Disclaimer:
I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or its characters
Claimer:
I do own Amaterasu (not the name though)
Summary:
When Zuko and Aang search for the original firebenders, they encounter a princess who helps them along the way. She joins the group, but nobody really knows about her past. When they find out, will they hate her? Or will they still befriend her? ZukoxOc
Remember what I state below:
Italics and ' ' Means thinking! The person is talking to themselves, sounds a bit weird, neh? Example: 'Oh brother.' Katara thought.
((Author Speaking))
Chapter One:
Firebending Masters
It wasn't a while ago when Zuko discovered that his firebending was becoming weak, it was as if he already knew but decided to deny it. As he tried to practice in the morning, usually at dawn when everyone else was asleep. He realized he didn't have his anger, his drive. "This is bad." Aang already knew since he had happened to wake up to one of Zuko's morning rituals. The airbender frowned, Zuko already knew he was there. "Why is this happening! Zuko shouted, angry at his state of weakness.
"Maybe it's the altitude." said Aang, trying to cheer up his new sifu.
Zuko turned away from the avatar. "Yeah, could be." It was clear that he was unsure and sounded completely lost. They found a spot lower in altitude. Aang sat on a broken pillar while watching Zuko firebend with the same results. The former prince grunted in frustration and unleashes another blast that shows no improvement. The airbender yawned and laid down. "Just breathe, and . . ." He paused to firebend once more.
"That one felt kind of hot." said Aang as he jolted up and looked at his friend.
"Don't patronize me! You know what it's suppose to look like." Zuko lashed out as he threw his hands out.
"Sorry Sifu hotman." apologized the 112-year-old.
Zuko raised his arms as he shouted, "And stop calling me that!" which caused the avatar to cringe.
As this transpired, Sokka came into view while biting an apple, he sat down. "Hey, jerks. Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerk bending?"
"Get out of here!" shouted Zuko while making a "get lost" movement with his right arm.
"Ok, take it easy." said the water tribe warrior as he had an amused look his face. He dropped the core of his apple and waved his hand, "I was just kidding around." He said while adjusting his shirt. "Jerkbending, still got it." Zuko dropped his head and groaned while Aang looked on.
Zuko leaned on a column with his arms crossed, deep in thought. Appa rested near one of the fountains, licking a small blae of hay. Zuko turned his head back to the campfire away from Appa, where everyone is settling for dinner. He walked toward them.
"Listen everybody," He said, capturing everyone's attention, "I've got some pretty bad news. I've lost my stuff." He dropped his head dejectedly.
Toph immediately raised both arms to prove her innocence, "Don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff!" She said before folding her arms.
"I'm talking about my firenbeing. It's gone." Teo, Sokka, Haru, and The Duke looked at him with surprise while Katara laughed maniacally, which caused everyone to look at her while Zuko looked annoyed.
"I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know . . . How it would have been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago."
"Well it's not lost. It's just weaker."
Katara held up her bowl and began glaring daggers at him. "Maybe you're not just as good as you think you are."
"Ouch." Toph added.
"I bet it's because I changed sides." Zuko rolled his eyes.
"That's ridiculous." Katara said before drinking the contents in the bowls.
Aang finally stepped in. "I don't know. Maybe it isn't. Maybe your firebending comes from rage, and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."
"So, all we need to do is make Zuko angry . . . Easy enough." Sokka chimed in, he began to nudge Zuko in the waist and then hit his head with the hilt of his sword . . . Several times.
Zuko bellowed. "Ok, cut it out!" Sokka stopped what he was doing and his sword falls on his head. "Look . . . Even if you're right," He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way!"
Toph smiled. "You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source. I recommend the original source." She placed some food in her mouth and began to chew.
"How's he supposed to do that? Be jumping into a volcano?" asked Sokka.
Toph swallowed her food. "No. Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is."
"So is it jumping into a volcano?" Sokka pressed on.
"I don't know. For earthbending, the original benders were badgermoles." She tilted her head back as she recalled a memory. "One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me, so we understood each other. I was able to learn earthbending not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the world."
"That's amazing, Toph. I learned from the monks, but the original airbenders were the Sky Bison." As he said that, three Sky Bisons flew over them in the sky. "Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime buddy." Aang told Appa, who growled in acknowledgment.
"Well, this doesn't help me. The original firebenders were the dragons and they're extinct." said Zuko.
"What do you mean? Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid." Aang furrowed his brows in confusion.
The former prince got defensive, "Well, they aren't around anymore, okay?"
"Ok, ok." He moved his arms around in an appeasing gesture. "I'm sorry."
"But maybe there's another way," He said while walking towards the fountain. "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun warriors."
"Sun warriors? Well, I know they weren't around when I was a kid."
"No, they died off thousands of years ago, but their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins."
"It's like the monks used to tell me. Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present."
"So, what . . .?" Zuko and Aang turned to look at Sokka as he spoke, moving his hand in a fluttering motion. "Maybe you'll pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing where they stood 1000 years ago."
"More or less. Either I find a new way to firebend, or the Avatar has to find a new teacher." And with that said, Aang began to get worried.
Zuko and Aang rode on Appa, it was dawn and they had set off for the Sun Warriors old civilization. Zuko looked completely. . . Bored.
"We've been riding for hours. I don't know why, but I thought this thing would be a lot faster." He looked down. Appa began to growl.
"Appa's right, Zuko. In our group, typically we start our missions with a more upbeat attitude."
"I can't believe this." He mumbled before sighing, he rested his head ont he boat of the saddle.
"Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it." Aang said reassuringly. Appa pushed his tail down to gain more speed and soared through the clouds at a faster speed. Soon, they were nearing an island and he landed near a bunch of ruins with impressive architecture similar to that of the Mayans. Simultaneously, with looks of surprise on their faces, they both said, "Whoa." in a unison. Getting off Appa, they looked around.
"Even though these buildings are ancient," He started as he looked at the vast plain of grass and towards the ruins. They started walking in a small Valley, "there's something eerily familiar about them. I can tell the Fire Sage's temples are somehow descended from these."
"Ok, we learned something about architecture. Hopefully, we'll learn something about firebending too. The past can be a great teacher." Aang's foot neared a black wire and he trips it. He yelled in surprise. The ground in front of the two boys drops in front of them to reveal a bed of black, deadly spikes. Aang exhaled a huge gust of air from his mouth to prevent himself from falling into the trap and propels himself across it, landing rather shakily to the other side. He struggled to control his balance, flailing his arms about before he pushed himself forward and regained control. "Zuko, I think the past is trying to kill me." He said, frightened.
Zuko keeled down to inspect the wire. "I can't believe it. This booby trap must be centuries old, and it still works."
"There's probably a lot more. Maybe this means we shouldn't be here." said the airbender.
The former prince took a step back and started to run on a wall, landing in frotn of Aang. He slowly dusted himself off. "Where's that upbeat attitude you were talking about? Besides, people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting."After about twelve minutes, they began making it to the top of a structure.
"Look. This seems promising." said Aang, as he pointed to a carving of a person in the middle being surrounded by concentric circles of fire breathed out by two dragons on each side of them. "Though I'm not sure what this tells us about the original source of firebending."
"They look pretty angry to me." He said, taking a closer look at the carvings.
"I thought the dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors?"
"Well, they had a funny way of showing it." He looked away and by a few steps, Aang interrupted him.
"Zuko, something tells me something happened to the dragons in the last 100 years. Something you're not telling me."
Zuko closed his eyes and sighed, "My great-grandfather Sozin happened." He walked on.
The two walked across a stone bridge with dragon protrusions at the side. "He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. They were the ultimate firebenders. And if you could conquer one, your firebending talents would become legendary, and you'd earn the honorary title "Dragon"." They reached the end of the bridge where two dragons statues stood. One of the missing a head. "The last great dragon was conquered before I was born." He said as he looked at the dragon statue's eye, Zuko patted the eye of the decapitated head. "By my uncle."
"But I thought your uncle was, I don't know, good?" Aang said, shrugging his shoulders.
"He had a complicated past. Family tradition, I guess. Let's just move on." Thy walked toward to doors with a red jewel embedded in the centre. The column is positioned in front of a structure with two yellow doors. Aang walked toward them, drops his staff and attempts to open thhem with his bare hands to no avail.
"It's locked up."
"Wait." Zuko touched his head, looks behind and steps aside to reveal the red jewel from the column beaming light on his head. "It's a celestial calendar. Just like the Fire Sage's have in their temples. I bet the Sun Stone opens the door, but only when sunlight hitsit at the right ang, on the solstice."
Aang looked completely exasperated. "Monkey feathers! The solstice again! We can't wait here that long!"
"No we can't." Zuko unsheathed his broadsword and lays it in the path of the red beam, "But we might be able to speed time up. Let's see if we can outsmart the Sun stone." He attempts to adjust his sword, the beam of light is seen moving shakily across the doors and successfully hits the Sun Stone. It glows brightly.
"Nothing's happening." said a defeated airbender.
The exiled prince held the sword in place. "Come on . . ."
The area began to rumble. When it stops, the doors open to reveal Aang standing in front of it. Aang picked up his staff. "You know, Zuko. I don't care, "Zuko sheathed his sword, "what everyone else says about you," He nudged him, "you're pretty smart."
Zuko smiled as Aang walked in and closed his eyes. They saw a statue with an angry face which caused Aang to gasp in surprise. "Relax. They're just statues." There was a ring of statues in various fighting positions. The position of one half of the ring of statues is symmetrical to the other half. Aang scratched his head as he tried to read the description.
"It's called The Dancing Dragon." Both boys jumped but got into fight positions, a girl seemed to have fallen from the ceiling and landed on her feet. But they weren't technically sure if she had came from the ceiling. They looked at her with surprise. She had long black hair in a hime cut style. Her hair was straight and was knee-length, she had cheek-length side locks with straight bangs covering her thin black eyes brows. Her big mahogany brown eyes gleamed with excitement, and a childish curiosity flowing within them.
Zuko sheathed his broadswords while Aang came out of his fighting position. "Who are you?" asked Aang.
"My name is Amaterasu, but just call me Ammy. I'm the princess of the Sun Warrior tribe. Who are you two?" Her voice was soft, but she sounded like she could be no older than sixteen.
Aang smiled, greatly. "I'm Aang, the Avatar, and this is my friend Zuko, prince of the Fire Nation." He introduced them.
"T - The Avatar? And a prince? What brings you both here?" Her fingers found themselves tangled in her hair as she observed the two.
"I lost my firebending, so, I decided to find the source." Zuko finally spoke to Amaterasu. She nodded her head.
"Dance with me, it'll all make sense." She said as she imitated the crane-posture of the statute. A plate sunk under her feet as she does so. The boys observed the plate as it moved back into the position. Zuko looked skeptical but as soon as he saw Aang following Amaterasu, who was following the steps of the statues, he joined. All three of them stepped on the first plate and moved to the next, Zuko looked surprised. "Don't you see? These aren't necessarily dance moves. These statues are giving you a lesson." All three of them moved in synchronization as she spoke. "This is Sun Warrior firebending forms." Zuko moved along the line of the statues as their feet moved from plate to plate. They went into a punching position with their arms spread in a low arc.
"This better teach us some good firebending." Zuko said.
Amaterasu grinned as they all got into a position with their arms stretched forward, moving their torsos to the right with their fist outstretched. A sound echoes in the room and a hole appears in the centre of the room. All of them look at it and a pedestal with a gold egg-like object ascends from the hole and glints in the light.
"Wait, what exactly is that?" Aang asked.
"It looks like some kind of mystical stone." He ran toward the pedestal.
"Don't touch it!" Aang and Amaterasu said in a unison, but it was too late. He removed the stone off the pedestal as he and the female eyebrow twitched.
"It feels almost alive." He tried to put back in the gem stone, but yelled in surprise as a jet of green goo spurts out from the pedestal and ushes Zuko towards the grating in the ceiling, sticking him there.
"It was a trap. . ." Amaterasu sighed as she folded her arms, shaking her head. More green goo starts to flow from the pedestal and Aang backed away cautiously. Zuko, who has his back stuck to the grating, struggles to break free and the gemstone is held tight by the good.
"Ugh, I can't pull free. It's like some kind of goo." He struggled again. Aang tried to airbend Zuko free, but it didn't work, at all. The goo begins to rapidly engulf the room and Aang gets stuck.
"Ammy, help us! Now I can't move." Amaterasu's hand glowed with blue fire, which reminded Zuko and Aang of Azula but before she could take action. . . It stopped. "It stopped?"
"Yeah. You just had to pick up the glowing egg, didn't you!" Amaterasu glared at Zuko along with Aang.
Zuko rolled his eyes, "At least I made something happen."
"Who is down here?" All of their eyes widened, especially Amaterasu's.
"Uh oh. . . It's daddy." She bit her bottom lip.
"Daddy?" Aang blinked a few times. A man in tribal gear wearing a Chieftain's hat and warpaint on his face is seen. Both boys are shocked by his presence. Amaterasu manages to free Zuko and Aang but they are still covered in good.
Anteater-like creatures sat on either side of them and began licking off the goo. They are surrounded by concentric semi-circles of men and women wearing identical gear as the chief and Amaterasu. Four warriors were holding small flames in their hands. "for trying to take our Sun Stone, you must be severely punished."
"Father, they didn't try to take the sun stone." Amaterasu cut in, standing over the two protectively.
"Then why are they here, Amaterasu?"
"We came here to find the ancient origin of all firebending." Zuko explained, now goo-free he stood.
The Chieftain looked at his daughter to see if the boy was telling the truth, she nodded her head. "Daddy, the monk is the Avatar and he is crown prince of the Fire Nation. Zuko doesn't know the true way of Fire bending, we all know how Sozin believed was the way of firebending; rage and hatred." She explained. Zuko and Aang nodded their heads.
"If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn from the masters Ran and Shao." said the chieftain.
"Ran and Shao? There are two of them?" Aang looked bewildered.
Amaterasu turned to look at them and nodded her head with a smile on her face. "When you present yourselves to them, they will examine you. They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry. If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, well, let's just say they'll destroy you on the spot." Zuko looked completely worried, the two looked at each other.
Amaterasu stood in front of them of them with her father. "If you're going to see the masters," began the princess as Zuko and Aang looked at the top most dome where the warriors stood in a concentric semi-circles again. The Chieftain moved toward in front of the fire source, "you must bring them a piece of eternal flame. This fire is the very first one." Her father raised his arms in pride and turns back toward the duo. "It was given to Man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."
Zuko looked completely bewildered. "I don't believe it."
"You will each take a piece of it to the masters, to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending."
The airbender looked unsure, "Uhm. . . Ammy and Mister Chief sir. Yeah. . . I'm not a firebender yet. Couldn't my friend here carry my fire?"
"No." The Chieftain said sternly as he turned back to the fire. Aang looked at Amaterasu who shook her head, she couldn't help him. Aang looked rather uneasy as the Chief's hand pulls the fire towards his palm. "Continue Amaterasu."
"Yes father." She nodded her head before looking at the two. "This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy." Her father turns a full circle and splits the fire equally in to two. "You must main a constant heat." Aang stared at the flame, transfixed. "The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big, and you might lose control." Zuko stared coolly at the flame and proceeds to cradle the flame in his hands before looking at Aang, who still didn't collect his flame.
"I'm sorry I'm just a little nervous." He proceeds to gather it into his hands. The fire grows slightly and he looks relived in all. "It's like a little heartbeat."
Amaterasu smiled at him. "Fire is life, not just destruction," Aang reassured himself with a smile. "You will take your flames up there." Her father pointed to a rocky mountain nearby and the boys turned their heads towards that direction. "The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."
The duo trudged through a forest. Zuko reached the top of the steep grassy incline and he turns back to look at Aang, who is lagging quite a distance behind. "Hurry up!" Zuko shouted.
"I can't." He placed one hand on the rock. "If I walk too fast, my flame will go out." He looked at his rather small flame.
"You're flames gonna go out because it's too small. You're too timid. Give it more juice." He tried to be helpful.
Aang climbed up, looking at Zuko with worry. "But what if I can't control it?"
"You can do it. I know you can. You're a talented kid." Aang smiles and pushes himself up and continues to follow Zuko as they reached towards the mountain.
It was now dusk and the two finally arrived. The warriors, Amaterasu, and the Chieftain are already there and are poised in an alternating standing and sitting position. Amaterasu stood and walked towards them. "Facing the judgment of the firebending masters will be very dangerous for you. Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearance." Zuko looked down in shame. "They might not be so happy to see you but I know they will forgive you, just like I have." Amaterasu smiled at him which made Zuko smile himself.
"I know I wouldn't be happy to see him." said a warrior named Ham Gao.
"But once they find out I'm the Avatar-'
"Have you forgotten that you vanished allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world? The decline of the dragons ins your burden too." said the Chieftain, Amaterasu frowned as Aang looked away, ashamed.
"Don't be so harsh, father. He had his reasons, I'm sure of it!" Amaterasu defended him, Aang could only smile at the girl's attempt to reason with her father.
"There is no excuse!" He shouted, which caused Amaterasu to frown. He drives his staff into the ground and Amaterasu and the rest of the warriors get into a ready position at either side of the staff. The Chief grabs a section from each flame and places it on the Sun Warriors' palms. They move away and the Chief removes his staff. Amaterasu receives a flame and bends it around in a circle a few times before a warrior who is standing, bends a small part of the flame towards her and repeats the process.
Aang looked at Zuko and whispered, "we could turn back now. We've already learned more about fire than we hoped." Zuko looked at his fire and smiles weakly at it.
"No, we're seeing this through to the end. We're gonna meet these masters and find out what's so great about them."
"what if they judge us and attack us?" Aang asked.
"Well, we're the Fire Prince and the Avatar." He unsheathes his broadswords slightly to emphasize the point. "I think we can take these guys in a fight, whoever they are." Aang nodded but is still uneasy. "Who knows, they might be forgiving like Amaterasu."
Aang smiled and looked at the girl with hope. The warriors now completed the passing of the flame. Zuko stepped forward with confidence. "Bring 'em out."
"Chanters!" Shouted the Chieftain as warriors sat down, beating in synchronized rhythms with their drums. Amaterasu and the warriors who did the passing of the flames held their flames. Amaterasu smiled at Aang and Zuko who smile back and walk to the other half of the circle and the warriors are rising and bowing alternatively. The boys neared the steps and walk up the flight of steps once the Chief and two warriors step aside and let them pass. Zuko and Aang glanced at each other and took deep breaths. Warriors were still beating drums, Zuko and Aang kept climbing up the steps. Aang looks back, seemingly wanting to go back but presses on with a fierce determined look his face. Once they neared the top, the setting sun shined upon them. The music stopped when they reached the top. Both of them look at the caves on each side of the bridge.
"Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shao will not present their fire!" shouted Amaterasu, using what seemed like a megaphone-like object. Zuko and Aang turned towards the caves and bow down with their hands extended in front of them.
"Sound the call!" shouted the Sun Warrior Chief. A warrior takes a deep breath and blows into a wind instrument. The loud sound it produces sends a flock of birds scattering around them. The cave Aang is facing rumbles and vibrates as the rocks dislodge. He trembles in fear. He accidentally places his hand down, extinguishing his flame and turns towards Zuko.
"What happening!" He looks at Zuko cave which reminds undisturbed. Zuko turns and gives Aang a puzzled look. Aang quickly returns back to into his "flame-giving" position. He realized that his flame is gone and gaps, turning back towards Zuko again. "Zuko, my fire went out." He whispered.
"What do you want me to do?" Zuko whispered back.
"Give me some of yours." He reaches for Zuko's fire and Zuko gently pushes him back.
"No, just make your own."
"I can't." He persistently reached for his friend's flame.
"Get some from one of those warriors or Amaterasu, she's the nice one. Hurry. Stop cheating off me." Amaterasu and her father exchanged looks, seemingly hearing the whole thing.
"Quit being stingy!" Now irritated, Aang continues to reach for Zuko's flame but is unable to do so due to the difference between their heights. Zuko raises his arms higher so the flames reminds out of Aang's reach and Aang tries to grab it by sticking close to Zuko's back and flailing his arms. He uses two hands to grab the flame under Zuko's armpits and they struggle briefly before Zuko drops his hand, extinguishing the flame. They look at each other, unsure. The caves began to rumble, both boys looked troubled.
"Uh-oh. . ." They said in a unison. A pair of yellow eyes glowed bright in the darkness of the caves and suddenly, a red dragon roars and shoots out of the cave. It circles around the bridge and around the duo. The two were overwhelmed by the powerful winds and pressure and stagger slightly. Zuko looks shocked yet he follows the dragon's trail. A blue dragon flew out of the other cave and joins its partner in circling around each other, the bridge, and the boys.
"These are the masters." Zuko said in complete awe.
Aang whispered to Zuko, "You still think we can take 'em?"
"Shh... I never said that." He lied while waving his hand. The warriors down below bow down, Ham Gao, Amaterasu, and the Chieftain as well.
"Oh, here it comes." Ham Gao said, "Any moment now."
Amaterasu snarled, "Shut up or a blue hot flame of my fist is going to hit your face!"
"Calm down you two!" The Chieftain shouted.
"What? Everyone's thinking it..." Ham Gao sulked at he turns his head away.
"Zuko, I think we're suppose to do the dragon dance with them." The airbender whispered.
'What? What about this situation that you think they want us to dance?" asked the exiled prince.
"Well, I think they just want us to do something. Let's try it."
"Fine." They got into the first position of the Dragon Dance and proceeded to the next, just like Amaterasu taught them. Aang had spread his arms out and the blue dragon behind him followed the shape of his arms. Aang turned his arms to his side and the dragon turns as well. The dragons performed the save movements and are symmetrical to each other. Zuko pushes his hand up and the red dragon behind him angles upwards as well. Zuko dips and the dragon dives down as well. The boys slowly headed towards one another and the dragons complementing their movements. When they reached their final pose, the dragons have stopped and are flapping their wings at either side of the bridge.
"Judgment time." said the Chieftain, Amaterasu bit on her nails, nervous of the outcome. The blue dragon snarls at Zuko while Aang is trembling. Zuko looks at it, mouth agape. Aang gave out a series of timid, unsure shrieks. The two dragons settle into another position with their legs being anchored at the bottom of the bridge and their arms supporting their weight at the top. The red dragon begins to breathe fire out its mouth and the blue dragon does the same. Zuko and Aang yell in fear as they are engulf by a rapidly rising multi-colored flame. The boys remained in their position. There was a swirling vortex of rainbow flames which made the boys stare in awe.
"I understand." said the prince, he had realized something. The flame slowly dissipate and the dragons curl their bodies, springing up and circle each other one final time before retreating to their caves. Ham Gao looked completely annoyed that nothing happened to them. Amaterasu grinned as the warriors holding the circle of fire as he moves his arm in a circle, extinguishing the flame and ending his hands in a position. Zuko and Aang descended down the steps. "Their fire was beautiful. I saw so many colors, colors I've never imagined."
"Like firebending harmony." Aang chimed.
"Yes, they judged you, and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending." said the Chieftain as Amaterasu ran up to the boys.
"I can't believe there are still living dragons. My Uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it."
"So, your Uncle lied?"
The Chieftain grinned. "Actually, it wasn't a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him as well." Zuko eyes widened in surprise.
"He must of lied to protect them, so no one else would hunt them."
Aang looked down with a look of thought." All this time, I thought firebending was destruction. Since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is... It's energy, and life."
"Yeah. It's like the Sun," his hand curled into a fist. "But inside of you. Do you guys realize this?" He extended both arms outward.
Amaterasu rolled her eyes and giggled. "Well, our civilization is called the Sun Warriors... So, yeah silly." Zuko glared at her but grinned.
"That's why my firebending was so weak before. Because for so many years, hunting you," He looked at Aang, "was my drive... It was my purpose. But now, I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world." He began to firebend twice with rather large sized flames. Aang followed his example, his flame large as well. Aang finally conquered his fears, he felt ready for anything!
Amaterasu clapped her hands together, "Now that you learned the secrets, and you know about our tribe's existence. . ."
"We have no choice but to imprison you forever." Both boys looked at them in shock with their mouths opened.
"Just kidding!" The chief and his daughter said in a unison, giggling right after.
"But seriously, don't tell anyone!" The chief became serious again.
The airbender looked at Zuko and then at the chief and his daughter. "We ought to get going. Thank you so much for all this, especially you Ammy."
"We would of been lost without you." Zuko added as the princess tilted her head to the side.
"Well, I'll go with you guys as a payment of your debt." Aang and Zuko looked at each other and then at her.
"Why are you leaving, Amaterasu?" asked her father.
Letting out a small sigh, the sun warrior princess looked at them all before explaining. "I want to see what's outside our tribe and I want to take part in defeating Sozin. Mother always talked about the Air Temples, Ba Sing Se, and so on... I want to know what's out there and maybe I can teach Zuko and Aang some more types of firebending, even lightning if they can get that far." She explained.
"That's a great idea!" Aang said, the Chieftain looked hurt but the look in his daughter's eyes had made me agree.
"Fine. Go and explore but you are always welcomed home, know that." He hugged his only child and waved goodbye as they all went aboard on Appa.
"So, how is it like living there?" Zuko asked Amaterasu as she looked in awe at the ocean and sky before them, it was pretty late too and the Moon gave the water a beautiful glow.
"Huh? Oh, it's fine. We have more rituals than any other tribe I know that much. It's really... Serene at home and we barely have any trouble, everyone there is like family even the dragons." She explained.
Aang let go of Appa's reigns and sat with the other two, "This is gonna be fun! Your gonna meet our friends Katara, Sokka, Haru, The Duke, Teo, Toph, and Momo." He said excitedly.
The princess smiled. "Really?"
"They aren't my friends. You forgot, they still hate me." Zuko added as his golden eyes looked off into the distance.
The girl frowned, "Why?"
"I struggled with what was right and what was wrong." He said simply which caused Aang to frown as well.
"They'll forgive you eventually, it takes time to earn trust y'know?" She smiled reassuringly at him, he looked at her and then back at the ocean.
"Oh and this Katara girl, is she your girlfriend Aang? You sound pretty hurt when you told us your burnt her." The avatar's face flushed pink.
"Well, er, I like her but she isn't my girlfriend. I'm kind of scared she doesn't feel the same way." He admitted, looking down at his feet.
"You should probably wait till the war is over, there's too much to think about and a relationship is difficult when your struggling to save the world." The princess wrapped her arms around both the boys. "This smells like a beginning of a beauuuuuuuuutiful friendship!"
They had finally reached the Western Air Temple. Katara, Sokka, Toph, and the others ran towards the Flying Bison. "You guy had us worried for a sec - " Katara froze when she saw Amaterasu. "Uh... Hello?"
The princess flailed her arms, "Oh, yeah... Kind of figured it would be awkward that they brought me back here. I'm Amaterasu but call me Ammy, I'm from the Sun Warrior tribe, I'm the princess but don't tell anyone, kay?"
All of them looked at her with shock and confusion, "Nice too met you, I'm Katara."
"I'm Sokka and this is Toph, that's Teo, that's Haru, and that's The Duke." Sokka introduced the rest.
"Nice to meet you all!" Amaterasu said enthusiastically. Haru, Teo, and The Duke grinned goofily at her.
zuko shook his head, "Close your mouths boys." He said as the three blushed and whistled as they looked in several directions.
"Let's eat and then you guys can tell us what happened." suggested Katara.
"With this technique the dragons showed us, Zuko and I would be unstoppable like Ammy!" He said as the three demonstration The Dancing Dragon Dance and they're firebending at each step. They get into their final pose and the group applauds.
"That's a great dance you two learned there." Sokka cheered.
Zuko growled as he got defensive. "It's not a dance! It's a firebending form!"
"We'll tap dance," He said while moving his fingers in a dancing motion, "our way to victory over the Fire Lord." Amaterasu, Katara, and Toph chuckled while Zuko walked over toward Sokka.
"It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old!" He yelled.
Amaterasu placed her hands on her hips and Katara did the same, "Oh yeah?" said Amaterasu.
"What's your title form called?" asked Katara.
Zuko blushed before looking away, "The Dancing Dragon." Everyone bursted into a fit of laughter beside Zuko who looked away.
"Why are you laughing Ammy! There is your culture!" He pointed her out.
"I call it dancing all the time, my father yells at me for never being too serious about it." She shrugged her shoulders before sitting down and eating more rice.
Katara stuck her tongue out at the male firebender, "Nobody is on your side." She taunted.
He glared at her before walking away. Amaterasu frowned before looking at everyone, "What exactly did Zuko do to be the object of humiliation?"
"Well, he would track down Aang to capture him and send him to the Fire Lord to restore his honor, kept chasing us all around the world, deceived me in Ba Sing Se, sent an assassin on us, and there is a lot of more but who goes into detail about that stuff?" said a completely obviously mad waterbender.
The mahogany-eyed female placed her bowl of rice down. "People make mistakes. I don't know how Zuko was raised but I know that if he has a crazy father, I knew there were something that did not go right in that home. Try finding someone's past before you judge their present selves.' And with that said, she stood up and looked for Zuko. Katara and the others remaind silent.
"Zuko?" Amaterasu called the exiled prince, who was looking down at the fountain. Touching his scar. He looked over at her and his arm fell to his side.
"Came here to laugh at me too?" He said, obviously upset.
Amaterasu smiled, "No. I'm not like that." She stood next to him and looked at him, finally looking at his scar. "Your father did that, didn't he?"
His eyes widened as he looked away from the moon and then at her. "How did you guess?"
"Your father is a mad man. I wouldn't put it past him, he's killing innocent people for surpreme power and your an exiled prince. I had to put the pieces together but I would like to know why he did it."
Zuko sighed. "I wanted go to a War Council, my uncle warned me not to speaking during the meetings but when I heard that general outline a plan to sacrifice an entire division of new recruits in a diversionary maneuver, I disagreed. It was a betrayal of the recruits' patrionsim. My father demanded I be in an Agni Kai and I thought I was going against the general I spoke out against."
"But it was your father." Shaking her head, she looked at him as he nodded his head and continued.
"I couldn't fight my father, I refused to but he said that I was a coward and that it was another display of disrespect that I begged for him not to fight me. So he burned me, stripped me from my birth right, and exiled me from my own home. That's why I was chasing the Avatar because I thought that would restore my honor, but I was wrong. I regret chasign Aang and doing whatever I could to capture him... I just wanted my father's love and to hear him say he was proud of me but the only people he ever loved was himself and my sister, an evil prodigy." Zuko explained. Amaterasu embraced him.
"Cry." was all she said, it confused Zuko and it made him feel. . . Awkward.
"What?"
"Cry."
"Why?"
"You never got rid of your pain, you need to let it out."
Zuko rolled his eyes, "I understand what you are trying to do but crying wouldn't do anything."
"Zuko, you can't be upset and angry forever! So, cry god dammit!" Amaterasu shouted at him which startled him, she went from sweet... To evil.
"I can't." He said. Amaterasu sighed and let him go.
"Your gonna do it, maybe not now or maybe not tomorrow but you're going to cry to let it all out and I'm going to be there. So far, I'm your only friend now besides Aang, nobody is going to mess with you when I'm around, kay?" She told him which made him blink several times but he smiled, a tear even fell from his good eye.
The princess looked at him with confusion, "Okay, what was that for?"
"Beside my uncle, your my first real friend. Aang has too many obligations to others so he will please them and I guess I did that so, you would leave me alone about crying." He laughed.
Placing her hand on her hips, she pouted. "Oooh! You got off lucky that time!"
Other information:
Okay, I had to take the episode of the Firebending Masters and switch it around for my character to fit in. Took a lot of hard work w I hope it pays off. Oh and... I need a Beta reader. Dx