Lu Ten didn't know how to feel. Well, other than to feel the excruciating pain that was slowly burning his body from the hard boulder that took him off surprise. Other than the fear of the unknown.
He struggled to take another breath, and only saw the blue sky, with white, fluffy clouds. How could the world look peaceful when there was turmoil going on? He couldn't hear the battle, nor see it. Only the perfect sky.
He focused on one cloud, and tried to make a figure out of it. He laughed weakly. He remembered when he and Zuko would spend there day looking and pointing at the clouds. And maybe Azula would join them too. But not often.
He faintly heard the screaming slowly ending. Maybe it was over. After all, his father said they would be breaking the second wall by the end of the day.
It was getting harder to breathe. Fear arose in him. He tried to stop it, but he cried out.
"Father!" he begged. He didn't want to go through this alone. His uncle would have called him weak, but his father understood.
Suddenly, after what seemed like days, a hand clasped his shoulder. A face appeared in his vision.
"Prince Lu Ten!" A soldier cried in alarm. "Your father is coming right now!" Lu Ten thanked whatever gods that had heard him. The soldier stayed by his hand, slowly pulling the bloody hands away from Lu Ten's wound on his stomach, near his heart.
"Lu Ten!" An agonized cry arose from the muttering. It was taking all of his strength to breathe now.
"Father." he chocked out. The Fire Nation soldier crawled out of his way as the familiar, kind face his father appeared. It was stained with tears.
"Lu Ten, the nurses will be here soon! Stay with me!" Iroh begged and cradled his son's head. But Lu Ten knew it would be too late. He could see a faint light in the blue sky. He struggled to breathe.
"Lu Ten!" Iroh shook Lu Ten awake as he unconsciously closed his eyes. Lu Ten snapped his eyes open. He knew it would be soon. The fear slowly ebbed away as Lu Ten took hold of this new information. He had to talk to his father.
"Father," he rasped out. He felt so weak like an old man, not like his grandfather. An ancient man, like one of those long surviving airbenders that he had heard of.
"Tell everyone that I loved them, even uncle." Lu Ten grasped Iroh's hand. "Please."
Iroh sobbed, knowing that his son knew his fate. "Of course, Lu Ten."
"Tell Zuko to never forget himself. Take care of him when Ozai abandons him. And Azula," he struggled to take another breath. "Tell her she's not a monster. Please." The light was stronger.
"And I will be waiting for you, father." Lu Ten's voice was now weaker, and his lungs working hard in attempt to grab some air. "I love you." And now Lu Ten saw the light engulf him, and everyone else disappeared. The light blinded him, and he released his last breath of air.
He was now at peaceful. No more war. No more pain and suffering. Only the long forgotten memory of peace.
Iroh saw the light leave his son's eyes and felt the heartbeat stop. Then he wailed in grief as he knew that his son had died.
"Sir?" A soldier interrupted after awhile. "I'm sorry, General, but we didn't take the second wall. The earthbenders overcame us."
Now, Iroh didn't care. He just wanted to go home.
"Tell the men to pack up their belongings." He ordered, still holding Lu Ten's cold head.
"Pardon, sir?"
"We're leaving, soldier. I suggest you gather your things before twilight. We'll be gone by then." Iroh snapped, and the soldiers nodded and scrambled away.
"Oh, Lu Ten. I'm sorry." Iroh wiped away a streak of blood on his dead son's face. "I have to leave you here. But I will always remember you." He leaned down and gave one last kiss on forehead that no longer was warm.
Ozai knew his plan had gone perfectly. His nephew was dead and no more a threat to him. He knew his brother would break from the grief. Ozai scoffed. Only weaklings fell into the power of love, and they had to pay the price.
Now, the throne was his.
Ursa felt grief rip her heart as she read the letter. She reread it, to make sure it was the same words as she thought she read. Her only nephew, her loving nephew was dead. No more, she would hear his bright laughter, or comforting jokes. No more tea with him. No more memories of the man who was supposed to make it out alive.
Ursa suppressed a sob as she realized that Lu Ten would never get married, never would have children, never grow up, never see his cousins anymore. Never would he firebend. Or see another sunrise.
"Ursa?" she heard and looked up. Her husband's face betrayed no emotion as she stared at him. But then one did. A flicker of triumph crossed his golden eyes.
"Why, Ozai?" she asked. "Why did you rob one boy's future, just for your gain?" Ozai laughed in confusion. "What do you mean, my dear?" he lied.
Then, Ursa knew that she no longer loved this man. This man was willingly to do anything to get the throne. "Leave me alone." She commanded and turned around, to find Iroh.
Zuko was devastated. Lu Ten dead? It was impossible. His older cousin seemed invincible. He was strong, and one of the best firebenders. How could an eartherbender have killed him?
"Lu Ten!" Zuko whispered, as if that could bring back his dead cousin. He was in his dead cousin's room. Lu Ten's room was bare, expect for a pot of tea on his table, beside his large bed. And a painting of his mother hung on a wall. Two duo swords criss-crossed each other beside the smiling lady.
Zuko looked at the swords. He remembered the day when Lu Ten first showed them it.
"See?" Lu Ten whipped the swords around. "They're two halves of a whole." Then he stopped swinging the swords around and looked at Zuko. "Just like the rest of the nations, Zuko. We're parts that go to the same whole."
Of course, Zuko had no idea what Lu Ten had meant by that. But now, he did.
Azula was absolutely delighted. Her older cousin was dead! Yes, dead! She laughed with glee and firebended her lastest and more advanced pose. That meant that she only had to get rid of her tiresome brother, then she would become the first Fire Lord lady.
"No more of your stupid flames, Lu Ten." Azula smirked. Oh, she hated those perfect flames that her dead cousin used to do. They were always more better than hers.
Now, her cousin was dead.
The end of the war, at the Fire Nation palace, at Zuko's coronation
Iroh shook his head in amazement as Zuko proudly took on the role of the Fire Lord. How did Lu Ten know? Zuko grinned, finally at peace with himself. He caught Iroh's eye, and waved, not knowing the words that rang in Iroh's head.
Tell Zuko to never forget himself.
He did that. Even though Zuko didn't understand why.
Take care of him when Ozai abandons him.
How did Lu Ten know? But Iroh heeded his words, and was overjoyed with the results. Well, other than his brother rotting in a cell, and his insane niece screaming away in madness, and his sister-in-law still missing.
"Iroh?" Someone poked his shoulder. Iroh looked over. It was the Avatar. No longer did he look like a boy, but a true born leader.
"Are you okay?" Aang asked.
Iroh smiled, the first one to come in a era of peace. "Yes, I am."
Zuko smiled at the crowd, and bowed as Aang walked closer.
"Hey there, Fire Lord!" Aang brightly teased. Zuko smiled.
"Hello, Aang. It's amazing how everything changed, isn't it?" Zuko mused as the crowds started to celebrate the hardly fought peace.
"Yes. Now, we can build a better world. Just like the monks would." Aang smiled briefly and looked at Katara. "After all, we are parts to the same whole."
Zuko froze. He had heard those words a long time ago, it felt like a different lifetime.
Just like the rest of the nations, Zuko. We're parts that go to the same whole.
Zuko was amazed. His dead cousin was right. He knew that everything would be alright in the end.
Only if he wasn't dead.
Azula wailed and shook her chains. How dare he! I would destroyed him only if that Water Tribe peasant hadn't gotten in my way, she snarled in her thoughts.
Tell her that she's not a monster.
Oh, Lu Ten. How wrong were you. Azula stopped moving and pretended she was talking to her dead cousin.
I'm a monster. My own mother even said so.
I'm insane. Father and Zuko left me here.
Mother doesn't love me. She lied to me.
And I lie, Lu Ten. To keep playing the game that I so love to play.
Azula grinned, happy with her words. She knew they were true.
No, Azula, she would imagine him protesting. You're not a monster. You only obeyed uncle, your father. You are good. You just fell into the darkness.
Azula wasn't a monster.
Ursa walked down the lowly road. She smiled, knowing that her son had successfully brought peace to the four nations. Well, three, excluding the Air Nomads.
"Miss! Miss!" A man called from a tavern. Ursa smiled and stopped.
"Join us! The new Fire Lord is Prince Zuko!" The man excitedly shouted and pulled Ursa in the loud, cheering inn.
"I know." Ursa said under her breath. "He's my son." Tell everyone that I loved them, even uncle.
Ursa recalled the words that Iroh had tearfully told them after his son's death.
Of course Lu Ten had loved everyone. He had a kind heart, just like Zuko.
Ozai growled and angrily slammed the stone floor. They chose the wrong Fire Lord! It should be Azula!
No, he scoffed. His daughter was mad. He couldn't rely on her anymore. And Zuko! How could he be the Fire Lord? He was too weak. Only if his daughter had destroyed him, then everything would have gone perfectly.
Maybe not. The Avatar, a boy of mere twelve years, beat him. Him, the Fire Lord, the Phoenix King! Ozai angrily shook his head. How could he let a boy defeat him? Tell everyone that I loved them, even uncle.
Ozai chuckled. His nephew was too naive, too weak. He knew that Lu Ten disliked him, but because of Iroh, he had to show respect and kindness. And maybe that forced Lu Ten to love Ozai, just a little, despite all of his evilness.
But Ozai didn't love his nephew, no matter what. He only saw him as a blockage to the throne. But in the end, he had lost the throne too. That didn't matter.
At least Lu Ten was still dead.
Lu Ten chuckled as he looked at the newly founded world from the Spirit World. Avatar Roku stood beside him and Fire Lord Sozin shook his head.
"We could have won." Sozin said, but a grin appeared on his face. Lu Ten looked at his great-grandfather and smiled.
"Even so, the Avatar still came. And you still destroyed a whole nation." Roku replied.
"I know. That will be my greatest regret." Sozin sighed, his golden eyes bright. He looked at his great-grandson.
"Lu Ten, are you glad that it is over?" Sozin asked. Lu Ten laughed.
"Of course I am! All of the pain and suffering was not worth it. Just for the Fire Nation to take over the world, that was cruel, indeed. At least Zuko will rule wisely." Lu Ten observed his younger cousin smiling at the Avatar.
"At least the world will be at peace, for now. Aang will be a wise and just ruler." A new form joined them. A tall woman with bright make-up stood straight.
"Yes, Kyoshi. Aang will know the balance of the world." Roku agreed.
"Until for the next one to come. Hopefully, they will continue the same pattern." Kyoshi said.
"I think the next Avatar will be powerful one." Sozin mused.
"It doesn't matter for now!" Lu Ten interrupted. "At least Aang will make the world a better place. And my family remembered my last words to stop the war."
"Do you wish that you were down there, Prince Lu Ten?" Roku asked.
"Sometimes I do. Then I don't. Because I know if I hadn't died, the Fire Nation would have probably killed off the Earth Kingdom." Lu Ten said. He had certainly given lots of thoughts to the subject, but he was perfectly content to where he was for now.
He just had to wait for the rest of his family to join him.