted. "Still better than fighting pirates."

"Definitely," Hakoda grumbled, ducking under Bato's spear and swinging his club into the attacker's shin. The Fire Nation soldier cried out and was silenced when Bato's spear cut into his windpipe. Blood flying as the man collapsed to the ground.

Hakoda and Bato moved in tandem, cutting through the frontlines as a unit. The rain and wind masked their faces as they tore through the chaos.

They made quick work of any stragglers unfortunate enough to push too far forward.

The balance they held was delicate.

It would only take a moment to change it.

That moment arrived when an unholy amount of fire bloomed in the northern lines, and the sound of chaos reached its breaking point. Hakoda and Bato snapped their heads towards the source, distracted. Jasmine Island Protectors and Fire Nation soldiers turned to look, their eyes widened. The sounds were clear, something had tilted. On the northern side.

The Fire Nation had broken through.

Orange glowed over the rooftops. Even from here, they could see the fire.

It was only a second.

Hakoda was distracted for a second.

A second too long.

He snapped his head back to the forefront. "Seal-dung." His ears picked up the scrape of claws against tiles amidst the slick rain. His eyes flickered to the surrounding rooftops as Eel-Hounds and their Fire Nation riders rushed over the slick and burning rooftops. Jumping from house to burning house.

Hakoda cursed, "Aim for the rooftops! They're trying to get past us!" He grabbed a nearby spear and threw it, lodging it in one of the Eel-Hound's legs.

The Eel-Hound cried out and recoiled atop the roof. Throwing the rider off the rooftop. The rider cried out in pain as he fell and hit the ground, and then in panic after he looked up. "Wait-!" The Eel-Hound slipped off the roof and fell flat atop the fallen rider, silencing their panicked shouts with a loud crunch.

Other Protectors turned at the sound of his orders. They threw attacks at the herds of Eel-Hounds leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Slicing past the rain and wind and making a straight sprint towards Ming Estate. Fire, water, and earth shot towards the riders; some managed to find purchase.

But most didn't. They'd been distracted. Reacted too late.

At least a dozen Eel-Hounds made it past the line.

A man with dark amber eyes smirked at Hakoda before commanding his riders to follow. They jumped off the rooftops, well behind Hakoda's defensive line. The Eel-Hounds sprinted down the rain and smoky streets, directly towards the mountain upon which the Ming Estate rested.

Nothing was in their way now.

And at the sight of their successful infiltration through their back lines.

Mixed with the sounds of success raging on the northern front.

The remaining Fire Nation soldiers redoubled their efforts.

Bato cursed and moved into combat with them. Hakoda ground his teeth and joined, quickly re-establishing their line of defense. Hakoda's eyes trailed back to Ming Estate. He shouted at one of the Protectors who had come from that direction. "How many Protectors are at the estate?"

Depending on how many, it was possible Hakoda could leave the issue for-,

"None." The protector said amidst the conflict. And Hakoda froze, his blood running cold.

He snapped, "What! None?"

The protector grunted and shouted. "Her orders specified that all of us should follow you." The protector cursed and backed up as fire burned his feet. A waterbender dowsed it. The protector got dragged back into the conflict. Hakoda cursed and moved in to assist.

Yu Ming. That well-intentioned, naive girl. She probably thought it would be a waste to keep protectors waiting around, just for her estate.

She didn't know the basics of war, and it showed.

Hakoda shouted, "Bato!" Hakoda ducked under a blast of fire and kicked the fire bender's knee out. "Follow them! Take a group with you. Anyone we can spare."

"We'll never make it in time," Bato said over the roar of battle. "Those Eel-Hounds are fast." Bato jumped back and cursed. "We don't even have mounts."

"I know! Just try it." Hakoda snapped, grunting as he redoubled his efforts. Bato cursed under his breath and started moving. Gathering less busy Protectors, the few he could find. Hakoda's attention turned back to the Fire Nation soldiers ahead.

They were marching. Reinvigorated.

The balance had been tilted.

All because something had happened in the north.

Hakoda slammed his bone club into an enemy's head and shouted at the nearest protector. "And figure out what happened near that center hill!"

The balance had tilted.

If Hakoda wanted to survive long enough for his wife to chew him out, he needed to figure out why.

Aiko hadn't been able to keep up.

The woman with grey hair and amber eyes.

The one leading the invasion.

Aiko hadn't been able to keep up.

Aiko hadn’t even been able to land a hit. 

Aiko cursed, "Monster." Aiko stood ragged, holding her bloody arm, claw marks seated into her skin as she looked on at the invaders.

The woman with grey hair smiled, standing amidst a sea of flames that she left in her wake. The woman smiled and sauntered forward. Fire in her palms.

The woman's soldiers followed along.

The Fire Nation, under that woman's strength, had pushed past the defensive line Aiko had managed to set up. Now everything was in chaos.

Aiko had to hurry and fix it.

Before things spiraled.

Aiko ground her teeth. "Ready yourselves! They're coming!" She planted her feet. Her fellow protectors struggled to do the same. The woman's amber eyes struck fear into their hearts. One backed up. Their foot took a single step back.

Aiko snapped, "Don't you dare!" She growled, her eyes never leaving the woman. The grey-haired woman. She was the most dangerous invader.

Aiko had to kill her.

Otherwise, Jasmine Island was doomed.

"Throw your corpses at her feet if you have to." Aiko sneered, fire blooming in her good hand. She ground her teeth as the woman laughed, sharp nails blazing with flames.

The woman sprinted ahead of her soldiers, fearless and confident of her power.

Two of Aiko's friends rushed to reach her. Semi and Sho. A Water Bender and an Earth Bender. They rushed ahead of Aiko. Despite Aiko’s attempt to warn them that the woman was baiting them out of formation. Aiko shouted. “Wait.” But it was too late. Sho and Semi reached the woman and attacked.

The woman slipped under the Semi's water whip and responded with a kick that spat fire into Semi's chest. Semi flew back. Crashing through the window of a nearby house and disappearing into the smoky interior. The roof collapsed over her body.

Semi disappeared under the rubble.

And still, the gray-haired woman wasn't done.

She quickly dodged a bolder aimed at her head, and twisted with her momentum into a sharp jab of her two fingers, quick and precise, the bolt of fire seared into Sho's shoulder, knocking him off balance. His face paled as the woman closed the distance in an instant, fire flickering off her heels.

He tried to throw a desperate punch.

The woman sneered as it skidded past her cheek. Her nails carving through Sho's neck, she finished her lunge past Sho's, and blood splattered.

The woman smiled as Sho collapsed behind her.

Smoke hissed off the woman's bloody fingers.

The woman chuckled. "How admirable."

Aiko gnashed her teeth and rushed forward despite her fellow protector's protests. She acted quicker than her mind would allow. Her fellow protectors rushed to follow as the street turned into a mosh pit. Aiko thrust her good hand towards the woman who killed Sho. 

The grey haired woman chuckled and leaned to the side of it, her amber eyes sharp as a jaguar's. She sneered. "You did well to last this long, pretty little islander."

Aiko snarled and fought. Spinning into her Jasmine Style. She forced her bloody arm to hold a flame in her palms that she could use.

She attacked. And attacked. And attacked. 

The woman deflected and dodged by the millimeter.

Nothing...

Nothing Aiko tried was working.

The woman smiled as Aiko tried to feint a blow and attack from the opposite direction. The woman scoffed. "Don't feel bad." The grey-haired woman caught Aiko's blow and kicked her feet out from under her. Aiko fell hard, rolling out of the way as the woman's heel nearly crushed into her head. 

The woman sneered, "I've been conquering for longer than you've been alive."

Aiko pushed back to her feet, stumbling as the woman subtly kicked a blast of fire at her feet. Aiko fell forward, hard in the mud. She ground her teeth and tried to push herself upwards. Her eyes wide as the woman's heel planted on the back of Aiko's head. Shoving her face back into the muddy road.

The woman's voice echoed with the rain above. "The fact that you entertained me is more than enough to warrant an honorably painful death."

Aiko struggled, screaming as she felt the woman's heel crushing into the back of her head. Burning. The woman's foot was burning the back of Aiko's head. She could feel it like the damn thing was searing into her brain. Tears welled up in Aiko's eyes as she tried to push herself upwards. She had to.

Otherwise...

She'd die here.

Her skull would be crushed underneath this woman's burning foot.

The woman snickered. "Quit struggling. Relax. The truth is..." the woman sneered. "Your island was doomed from the moment I laid my eyes on it."

Aiko was going to die. The thought flashed through her head. Right before her vision blurred. She was going to die. Her head was crushed beneath this woman's heel. Aiko would die defending her home. And there was nothing she could do about it. She would die.

She would've died.

If it wasn't for two things.

The first was a deafening explosion that echoed by the docks. Loud and bright. Booming so heavily it echoed across the island. And frowned at the thunderstorm raining above. Everyone turned to see one of the Fire Nation cruisers imploding from the inside out, as what sounded like hundreds of fireworks kicked off. Whistling and bursting.

That was the first reason Aiko didn't die. The grey-haired woman turned to look at one of her ships being capsized. Destroyed.

The woman's eyes narrowed at the distant shores.

The foot that had been crushing the back of Aiko's head lessened.

And the second reason Aiko survived.

Was because the earth under Aiko's face moved, the mud swelling up and forcing the gray-haired woman to retreat before she was swallowed by mud.

That was the second reason Aiko survived.

Because when she looked up, she saw a familiar face. Green eyes and scarred arms. The second strongest Protector in Jasmine Isles, right behind Akataa.

Basalt looked down at her, his face conflicted before he shook his hand and reached for her arm. Pulling her up, Aiko bit back the pain of her bloody arm. She held it close to her chest, gasping. "Thank Agni, you're here, Basalt. I can't beat her alone. If we work together and get the other protectors ready, we'll-,"

"No," Basalt said firmly. He pushed Aiko behind his broad back. "You need to take as many as you can and fortify Council Hall."

"What?" Aiko froze as she watched Basalt step towards the woman with grey hair. His feet sank into the mud as if it were made for them. Aiko tried to grab his arm. "Wait, you can't!" She hissed, her grip trembled on Basalt's sleeve. Aiko fought through the pain as her eyes glanced towards the grey-haired woman. She wasn't pushing so relentlessly now.

Instead, she seemed to be sending a portion of her soldiers to secure the docks and ensure they didn’t lose any more ships. The woman's eyes were stormy and angry.

Aiko barely heard her shout through the rain, "Don't let another ship sink! Under no circumstances is another ship to sink! Understand!"

The woman shoved the soldier away. He sputtered. "Yes, Admiral Yeayu!"

The frightened soldier corralled his group, and the grey-haired woman's forces were split. Not in half. She only sent a quarter or so towards the docks.

But it was less. Fewer enemies. Less fire. Fewer people to worry about.

This was their chance.

"Basalt," Aiko said, gripping his sleeve. "We can hold here. We have to hold here, if you and Dad fight her now..." Aiko stalled as Basalt flinched. Aiko said. "You and dad..." She looked around. "Where's dad? Did he go to the southern front? We need him here."

"He's not coming," Basalt said, green eyes holding ahead. Never leaving the grey-haired woman, even as the two sides, Jasmine Island Protectors and Fire Nation, continued to battle against each other. “Akataa won’t make it.”

Aiko's expression paled.

And Basalt removed her hand from his sleeve. "Akataa won't get here in time.” Basalt said. “This battle isn't sustainable anymore. You've already lost the best defensive position. It's only a matter of time before they overwhelm you."

Aiko ground her teeth. Her head hung low, and her fists were clenched. She didn't want to hear it. She couldn't hear it.

She didn't want to believe it.

But when Basalt spoke it was with a harsh and bitter truth. "You need to take as many as you can and reinforce Council Hall. Make a better stand there." Basalt pushed Aiko away from the frontlines. "Instead of holding this losing position. Go defend a point that's usable."

Basalt sighed, his green eyes somber but focused.

"We'll buy you time," Basalt said as he stomped his feet, and mud surged under his legs. He rode the mud like a wave and launched himself at the grey-haired woman while she was giving orders. Her amber eyes snapped to his attack, and she jumped back, defending herself with an annoyed sneer.

Yeayu, that was her name. Yeayu laughed. "So one of you has a backbone after all!" Her nails burned with fire as she slashed at Basalt's chest. He rode his mud wave to slip past it, riding it until he was above her.

"No," Basalt said, moving his mud to his hand and hardening it into heavy rock. "I'm just reaping what I sowed." Basalt reared his stone fist.  "Not that you would know anything about that, Ash Maker." He grumbled as his fist flew straight at Yeayu's head.

Yeayu tried to jump out of the way, only to realize that the mud at her feet had hardened. Her eyes widened as she tried to raise her arm to block, fire bathing her forearms to soften the blow. Basalt's fist connected, and Yeayu was sent flying back.

Away from her soldiers.

Away from the Jasmine Island Protectors.

Yeayu flew across the street, flipping to her feet and landing on a nearby rooftop. She looked down at her arms. Her forearms were shaking, and she had bruises.

Yeayu raised her head.

And her amber eyes shone with malice, as she grinned a feral grin. Yeayu crouched down, fire burning at her fingertips. "Alright then, earth rat."

Yeayu licked her lips. Flashing her teeth.

"You have my attention." She lunged, fast as lightning. She shot fire that was precise and deadly. Basalt dodged, riding his mud wave out of her reach. He used mud to block some of the blasts as he surfed over the nearest house to a different street. Yeayu followed, fire at her heels as she propelled herself over the top of the nearest house. Their battle continued elsewhere. It echoed out of sight.

Away from the Fire Nation soldiers.

Away from the Jasmine Island Protectors.

Yeayu and Basalt fought. Alone.

And Aiko recognized it as the only chance. Basalt was giving them an opening to retreat and regroup.

But the Fire Nation soldiers under Yeayu's command. The ones that didn't go back to the docks. They were still here. Ready even without their Admiral to lead them. They smelled blood in the water and were trained well enough to seek it.

The second Admiral Yeayu was out of sight, a rear admiral took over and ordered them to charge. The foot soldiers didn’t hesitate.

The Fire Nation was relentless.

That meant someone had to keep them at bay.

The protectors, the older ones.

The ones of Akataa and Basalt's generation. The ones who saw Basalt volunteer to take on the most pressing threat.

The ones who saw how Basalt threw himself at the enemy admiral.

With no intent of returning until he won or died trying.

The older generation of protectors...

They pushed the younger generation behind them. Telling them to get lost. Scram. That they would just get in the way. 

The older protectors, the ones who had already served more than enough.

They stayed behind. Following Basalt's example.

They charged.

And Aiko felt her hands tremble. She watched as the older protectors leapt at the Fire Nation invaders, fighting tooth and nail.

With no intent of returning unless they won or died trying.

Aiko bit her tongue and grabbed the nearest protector, younger than even her. She snapped. "What are you waiting for!"

She ordered the rest of her protectors. Her voice cracked over the crackling fire and hissing rain consuming her island. 

"Fall back!" Aiko ordered. "We're retreating!"

Aiko took one last look at Basalt's fading back and the other protectors. She ground her teeth, tears mixing with the rain as she turned her head. Holding her bloody arm, she rushed ahead. Leading her protectors towards the central hill. She shouted.

"We’re regrouping at Council Hall!"

And under the smoke and rain, as Aiko and her Protectors retreated. Leaving their mentors and predecessors behind.

As they fled.

And the Fire Nation marched regardless.

It is said that the Great Devastation sprinted towards its final stages.

Chapter Text

77 AG

Kaze was dying.

He tried to hide it, but the signs came quickly and suddenly.

He went out on the boat less. He used to stay out for longer before needing to rest. He coughed more when it was cold. And sweat more when it was hot. He ate less and threw up more. His body got thinner, thinner than it used to be. She could see his ribs now. 

He slipped sometimes. On the boat.

He never used to do that.

At some point, he had to start sitting on the boat.

And watch as Onomu learn how to work the dumb thing by herself.

Now he couldn't even get on the boat.

He couldn't even leave his bed. 

Kaze was dying.

And he still somehow got on her nerves.

Onomu scowled as she mushed together some stupid herbs she stole from Mrs. Nia's dumb shop. She would've worked for them, but no one wanted to hire her, so she went to the next best method. Taking without asking. She had almost gotten caught; sneaking around wasn't her thing. But she got it. Dumb herbs that she didn't know the names of. They had to work. 

She mashed together into a weird green paste that smelled awful. She scowled and poured some water into the bowl. Whatever. When people got sick, they needed an apothecary, and she's seen the dumb hag do exactly this. Throwing a bunch of weird-looking plants into a bowl and mashing them together. Then she added water or some other weird-looking drink, and that was all it took. Dumb gross looking bowl of shit that's supposed to make you feel better.

There was only one problem.

Kaze wasn't fucking drinking it.

Onomu glared down at Kaze, thin and frail, lying in his stupid bed. She growled, "Hey, old man, stop being stubborn and drink this." Onomu held out the bowl of mush insistently. Kaze looked down at the wooden bowl suspiciously. He took it out of Onomu's hands. Fucking finally. 

Then he set it at the side of his bed. Fucking damnit. 

"Hey, what the hell, old man?" Onomu snapped. "Just drink the fucking juice."

"Onomu," Kaze sighed weakly, "You still haven't told me where you got it."

"I found it," Onomu said stubbornly, crossing her arms. Because Kaze would be a big whiny bitch about it if she told him she stole it. Onomu huffed. "The hag at the corner of the hill said it would make you feel better. So drink it."

"She did, huh?" Kaze chuckled, hacking up a cough that sounded guttural. He wheezed lightly and snorted. "That's good then, you must mean Mrs. Nia. I'm glad an apothecary gave it the stamp of approval." Kaze smiled weakly. "Because if an untrained kid were to perhaps throw a bunch of herbs she 'found' together and call it medicine, she might accidentally poison me." Kaze gave out a wet chuckle, "But that wouldn't happen, right?"

Onomu flinched, "Of course not!" She snapped, but slid the bowl shamefully out of Kaze's reach.

Kaze chuckled, a tiny smile gracing his hollowed cheeks. He said. "Well, I'm glad you care."

"Shut up, you're being dumb." Onomu scowled, clicking her tongue and thinking of otherways to fix Kaze. If she couldn't get that hag Nia to hire her, she'd just make her fix Kaze for free. That would do it. Onomu wasn't big, but she could figure it out. 

She'd break a few things around Nia's dumb shop.

Then she'd tell Nia she'd only stop if the hag fixed Kaze. 

That would work.

That had to work.

Onomu's thoughts must have reflected on her face because Kaze spoke sternly, "Don't get any dumb ideas, child, there's nothing anyone can do for me at this point." Kaze coughed, and a hint of blood slipped past his lips. He wiped it on his wrists, thin enough that Onomu could wrap her fingers around them. Kaze grumbled. "Sometimes things die. Usually, when they're as old as molasses like me." Kaze coughed and muttered. "Guess Agni figured it's just my time."

Onomu ground her teeth and muttered. "Mud, can't you just stop talking about fucking Agni already. He isn't helping." Onomu grabbed a ratty towel she kept nearby, in the safety of Kaze's shabby and run-down wooden hut by the docks. She cleaned the blood off Kaze's chin.

Kaze chucked weakly and said. "Agni is always watching. The spirits are never truly gone."

Onomy ground her teeth and ignored Kaze's dumb ramblings. She wasn't in the mood. If those spirits were actually important, they should do something. Agni should do something. For Kaze at least. He worshipped the ungrateful fuck all the time. If anyone deserved help, it was Kaze. 

Onomu growled. "I'm going to clean the rag." She stood to leave. And stopped when Kaze's thin fingers grabbed her wrist. Weak. That was the first thing she noticed. Weak. A newborn baby could have held her wrist tighter. Onomu ground her teeth and closed her eyes. 

Kaze wheezed softly. "Stay for a minute, Onomu." He smiled weakly. "I wish to ask you something."

Onomu frowned, gnashing her teeth as she ditched the towel and waited at Kaze's rickety bedside. She muttered. "What? Make it quick."

Kaze smiled, "I will," He chuckled, hacking up a lung in the process. When he caught his breath, he whispered. "It's very important."

Onomu waited impatiently. She ground her teeth and watched as Kaze mumbled.

"Have you..." Kaze chuckled with a mischievous, stupid grin. Like his regular old self. "Been steering the boat the way I told you."

Onomu groaned, debating whether to yank her arm out of Kaze's grip. It would be easy. With how limp it was.

She didn't. She just rolled her eyes and muttered. "Yeah, I did."

"And did you tie the nets as I taught you?"

"Fucking yes, I did." Onomu scoffed. "They were tangled as shit by the way."

"They always are." Kaze chuckled jokingly, "Did you hold the ropes tight when you threw the net?"

"Yes."

"You have to hold them tight, you know." Kaze said seriously, "The ropes always get wet. They'll slip when you aren't looking."

"Yes, yes, yes." Onomu let out an aggravated sigh, holding out her free fist, clenching it, then unclenching it. "I held the ropes super fucking tightly. See," She opened her hand and pointed to the small imprints where her nails had dug into her palm. "They didn't budge an inch. Would've caught a big ass fish too if the fucker didn't run away."

"Yeah, they tend to do that." Kaze chuckled weakly, smirking slightly as his eyes traveled to the ceiling above his bed. "Well, then," Kaze let out a relieved sigh, his thin body relaxing, "I guess you're fit to make a good sailor someday, if you ever mean to."

Onomu snorted, "Like hell," She said, "I'm gonna be a soldier, old man. I already told you." She smirked. "Better than you ever were. Better than everyone that passes through this shitty colony. You'll see, old man. So just get better and quit faking it. It's annoying."

"If only things were so simple." Kaze let out a tired and labored chuckle, his lips curling up in a smile as he looked at the ceiling. Like he was too exhausted to turn his head to glance at Onomu. Onomu ground her teeth as Kaze let out a wet cough and muttered. "Better..."

Kaze's fingers tightened a fraction on her wrist. 

Kaze mumbled distantly, "There are a lot of ways to be better than someone."

Onomu frowned as Kaze's grey eyes turned to her. His breath labored; he coughed. "Onomu," He mumbled. Eyes distant and hazy. Traces of worry and concern in his grey pupils. He mumbled. "What kind of soldier do you want to be?"

Onomu flinched, her back rigid. Kaze asked her that before. When she first told him she would join the Fire Nation military one day. She wouldn't dodge the draft like some of the Earth Kingdom families in the colonies were thinking about doing. 

Sending their kids to Ba Sing Se or Omashu. 

Onomu had never even considered such a thing. She would be a soldier. That had never been a question. And when Kaze asked her why the first time. She had been stubborn and said it was because she wanted to be strong, obviously. She said it was because she wanted to be stronger. 

She said it was because even though most Fire Nation soldiers hated her.  At least they fed her, unlike the Earth Kingdom folk like that old bastard Higo, who ran the fish stall. 

Or Ms. Kija, who ran the bread cart down by the shipyard. 

Or Mrs. Nia, who hadn't been willing to sell Onomu a single herb. Or offer her a job to pay for it. Onomu was sure that if she asked Mrs. Nia to check on Kaze, the hag would scoff and give some half-hearted excuse not to do it. No money. No service. Something like that. 

It was like the Earth Kingdom folk just wanted Onomu out of sight. Cowards. 

At least the Fire Nation soldiers looked at Onomu when they cursed her. There was strength in that. 

That was the reason Onomu gave Kaze when he first asked why she wanted to be a soldier. 

He'd accepted it then.

This time, he didn't look like he would. 

Kaze mumbled, "Please." He said with a wet rasp. "The truth this time."

Onomu stiffened, her back straight as her face flashed with stubbornness and pain. She bit her lip, hanging her head as she tried to hold it back. Hold everything back. The ache in her chest and the churning of her stomach. She ground her teeth as she tried to stay strong.

"Onomu..."

Kaze asked once more.

"What kind of soldier do you want to be?"

And Onomu's answer was pitifully wet and quiet.

"A good one..." She said, tears welling up in her eyes despite her efforts to stop them. She let out a wet sob as she hung her head, Kaze's hand still on her wrist. She croaked. "I want to be a good one." Her shoulder shook and trembled as she closed her eyes and cried. She cried. 

"Like you."

And Kaze smiled weakly. Lovingly. As Onomu's shoulders trembled and she stood at his bedside, crying. Her fists clenched. Kaze's thin fingers drifted from her wrist to her fingers that were digging into her palms. Kaze let out a quiet, bemused chuckle. "Oh, Onomu..." 

Onomu unclecnhed her fist instinctively, letting Kaze's thin fingers rest in her own. 

Kaze chuckled tiredly, his eyelids fluttering close against his will. "I was never a good soldier." He let out a tired sigh, his thin chest rising and falling more and more slowly. Tears stained Onomu's vision as she watched Kaze's smile, weak and proud on his hollowed face. 

"I was just the most fortunate." Kaze laughed weakly, quietly, his eyelids drifting shut against his will. His fingers held loosely onto Onomu's. She clutched onto them as she tried to stiffle her cries. She stood there, stubbornly by his bedside as he drifted off to sleep, his face catching the setting sun. He mumbled quietly, "Because I met you..."

Onomu's legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. Sobbing into Kaze's bedside. Holding his fingers like they were a lifeline. Kaze gave a quiet and dazed smile as he drifted to sleep. He mumbled a little whisper that Onomu latched onto as he drifted further and further away. 

"But I suppose..."

That night, Kaze died. In his sleep, the lucky fucker. He died at night, and when Onomu woke up, she saw his still body, motionless, his lips curled up into a smile, as the sun filtered through the cracks in their roof. Kaze died in his sleep. After Onomu's tears had run dry, she put him on his boat and buried him at sea.  

"I wouldn't mind if you became a good soldier in my stead."

It was the emptiest Onomu had ever felt.

92 AG

The gates to Ming Estate were empty.

"What the hell..." Onomu muttered as she rode her Ostrich horse down from Moonlight Peak. Its feather matted with rain as it trotted down unhappily. Onomu stopped her ostrich horse on the side of the mountain path, at a point overlooking the entirety of Ming Estate. 

It still stood lavishly and unblemished. Despite the fire roaring across the island and at the village at the foot of Moonlight Mountain. Ming Estate still hadn't been touched. 

But the large and heavy lacquer gates were empty, unguarded. Their white wood adorned with golden handles and Jasmine decor. 

Onomu saw civilians trickling into the estate. Rushing through the open gates in herds. Disappearing into the safety hidden behind Ming Estate's white stone walls. Only a few evacuees were still climbing up the hilltop. Fleeing from the burning village at the foot of the mountain.

Seeking shelter in Ming Estate.

And still, no Jasmine Island Protectors in sight.

Onomu frowned as she kicked her ostrich horse to go faster. 

The damn thing growled but continued down the path. Rushing through the mud and storm to get to the entrance of Ming Estate. When the Onomu reached the front gate, a few of the evacuees who had been trickling into Ming Estate stopped. 

They spotted her as her ostrich finished descending the path to Moonlight Peak. 

They saw her Fire Nation armor.

And scampered away, petrified. Their faces pale. Someone shrieked. A woman covered her kid, still ashy and soot-stained. "Stay away!" She shouted. Another couple rushed into the estate, screaming about how the Fire Nation was here. 

All the while, Onomu sat on her Ostrich horse. As her stomach twisted into knots. She heard panic spreading to the evacuees in the estate.

Onomu frowned and jumped off her ostrich horse. Her face twisted into a scowl as she walked through the open gates. Through the courtyard packed with refugees. Onomu ignored the twist in her gut as the islanders backed away. Cleared a path out of fear and trepidation. Pressing themselves back against the estate walls to get as far away as possible.

Onomu ignored them and marched towards the open doors of the estate. She stood just outside the entrance to the Ming Estate's grand home. The grand estate building with endless white-and-gold jasmines. She stood, a step away from crossing the threshold into the grand manor.

Onomu didn't take that step.

She couldn't.

It was like her body had turned to stone

Countless. There were countless evacuees inside the halls of the Ming Estate. Countless injured civilians were being treated. Burns and bandages were on every corner of the halls. So much so that the healthy ones had to be corralled out into the courtyard to make room. 

Onomu scanned the faces, some scared and burned. Some distant and hazy. The people who'd escaped the siege were covered in soot and ash. Their dirty faces were dull and tired. A few turned towards her when they heard the screams that the Fire Nation was coming. 

They froze.

And scampered back. A few scampered back.

A few gave up. Looking at her with dull eyes of every shade.

And one girl saw Onomu and paled. A terrified flinch ripped across her body. The girl's green eyes shook. She stopped wrapping the burnt calf of an injured man. The girl with green eyes and black hair hesitated. She couldn't be older than fifteen.

That girl stood up and walked towards Onomu. The girl's arms and legs were trembling. She stood in front of Onomu and looked up, her breath shaky.

"Just me." Yu Ming said, eyes firm despite the tears at the corner of her eyes. "Please don't hurt anyone else. Just..." Yu Ming bowed her head. "Just stop with me."

The room lost its breath. Silence echoed through the entire Ming Estate. Onomu's lungs stopped working as she looked down at the girl. Her feet rooted in place. A step away. Onomu just had to take a step forward, cross the threshold into the Ming Estate complex. 

A single step.

And she could do her job...

She could do it right this time.

Onomu lifted her foot. Almost out of instinct and unconscious desire to make amends. To right her wrongs. Her heel hit the edge of the entryway.

And she stopped. 

Onomu stopped. Because, as she scanned the room of petrified civilians, unconsciously, she noticed something. Her gaze drifted past the dirtied and distraught men, women, and children. Of every shade and every eye color. Onomu's gaze, against her will, landed on a pair of kids.

And every muscle in her body locked in place.

Two kids. A boy and a girl. Hidden behind their mother and father. The mother was a Water Tribe. The father was from the Earth Kingdom.

The kids had their mother's chocolate skin, covered in the same soot and ash.  

And the children had their father's same distraught, green eyes.  

Onomu retracted her foot as if she'd stepped in poison. 

She stood outside the open doors to the estate. Waiting. Hesitaitng. Her body was suddenly made of stone and mud. Unable to take even a single step inside the interior. She stood outside in the rain and harsh, bitter winds. Onomu's green eyes dulled as she gazed down at Yu Ming.

Eventually, Onomu found her voice.

And it was pitifully soft. 

"Where's Lu..." Onomu corrected herself. "Lee. Where's Lee."

Yu Ming flinched, looking up with a confused and trembling expression. Opening her mouth and closing it without saying words. Distrust and confusion in her eyes. As if she didn't know if the question was rhetorical or not. Or maybe mocking. The girl looked helplessly confused.

Her reaction was all Onomu needed to know. 

Onomu closed her eyes and sighed.

Lu Ten's words rang in her ears with delicious irony.

'I swear on my honor. Not a single Fire Nation soldier will set foot in Ming Estate.'

Onomu chuckled tiredly. “The fucker played me..." Onomu mumbled, her head tilted up at the darkened, thundering sky as she closed her eyes and heard the last of the evacuees rush into the estate courtyard. Their frantic voices mingled with the evacuees' hectic state.

Onomu heard a panicked shout as the last evacuee rushed inside the gates, "The Fire Nation's here!" He screamed, gasping for air and shouting desperately. "There are more of them coming! I saw them at the foot of the mountains. A group of Eel-Hounds!"

Onomu heard the terror ripple across the evacuees. And still she kept her eyes closed, head tilted up at the ceiling. She heard the murmurs and felt every single eye turn her direction. Someone shouted. "She brought them! They're coming here to kill us!"

Someone from near the gates cried in panic.

"They're almost here!"

It was loud. And chaotic. And still Onomu's head stayed tilted up, and her eyes remained closed. She felt the cool rain landing on her cheek, dripping down her face. 

Onomu took a small breath and released it in a puff of steam, finally lowering her head to look down. 

Yu Ming was frozen, the girl's eyes wide and overwhelmed. Pale. Confused and desperately nervous. She looked around, as if trying to find the words to reassure her people.

To save them.

There weren't any words that could.

Words wouldn't work anymore.

The Fire Nation was almost here. At the estate. And there weren't any Jasmine Island Protectors around to stop them. 

There was nothing Yu Ming could do anymore.

Yu Ming tried to calm her people down, "Wait..." Her voice was lost and confused. Helplessly desperate to do something, anything. She murmured, "Don't worry, I'll... I'll..." The evacuees' growing panic drowned out her words. Onomu watched as Yu Ming's shoulders sank. 

Onomu reached out, her large hand casting a shadow over Yu Ming's petrified expression. Yu Ming snapped her head back to Onomu and flinched, shaking. Trembling. Her body turned rigid as pure, unadulterated fear spread across her face. Her eyes grew wide, and her face grew pale. 

But she didn't run.

As if accepting the inevitable.

And hoping her death would be the last one.

Yu Ming braced herself, shutting her eyes so she didn't have to watch.

Onomu's hand touched Yu Ming's sunken shoulder.

And Onomu pushed Yu Ming further inside her family's grand halls. Shoving the girl back towards her people. Away from the rainy courtyard. Yu Ming fell back, startled and confused, looking up with wide and shocked eyes. Yu Ming's mouth opened and closed dumbly. 

Onomu scoffed. "Next time." Onomu turned towards the exit. "Always keep at least two bodyguards with you."

Onomu walked through the frantic courtyard. She strolled towards the wide open gates of Ming Estate. The sounds of confused and frightened civilians echoed behind her. Fading into murmurs as they saw Onomu walking towards the gates. Onomu glanced back over her shoulder.

She saw Yu Ming's stunned expression.

Onomu rolled her eyes. "That's just basic warfare, idiot." Onomu stepped outside the premises. Stepping outside the walls. She stood just outside the looming front gates to the Ming Estate. She looked down the mountainside and saw the group of Fire Nation soldiers and their Eel-Hounds fast approaching. At least a dozen.

More like fifteen if Onomu was counting right.

Zhao was in the lead. Amber eyes trained on the Ming Estate. He smirked.

Onomu sighed.

"What a bastard," Onomu grumbled as she turned back to the large and looming gates of the Ming Estate. Grabbing the golden handles, she ground her teeth and planted her feet in the mud. Her biceps curled as she slowly but surely pulled the doors closed. Her muscles strained as the heavy doors slowly inched their way closed. Inch by inch.

Until only a sliver was left. Onomu's green eyes peered through the crack of the closing gates. She glimpsed Yu Ming, standing silent and staring. Amidst a sea of confused and terrified evacuees. They all watched the closing gates with warring expressions. Confusion. 

Terror. 

Paranoia.

Disbelief.

DIstrust.

Yu Ming's green eyes met Onomu's green eyes.

And Yu Ming started to tear up. Cry.

And the last thing Onomu saw before she slammed the heavy gates closed was hope. In a few of their eyes. Of different colors and different shades.

Onomu shut the heavy doors, their closure echoing through the heavy rain with a resounding thud. Onomu ground her teeth and took a deep breath.

Then roared.

Fire exploded from her palms. It burned hot and endlessly. Blazing flames crawled up her forearms as she gripped the golden handles of the gate. Hotter. Onomu forced her fire to burn hotter. A sea of flames between her palms as she squeezed the handles tighter, until even the rain around her started to evaporate the moment it hit her skin. Until the flames crushed between her palms started spitting out, burning her forearms, they got so hot. 

And still...

Onomu squeezed the metal tighter as more fire roared from her palms. 

She gripped the gold metal, burned it so much, bathed it in so much heat; the metal started to glow orange. The gold handles of the looming gates glowed bright orange, as if they were thrust into a molten-hot forge, trapped between Onomu's hands.

Onomu gnashed her teeth.

And soon, that molten, superheated metal.

Started to soften and bend under all the heat.

Onomu forced the softening metal to cave to her strength, pushing the molten golden handles together until they were connected, seared together as hot orange metal.

When she finally connected the two gate handles, she let go.

She took a ragged breath, stepping back as her fire abated. She saw the rain start to hit the glowing gold handles, cooling them instantly. Steam hissed as the bright orange metal sizzled down to a scorched gold hue, and the gates to the Ming Estate were welded shut. The gold handles seared together.

Onomu's breath fell heavy as she caught her breath. She stared at the large lacquer gates. Adorned with jasmine flowers and leaves. 

She heard the sounds of Eel-Hound claws stopping in the mud somewhere behind her.

Onomu closed her eyes and tilted her head up at the sky. Choosing to still catch her breath. The rain caught her face and sizzled off her cheek.

She felt the wind on her neck and heard the thunder.

For a moment, there was nothing. No one moved.

Then Zhao's voice echoed behind her with a condescending snarl. "I believe..." He sneered almost eagerly. "You just committed treason, Colonel Onomu."

Onomu slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the black storm clouds above. She glanced back over her shoulder. Her green eyes were blazing at Zhao.

"Did I..."

Onomu let out a heavy and sarcastic chuckle.

"Guess I'm a shitty soldier." She grinned viciously and turned around to face Zhao's group. Fifteen men. Two groups of seven. While Zhao was at the head.

Some were still on their Eel-Hounds. But most were dismounting. Their eyes flicked towards the Ming estate and Onomu, who stood before it, at the foot of the gates. The only entryway to the Ming Estate towered behind Onomu's back. 

Onomu planted her feet into the mud. Hunching her back as the air turned into a furnace around her, she smiled with a challenging and defiant gleam.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Onomu snarled, her lips twisted up in a mocking smile. Her palms blazing by her side, she sneered. "Captain, Zhao."

Zhao let out a visceral scoff. His men moved to his sides. And he tilted his head, stepping out into a firebender's stance. Sozin style.

He cocked his brow. "Isn't it obvious?"

Flame lit up Zhao's palms. His lips curled up mockingly. 

"I'm going to enjoy watching you hang, traitor." Zhao sneered as his men moved into formation. Seven on his right. Seven on his left.

Fifteen fire benders surrounded Onomu.

And still.

She sank her feet in the mud.

And kept the gates to Ming Estate firmly at her back.

Onomu grinned, her mind muddled with adrenaline and a dizzying sense of relief. She felt the mud underfoot, and it felt sturdy. She felt the rain above her head, and it felt heavenly. She took a breath, and it was freeing. She laughed and planted her feet deeper into the mud. 

Kaze's voice rang in her ears. 'Your footsteps are heavy and sturdy.'

Onomu sank her feet deeper into the mud. Sturdier. Like a stone wall.

'Bad for the sea.' Kaze chuckled. 'Good for land.' 

Like an Earth Bender. 

More...

She crossed her arms out in front of her, thumbs angled towards the sky. She clenched her fists. Tighter. Tight enough that her fingernails cut into her palms and drew blood. More. More. More. She'd give it more. More fire. More of herself. She would give it everything. 

I'll give it more.

Onomu never had a firebending teacher. Kaze had been a non-bender, and no fire bender in Shugeo cared to teach a green-eyed child. Her only training was the basic training they gave all Fire Nation recruits when they first joined the army. 

Everything of substance she ever learned she taught herself. 

And yet at that moment, before fifteen enemies.

As Onomu stood cornered, with fifteen flames waiting and ready to set her ablaze.  

Onomu's natural instincts welled within her, telling her only a single thing. 

She needed more. 

More fire. More strength. More tenacity. More grit. More power.

At that searing moment, her body told her she would have to give more to live.

I'll give it more...

So she would give it more.

I'll give it everything. 

Until she won or died trying. 

Kaze's voice mumbled in her ears, 'When you threw the net. Did you hold the ropes tightly as I taught you?'

Onomu's fists clenched tight enough that she wouldn't be surprised if a finger broke. Blood dripped down her palms. And still, she held it tighter. Tighter and tighter. Until it felt like her bones would shatter from her own grip. More. More. More. She'd give it everything. 

'The ropes...' Kaze's weak and wet laughter echoed. 'They'll slip right out if you don't hold them tightly.' 

Onomu's smile widened into a deluded delight as twin whips of fire shot out of her tightly clenched fists. Sprouting high into the rainy sky, curling in on themselves, they sizzled and steamed against the rain. Writhing in the heavy air like thorny vines. 

Onomu rooted her feet deep into the mud in front of Ming Estate. 

And when Onomu looked ahead, what she saw was shock ripping across her opponents' faces. 

What Zhao's men saw was a Boar, planting its feet firmly in the ground.

And with a pair of blazing tusks ready to rip them asunder.

Onomu's green eyes lit up with glee at Zhao's shocked expression. Her blood rushed to her head as adrenaline pumped through her heart like the loudest drum. She laughed loud and hard, the rain dulling her sense of self. She shouted. "What are you waiting for, Zhao! I'm right here!"

Zhao snapped back to the present and snarled. "KILL HER!"

Fifteen blazing fires shot towards Onomu. She brought her fire whips down around her. Snapping the burning whips at everything that moved. Her arms were moving so fast it was painful. Her whips blurred through the air, carving into the earth, and snapping at the muddy ground surrounding her. The flaming whips cracked with lightning-fast speed, tearing through the fifteen different attacks. 

Steam hissed in a cloud around her body as the rain fell upon her. 

The air was muggy. 

The searing kind of muggy she liked. 

Onomu's lips split into a sneering, adrenaline-induced grin as smoke hissed past her lips. 

At that moment, not a single thought crossed her mind. 

Except one.

I'll win.

She fought with her two blazing whips and a single-headed desire for victory. 

I'll win.

She fought with her feet firmly rooted in the mud. 

I'll win. 

When all was set and done, she didn't think that the people of Jasmine Island would remember her. That they'd care. She fought without a single thought of the people hiding behind the walls of Ming Estate behind her. Without realizing that they'd listen and watch as her fire whips arced and snapped over the edge of the walls. She fought with natural instincts and aggression. Without realizing that the people hidden in Ming Estate could hear every roaring flame shot her way. 

I'll win.

Onomu didn't fight with the thought that afterwards, when all was said and done. 

I'll win. 

The people there that day, hiding in Ming Estate, would never forget what they saw. 

I'll win...

They'd tell the tale of Onomu the Boar. 

Even if I have to claw it out the mud.

The good soldier, who never took a single step backwards. 

Chapter Text

On Jasmine Island. Amidst the burning houses and blazing fields, there lay a central hill that overlooked the city. A grand white building adorned with gold colored tiles stood alone. With a stone road leading down the hillside to the village. Council Hall stood as the center point of Jasmine Island. It was used for diplomatic meetings and political gatherings, both between the heads of the Jasmine Isles and with foreign diplomats or traders.

Now, under the stormy rain and booming thunder, half the island's population had gathered inside, civilians. Most injured, suffering various burns that needed treatment. Nearly all were covered in some kind of soot and ash. Dust and debris pasted to their bodies from billowing smoke and blazing fire.

Half the island's evacuees lay inside Council Hall.

To keep them safe.

Walls of earth had been erected outside Council Hall for just that purpose alone.

And now, the walls were surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers. Countless. Sending barrage after barrage at the walls and arcing the blasts overhead.

The Jasmine Island protectors had set up inside, defending the stone walls surrounding Council Hall. Forming ranks. Earthbenders repaired any damage. Raised new walls. The Water Benders focused on dousing any fire that spread inside the compound and treating the injured. The Fire benders shot fire back at the invaders. The rest fought anyone who tried to get over the walls, fighting them back one at a time. Kicking them off when they were able to climb all the way up. 

Aiko stood at the head, standing atop a second level of raised earth so she could overlook the walls to Council Hall. The time Basalt and his protectors had bought them was the only reason they were able to get these defenses ready in time. Every second had been used to its fullest.

 Every minute to its last.

And yet it had been an hour since Basalt and his protectors stayed behind. Fifty minutes since the Aiko had been able to direct her protectors to erect the defenses surrounding the Council hall. It had been forty minutes since they finished setting it all up.

Thirty minutes since the Fire Nation surrounded the walls around the council hall.

Thirty minutes of nonstop siege warfare. The Fire Nation had more people; they could switch out if they got tired. Aiko's protectors couldn't. Everyone had to work constantly to keep the walls up. To ensure no one broke through. Thirty minutes wasn't a lot in the grand scheme of things. 

It was only thirty minutes.

Thirty minutes felt like an eternity in hell. Aiko fought endlessly, punching blasts of fire back at every enemy that tried to attack the walls.

She dodged a blast of fire arcing towards her head, and kicked back a burst of flame at the attacker below. The flames knocked them back.

But it didn't matter, because another took their place.

Thirty minutes. No end in sight. Aiko had to keep fighting. She couldn't stop fighting. She attacked the invaders outside the walls with a relentless fervor.

She couldn't stop. If she did, she'd remember the pain in her forearm from where that gray-haired woman's searing nails had carved into her flesh.

If Aiko stopped, she might not be able to start again.

So she fought. She fought and fought and fought.

She heard one of her fellow protectors get hit by a bolt of fire, flung off the walls with a loud thud. Aiko grit her teeth and punched two bolts of fire down below, knocking down two men who had been trying to target a specific point on the wall with their fire. Aiko focused on throwing bolt after bolt of fire down at the invaders. 

She couldn't let any Fire Nation soldiers break through the wall.

No matter what. 

So she fought.

Her protectors fought.

They defended the council hall endlessly.

The balance was delicate.

It felt like a single moment would break it.

That moment came unbeknownst to anyone.

A gray-haired woman strolled through the Fire Nation's army.

And tossed a severed head over the walls.

Aiko didn't notice it until it flew past her vision. Her eyes drifted towards the head against her will. Her eyes widened. She recognized it.

Every Jasmine Island Protector recognized it.

Basalt.

His head tumbled over the walls and into their makeshift stronghold. Silence was the only answer. Every Jasmine Island Protector fell stone silent. Their gazes drifted towards the head. Every protector stopped for a moment. In the briefest moment, they were distraught.

Despairing.

Disgusted.

Distracted.

For a moment, every Jasmine Island Protector's gaze drifted towards the severed head of Basalt. The second strongest protector in the Jasmine Isles.

For a moment, such an abruptly heinous sight distracted them.

For a moment, Aiko's ears started ringing.

And for a single moment, time seemed to slow.

Then time resumed, and she snapped her head towards the battlefield with a desperate sense of urgency. "DON'T LOOK AWAY FROM THE-,"

It was too late. Aiko's words drowned as a section of the walls beneath her exploded in a shower of billowing flames. Searing fire gorged out a gaping hole in the walls.

It was a single moment when all Jasmine Island Protectors were distracted.

That accursed woman's scorching flames broke through the walls, ripping them asunder. 

Aiko flew off her purchase, landing flat on her back. She cried out in pain as smoke and debris scattered over the sky above Council Hall. Aiko coughed, holding her side as she tried to stand up. A few of her friends helped her, and the other protectors that had fallen off the walls in that single, decisive moment.

Aiko stood on shaky feet, her protectors collecting around her. They set up a small protective ring around the front doors to Council Hall.

And when they looked towards the smoke and dust cloud bloomed from the hole in their walls.

They saw a woman with grey hair and amber eyes sauntering through the opening. The dust and smoke clinging to her shoulders as she walked into the Council Hall's estate. Fire Nation soldiers flanked her, flooding through the opening. Flames and weapons in their hands. 

Poised and waiting.

For Admiral Yeayu's command.

Yeayu smirked. "Did you enjoy my gift?" She planted her foot on the severed head of Basalt. Her amber eyes were twisting up in cruel enjoyment. "I sure enjoyed wrapping it."

Her foot crushed down as blood splattered across her heel. A drop of blood touched Yeayu's lips. Aiko's body trembled with rage and growing nausea.

Aiko's protectors flinched. Their bodies filled with outrage and an undercurrent of something far more pressing. Far more visceral and unending.

Fear. The protectors felt the height of fear.

And it was like Yeayu could smell it.

Yeayu licked the blood off her lips and purred. "I do hope one of you will entertain me as well as he did." Yeayu chuckled. "But somehow I'm doubtful."

Yeayu snapped her fingers.

And the Fire Nation soldiers surrounded Council Hall. The Jasmine Island Protectors backed up, standing defensively in front of the doors to Council Hall behind them. The evacuees were hidden in the depths of the building.

Aiko stubbornly ground her teeth and forced fire to her palms, ignoring her bloody and brutalized arm. She stood defiantly. Fury and duty drove her to stay standing. 

But deep down, she knew the truth.

They were cornered.

Like rats.

Yeayu knew it too. She smirked like an old jaguar fitting for a feast. Her sharp nails touched her lips. "Well, this has been fun, pretty little islanders."

The Fire Nation soldiers readied their fists. Their feet planted in the mud under the heavy rain. The fires in the village were still burning, but less so. With fewer soldiers there to add fuel to the flames. The fighting in the south was still going on. 

Whoever was there had held the line for Ming Estate. 

The docks had been quiet since the first explosion. 

The soldiers Yeayu sent there must have done their jobs.

If one looked at the island from above. They'd see the cinders of a great flame that had consumed the island. The battle was approaching its end.

And yet none of it mattered.

Because it didn't mean the Fire was being snuffed out.

It only meant that soon there would be nothing left to burn.

Yeayu tilted her head and sneered. "Unfortunately, this island has lived far too long for my tastes." She flicked her hand out, directing her soldiers. They moved into formation, ready to burn the Jasmine Island Protectors and their precious Council Hall.

Aiko tensed, readying herself with her fellow protectors. This was the end. They knew it, and still, they couldn't move. They wouldn't.

Even if this was the end.

Their families and friends were behind them. Half the village's evacuees were in the council hall.

Basalt and his men had died to give them a chance at safety.

Aiko and her protectors would do the same.

Even if they failed, they would do the same.

Aiko watched as Yeayu's lips curled up viciously, "I commend you for your bravery." Yeayu idly raised her hand. "As futile and incessant as it had been."

Aiko instinctively knew when it fell, the burning would start.

"I'm afraid this is goodbye..." Yeayu's hand stopped on its way down, hesitated. Yeayu's eyes widened imperceptibly and drifted upward, behind Aiko and her protectors, to the roof of Council Hall. Yeayu's soldiers had similar reactions, their bodies tense and confused. They hesitated. Eyes flicking nervously between Yeayu and the roof of the council hall.

Yeayu lowered her hand slowly.

And not a single Fire Nation soldier moved.

Aiko's brows furrowed, her protectors having a similarly baffled reaction. Torn between relief and anxious confusion. They turned to look at what had stopped the Fire Nation from attacking them. Aiko turned her head to the roof of Council Hall.

She saw a young man standing on the edge of the rooftop, hair whipping in the rainy wind. He looked down at the Fire Nation golden eyes and dual Dao swords on his back. He had Fire Nation armor, and yet he didn't move to attack the protectors.

He simply stood atop the edge of Council Hall's grand tiled roof.

As lightning flashed in the skies above.

And his golden eyes flashed similarly.

"Yeayu," Lee said cooly, stepping off the rooftop. "We need to talk."

Fire billowed from his feet, controlling his descent as he glided down, landing on the steps and walking towards the Fire Nation forces. Aiko's protectors, as confused as they were, parted to give him a path. 

Aiko did the same, confused yet desperate to try anything at this point. 

She watched as Lee passed her by. Walking down the stone path leading from the steps to the council hall. He mumbled to her, "Hey, Aiko, I left my ostrich horse out back. Sorry, I couldn't tie it up, I was in a rush."

Lee continued walking past Aiko. "And don't worry about Yu Ming.” He mumbled distractedly. 

"I left someone I trust to protect her." 

The entire time, Lee didn't spare Aiko a single glance. His golden eyes were solely trained on Yeayu as he finished descending the steps of the Council Hall. 

He came to a stop across Yeayu. 

The air went silent. 

And not a soul dared to get between the two. 

Lee’s golden eyes were cool and appraising. "Let's talk, Yeayu."

Yeayu's amber eyes were bitter and irritated. She scowled. "Is that so, Lieutenant?" Yeayu sneered, tilting her head. "Then by all means. Talk away. Convince me why I shouldn't interpret this little interruption as an act of treason against the Fire Lord."

Aiko watched. As Lee unsheathed his swords and scraped them across the stone pathway, sparks flying from the blades as he threw up a ring of fire that isolated him and Yeayu from everyone else. The last thing Aiko heard was Yeayu's derisive snort.

"I'm sure your grandfather would love to hear the reason he has to execute another family member."

Flames and rain drowned out the rest, and Aiko watched in stunned silence as Yeayu and the Prince of the Fire Nation disappeared behind a ring of fire.

Yeayu wasn't impressed.

She scoffed. "Neat trick." As she looked around the ring of fire that isolated their conversation from prying eyes and meddlesome ears. She sneered. "Should I take this as you wishing to keep our conversation on the private side, Lieutenant?"

"You can." Lu Ten said, sheathing his swords. He tilted his head, observing Yeayu with cold golden eyes that reminded her oh so much of the boy's father. Lu Ten spoke with a thinly veiled warning. "Although this is more for your benefit than mine, Admiral."

Yeayu snorted. "Oh, is that so? How thoughtful of you." Yeayu rolled her eyes and planted her hand on her hip. "When'd you learn how to make threats, little Salamander?"

"Here and there." Lu Ten said noncommittally, standing next to the ring of fire he'd sparked. His fingers grazed through the flames as he murmured. "I need you to stop this invasion, Yeayu. I need you to call it off. The leader of this island is neutral."

So that was the heart of the matter. Funny.

What a waste of Yeayu's time.

Yeayu scowled with utter disgust. "I can't help but notice you never said my information was wrong. Or are you here to argue that there isn't a stronghold being built on the other side of the island?" Yeayu sneered, "Or did I somehow mistake that tower jutting out of the forest."

Lu Ten's silence was enough of an answer.

Yeayu scoffed. "Thought so." She scowled, irritation and annoyance in her voice. "I must say I never expected you to waste my precious time, stall my calculated invasion plan, all over this sentimental garbage about a naive girl's political stance she can't even enforce." Yeayu scoffed derisively, "Don't tell me you feel sorry for them? The bumbling idiots residing on this island. They brought this upon themselves. Do you truly pity them for bringing their own downfall?" 

Lu Ten didn't say anything. But his feet stayed rooted on the other side of their ring of fire. Firmly between Yeayu and the Jasmine Island Protectors.

Lu Ten stayed quietly and calmly in front of the Council Hall.

Yeayu laughed, her eyes blazing with gleeful ire. "Truly? How utterly moronic of you," She cackled. "Do you understand what you have just done, little Prince?" Yeayu sneered. "You put me in a bad spot in front of my men. I should have you courtmartialed for this." Yeayu grinned a malignant grin. "I'll have you brought up on treason for this. Defying orders. Not even your status will save you from such a crime, Prince. Just ask Zeisan."

Lu Ten stood quietly, saying nothing. 

Denying nothing. His eyes held a knowing, stubborn glint in their golden irises. 

He was disobeying orders.

He was committing treason.

And he knew the consequences better than anyone. 

Yeayu smirked, sauntering over to touch the fire around them.

She let her fingers drift through the flames. The rain kissed her knuckles, and the fire warmed her palms. The steam drifted between her nimble fingertips. 

Yeayu smirked. "Then you know that even you will not get off lightly for committing treason." Yeayu snorted. "Your grandfather has no sympathy for traitors."

Lu Ten nodded quietly. "I know."

Yeayu chuckled. "Then move out of the way, stupid, fool-hearted Lieutenant." She mocked." And I might consider letting such a little... moment of disrespect pass." Yeayu scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Sooner rather than later, if possible. This is the only warning you'll get."

Lu Ten listened and quietly lowered his gaze. Hiding his 

When he revealed them, his eyes. 

And they were clear as the golden sun.

Lu Ten said. "You're right, I disobeyed orders. I won't escape punishment," he gazed at Yeayu, and her grin widened viciously. Savage glee in her lips. Yeayu couldn't believe it. It was almost too good to be true. The Prince, Crown Prince Iroh's only son and heir. 

Was defying orders. 

The Prince had chosen the path of a traitor.

And oh, how Yeayu would savor watching him squirm at his grandfather's feet.

Yeayu smirked, "Then I guess there's nothing left to do but detain you." Yeayu sneered, stepping out slightly into her stance. Her index and middle finger extending. She grinned. "And finish conquering this island you tried so foolishly to defend. I hope you've prepared yourself, Prince." 

"I have." Lu Ten nodded sagely, refusing to move into any form of firebending stance or reach for his weapons. Lu Ten said. "I defied orders." Lu Ten's eyes found Yeayu, and they were cold and observant. Knowing. Like he was looking through her. Yeayu stiffened briefly. 

And when Lu Ten spoke. 

 Yeayu's smile faltered, for the first time since the invasion started. 

Lu Ten said quietly and self-assuredly, "But so did you, Yeayu." He said. "You defied orders."

Yeayu frowned briefly. Her lips quirked down into a scowl before she could catch them. Yeayu scowled. "I disobeyed orders?" She scoffed, rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms. Her tone of ire. "This is poor form for a joke, Lieutenant. Or did you become Fire Lord while I wasn't looking?"

Lu Ten didn't rise to her taunts. He simply elaborated. "It goes against Fire Nation military code to commit acts of war against a nation if they are recognized as neutral under the Fire Lord's authority." Lu Ten said, likely reciting the countless military scrolls and records the sages had made him study back in the palace. Lu Ten recounted. "Sozin recognized the Jasmine Isles as a neutral territory since the start of the war. You attacked Jasmine Isalnd, a neutral nation."

Yeayu snorted. "Neutral? They sure didn't act like it." She sneered. "I have months' worth of scouting reports verifying they were trying to ally themselves with the Earth Kingdom. And a letter from Azulon declaring I have full authority to punish them for such an offense."

The stronghold had been built. The Earth Kingdom had been trying to build a base on this island. The leaders of this island either let it happen or were too incompetent to stop it. Neither scenario excused them from the fact that this territory was no longer neutral. 

Nothing the prince said would change that.

But Lu Ten didn't deny any of that.

He simply shook his head. "I'm not talking about that." He stood quietly, golden eyes flicking towards Yeayu. "Tell me..." he asked, his voice curious.

"How'd you do it..."

And for the first time since the invasion started.

"How'd you kill Yu Ming's parents?"

Yeayu's confident smile fell to something without a hint of twisted enjoyment in it.

There was one thing Lu Ten hadn't been able to figure out.

Why wasn't Yon Rha assigned to this island.

This was his territory. The southern seas belonged to Yon Rha as far as the Fire Nation was concerned. He'd earned such a right after single-handedly crippling the Southern Water tribe savages and the threats they posed. The Jasmine Isles were in his territory. They'd always been.

And yet Yeayu found out about the stronghold.

And she volunteered to go herself, with her most loyal retainers, to confirm it.

And she started the attack right when the fireworks went off. Like had planned for the fireworks to signal the beginning of the invasion.

And she never, not once, questioned that the construction on the far side of the island could be anything other than a stronghold.

Lu Ten decided that meant one thing.

Yeayu had a contact in the Jasmine Isles.

If she planted one here after the first report concerning the stronghold. That wouldn't be enough to warrant Lu Ten's suspicions. That would just be procedure. Nothing would be off about it.

But if she did, then there would be no reason to go check out the island herself. 

And no reason to hide the existence of a contact from her officers.

Yeayu should have mentioned she had a contact in the Jasmine Isles during the war meeting.

But she didn't. She hid their existence. 

So that left two options.

The contact died sometime before the invasion. So Yeayu needed to verify the information herself. That explained a lot. 

But that wouldn't explain the fireworks.

So Lu Ten believed it was the second option.

She hadn't wanted to reveal her contact's identity.

And chose to go 'verify' the stronghold for the sole reason of quelling any lingering doubts that might be brought up about her information.

And the way Lu Ten saw it, the only reason Yeayu would go through all that trouble to verify it herself, instead of simply telling her officers she had a contact in the Jasmine Isles and revealing their identity. And that they had been the ones to verify the scouting reports. 

Was because the identity of her contact must be one that raised issues to her objective in conquering the Jasmine Isles. 

Yeayu hadn't wanted to mention the contact.

Because it wasn't one she planted.

It was someone native to the Jasmine Isles.

Someone who had lived in the Jasmine Isles before the first signs of the stronghold's construction.

Someone who could have told her about the underlying issues between the three islands, with Jasmine Island consistently outpacing Hana and Lua in both tourists and trade.

Someone who could have had Yu Ming's parents killed.

Someone who could have stuck around to ensure enough turmoil ensued that the Earth Kingdom got involved.

And someone who could have received Yeayu's correspondence letters and pretended to deliver them to Yu Ming so Yeayu could claim she tried to find a different solution.

Therefore, giving Yeayu an excuse to invade.

Lu Ten believed there was a chance that Yeayu had planned all this.

But if he was being honest...

It was a stretch at best.

Thankfully, he wasn't honest.

He was a liar.

A good one.

And Yeayu must've bought it, because her face fell stone cold. Her amber eyes narrowed into silent outrage. She growled. "That's a heavy accusation there, Prince." She snarled. "Give me a reason not to sever your head for such blatant disrespect and allegations."

"Well, I'm a Prince for one." Lu Ten rolled his eyes, ignoring Yeayu's growl. He smirked quietly, a way to get her angrier. Less composed. 

Lu Ten tilted his head slyly. "But otherwise, I think my idea has some merit. Things would go really well for you if you were able to conquer an entire nation in the name of the Fire Lord." Lu Ten snickered. "Plus, your conquest has worked out so far, hasn't it?"

Yeayu scoffed, brow raised. "It has. No thanks to you." She rolled her eyes. "But please. Go on. Tell me, then, what motivation would I have to spark a civil outburst on this backwater island? Unlike what you claim, I have nothing of substance to gain by conquering this drab, pitiful island chain. At least not anything worth risking my career over." 

Yeayu scoffed. "I would gain far more benefit from conquering the coastal cities that still resist us in the Earth Kingdom. Instead of starting a new war, that I'd then have to finish. Your thought process eludes me, Lieutenant."

"Oh, it's not that complicated," Lu Ten smirked, "I actually think you'd get a lot by sparking a conflict here in the Jasmine Isles. And then being the one to finish it." Lu Ten shrugged. "It would help your reputation for one."

Yeayu's eyes turned venomous. 

Lu Ten rolled his eyes. "Relax. I'm exaggerating, of course. You're still highly respected as an admiral." Lu Ten admitted easily. "Few have served the Fire Nation longer than you have. Even my dad respects you. Your reputation is near spotless."

Yeayu subtly clenched her jaw.

Lu Ten's golden eyes noted it. He sneered. "Nearly being the keyword, of course." 

Lu Ten sighed and shook his head mockingly. "You're still going to be most remembered for failing to take Agna Qel'a three decades ago. That disaster put an immovable stain on your record. One that placed you behind names like Yon Rha and Chen."

Yeayu's eyes could have burned holes through Lu Ten's head.

Lu Ten grinned, figuring that meant he wasn't totally off in his guesses. "Admiral Yon Rha hasn't suffered any notable defeats. Although you could hold that against him since he only ever raided the southern water tribe." Lu Ten noted. "Meanwhile, Great Admiral Chen has only suffered one notable defeat. At the hands of Shao Feng, the Underhanded at Gangmen City. Because he rushed into an alliance with Mamushi and got her caught in the spider's web."

Lu Ten ran his fingers through the fire surrounding their private conversation. "Ever since then, he's been known to take things slow and methodical. They say he never starts a campaign he doesn't believe with 100 percent certainty he'll walk away victorious from."

Yeayu quietly ground her teeth.

Lu Ten walked around the edge of the ring of fire, circling lazily as he noted the bitterness in Yeayu's eyes. "They say Great Admiral Chen laid siege upon Saipong's harbor for 18 months before he broke through." Lu Ten mused. "He would have been 13 months into it by the time Yu Ming's parents died."

Yeayu's fingers clenched into her biceps slightly.

Lu Ten's eyes didn't miss it.

He smiled subtly. "It takes years to build enough ships for a major naval expedition. The Fire Lord doesn't choose someone to lead it unless he has faith in their abilities. Otherwise, they'll waste years' worth of money, men, and resources on a failed conquest."

Lu Ten spoke aimlessly as he circled Yeayu. "Rumors have been circling for a while now that he's going to commission the start of a new large-scale naval operation in the coming years. With factory production so high, it's only a matter of time before the navy has enough ships to do it."

Lu Ten rolled his eyes. "The only question is what the target will be." Lu Ten snorted. "And who will lead it?" Lu Ten snickered. "And hate to break it to you, but you're not on my grandfather's list, Yeayu. Not like Yon Rha and Great Admiral Chen are."

"Yon Rha and Chen aren't qualified to-!" Yeayu snapped, catching herself quickly. She ground her teeth and glared at Lu Ten. Yeayu snarled. "Nothing you've said is enough to excuse your actions here today. You disobeyed clear orders, sanctioned by the Fire Lord." 

She scowled. "Or are you going to try to lie your way around that one, too. Prince?"

"No. I won't lie." Lu Ten said. "I'm committing treason by defying orders. Orders that you were sanctioned to issue by my grandfather's letter." Lu Ten shook his head. "I won't deny or lie about it." He said. "But I believe what I said about you is still true."

Yeayu's eyes twitched. Like she was starting to hate the sound of Lu Ten's voice. 

So Lu Ten kept talking, just to piss her off more. 

"I believe you saw Great Admiral Chen about to achieve another great conquest in Saipong. To make up for his loss at Gangmen City." Lu Ten snorted. "And with Yon Rha still highly respected. You saw your chance at being chosen to lead the next great naval expedition fading."

Lu Ten circled back to where he started. Between Yeayu and the Jasmine Island Protectors outside Council Hall. His golden eyes lingered on Yeayu.

"You were falling behind, Yeayu." He said. "You needed a win. Otherwise you'd never get another chance to conquer Agna Qel'a."

Yeayu's eyes were cold and flat. Her expression guarded.

She revealed nothing other than a deep, guttural hatred pointed at Lu Ten. Icy as a jagged glacier.

Lu Ten ignored it and gestured around them, to the fire that surrounded them, not just the ring of fire he'd created. The Fire that had consumed Jasmine Island. He spoke loud enough that she couldn't possibly mishear his words. "You needed a win." He sneered. "This island was your win." He said. "A way to get a one-up on Yon Rha. By conquering an island in his own territory. One that had been planning to ally with the Earth Kingdom right under his nose. Tell me, Yeayu..."

Lu Ten smirked. 

"Am I wrong?" He said smugly. In a way that got exactly the reaction he wanted out of Yeayu. She ground her teeth silently. Eyes low and dangerous. She didn't say a single word. For what seemed like minutes, she stood and bristled with silent ire.

And eventually, when Yeayu raised her head to glare directly into Lu Ten's eyes.

It was with the cold, calculated gaze of someone planning to silence a thorn in their side.

"Do you have any proof to back up your insane theories, Lieutenant?" Yeayu said flatly. Inching closer. Her fingers were flexing under the haze of the fire surrounding them. She looked like she was going to kill him. Bury the evidence. Burn it and blame it on these islanders.

Yeayu inched another step forward. 

Lu Ten's lips curled upwards.

"What do you think?" He lied. As easy as breathing, he lied. Nothing. He had nothing. Not a single shred of proof. Lu Ten was a complete and utter liar.

But he was a good one.

Yeayu's eyes flashed with cold-hearted malice. She raised her hand, sharp nails poised to snatch out Lu Ten's throat. She took a single step forward. As if ready to lunge the remaining few feet separating them and silence Lu Ten for good. Her eyes flashed like lightning. 

"I think you're full of shit, traitor." Yeayu hissed lowly. She lunged. 

And Lu Ten lowered the fire surrounding them. Yeayu stopped, frozen in her footsteps. She clicked her tongue as she looked around at the audience. Fire Nation soldiers are waiting behind her. Council Hall and the Jasmine Island Protectors are waiting behind Lu Ten. 

She growled, lowering her hand that had lingered an inch from Lu Ten's throat. She backed up casually, standing in front of her soldiers with an annoyed tilt to her head. Her eyes twitched as the rain fell around them. Lightning flashed somewhere above.

Everyone could see them now. Lu Ten and Yeayu. 

Their conversation was no longer private.

Lu Ten ensured it by speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"Call off the invasion, Yeayu." He said to the shock of both the Protectors and the Fire Nation soldiers. "Or we can both go to my grandfather and see which one of us gets off lighter." Lu Ten grinned slyly. "But if we're both being honest with ourselves."

Lu Ten was a liar.

"It's pretty obvious he'll go easier on me than you."

Lu Ten was a magnificent liar. So he didn't lose his smug, shit-eating grin the entire time his words hung in the air. Confident. He portrayed pure and utter confidence as he watched Yeayu's lips tilt down in an outraged snarl. Her eyes were straining to keep an icy composure.

Lu Ten's smile grew wider.

Then, Yeayu instantly snapped back into composure. Her eyes were cold and calculating as she touched her nails to her lips. "I'm afraid that isn't possible, traitor." She smiled. Even as her men started whispering in confusion. She kept her composure, an arrogant tilt to her head.

Even when her soldiers started whispering things like 'what is the prince talking about?' 'The Fire lord?' 'The prince is a traitor?' 'Was she about to kill him?' 'Why is the prince standing in front of the enemy?' 'Why is he asking us to call off the invasion the Fire Lord ordered?'

Even then, with all those curious and confused whispers. Even as hesitation began to spread among her men. Yeayu didn't lose the confident gleam in her eyes. She smiled confidently, her eyes gleaming with wicked intelligence and self-assurance. 

Yeayu repeated. "I'm afraid I won't be calling off the invasion, Prince." She smirked. "Deepest apologies."

Lu Ten's smirk faltered slightly, his lips twitching downwards. But he hid it. Quickly. Efficiently. He rolled his eyes like he was bored with Yeayu's drabble and didn't buy it. Tapping his foot like he wanted her to stop her posturing and accept his gracious offer already.

Lu Ten was a good liar. A magnificent liar.

So he really didn't want Yeayu to call his bluff.

Because his grandfather would not go easier on him than on Yeayu.

Lu Ten knew better than anyone that his grandfather had no sympathy for traitors.

Especially from his bloodline.

It was almost ironic.

If they both went to the Fire lord with their crimes. Yeayu would probably get off easier. She would probably be charged with abuse of power and sentenced to boiling rock. Maybe even an Ice cell on the lowest floor, even though those had been empty since the start of the war. Yeayu's crimes of tricking the Fire Lord and abusing the authority Azulon granted her would be enough to get her sentenced to the lowest floor of Boiling Rock. A special and painful brand of punishment solely reserved for the Fire Nation's worst criminals. 

Yeayu would be the first to be sentenced there since the start of the war. 

And even then...

Lu Ten's punishment for disobeying orders and siding with the islanders would be worse. 

Lu Ten would most likely be hanged for treason.

Because Lu Ten's grandfather held no sympathy for traitors. 

Especially blood. 

And still, Lu Ten pushed all that information aside and scoffed, "Well, then, you made your choice, I see." He rolled his eyes with an arrogance that was entirely fabricated. "I suppose we'll just have to take it to my grandfather. Don't blame me if he hangs you and grounds me."

Yeayu snickered. "Now, now, I never said that." She chuckled, her eyes glinting with a cold amusement. She lightly bowed her head. "I simply said I can't stop. I have my orders, and for reasons I will neither confirm nor deny. I intend to see them through. Don't take it the wrong way, dear prince." She said far too politely, tone anything but mocking. "But since we're at an impasse." She said snidely. "Might I suggest we settle this the old-fashioned way?"

Yeayu lifted her head.

And Lu Ten saw the widest, most sadistic smile cross Yeayu's face.

"Agni Kai." She sneered, and every whispering murmur in the Fire Nation ranks stopped dead. All conversation stopped dead.

A few of the Jasmine Island Protectors, the fire benders, stopped. Their eyes widened at the ancient words.

Agni Kai: The formal request for a sacred duel between fire benders, where no weapons were allowed.

Agni was the witness, and honor was the wager.

There wasn't a law that one had to accept an Agni Kai.

But once they did, they couldn't back out.

And they couldn't argue the outcome.

Whoever won was right.

Whoever lost was wrong.

And whatever fate the winner decided for the loser...

Had to be accepted.

Even a Prince could die, and no one would be allowed to interfere or dispute it.

Such were the ways of Agni Kai.

Yeayu sneered. "Agni Kai, young Prince. That would solve both our problems, wouldn't it? You accuse me of abusing my station, and I'm accusing you of treason of the highest order. Both our honor is already at stake." She grinned. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Lu Ten's eyes widened imperceptibly at Yeayu's words. His mind quickly sprinted with various thoughts and considerations.

He thought about it. For a moment. The briefest moment.   

His eyes narrowed quietly.

He unsheathed his swords. 

Yeayu stiffened as she saw the blades, her eyes narrowing. 

Lu Ten's eyes met hers as he held the swords out.

He dropped them. 

"Terms." He said. "What are your terms."

And Yeayu's face twisted in a gleeful, malicious smile.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yeayu laughed, moving her feet into position. Sozin stance. Perfection. Of which she'd practiced for her military career spanning over thirty years. She raised her head, and her amber eyes gleamed with confidence and vicious eagerness.

"To the death." Yeayu snarled, "Puny Prince."

Lu Ten's eyes lowered, growing dull and cold. 

He took a quiet, calming breath.

And released it. 

Lu Ten slowly shifted his feet out, Sozin style. Practiced since he was a kid. In the cold halls of the grand palace. And still, all those years of his childhood were only a fraction of the extent Yeayu had practiced Sozin Style.

She had been in the military longer than Lu Ten had been alive.

And yet...

Lu Ten's eyes traveled to meet Yeayu's, and he let out a hiss of steam from his lips. "Fine." Lu Ten mumbled. "I accept your terms." 

Yeayu let out a wide and vicious smile.

Yeayu angled her feet forward an inch.

Lu Ten mirrored it.

Under the weight of hundreds of eyes. As the rain fell around them, the lightning flashed above. And the fires of the island finally started to abate.

The fate of Jasmine Island was determined by a single duel.

"To the death." Lu Ten said coldly, his eyes flashing under the light of lightning above.

Yeayu grinned a lethal grin. She stepped forward, her pointer and middle finger poised.

No words were said. No signal was given. For a moment, nothing moved. Nothing breathed. 

Yeayu snapped her hand out, a concentrated bolt of fire shooting out of her fingertips.

Lu Ten stepped out to meet her, his fist snapping out as a stream of fire roared from his fist.

It is said that on the eve of midnight.

Under the haze of rain and the echoes of thunder.

Atop the hilltop where half the island's evacuees lay. And a crowd of Fire Nation soldiers and Jasmine Island Protectors alike stood silent as witnesses.

It is said that if one were to look at Council Hall from any point on the island.

They'd see two blazing hot flames crash against each other, exploding in a billowing, bright cloud of fire that lit up the darkness of night.