Chapter 1

I do not own avatar or fairy tail.

Orange Flames

"Please, Father, I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart. I'm sorry I spoke out of turn."

The top of my head lay pressed against the cold metal floor of the arena. All around me hundreds of Fire Nation nobles had gathered to

watch the ensuing Agni Kai. For a participant, especially a Prince such as myself, to bow down so low and beg forgiveness was a grave

disgrace.

"Rise and fight, Prince Zuko."

My hands clenched as I kept my head down, tears threatening to spill from my sockets at any moment. The thud of my Father's footsteps

grew ever closer with each passing second. Soon he would be upon me. There was still a chance for me to save face. All I had to do was

get up now. I just needed to stand up and fight. I had to fight.

"I won't fight you."

Coward. I didn't need to see his face to know what he was thinking, what every single person present was thinking. Hell, that's what I

thought of myself. That's what I was. Nothing but a coward.

"You will learn respect. And suffering will be your teacher."

I couldn't help myself. I couldn't stop the tears from pouring down my face as I looked upon the man that I called Father. The man who had criticized me nonstop for years for not being strong enough or smart enough or good enough. The man who now held a burning fist heading

straight for my face.

I blacked out from the pain.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"GAH!"

I bolted upright from my place on the bed, gasping for breath. Sweat cascaded down my forehead and my back. Faintly, I realized that I

was still shaking. Even after I noticed it still took me a few minutes before I finally got the trembling under control.

It was just a dream.

But that wasn't right either. It was more than a dream. It was a memory. A memory that has been haunting me every time I close my eyes

for the past year. Ever since I was banished.

That's right. Today's the anniversary.

One year ago today since that fateful Agni Kai. An entire year since I had been cast out of my homeland and stuck on this pitiful excuse for

a Fire Nation vessel with a motley crew of misfits thrown together haphazardly and sent of a fool's mission.

Capture the Avatar. Hah! I may not have been the prodigy my sister was, but I was no fool. It didn't take a genius to figure out the true

motive behind my father's decision. With me out of the way, Azula had a free pass to the throne. It was actually quite clever. The Fire

Nation's golden child becomes heir while the problem child gets sent away on an impossible quest. Kill two birds with one stone.

I never understood why my father hated me with such a passion. It didn't always use to be like this. There was a time when he actually

cared about me.

That was a long time ago.

Rising out from under the covers of my bed, I changed into a fresh set of black, leather pants and boots and donned a black, sleeveless

training shirt with a gold trim. I pulled what remained of my hair into a phoenix tail and strapped my twin dao swords to my back. Taking a

second to stare at the portrait I had hidden beneath a trap door in my desk, I walked out of my room and up to the deck above, leaving the

smiling face of my mother behind.

-X

Iknelt on the deck of the ship using my blades to help support my weight. Sweat poured down my body in waves. I was exhausted. For

hours I had trained nonstop in order to hone my skills. Whether I found the Avatar or not was of no consequence. I needed to use the time I

had to improve my form and strength. If I didn't, then I would be wiped out long before I even had the chance to face him. There were

other dangers that lurked at sea and on land other than a hundred year old man who could bend all the elements. Already I had been

involved in several skirmishes with pirates this week; let alone the long forgotten number of skirmishes with them in the past year.

Obviously, our small ship held the image of easy prey. Add in the few giant sea monsters and the occasional hurricane, and you begin to

really hate the sea.

For the past year my world had drifted into a predictable routine. While at sea, I would wake up with the rise of the sun and head to the

deck to work on my firebending. Occasionally I would incorporate my swords into the mix, like I had today, and train for at least two hours

nonstop before I gave any orders to the crew. Then I would train for another few hours before taking a break to eat and study the maps.

I kept my distance from the crew. I didn't feel comfortable around them. They were all at least twice my age, and yet I was their superior commander. It was strange. I knew they resented me for it, I would often hear them when they sat together to eat. Mostly I just ignored them and ate in my room. My room was my fortress of solitude. In there I could practice my hand-to-hand combat moves and my sword techniques in peace without any wandering eyes watching my every move.

Back in the present, my Uncle waved at me from his seat at a table on the deck. A warm cup of tea lay in his hands as he sniffed it in pleasant content, an identical cup placed on the table next to an empty seat. A bowl of steaming noodles lay in the center of the table next to freshly baked bread and some neatly sliced cabbage.

"Come, Prince Zuko. Take a break and enjoy a nice bowl of noodles. It'll fill you up!" Almost as an after-thought he added, "Oh! Silly me!

How could I forget about the tea! You simply must try this, Nephew. It's my own special blend of ginseng tea. It's quite delicious!"

I sighed in exasperation at Uncle's enthusiasm for tea. "I'm not hungry." As if to betray my own will, my stomach growled in hunger. My eye twitched at the sight of Uncle's knowing grin. He waggled his eyebrows at me and gestured at the food spread across the table repeatedly.

"Do you smell that, Nephew? That's the smell of happiness on a plate!" He held out his cup of tea for me to see. "And in a cup!"

Growling, I blew out a stream of fire from my mouth. Marching up to my smiling Uncle I snatched a biscuit from the table and bit into it fervently. "I'll eat when I'm good and ready!"

With the biscuit devoured, I began to walk back down to the deck to resume my training.

"Zuko, wait! You forgot to drink your tea! You mustn't forget the tea! It has special calming properties to ease that temper of yours."

Steam rose from my body. "I don't need any tea, Uncle. I need to resume my training so that I can capture the Avatar."

Uncle wasn't having any of it. "Nonsense, Prince Zuko. A cup of tea is good for the soul. Just one sip and all of life's troubles begin to melt

away." As if to emphasize his point, he took another large gulp from his own cup and sighed happily. "Oh yeah, that really hits the spot!"

Realizing I was fighting a losing battle, I trudged back to the table, swiped the cup of tea from its place, and downed the whole thing in one go. I slammed the cup back onto the table and glared at Uncle. "There, I drank the stupid tea? Happy now?"

Uncle merely smiled at me and chuckled. "Ah, it's so good to have a nephew who listens to his dear old uncle."

Groaning, I turned away with the intention of finally getting some more training in. "What's the big deal about tea anyway? It's just hot leaf juice," I grumbled.

Unfortunately for me, Uncle heard that last little point. With a gasp, he cried out to me. "Just hot leaf juice? How could a member of my own family say something so horrible!?"

Sighing, I halted in my steps and turned to face Uncle who was busy wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "Look, Uncle, I'm sorry. It's just that I'm sick of tea."

Big mistake.

My Uncle's eyes shot open and he seemed to choke on air. "S-Sick of tea!? That's like being sick of breathing!"

I groaned.

When will I learn to keep my mouth shut?

And so, because of my big mouth, I was forced to listen to yet another riveting lecture about the importance of tea and the respect that it deserved and all that nonsense. For two hours. Two, excruciatingly long, hours.

I love Uncle, but sometimes I wish he had a mute button.

When his lecture had finally ended, I trudged myself up to my room for some quick meditation and alone time. Shutting my door, my room was plunged into darkness. With my firebending, I lit seven candles and sat down. Closing my eyes, I lost myself in the steady rise and fall of my own breathing, the flames behaving in sync.

-X

A resounding boom shook me from my meditation. From above, I could hear several shouts from the crew. The whole room was shaking.

What the-

Leaping to my feet, I rushed out of my room and onto the deck above, my swords strapped tight to my back just in case. A large wave of water poured from the top of the deck as I was climbing the stairs and washed over me, the force of it nearly causing me to keel over.

Grabbing onto the railing for support, I made my way up to the deck where I was met with another blast of water to my face. Sputtering, I looked around me to see the crew running to and fro across the ship, each one working to keep the ship in working order in the storm. I continued to look around the ship until I came upon the form of my Uncle about 15 feet to the left of me.

"Uncle!"

My cry was lost in the wind. The crack of thunder boomed in the air. I felt the lightning before I saw it. The energy sizzled in my veins as I

saw the arc of pure energy descend upon my Uncle in an instant.

"NO!"

To my surprise, the lightning did not fry my Uncle like I thought it would. In fact, Uncle seemed to actually catch the lightning in his hand, streaming the current of energy across his arm and out through his index finger on the opposite arm. The lightning followed his guidance and exited his body, returning to its position in the sky before it disappeared completely.

What the- Since when could he do that?

My musings were cuts short as another viscous wave rocked the boat. I struggled to maintain my balance when I heard a soft cry.

"The Helmsman!"

Looking up I saw the helmsman dangling from the crow's nest. A fall from that height in this storm would assuredly kill him. Without even

thinking I was already halfway up the ladder. The ship was rattled by yet another wave and the helmsman lost his grip. Acting quickly I reached my hand out and caught him by the forearm just in time. Once he had safely begun his descent down the ladder did I finally begin my own climb down.

"ZUKO! BRACE YOURSELF!"

Huh?

Too late did I realize the warning. A monstrous mountain of a wave crashed into my ship, dousing the entire boat in water and blocking my vision. Trapped in the water I lost my grip on the metal railings and was swept away in the wave. I struggled and squirmed under the pressure of the water. I kicked out with all my might in my attempt to reach the surface and fresh air, but it seemed like I had been dragged hundreds of feet below the ocean. The surface eluded me.

I clutched my throat with my hands and accidently breathed in a large gulp of water. I had been under for too long. At this rate I wouldn't make it. I'd be yet another casualty lost at sea.

Can't… breathe!

Refusing to give up, I continued to swim upwards until I finally broke to the surface. I gasped for air and coughed up the water in my system. To my right, I made out the distant silhouette of my ship, several hundred feet away.

The sea carried me away this far?

With smooth, powerful strokes, I started to make my way back to the ship. It didn't take me long to realize that I was swimming in vain.

The current was strong and pulled me further and further from my ship. Fear gripped my heart as the violent waves overcame my body time and time again. My strength was beginning to weaken and my vision grew blurry. Water entered every crevice of my body, filling my lungs with salty water and trying to pull me down into the depths of the watery abyss. My ship was nearly out of sight now.

The whooshing sound of rushing wind led me to cautiously look behind me. My eyes widened in horror at the sight of a whirlwind of water and wind. A tornado in the middle of the ocean only fifty feet away from my position and gaining nearly gave me a heart attack. The viscous churning of the water created a whirlpool that was slowly, but surely dragging me into its center. With renewed vigor I kicked out and began to swim as fast and as hard as I could.

It wasn't enough.

More waves, each more violent than the last, pelted me with the fury of the spirits, Mother Nature herself conspiring to my demise. Soon I was once again dragged under the surface and yearning for the sweet taste of fresh air.

No! I can't let it end like this!

I fought with all my might to overcome Nature itself. I was not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

There's still so much I have to do. I refuse to give in.

As much as I tried to overwrite fate, the Will of the Spirits was just too much for one man. It was too strong.

I don't want to die!

Soon I was dragged into the inner loops of the whirlpool. Faster, faster, and faster still I was spun around in the vortex of water. My body threatened to fall into unconsciousness, but I held on. Everything around me was dark as a moonless night, my head pounding from the pressure of the water attacking me from every part of my body. The last thing I remembered before I faded into the blissful recesses of unconsciousness was being dragged down the center of the whirlpool.

And then I was falling, like a comet in the sky.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The pain hit me like a thunderbolt, sudden and without warning. My pure, blissful, dreamless sleep was compromised by a never-ending and unrelenting burning throughout my entire body.

Ugh. What hit me?

I rose to the pain flooding through my body as I got up to my feet and looked around I was on a small island in the middle of the sea I had washed ashore. There was nothing special on the island apart from a faint wisp emerging from a cave nearby.

The cave? Zuko hadn't noticed that before. It looked big enough to house him, and it would provide suitable shelter, because there was no

way he would be able to make it back with his injuries.

Zuko began to crawl over to the entrance of the cave. Every time he took another step wound would hit something, pain would rocket through his body and he would pause for a few seconds.

He felt inexplicably drawn to this cave for some reason, even though he had never seen it before in his life. From his view of the inside, it

was indeed spacious enough to house him, and was completely free of moisture. Hopefully, he could rest here for the night and recuperate

from his wounds.

"Come to think of it, I had a flare on my person but I decided against firing it now it was best recuperate.

He crawled into the cave, weakly testing the rock ceiling so that it wouldn't cave in. The boy made his way towards the back end of the

cave, where he could relax against the hard, rock wall.

The cool shade of the cave relaxed him slightly, despite the fact that he had most likely a shredded hip. The rock wall and dirt floor were cool to the touch, and the prince felt that he could fall asleep on it.

He was about to fall asleep, but he saw a strange flash occur out of the corner of his eye. He swiveled perhaps too quickly for his injury,

trying to locate the source of that flash, if there even was one in the first place.

He almost sighed in relief when he saw nothing, but the sound of a clearly distinguishable hiss filled his ears after that moment. He didn't

see anything, but it almost sounded like the hissing noise was coming from inside the wall.

A few seconds later, and Zuko saw it. It began as little more than a prick of the substance, but it grew rapidly, oozing out of the wall in a

miniature waterfall. The substance was a golden flame in color, though it didn't seem to be burning by itself.

Zuko desperately backed away from the wall, still watching the golden, fire-like substance ooze out of the wall. When there was

enough of it, it spread onto the floor, rapidly approaching in on Zuko.

"No! Get away!" he yelled at the wisp, backing into the farthest corner of the cave. But, that turned out to be the wrong move, because as

soon as his back made contact with the wall, the strange yellow flame began oozing out of the wall faster.

The yellow substance easily disintegrated the flimsy layer of clothes on Zuko's back, and Zuko's skin and the yellow flame came into

contact for the first time.

The boy screamed in pain as it felt like his entire back was being lit on fire.

Zuko collapsed from the pain of having foreign flame absorbed into his system, allowing more of the yellow flame oozing out of the wall

to attack Zuko's backside. In the meantime, the flame coming out of the other wall had converged in on Zuko, and the eight-year old

boy experienced the unpleasant sensation of being attacked by foreign flame from all directions.

The yellow flame climbed up all sides of his body, until he was covered in a thin layer of golden energy from head-to-toe.

And then, it happened...

The boy was pretty much having the experience of drowning in a sea of fire. The foreign energy was on him at all directions; he was

submerged completely in it, and it suspended him in mid-air, engulfed in a pool of flames.

The last of the fire in the cave piled onto the boy, but Zuko was so delirious with pain that he couldn't see what happened next.

The fire began to shrink, becoming denser and denser in the process. It packed itself so densely that the fire began to solidify.

And, then It started to converge on the scar healing it completely as there wasn't one to begin with.

Zuko awoke next morning to the sun with a feeling of being completely invigorated he hadn't felt like that in his whole life. Opening his eyes he noticed that clothes on torso were completely missing with only pants his body was warmer than usual and as he climbed out of the cave to greet the sun his body felt even more stronger taking a deep breath he shock of his life he smell the sea the water, the salt, fishes scanning around he saw his emergency kit on the shore.

Immediately opening. It was a device to signal fire nation ships immediately raising arm he fired the shot and waited a couple of minutes later a fire nation ship was sighted by him and at the helm of the ship was his uncle who had seen him and waived his arms reverently as he was rescued.

X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X

And that's a wrap this is a one shot story idea that I got couple of days ago I would love if someone turn this one shot into an actual story.

I have drawn inspirations for this story idea from numerous stories that I have read so in case of some similarity I apologize for that and yet this is one story that want to read myself so if any author worth his salt is out there take up my one shot and turn into a 1000 review no need to ask for permission but it would appreciated to inform so that I can follow it just in case.

So bye.