The Shimmering Flames

Summary: She was betrayed and broken; which caused her to lose a purpose. That day, she was given a chance to start anew and she took it. The past was slowly forgotten as she met him, the treasure of her life and alongside him; she realized that life is worth more than she thought and love is something worth to fight for.

Author Notes: Hello...! I know...I know, and I would like to apologize to my dear readers since I haven't update any of my stories especially the Strongest Human Revised. It is not like I want to stopped writing or anything that involved 'being lazy'. I do not know why, nor do I understand but whenever I sat in front of my laptop and whenever I wanted to write something...I just lost the motivation to continue writing and updating my stories. My dear readers, I tried my best and I did promised everyone I would finished all my stories...But, maybe, maybe...that is not possible for me. For the next few months, I might not even able to read...or even playing games because of personal life upcoming events...but, for now, let's think about this and me trying my best to continuing my stories. Once again, I would like to appreciating everyone supports for me to continue and doesn't care much about the mistakes I 'constantly' made. Now, let's get on with the story I've been working for the last few weeks...and without any further, let's get on with the first chapter.

Chapter 1

Prologue

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or Avatar the Last Air Bender. All rights belong to the respective owners of both shows.

Three years had has passed since the war between the four nations. The avatar had defeated the Fire Lord Ozai and had taken the former fire lord ability from bending his fire element. Hindsight to the avatar action the never-ending war finally ended. On that day, two choices were given to the soldiers of the Fire Nation; they were, either to be put imprison or be executed for treason and the caused of the war.

The princess of the Fire Nation or the husk of what she was once known throughout the world could be seen sitting on the cold cemented dirtied floor, her legs are stretching whilst her back leaned on the wall behind her. She was wearing a ragged clothing with a few stitches and holes, covering nothing but her body parts, showing the few bruises on her well-toned colored skin. Her bareback-length black colored hair were messy including the bangs of her resting on her shoulders.

The young woman was breathing quite heavily, a few sweats could be seen trailing down her cheeks as she closed her eyes, trying to regained back her oxygen. The princess looked exhausted and the lacked of sleeps could be seen by the bags underneath the sockets of her eyes. The woman was shivering, feeling the cold wind kissing her skin, which send a shiver running down to her spine. Her hands could be seen covering her ears, clenching tightly around as her lips quivered, as she whispered hollow words.

"Help me..." she whispered to the wind, hoping someone would hear her plea.

"Stop being so pathetic." The voice of Ozai were cleared as day in her, ordering her to do something...something she knew she couldn't do. "Why don't you just tear apart this cell and then, started killing everyone that stands in your way!" Ozai roared as the raven beauty gritted her teeth, her lips were clenching tightly. "Oh wait..." the man chuckled, his laughter sending echoed in her thought causing her shivered. "It's because you can't! They had taken your ability! You're nothing without it, you're just a weak and pathetic ordinary girl!"

"No...you're wrong, I'm not just an ordinary girl...I am not weak...I'm..." The former princess whimpered, trying her best to come up with something that denied these...these madness! Despite, trying to be an ignorant, deep inside her heart, she knew...the voice of her father was right.

"Hahaha, what's with the sudden of silence treatment!?" Ozai questioned with a mocking laughter, eyes looking down at the form of his pathetic daughter as the raven beauty looked down in shame and sadness. "Is that all you can do!? I should've known, I should have had banish you instead of Zuko!"

"It's not real...he's not real..." she whispered, the tone of her voice were shaky and they were lingered with fear and sadness in her former confident and prideful tone. "Please...make them...make the voices disappeared..."

The former princess gritted her teeth, the palm of her hands around her ears were tightly pressed, shutting her eyes closed, as the woman started whispering incoherent words, silently whispering to herself, it was faint, barely able to be heard but the guards noticed of her sudden actions, staring at her with nothing but empathy.

After all, she seems like in her own world, defining her as nothing but a mad woman.

But, that is not far from the truth as she could see people that she thought were dead from the caused of her actions or are put imprison. They were whispering to her words, telling her of her failures, and mocking her relentlessly despite her pleading for them to stopped. As the voices carried on, suddenly tears could be seen trailing down her eyes, streaming down like a stream of river as she leaned her body forward, throwing herself down to the cold and bumpy surface of her prison. Her trembling hands continued to tightening around her ears whilst she brought her feet closer to her chest; curling into a ball and silently crying with herself.

After everything she had been through these past few years, she finally realized there is no one in this world that she could trust other than herself. Everyone she had known throughout her memories and life, be it her teachers, her friends and even her families, all of them has betrayed her. Even worsen than that was perhaps the fact the Avatar had taken her ability from bending her own element; leaving her with nothing but to slowly rotting in this cell that have imprison her for the last three years.

She hated this; She couldn't handle this anymore and deep inside her heart she wished this was nothing but a nightmare she is not able to wake up.

Ever since the defeat of the Fire Nation, three years has passed and she had managed to live through the hallucination that she could slowly see. But those past three years, she had tried her best in ignoring the voices, and mentally she was assuring herself that they will disappeared sooner rather than later and she would constantly hope that out there someone is planning to rescue her from this rotting cell.

However, she should have known better as the days became a month and eventually months became a year and by then she realized there isn't anyone out there that would bothers themselves to rescue her from her prison and by then, when the realization struck her hard the voices are getting worse and that includes her to hallucinating people and that was the beginning of her mind slowly crumbling into pieces of a broken glass.

The voices took a form, and is getting more occurrence each day as her golden eye staring back at the hatred they are sending her whilst her ears listening to the words spewing out of their mouth.

"I can't take this anymore…' The raven haired girl thought again and again, repeating the same words whilst sobbing to herself as she ignored the voices that are trapped inside her head until she froze as the moment after she closed her eyes and reopened them, she found herself gazing at the figure of her mother back; the only person she wished would show her mother's love towards her.

"Mother…' the former princess thought as her lips spreading into a small smile, even if this isn't real...she was somehow feels happy to see her mother in her form of desperation. But, somehow, she didn't know why...she just feels happy as she stare at her mother, as Ursa turned her back, eyes softening, gazing towards her with the older woman's eyes filled with nothing but love as the lips spreading into a smile.

Ursa motioned her hand, calling her daughter out towards herself, as the raven haired teen could be seen staring at her mother's delicate hand resting on her laps. "Come here, Azula." Ursa voice were lingered with kindness, care and love which caused Azula to stare at her mother with wide eyes filled with nothing but shocked and uncertainty. The former princess could feel her heart beat, pounding gently and her trembling hands came to a stop and slowly dropped them from her red ears whilst her golden eye gazing at the smile that is still on her mother's face.

Azula hesitant for but a moment as she averted her gaze down to the floor…or so she thought as her eyes staring in surprise at the grass she stepped on. The raven haired girl shook her head, telling herself that this was nothing but a dream or another weird vision but it all stopped when she heard her mother calling for her to be on her side once more.

The former princess quickly banished the thoughts from her head as she rushed to her mother side, gazing at the beautiful smile on the older woman's face with affection. "Isn't it beautiful, honey?" Ursa asked as her daughter as Azula took a glimpse of the scene transpired in front of her. Azula's golden eyes could be seen staring across the field below from where they're standing as the said field is surrounded by hills and flowers in different colors ranging from red, white, orange and the list goes on. But the sound of the thunderous waterfall astonished her the most as Azula could be seen staring intently at the waterfall beneath where she was standing.

"It's beautiful, mother." Azula nodded her head and for the first time in her life to have an agreement with her mother.

But that peaceful moment was suddenly replaced in horror as the ground beneath them tremble causing the earth that scattered with the field of flower to cracked ,destroying whatever was there and blue flames sprouting out of the ground razing the field of flower alongside the grasses to ashes filling and covering the horizon with nothing but black smokes.

"No..."

"Way?" Ursa finished it for her daughter, the woman's eyes that was filled with loved were replaced with hatred as Azula stare at her mother in disbelief. "This is what you did, Azula. You're the caused of this destruction!" Ursa told her, eyes narrowing angrily which caused her to take a step back but she was being held, as her mother's hand grabbing her arm, holding her tightly as she tried to fight back for her to let go.

"It's not my fault..!" Azula denied, but her words came to deafened in her mother ears. Ursa released a growled, the older woman's other hand clenched into a fist, rising it to the air before pummeling her in the stomach. Azula coughed in surprised as pain erupted causing her lose her balance and fall flat on the ground. But, her mother wasn't finished, no, she was far from finished as red fire blazing brightly on her vision.

"Die, you devil spawn!"

After that, everything became darkness as the only thing that could be heard was Azula screamed.

Her breathing is ragging as she snapped her eyes opened whilst her hands unconsciously grabbing her stomach. Azula averted her gaze down on her belly, feeling nothing but the numb from the coldness night, she then averted her gaze, checking her surrounding to see that she was back in her cell which caused Azula to sighed in relief. "It was just a dream...it's okay, it was just a dream..." she spoke softly to herself, trying to assured her subconscious that everything will be all right.

"Look at you, so pathetic!" Ozai growled as she stared at her father who was standing beside her mother. "You're not my daughter!" he raged and charging forward with a knife in his hand. Azula stood there, watching as her father run towards her. She assured herself that it was not real. However, when the man was neared her she unconsciously dodged.

"It's not real...it's not real..." she said to herself, repeating the mantra again and again but each time he was neared her she dodged. Azula gritted her teeth, she couldn't do anything against them...but dodging and running. Even then, the situation gotten worse as she stare at her mother whom joined the hunt alongside her father. When she tried to run away from them, she stopped in her track as she stare fireballs then surrounding her.

"There is no way you can run from this!"

"No!" Azula screamed in horror as the vision vanished, her screamed catching the attention of the guards that were tasked to watching after her. Their voices and laughter managed to make her realized that everything she seen was not real. However, at certain points she feels like she could die with these nightmare...and each time she feels like her life was in the line...she was back, and the voices somehow disappeared.

"I can't take this anymore…' Azula thought with hot tears streaming down her eyes. Then she curled down on the ground as she tried to catch some 's no way she could live a life like this, not without this fear that slowly turning her crazy. At least, she was glad the voices disappeared.

But she should've known; the voice wouldn't stopped.

"You're nothing but a monster!"

"Yes, a monster! You're nothing but a monster, Azula!"

"You're a disgrace to our family!"

"Why did I need to die from someone as pathetic as you!?"

"Leave me alone!" Azula whimpered in her cell. The former princess cried and cried, her tears were nothing but showed the world how broken she had become. "Just kill me…please...somebody, please kill me!"

"There's no way they're going to kill a monster like you straight away." Ursa told her with a sick grin. "You don't deserved mercy! I bet they're going to tortures you till you die and leave your body hanging until you rot!"

"No!" Azula roared as she rose from her curling position before she slammed her fist to the wall, causing it to fractured. As she was conflicted with herself, Lord Zuko, the former banished prince of the Fire Nation was standing at the other side of the bar. He stood there with his eyes staring at his sister. The look of sadness could easily been seen as he averted his gaze and glanced at the guards.

"Leave us."

The two guards send each other a look before nodding their heads.

"Yes, Lord Zuko."

The Fire lord watched the two guards left as they disappeared further into the darkness. Then, he then set his eyes on his sister who was holding her heads, whilst whimpering in distraught, repeating words he couldn't quite understand. If it was back then, he would've laughed and enjoyed the look of defeat and pathetic she has on her face. However, now, everything is different and ever since the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai and his followers he feels nothing but regret shrouding his heart.

Ever since the war ended, the world has fallen in a blissful peace. But, despite that seeing the state of her sister gotten worsen and the fate had fallen into her recently making him relentless. Zuko stood across the cell, staring at Azula pitiful state with a frown spreading on his lips. He might have gotten Aang to agreed with his plan of getting her out of prison. But the question is remained unanswered whether he could get her out of here without any trouble from the woman he considered as his sister herself.

'They agreed with this plan...as long as she agreed...if not' Zuko thought somberly before he took a deep breath and released them. Shaking his head, the Fire Lord quickly banished the thought of doubts and uncertainty from his head. "Azula!" Zuko called out, startling the young woman as she looked at him with a petrified expression plastered on her face. "I am getting you out of here." He told her and without a second thought or any hesitation he opened the door of her cell.

Azula froze, glaring at him as her fear and anxiety turned into anger releasing the pent up inside her towards him. "Why are you doing this now!?" she demanded, her tone rises showing her anger. "Why do you bother getting me out of this place!? It's better if I just die! I'm a monster!" She screamed at him with tears streaming down her eyes.

Zuko shook his head, entering the cell as he approached his sister and then he used his hand to wept the tears off her face. Out of everything they had went through, be it the time when they're young or when they're nemesis, he knows and always knew that his sister wasn't a monster. No, the only monster he considered is perhaps his father.

Everything, should be blamed to that man.

"You're not a monster, Azula." He told her with a smile adored on his face. The voices that were inside her head suddenly becoming dimmed and silent, the cries soon became a sobbing. Afterward, Azula was staring at him with wide eyes as she sees Zuko extending his hand as she stared at the palm of his right hand with the expression of surprise on her face.

"Because you're and will always be my sister." Zuko said. "Now, Let's get you out of here, sister!"

"I..." she started, her thoughts were filled with uncertainty whether she should accepted his hand. "This is...a lie, right? I...I...why are you giving me another chance..? I...I don't deserved any of your kindness..."

Zuko was staring at her, the words that came out of her mouth was perhaps unexpected. But, then again everyone could change...and he guessed, the same thing did happened to him after all.

"Because, I trust you; that you won't ruined this one." Zuko answered with a smile before he became serious. "Now, what do you say? Do you want to get out of this cell or...do you preferred death over life?"

A young man, stood over 6 feet was walking across a street of an abandoned village. He has spiky blonde haired and bangs falling down onto his jawline with birthmarks like whiskers, three on each cheeks. On his forehead, knotted the shinobi village he represented; konohagakure no satou. The blonde was wearing an orange cloak that covered his body down to his lower part of his knees and underneath the cloak, he was wearing a black jumpsuit with golden and white trimmed on it and behind was the infamous red swirling symbol of his clan, below, he was wearing a light blue colored shinobi pants, with the holster of his kunai and shuriken tied on the right side of his knees, and his feet was covered by a paired of shinobi boots

He was none other than Uzumaki Naruto; the Hero of the Leaf and also the child of prophecy that brought peace to the world alongside uniting the five great Shinobi Villages.

The sound of the glass shattered perhaps startled him for a slighest second, catching his attention as he looked at the sourced of the noise, above his head to see the sky above him distorted as glass like object falling down towards him. But, that didn't worried him one bit, quickly activating sage mode he looked out for any sense of dangers but found nothing except the living being falling down from the sky.

"Shit!" The blond shinobi cursed as he watched the person...which was a woman falling down from the sky fast! Naruto was quickly alerted as he brought his hands and formed the familiar 'T' hand seal as smokes clouded him. When the smokes dispersed, three clones jumped into action as they leaped on top of each other before he managed to grabbed her and falling softly on the ground.

Naruto caught the woman with surprise, finding how light she was despite her baggy uniform. The woman also reeks but despite that what surprises him more then anything was the fresh wounds covering her body with a few cuts between her legs and arms, she was also covering in bruises and burning marks.

But right now, she was unconscious as he decided maybe it is time for him to search for a nearby village and settled in for a while.

Beside, Sasuke did informed him of meeting him as soon as possible.

"Well…what choices do I have left?' The son of the Fourth Hokage thought with a smile. Beside, it is not like him not to helped anyone with a problem, as long as he have the strength, he will help them. Later on,the day slowly ended with the sun starting to set as it golden light shimmering across the horizon slowly dimmed and the stars could slowly be seen glittering across the sky alongside the moon that is shining down upon the world.

Author Note: Holy shit! I don't know what suddenly came over me. But when I edited this chapter for the second time, there's this feeling spreading inside me that out of a sudden, suddenly motivated me to continued writing. I don't know what it was but I guess it's the surging of happiness that will be enough for me to continue writing, and the curiosity of finding out the reaction of my readers reading my stories! Well, I would really be thankful if you reviwed and give me your opinions regarding the first chapter of this story! I might not be a great writer, but I hope one day I can be one and publishing my own books! Hahaha, dreams aside, after this, I will update my other stories. Sooo~ looking forward to it! If you haven't read any of my other stories, please, I am telling you, please give them a chance and tell me whether you liked it or not! That is all for me, until next time, and I wished everyone have a great day!