Dislaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender and it's characters belong to Viacom

Prologue

He clutched his head as the wave of terror swept through his body. His body slowly curled and he struggled to breath in the cramped space. Burdened with the extreme weight, his chest rose and fell uneasily. He trailed his hands down to his face and shuddered as a cool liquid met his palm. His terror subsided and opened his eyes. The eye he relied on was swollen, so if he could have seen in the darkness. 'Not broken' he decided as he exhaled through his nostrils and then his tongue tested his lips.

"Cut" he shifted onto his back and his body protested when a sharp object cut into his back. He groaned and turned back to the side. He stretched and removed the metal shard from his back while shaking from the pain. The object safely in his palm, and he knew it to be his crown. As his bloody hand clutched the golden piece, he shook with rage as his hand fingers enclosed over it. 'This is why I am here.' He felt the sharp edges press into his skin and the numb shock that had washed over his body began to shift to anger. 'This… this…' Images of the attack flew through his mind. This palm sized emblem had ruined his life.

It was the first time after his ascendency to the throne that Zuko knew his half his country was rejecting his message of peace. Naively he had known the process would be long and weary, but he failed to comprehend why Azula's name fell favorably from the people's lips. His sister's banishment from the country had made her into the martyr that Zuko never became. He had intercepted plots to dethrone him that had his sister supplanting him as the rightful Firelord. Even with her locked away in an obscure prison, she was dangerous and he was all alone.

What happened to those blissful years where the Fire Nation reconstructed peacefully? The release of information had not corrected the propaganda of his father's reign. The country was either too poor to care, too attached to the image of the imperialism, or too stubborn to willing accept him as anything but a traitor. It took all of his energy and his allies' energy to reach the populace. The strain of those four years of readjustment gradually brought reward, but threatened his happiness. Rogue threats turned into sleepless nights, dire situations estranged him from his long-time girlfriend, and up rise in the city threatened his sanity. The whole Fire Nation seemed to have turned against him after another ally was slowly eliminated. His uncle's presence was the only soothing presence amid the chaos in and out of the palace. Mai was growing weary from the boredom of confinement of the palace that fateful day.

"Mai" His hoarse voice cracked bitterly and he glanced around. The wreckage suddenly shifted and he braced himself for more pain as some pelted his legs and chest. He coughed causing the dirt to stir around him and let the crown slide out of his throbbing hand. He was still shaking all over with anger as much as the cramped space would allow.

He couldn't comprehend the voices and he tried to wriggle out of the enclosure. Light began to pour in and his unprepared eyes blinked rapidly and streamed tears. He turned his head to the right and images slowly adjusted. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight that slowly appeared before him. His heart pounded in his ears and his swollen eye throbbed as tears squeezed out. He felt some of the burden lifted from the lower regions of his body and black specks appeared before him as he became unconscious at the sight of his girlfriend's long, pale hand peeking from the buried earth. His body was being lifted as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Author's Note: Sorry I took so long to post! I couldn't decide if I wanted to start with such a dark chapter. I didn't want to kill off Mai, but the longer I kept her in the story I saw it was more difficult to keep the plot running smoothly. On a high note, I've been brainstorming though for the past few weeks and I've also written the first few chapters. That should be posted soon! R/R

Nuclear Kitty