Disclaimer: I do not own anything even remotely related to Avatar: The Last Airbender. I am merely a fan, and this is a work of fiction. All characters herein that are not from Avatar: The Last Airbender are my own creation, and do not belong to anyone but me.

I've only recently gotten into ATLA, so I hope this isn't too terrible. It's pretty much an AU fic, and it's set somewhere during Book One, but Zuko has the hair from Book Three. It just looks better, in my opinion :p This story is named after the Blue Oyster Cult song "Burning For You".

Enjoy!

"The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard, but I will better the instruction." -The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare

Kiya's world was engulfed in flames. The acrid smell of smoke burned her nose, and her eyes were streaming. She couldn't breathe past all of the thick air, and surrounding her were the crackling sounds as the flames leapt ever higher, trapping her in the tiny house. Above the burning, she could hear the terrible sound of screams. There was a hand on her arm-a soft, comforting hand. One that she knew. Mother. She could hear her father yelling from beyond the sounds of fire. "Rika! Grab Kiya and run! There's too many of them, there's just too many-" He abruptly shrieked, becoming just another voice lost in the din. Kiya dreamt in destruction. She opened her mouth to yell out for her mother, as the hand disappeared from her arm. Screams seemed to be enveloping her, and she couldn't block them out. As the fire began to lick its way up her limbs, she let out a scream to match all of the others echoing inside her head.

"Kiya!"

Kiya wailed, jolting up into a sitting position. Sweat was trickling down her face and back, and her chest was heaving. Already the nightmare was fading, and her heart rate was slowing, but she couldn't shake the eerie feeling gripping her bones. This was not the first nightmare she'd had, and she was certain it wouldn't be the last.

"Kiya! Are you okay?"

She looked up. Leaning over the top bunk was her friend, Onu. He was upside down, his fair hair dangling over the side of her bottom bunk like a curtain. His enormous blue eyes were concerned.

She nodded absent-mindedly, brushing a damp strand of her dusky red hair away from her face. "Yeah, I'm sorry…"

He flipped over the side of the top bunk, landing agilely on his feet. He sat down on the edge of her bed, patting her arm. "It's okay. Another nightmare?"

She nodded. "Worse, this time. I just… I don't know why I'm having the nightmares now. And especially this bad…" She passed a shaky hand over her face, breathing out a sigh. "I just don't understand."

"Maybe they're trying to tell you something," Onu replied. "I don't think they'd be cropping up now-and so frequently-if they weren't important."

Kiya swung her legs over the side of the bed, being careful not to hit her slight companion. "I'm sure you're right." She smiled at him. "You're always right."

Onu just shrugged, grinning. "Yeah, that's true …"

Kiya crossed their small room, going to the wardrobe there. She threw it opened and tossed on her usual uniform: her skin-tight black pants, tunic and gloves. She strapped on her belt-the one with her dagger sheaths at each hip-and tugged on her boots, too. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw that Onu was already dressed in a similar outfit, his staff strapped across his back.

"Did you have training today?"

Onu nodded, before his face brightened. "Oh! Gyong told me he wanted to see you." A shadow passed over his face, and when her friend smiled, it was dark and mysterious. "He said he has an assignment for you."

She nodded curtly, knowing exactly what Onu meant by those words. The two of them were only teenagers, but they were part of something that the world knew only as a myth. Kiya and Onu were both Black Vipers-part of a gang consisting of the world's most deadly assassins. They lived underground in secret, led by a fearless Earthbender named Gyong.

Kiya had known Gyong for as long as she could remember. As he had told her countless times, the village she had lived in had been raided by the Fire Nation. They had set the entire place ablaze, and had killed her parents, Rika and Xano. He and a band of traveling refugees had come across the village the day after, and had found Kiya. She had been the only survivor. As he repeatedly told her, she was lucky to be alive. From that day on, Gyong had cared for her like she was his daughter, and he had trained her in the arts of stealth and deception. Now, she was one of the best Vipers that he had, and he often chose her for the dangerous, solitary work he would only give to the masters.

Onu had also been there since he was a child, but he had arrived a few years after she had. His family had also been killed by the Fire Nation, and when he had arrived, they had discovered he was a Waterbender-inexperienced, but with a lot of potential. Now, ten years later at the age of fifteen, he was much more knowledgeable, but he still trained for hours at a time every day.

Kiya pulled her purple robe from inside the wardrobe-the robe that symbolized she was a member of the Vipers, and slipped it on. She pulled the hood over her head, her green eyes flashing. "Good. I'll be back soon."

"Good luck. And maybe you should ask him about your nightmares!"

"Okay!" She left the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Turning down the earthen corridor, she sprinted away, towards Gyong's quarters.

The entire headquarters of the Black Vipers was underground. It was made of tunnels and caverns that Gyong himself had carved out of the earth. It was a massive structure, filled with a hundred of the world's most deadliest murderers, and benders alike, all eager to train and become more powerful. There was a myriad of trapdoors and secret passages, and Kiya quickly ended up outside of Gyong's chambers. She knocked once, waiting for permission to enter.

"Come in." Gyong's voice rumbled deeply, like the foundations of the earth itself. The door swung open.

Ducking her head, Kiya passed through the opening and into the dimly lit cavern. Gyong was hunched over a bowl of noodles, stirring them eagerly with a pair of chopsticks. He smiled at Kiya when she came inside, and gestured for her to sit on one of the pillows around his table. He slurped up a mouthful of the noodles as the two of them sat down. She kept her head down and her hood up, respectfully waiting for him to lead her. Anything he said, went. His word was law, and it had been for as long as she had remembered.

"Onu relayed my message, I am assuming." Although she kept her head down, Kiya could feel Gyong's dark brown eyes boring into her.

She nodded, silent.

"I'm glad he is as reliable as I thought. I've summoned you here because I have an assignment for you-and this one is particularly important. It must be carried out with the utmost priority, discretion, and speed. Do you understand?"

Kiya nodded again. "What would you have me do, Master?"

Gyong smiled, wiping his mouth and drying his mahogany beard. He set his bowl down, and the sound was loud in the otherwise silent room. Kiya waited patiently, her hands clasped tightly and her head politely bowed.

"Kiya, your assignment is to eliminate Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."

Her heart jumped in her chest, and she snapped her head up. "The Firelord's son?"

Gyong nodded. "The very same. He must pay for his crimes against the world, and surely it will deal a mighty blow to Firelord Ozai. Though exiled from the Fire Nation, the prince has embarked on a great journey to find the Avatar. He must be stopped at all costs." Her master paused, looking her over appraisingly. "I know what I am asking you is difficult beyond imagination. If you require, you may take some time to think about it…"

Kiya didn't need to think about it. The Fire Nation had killed her parents, and had destroyed her life. She had been ushered into a life of secrecy and darkness, and had killed her first person by the age of twelve. Rage burned deep inside of her belly, hotter than any flames they could consume her with. As far as she was concerned, Prince Zuko was already dead.

Kiya bit her lip, hesitating as she spoke. "Gyong, I know the importance of this mission. However, I would like to make one request."

"Yes?"

"I want Onu to come with me. The two of us have both been orphaned by the Prince and his peoples' foul crimes, and I think Onu would never forgive me if I left him out."

Gyong's mouth twisted into a smile, as he reached for his bowl once more. "He would be a powerful ally. Tell him he has my permission to go with you. The two of you will leave tomorrow."

Kiya rose to her feet, bowing to her master. Already, she could feel the thrill of the impending kill racing through her blood. Prince Zuko would pay, and he would burn like so many others had done at his feet.

"Consider it done."

It wasn't until later-much later-that she realized she had forgotten to ask Gyong about her nightmares.

Prince Zuko was aflame, fury spiraling through his core. He lashed out, spinning in a circle. Fire shot from his open hands, and he watched with satisfaction as his crew members ducked in fear, cowering from the vivid flames.

"You're all useless!" He roared, breathing heavily. His blood was boiling, heat rising to his face. "We're not getting any closer to finding the Avatar than we were when we first set sail! You have to work harder!"

The crew scrambled away, back below deck, as Zuko shot more fireballs around the top deck. If he didn't need them to run the ship, he would've done away with them all a very long time ago. They were all imbeciles! Nothing was going right, and nothing had been for a long time. Every time Zuko was close to capturing the Avatar, the young boy slipped through his fingers. It was infuriating! Zuko yelled, striking out again. Fireballs blasted into the sky, disappearing through the clouds.

"Prince Zuko, you should learn to calm yourself." His uncle Iroh was behind him, watching him with a wise expression on his lined face. "Why don't you come and sit, and share a nice cup of tea with me? It would do wonders for your nerves."

"I don't have time for tea!" Zuko spun around, facing his uncle. "Don't you understand, Uncle? There is nothing-nothing but the Avatar. I have to find him. If I don't, I will never be able to return home, and restore my honor." He clenched his fists tightly. "I will be a failure." Just as my father said I was.

He had been at sea for two years-on the verge of three. Two long years, endlessly searching the world for any remnant of the long lost Avatar. And when he had finally found him, he had lost him. Again and again, the puny child had evaded him. And now? Now, he was so tired. He was tired of always moving, tired of being away from his home of the Fire Nation. He was tired of being a failure; the object of his father's burning hatred. He was exhausted of living up to everyone's expectations of him.

Iroh sighed. "Zuko, your obsession is consuming you. Please, you must rest. You haven't slept in days."

"No, Uncle! Just… leave me alone." Scowling, Zuko threw his shirt back on and strode off of the deck, going below to his quarters.

Iroh watched him go, feeling his heart ache for his young nephew. So much was put upon the banished prince, and his spirit did not deserve such chaos. He was a good boy, Iroh knew. He was just desperate to be loved and respected by his father, and confused as he followed his people's hatred on a path that would lead them all to the burning end. Some day, Iroh predicted that Zuko would find his way-and his true destiny-and he would be a far better Firelord than Ozai ever had been. Somehow, Iroh just knew.

Zuko slammed the door shut to his small quarters, tightening his jaw as he paced back and forth, his mind racing. His body was aching from the lack of attention. He wanted to sleep, but every time he shut his eyes, he saw the round, smiling face of that boy-Aang-and his fury kept him awake.

On the worst nights, Zuko thought of home, and he thought of his family. Not of his warring father, his absent mother, or his deranged sister, but of the one person he had felt like he had known-truly known. Irada. Granted, she had been the cause of a lot of his childhood misfortune, but he knew it was all because of Azula. In the many times when they had been alone together, Irada had shed her callous trappings, and had been a good friend to him-his only friend. As they had grown older, he was sure it would blossom into something more, and he knew they both wanted it to. But then he had been exiled, and he had not seen her beautiful face in two long years. Two long, anguished years without her laugh or her words of encouragement.

Closing his eyes, he could still picture her long claret hair, and the way her emerald eyes shined when she looked at him. He could still remember the last time he had seen her. It had been that morning, before he had sat in upon his father's war council, and before the Agni Kai between he and his father. Before the scar that would forever mark a father's lesson to his son. Azula had been walking by, with her loyal band of minions behind her. Irada was among them, and his sister had paused to gift Zuko with the usual verbal abuse, before going about her daily business. However, he had ignored his sister, and let his eyes stray to Irada. She had been smiling, and she had mouthed words to him that went straight to his heart. Words that he would cherish forever.

Zuko stumbled, and his eyes shot open. He paused in his ruminations, placing one hand against the wall to steady himself. He had almost fallen asleep in memories, standing straight up in his chambers. Ire coiled in his stomach, and he clenched his fists again, as flames shot up around them. No. No weakness. Never a moment to stray from the objective.

As he had said, there was nothing but the interminable quest for the Avatar. There was no nourishment, and certainly no time to dwell in the past. There was nothing to soothe the rampant turmoil inside of him, so he did what he could. He threw himself blindly into training himself to master Firebending, and he pored over the Avatar's trail. He would not fail this time. The Avatar was as good as his. There was no rest for Zuko, not while the Avatar stood in the way of his people.

There was no rest for the wicked.