Found
Written by: Forever Fyre
Beta: Panakin
Ursa took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder at the group of refugees behind her.
She turned back around and stared at the great Wulong Forest. It was the site of the epic battle that went on about three hours ago.
It was also the site of where her children were most likely killed.
She had heard the news immediately. Her daughter, Princess Azula, had journeyed with her father, the new Phoenix King Ozai, to burn down the Earth Kingdom. Ursa had been disgusted by the idea. After all, the Earth Kingdom was home to millions of families and refugees like herself. Burning it down would be taking homes away from people that didn't have much else.
Azula had supposedly come up with the idea - sadly, Ursa believed that, her daughter was always the 'bad' child. She would tease Zuko, Ursa's seventeen-year-old son, until he would cry. Ozai also was mean to Zuko,showing obvious favor for Azula in front of the boy.
However, she couldn't blame Azula; her father just about abused her through all those training sessions he put her through. Sometimes the girl would limp into the dining room at dinnertime and be covered in bruises and burns. When Ursa would ask Ozai what happened, he simply would tell her that Azula was learning a new firebending set.
Azula was a firebending prodigy. The Sages had predicted that a month before she was born. But the thing that always bothered Ozai was that they also predicted she would be a boy. So Ozai made her work harder than she should so they could prove the Sages right.
Ursa had always been against it. Her little girl deserved better than to be bullied around all the time. But since Ozai favored Azula, she decided to be with Zuko more often.
Ozai had always neglected Zuko; anytime Zuko wanted to do something with his father Ozai would just ignore him and go off to find Azula for another of those abusive training sessions.
Zuko didn't have any friends either. Well, he had a couple, but Ozai scared one away. The other one Zuko found going around school saying he was friends with the Fire Prince's own son. His 'friend' had said that Zuko was boring and weird, but his parents praised him the day he went to the Palace. Zuko had come home heartbroken.
"Ursa," a voice broke her from her memories. She turned to look at the man standing behind her. He was tall, had dark hair and emerald green eyes that glowed and reminded Ursa of soft green grass. He normally smiled when Ursa was nearby, but now his face bore concern and sadness.
His name was Shu. When Ursa had been banished, she had traveled to a small Earth Kingdom town. Luckily, no one there had recognized her, so she was able to start a new life. She had a few gold coins, enough to rent a small home for two months, but when her money ran out, Shu took her in. He had never had any children or a family of his own because he was sent off to fight in the war at sixteen. After living with him for three of the seven years she was gone, Shu wanted Ursa to marry him.
That is when she told him who she was.
He had accepted her for who she was, and had respected the fact she was still married. He had been so nice to her, protecting her and making sure no one found out who she was.
Until about an hour ago, when he had told everyone on their town.
But Ursa wasn't mad or upset about it. In fact, she was grateful. He had told everyone because he wanted everyone to be able to help her young children. The townsfolk had been shocked at first, but then they had felt sorry for her and decided to help.
So now, they were here at the Wulong Forest, and Ursa had just realized she was shaking. She also just realized that Shu had his hand on her shoulder.
"Yes, Shu?" Ursa's voice was no more than a soft whisper, but Shu heard her.
"Are you ready to search?"
Ursa nodded slowly, still shaking. Shu took her hand and turned to face the group of townsfolk. He took a deep breath and squeezed her hand slightly. Ursa pulled herself up against Shu as he began to speak.
"Everyone, I want you to split up. Groups of two. If you see any sign of Azula or Zuko, let me know immediately! That means pieces of clothing, footprints, or..." his voice trailed off as he looked Ursa in the eye. "Or blood. Any sign that a fifteen-year-old girl or a seventeen-year-old boy were here about three hours ago."
Everyone nodded, all looking concerned and shaky. Shu looked down at Ursa and back at the group of refugees in front of him. He nodded to them and everyone split up in groups of two and went in opposite directions.
Shu stayed put until everyone from the group had separated. He looked at Ursa with soft eyes and hugged her gently. Ursa took a deep breath and pulled away from his embrace. She stepped forward and began her own search.
After a couple of minutes, a man ran up to Ursa and Shu. "I found something; you might want to check it out." Ursa and Shu looked at each other and ran towards the direction the man had come from.
They ran next to a large rock column. There was an elderly woman kneeling next to the pillar of stone. Ursa kneeled next to her, Shu about two feet behind. The woman pointed to a red metallic boot, melted and crushed under the force of the rocks crumbled above it. Ursa stared at the boot, crafted out of fine metal and tinted with gold. She picked it up and looked at it carefully. At the places where it was melted, there was a thick red substance dripping off of it, normally stuck to a piece of pale human tissue. She ran her fingers along the dents in the red metal and gasped lightly. She had seen a smaller version of this long ago.
Seven years ago, on her eight-year-old daughter's foot.
She jumped up. "She was here. Azula!"
Everyone ran to examine the boot. Shu looked up. "Split up, but this time, stay in this area. Look for another boot, hair, or even a teenage girl. Now!" he yelled.
Ursa pulled up against Shu as if a child looking for protection. Shu wrapped his arms around her chest and snuggled her close. They walked towards another collapsed rock column and searched under the miniature boulders for her children.
They searched for what seemed like forever, until someone shouted, "I FOUND HIM!"
Ursa didn't even take a moment to blink. She ran for the man who had yelled about her son. She dashed as fast as her legs could take her. She turned one corner too quickly and tripped over her own feet. She scrambled back up and sprinted forward towards yet another crumbled rock column. She saw an arm and a leg poking out of the gaps between rocks. She gasped and gripped the arm.
There was a pulse. She sighed gently and pulled up, hoping the boy would be freed from his rock prison. Another couple of people helped, and after a few moments of struggling, they were able to free Ursa's son.
Ursa stared at her seventeen-year-old son. Half of his face was pink from the burn that was eternally etched into his flesh. His body was covered in bruises and burns, which looked awful with the blood dripping from them.
His other arm, which had been trapped under the boulders, seemed to be reaching for something else trapped nearby. Ursa told some of the men to start digging; she had a feeling Azula was nearby.
The men dug and dug through layers of rock until they saw a bundle of black thread. Ursa instantly identified it as her daughter's thick, silky hair. It was matted with clumps of blood, but it was still shiny, most likely from sweat.
This was the first time Ursa had seen her children in seven years - and she wished more than anything that she wasn't seeing them now.
They were all grown up; Azula had just turned fifteen, Zuko was seventeen. They looked much stronger than when they were little, and Ursa couldn't believe it, but they looked much more beautiful too.
While Ursa was away, she had celebrated fourteen birthdays. Every time one of her children's birthdays came up, she would often cry, but then imagine how her children looked now. In all honesty, she hadn't guessed they looked anything like this. And that wasn't just because they were covered in bruises and cuts.
The cuts were deep and looked awful, and Ursa was sure some of them were infected. She wanted to get her babies back somewhere safe, clean their cuts and hold them in her arms.
She helped pull her children out from under the crushing weight of the rocks. Shu pulled Azula up and held her over his shoulder. He looked over at Ursa, who was struggling to pick up Zuko.
"You got him?" he asked softly, trying not to say anything that could bring back painful memories to the woman.
She nodded softly, but Shu could see tears forming in her eyes. He motioned to one of the townsfolk, who ran up and pulled Zuko from Ursa's arms. At first, Ursa seemed hurt by the gesture, but then realized it was probably better if someone stronger than herself carried her children.
Shu and the man carrying Zuko looked over at Ursa, and if saying 'What should we do with them?'
"Take them back to the town. Get the medics to look after them. Make sure they wake up by morning. If they don't, that's when we need to begin worrying."
But she was already worrying.
It took a long while of walking, and after Shu and the man carrying Zuko got tired, they had to hand them off to some others who were willing to carry them the rest of the way.
When they finally got to the town, the men placed Ursa's children in the town hospital. Ursa had them put in rooms right next to each other, so she could keep an eye on both of them. She switched between rooms every few minutes, just so she would be able to be there when one of them woke up.
Shu came in and stayed with her for about an hour, but eventually he got tired and headed for bed. But not before telling Ursa that if either of the children woke up to get him immediately.
Ursa sat at her daughter's side, holding her hand and squeezing it tight.
"Azula, I am so sorry. Sorry for the way I treated you, sorry for saying the things I said to you," she paused, holding her breath for the silent moment. "Sorry I never said goodbye to you. It is my deepest regret.
"The last conversation I ever had with you...I was the monster. I didn't mean what I said. I was just upset with your father ... and, as usual, I took it all out on you."
O
"Dads going to kill you!" the eight-year old paused and turned to smile at her eleven-year-old brother. "Really, he is."
"Ha, ha, Azula. Nice try." Was he trying to act tough? Azula couldn't tell.
"Fine, don't believe me. But I heard everything. Grandfather said dad's punishment should fit his crime. 'You must feel the pain of losing a first-born son, by sacrificing your own!'"
"LIAR!"
Still the girl pressed forward. She sat on the boy's bed and continued her story. "I'm only telling you for your own good. I know, maybe you could find a nice Earth Kingdom family to adopt you!"
"Stop it, you're lying! Dad would never do that to me!"
"Your father would never do what to you?"
The children turned from glaring at each other to face their mother. "What's going on here?" she pressed on.
"I don't know." the little girl responded sweetly.
Her mother didn't see it as sweet. She gripped her daughters arm and pulled her off her brother's bed. "Come on," her mother said sharply. "It's time for a talk."
Her mother pulled her out to the hall, over to the next door over. It was the eight-year-old's large room, where, unknowing to both of them, they were about to have their last conversation.
Ursa slipped her arms under her daughter's and pinned her to the wall. Azula often got out of these conversations by squirming away. That wasn't going to happen this time.
"What did you say to your brother?" Ursa said, looking her daughter right in the eye.
Azula simply pressed her lips together and looked down, suddenly finding her feet interesting.
"Azula!" her mother said, digging her nails slightly into Azula's pale flesh. Still her daughter just avoided her mother's sharp gaze. "Azula, is it something I need to know about? Is Zuko in trouble?"
Of course, the child thought. All she is worried about is Zuzu.
"Azula!" her mother's voice kept getting sharper, along with her fingernails. Still the girl just bit her lip. Ursa was getting tired of her daughter avoiding the conversation. "ANSWER ME!" she didn't mean to scream, but now Azula's tiny eyes were on her mother. Her mouth was open; she had just gasped when her mother had screamed at her. She often got angry, but never like this.
Azula looked to the side before glaring up at her mother. "Why don't you ask dad?" she screamed back. She took her tiny foot, and with all the strength in her body, she kicked her mother hard in the shin.
Ursa cried out in pain and released her daughter, grabbing her leg and seething in pain.
She had not meant to say it.
"Azula! I can't believe ... you are turning into a monster!"
The eight-year-old froze in place for a second, her mother's words sinking in. Nevertheless, she would not let that distract her. She ran off, never to see her mother's face again
Ursa narrowed her eyes and shook her head. She glanced down at her hand and gasped in horror.
Her daughter's blood was all over the tips of her fingers and her fingernails.
"Azula...?" she whispered softly.
O
Ursa closed her eyes. Her daughter still lay there, still as rock. Ursa's eyes slipped open as she gazed at her daughters face. Ursa could still see Azula's terrified face after she had screamed at her. She could still see Azula's blood on her fingernails. She could still hear herself calling her own daughter a monster.
And look at what it's done to her...
Ursa sighed again. "Sweetie, I never meant a word I said that night. I-I was just so upset. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know what position your father had put you in."
O
Ursa paced in her room. The blood was still on a couple of her fingers, but Ursa was trying not to think about that. Her husband had just gotten back from a late war meeting, and was watching her pace around. She hardly noticed him.
"Is everything alright?" Ozai said, tilting his head slightly. He wondered if Ursa had found out about his plan - that would mean that everything would slowly unravel, nothing would work out, his father would have them all killed.
"I - I'm fine." she whispered. She looked over at Ozai with a saddened look on her face. She walked over to next to him and sat down, pulling herself up against him. Ozai raised an eyebrow, but went along with it, kissing his wives' forehead sweetly. She sighed. "I got mad at Azula again." she finally admitted. Ozai couldn't help but smirk slightly. These stories were always entertaining. "She," Ursa continued. "She was teasing Zuko, as usual, and so I went to ask her what she was teasing him about ... she said 'Ask dad'? It doesn't even make sense!"
Ozai's eyes widened into saucers. "How..." he mumbled, squinting his eyes at the floor.
"How what?"
Ozai looked over at her again. "Nothing." he said slowly, his hands clenching into fists.
Ursa didn't see it as nothing. "There's something you're not telling me." she said, pulling away from Ozai. "What's going on?"
"Nothing you should be concerning yourself with."
"Ozai!" Ursa snapped. She glanced down at the blood on her fingers, as though that of all things was supposed to calm her down. "You should know me by now." she smirked. "I don't stop until I get my way."
Ozai glared daggers at the floor, as if thinking that that would somehow help. "My father has ordered me to kill Zuko tonight." he hissed, avoiding the woman's gaze.
Ursa jumped away from him. "What?" she breathed, unable to think. "W-why?"
"I only had the nation's best interest at heart. I told him since Iroh's bloodline had ended, and he had no wife to produce more children with, that maybe if I were his heir, then our nation wouldn't have to worry about finding a new Fire Lord after Iroh dies. I mean, I have two strong, healthy children, and a wife that's here, alive."
Ursa rolled her eyes. "Two strong, healthy children, one of whom you're going to kill?"
"He said that since I was requesting such a thing, right after the death of Iroh's son...he told me I needed to know what it felt like to lose my heir. 'You must learn respect, and suffering must be your teacher.' Ursa, you have to understand."
"What I don't understand is how you're so okay with all this!" she yelled, an angry yet disappointed look on her face.
"Ursa ..."
"Just, just stop!"
The two were in silence for a few minutes. Ursa was still standing; Ozai still sitting in front of her. Ozai was trying to avoid his wife's gaze, but every once in a while he caught a glimpse of her tear-filled eyes. Ursa just looked at him, hurt and confused.
Ursa got an idea. "What if your father's final wish were for you to be Fire Lord?"
"How would he get him to do that?"
"Well," Ursa sighed. "We could try talking sense into him." She shrugged. "Or, if that doesn't work...we could try and force sense into him."
"I'm listening."
O
"Did he hurt you? Did he yell at you?" Ursa said, her hand caressing her daughter's burnt face. "I don't know how you made it this long; two parents who constantly yelled at you?" Ursa shuddered. "I couldn't even imagine."
O
Azula was in her room, practicing her firebending. She would often do that when she was upset, which normally happened after her mother yelled at her or her father hit her. She took a deep breath and sent a burst of fire at her wall. She extinguished it just before it hit; her mother would be even more furious if her wall was burnt.
Her little head turned when she heard her door creak open. Her father strode in, looking more furious than her mother was earlier.
"F-father?" she asked. She fell to her knees and bowed in front of him. He gripped her arm and yanked her to her feet. She gasped in shock and looked up to meet his petrifying gaze.
"Come here!" he snapped. He pulled the child from her room and through a few hallways. The girl struggled gently, but after a few hateful words from her father, she stopped immediately.
She finally got up the courage to utter a question. "W-where are you taking me?"
The man didn't respond, his little daughter still in tow.
He pulled her down a couple of sets of stairs, through another hallway, one turn to the left, one to the right - Azula knew this route by heart. They were headed to her training room.
Azula looked up at her father. He was still striding forward, not paying attention to the child behind him, who had to to take two steps to equal one of his. He opened the large steel door to the room he met his daughter in every day.
"Father, w-why are we here?" she said, her voice so shaky it was hardly understandable. Her father placed a hand on her back and threw her forward into the room face first. The girl shrieked as she hit the ground.
Then, an unbelievable pain slapped her ankles.
She screamed as she heard a crack, then the pain went to her back. She turned to see what was happening. Her father had made a long whip, glowing with red flames. He whipped her little pale back again. He growled and whipped her two more times, before grabbing her shirt and yanking her back for her feet. He placed a hand over her neck and slammed her into the wall. The child gasped again and reached for her neck.
"You stupid little girl!" he yelled. "How did you find out?"
"I-I hid in the cur-"
"And then you told your mother about it! You little brat!"
"I'm sorry!"
He didn't care. He gripped her hair and slammed her into the ground.
"Stand up."
She couldn't. It hurt to breath, much less stand. Her father growled and grabbed the eight-year-old's wrist. He dragged his daughter all the way back to her room and threw her into bed.
"Stupid little brat," he mumbled on the way out of her room, closing the door and pretending nothing ever happened.
O
Ursa lay next to her daughter, holding her close. "My last words to you..." she breathed. "I basically told you I hated you. And then to Zuko, I told him he was the best child ever. That I loved him. That he was amazing and perfect. But you are the best girl ever. I love you. You are amazing and perfect."
O
Azula awoke slowly, her back aching from the burns and cuts, her head feeling as though she were drowning.
She heard a loud, muffled creak coming from the next room over; her brothers room. Azula smiled with delight. At least now she wouldn't be the only one tortured by her father that night.
She slipped out of bed, her whole body feeling weak and exhausted. She walked over to her wall and placed her ear up against it, listening for any cries of pain or hateful words.
She heard just the opposite.
"Mom?"
"Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you. Remember this Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are."
Azula heard the door close and ran back to her bed. She leapt under the covers and pretended to sleep, waiting for her mother to come to her room as well.
She never did.
Azula waited for five minutes, ten minutes, an hour. Still no sign of her mother. All the while her anger and sadness bubbling inside of her. She couldn't take it anymore. She dug her long fingernails into her arms, waiting for red liquid to trickle down her arms as much as it trickled down her back. She growled and fought her blankets until she grew exhausted.
She vowed one thing that day;
She wouldn't stop until Zuko's whole life was as miserable as she felt at that moment.
O
Ursa was so upset with herself. Her little daughter was lying beside her, still unconscious and miserable. Ursa sighed gently, rubbing her daughter's arms and hugging her tight. She had been beaten up; physically by her father, and mentally by her mother. Ursa closed her eyes, tears seeping out and wetting her cheeks. "I never said goodbye. I never apologized. I never told you I loved you. I never told you that I knew you would grow up to do something great."
She opened her eyes. Her daughter looked so different, yet so similar. She had the same blood red lips, same silky black hair, same pale cheeks. Yet her features looked older, bigger in a way. Ursa kissed the girl's forehead and pulled away. She gripped the sheet on the hospital bed and tucked the child in.
"I love you." Ursa whispered softly. She stood and walked over to the door, turning again to look at her daughter again. "I love you." she repeated, but this time her eyes were on the floor, her face showing the guilt she felt.
She trudged slowly and somewhat reluctantly over to her son's room. Her son was sweating heavily, tossing and turning in his sleep.
"Zuko? Zuko, sweetie, are you alright?"
He answered with a groan. He panted gently, struggling to breathe. "Zuko! Zuko, wake up!" his mother yelled. She ran to his bedside and grabbed his chest, trying to shake him awake.
O
"Zuko!"
Zuko was ready. He shot up a shield of red, glowing flames to block off the burst of light blue that had been only a few inches away from him. He couldn't help but gasp when he felt a flash of heat on his arm, burning his shirt and causing him to jump.
He turned to the young Airbender - the Avatar - who stood next to him. Zuko was more than happy that the kid had shown up; otherwise, he would have been dead by now.
He had been alone two minutes and was already aching all over. His father and sister were the two deadliest people in the world. Being left alone with them ... well it was a scary thought.
Katara and Zuko had come on Appa, straight from Ba Sing Se. Zuko had finally seen his Uncle again, and he had told Zuko that he was destined to become Fire Lord over his father. Maybe that would be possible.
Mostly because his father had declared himself the Phoenix King. So, the title of Fire Lord was open. Unless of course Azula wanted the title. If that were the case, the world was as good as gone.
Zuko had arrived at the Wulong Forest, alone, right as the Air Fleet showed up. Katara had taken Appa to a safe place. She could heal, so Zuko thought that she needed to be kept safe just in case.
His father and sister had pretty much beaten him up while Aang wasn't there. It's not fun getting beat up by your own family, but Zuko had gotten used to it by now.
Finally, when Aang had shown up, things were a bit fairer. Zuko had taken Azula, while Aang was attempting to take down his father.
However, there was a problem; Aang wouldn't kill Ozai. It was against Air Nomad culture or something. It was Zuko's own father, and he was more for the plan than Aang.
So, they had no plan.
Fantastic.
Zuko leapt up in the air as blue fire flew at him. He turned to look at his little sister. She was wearing some very fancy looking battle armor, and her hair was up in its usual bun, except some of her hair was down, somewhat like how her father wore his. Her golden eyes seemed to sparkle in a way under the comets red glow. She looked older, like in the past two weeks she had aged a couple of years. She also looked tired - exhausted even. Zuko guessed she had stayed up all the night before, from stress most likely.
His father had been wearing some fancy 'Phoenix King' something or other, but after Aang got there, he had gotten rid of anything that could make fighting harder. Zuko kind of wished that his father had at least given some effort while beating him up, but no, he was beat up by a fifteen-year-old and a guy who was hardly paying attention.
Aang narrowly avoided being struck by lightning. That was probably the scariest part about Azula and Ozai; they could both fire lightning at will. And Zuko grew up with them. Honestly, the only thing holding his sanity together was his mother.
Zuko fired a blast of bright red fire from his clenched fist. His sister swept her hand up as a stream of blue flew up to block it and send fire back at him. Zuko jumped up and kicked both of his feet forward in an attempt to block the flames. When that failed, he cried out in pain and hit the ground hard.
Azula turned her attention to the young Avatar, who was already in a panic running from the Fire Lord. Aang gasped and sent a powerful funnel of air towards Azula. Azula cried out in shock as the air punched her in the chest and she flew back. She looked up from her place on the ground and searched for her brother.
Unfortunately for him, she found him. He was sitting on a rock pillar, rubbing his ankle and gritting his teeth. Azula smiled. Oh, how much she loved irony! Seven years ago, the night their mother left, she had been on the ground rubbing her ankles. Now, she decided to make him suffer.
She sent a bolt of light blue lightning at the pillar he was sitting on. He gasped as the rocks began to slide and shift, until suddenly, the whole thing collapsed.
Zuko shouted as the pillar - and himself - landed hard on the ground. His leg was instantly pinned under a large rock, restricting movement and causing him great pain. He looked up to see his little sisters golden eyes shining down on him. She had a wicked smirk on her face. Zuko glared up at her and howled roughly.
"Ugh, I hate you!" he yelled.
Azula smiled. "I am well aware, Zuzu." With that she spun on her heel and ran towards her father.
Zuko struggled roughly against the rocks pinning him to the ground, but his struggling was useless; the rocks were too heavy, too strong. He tried to kick furiously at the rocks, but that failed too. He seethed and growled, but obviously, that didn't help much.
Azula ran to the area where her father was battling the Avatar. She sent a huge wave of her signature blue flames at the young boy, who yelled in surprise and tried to jump out of the way. He was hit by the blazing inferno and sent tumbling off of the rock pillar he had been standing on. He hit the ground with a loud thud followed by a deep grunt as Aang gripped his left shoulder.
Aang looked up breathlessly as Ozai sent a bolt of lightning at him. He scrambled to his feet and leapt out of the way just as the lightning destroyed the spot where he had just been. He stared in horror at the remains of the battlefield; rock pillars shattered, everything burnt, the ground had huge craters in it, and the remains of his own clothing all over.
He looked up in horror. "There's no way." he breathed. He glanced over at Zuko, who struggled against the rocks and grunted in pain. Aang looked back up at his two opponents, his mouth slightly open in shock and horror.
"No way." he repeated, his whole body shaking.
Zuko pushed hard against the rocks, but they just tumbled back down to trap his arms. He squirmed gently, hardly able to breathe.
He watched his little sister walk up to her father. "We ...we did it." Azula smiled. Her father's back was to her, and she felt a shiver go down her spine as she remembered him yelling at her three days ago.
And about what? What did she do to deserve that kind of abuse from both of her parents? Why didn't Zuzu have to deal with that?
Actually, she guessed that her father was happy he had taken her along. If it weren't for her, he would still be fighting. He might even be - dare she think it - losing.
She looked up at him with eyes that sparkled like shiny gold pieces. She looked excited - like she was a little girl again. Her whole face reflected the happiness she felt; her lips were not in their usual smirk, but instead an actual smile. She looked like all of her dreams had come true for one glorious moment.
Little did she know that moment was about to come to an end.
"The Avatar ran away - the coward - we didn't defeat him. He is still out there somewhere. The war is not over until the Avatar is gone." Ozai didn't even seem to notice what he was saying. He just seemed so calm about breaking the girl's spirit.
Azula frowned for a moment, but then she smiled again. "We'll find him. He can run all he wants, but the Fire Nation will catch him." She had so much pride in her country. Zuko hadn't felt that kind of pride since he was a child.
Ozai paused for a moment. He seemed to be thinking of something to say. "Do you want to know why exactly the Avatar ran away?" he said finally.
"Because he's a coward - he's weak. And all weaklings must be eliminated."
"Correct. And how did he get away?"
Azula frowned again, her brow furrowing. "He must have hidden behind some of these stupid rocks. Then, he used his airbending abilities to get out without our knowing." she examined her nails for a moment. A few were broken or jagged, but otherwise, her manicure was intact.
"Correct. Therefore, he slipped right out of our grasp. Do you know how he did that?"
Azula narrowed her eyes. Was this not what she had just explained? She shrugged as her answer, though she didn't know exactly what he meant by the question.
Her father must have sensed the shrug, seeing as he wasn't facing her, because he growled softly. "I asked you a question. Do you know how he did that?"
Azula rubbed her foot against the ground. "I don't know, father."
Ozai shifted slightly. "Of course you don't. And do you want to know why you don't?" Azula looked at the ground. "Because you were too 'busy' fighting your stupid brother. I want you to realize in the time it took you to pin down your brother, I already had the Avatar backed into a corner, terrified and making plans to run away."
Azula kept her eyes down. "Yes sir. I'll try and do better next time."
The man scoffed. "Thanks to you, there will be a next time. But trust me; we won't have mistakes like that again."
Azula nodded gently, her whole body shaking.
Then the unbearable heat of a huge jet of fire slammed into her chest.
Azula gasped as she fell on her back, her clothes burning. She looked up at her father, who was glaring down at her. The man snarled, sending another burst of flame at his daughter. She screamed and scrambled to her feet, trying all she could to get away from her own father. He simply gripped her arm, causing third-degree burns to emerge on her forearm.
"What are you doing?" Azula shrieked, trying all she could to pull away.
Her father smirked. "Getting rid of a pest; she's of no use to me anymore." with that, he kicked her hard in the knee, causing it to give out. The child yelled again as she fell to the ground, her leg buckling. She gripped it with both hands and gritted her teeth. She looked up in horror at her father. He was three times her size, was much stronger than herself, and wasn't afraid to hit his opponent.
Azula gasped again as her father fired a bolt of pure lightning straight at her. She rolled over on her side, narrowly avoiding being killed. She looked up at the man, her eyes glistening with tears.
"I'm sorry!" she cried, being brought back to that moment seven years ago when she had told him those exact words.
He simply laughed and sent another burst of inferno at the girl. She screamed again, pulling away and trying her hardest to stay alive. She jumped to her feet and attempted to run, but her leg gave out from under her and she fell to the ground.
"It's like you said; the Fire Nation must destroy all weaklings." he smirked. "No wonder your own mother didn't even love you."
That was a mistake.
She sprang to her feet and created a huge jet of - Zuko couldn't believe it - white fire. It was more of an extremely bright light blue color, but from a distance it looked like it was glowing white. Azula screamed and pushed it forward with all the strength in her body. Ozai gasped and tried to block it, but instead it slammed into his arm, causing him to fall back.
Azula began circling her arms around her body, creating a bolt of lightning. With the other hand, she created a small white flame in her hand and thrust it forward, combining the two in a deadly mix and shooting it at her father.
"TAKE IT BACK!" Azula shrieked. She thrust her hand toward again and the white fire flew at her father.
Ozai stared in horror for a moment, but then, to Zuko's shock, he smiled. "Take it back?" he chuckled, shaking his head gently. "Like how your 'friends' took back their sanity by dumping you?"
Azula's eyes widened. She screamed and sent a series of fast white-hot punches right at the man's torso. He simply dodged and continued smiling. "And your mother; she never loved you. She always loved your failure brother!"
Azula leapt at the man's legs, fire burning from her palms. She gripped both of his ankles and burnt them. Ozai snarled and kicked at his daughter, who flew back - off the rock pillar and to the ground.
"And you actually thought you were going to become Fire Lord!" he laughed as if his daughters dreams were humorous. She looked up, glaring at her father.
She looked awful now. Her hair was all down, tangled and matted. Her clothes - which once looked like they were fit for the Fire Nation princess - were burnt and torn all over. The knee that had given out from under her seemed to be trying to bend backwards. When she breathed Zuko could tell she had some broken ribs. When she fought Zuko could tell her mind was slipping.
Why was her father doing this to her? It wasn't fair. She was outmatched, and he was just destroying her sanity. She screeched again and lunged at his throat. He simply sidestepped away and she tumbled to the ground.
"And you actually thought I cared about a failure like you?" he smiled wickedly. "Please. You could have made a general one day, but you honestly thought you mattered more than that?"
Azula sent a bolt of lightning at the rock pillar her father was standing on. He jumped to the next one over. "You're a bigger failure than your brother!" he taunted.
Azula glared with eyes that could make most people drop dead. But instead of looking completely furious, she looked like she was about to cry. Her whole body was shaking; partially from fear, partially from trying to keep her tears inside.
Zuko closed his eyes, trying to tune out the taunts the man was throwing at his little sister. Sadly, he could not, and was forced to listen to Azula's breakdown.
"You honestly thought anyone ever loved you? Ha!" Ozai just wouldn't stop. Zuko cringed as Azula sent another burst of fire, which was counterattacked by her father. He sent several rings of fire her way, causing her ankles to give out.
She breathed heavily, clutching her knee and rubbing her leg. She was well aware that this was a fight couldn't win, so why had she even tried? It was useless.
Ozai strode over to the pillar about ten feet away from his daughter. "The Fire Nation is better off without failures like you." he hissed.
Azula felt hot tears run down her cheeks. She looked up with begging eyes at her father, who scowled at the girl. He circled his hands around his body, sparks joining together in a deadly streak of lightning. Azula closed her eyes, turning away. She knew what was about to happen.
But to her shock, the man didn't aim for her; he aimed for the rocks beneath her. She gasped as the rocks crumbled beneath the pressure, causing her to fall to the ground and be trampled alive by the rocks, no more than ten feet away from Zuko.
Zuko opened his mouth to scream just as another pillar crumbled, causing hundreds of rocks to bury the siblings alive.
O
"AZULA!"
Zuko shot up, eyes wide and body sweating. He jumped up, pulling the sheet off himself and making a beeline for the door. There was a person in his way; Zuko paid her no attention, simply pushing her out of his way. He ran to the hallway as fast as his swollen legs would allow. He made a sharp right turn, trying to find his sister.
Ursa pulled herself off the ground, brushing herself off. Shu dashed into the room upon hearing the commotion, along with several others who were nearby.
"Ursa! Are you okay?" Shu questioned, running to her side.
Ursa didn't respond, instead staring at the door where her son had run. "Zuko." she breathed, wandering towards the door. She turned right, heading for her daughters room.
She stood in the doorway and watched for a moment. "Azula, Azula, wake up!" her son cried, shaking the girl's body. She stirred to life, her eyes slipping open slowly.
"Zuko?" her voice was raspy, but much like Ursa had remembered. Zuko helped her sit up, being sure to be extremely careful. She rubbed her eyes for a moment, like a child who had just woken from a nap.
Her gaze went to the door, her eyes still red and exhausted. "Mom?" she whispered softly, her voice hardly audible. Zuko's attention turned to the door as well, his eyes widening as far as they could.
Ursa smiled softly, walking ever so slowly into the room. Zuko couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked exactly like she did before; same long black hair, same caring golden eyes, same soft pale flesh...Zuko shook his head, as if thinking when he looked back, she would be gone.
But she was still there.
Azula gripped her head and shut her eyes tight, as if thinking she was hallucinating. Zuko put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to himself, all the while keeping his eyes locked on his mother.
She was now about a foot In front of him, keeping her eyes on him as well. She sat on the bed next to him, being careful to not sit on one of her daughters legs. Still her daughter quickly pulled her legs to her chest and hugged her knees as if they were her best friends. Ursa smiled at her son, who was still staring at her as if she weren't real. She wasn't - she couldn't be. She had been gone for seven years, and suddenly, after he was rendered unconscious, she was here? He was hallucinating, he knew it.
But she was so real. He could see that happiness in her eyes. That motherly smile that caused everything bad that had happened to him in the past seven years to just disappear. "Mom?" he whispered softly.
She smiled wider. "Hello, Zuko." her voice was quiet, and Zuko could tell she was on the verge of tears.
He closed his eyes for a moment, before glancing back down at Azula, who was now convinced she was in a coma and was pinching her arm in an attempt to wake up. Zuko hugged her tighter, trying to make her feel better. She looked up at him, confusion evident just by looking at her eyes. Zuko looked back at his mother, whose gaze had switched to the fifteen-year-old.
"And Azula, look at how big you are!" Ursa said warmly. Zuko felt Azula shift slightly, as if finally realizing that her mother was sitting right in front of her. Azula hugged her knees tighter.
Zuko would have said something - probably something stupid like "You're real!" - But his mouth was so dry he could barely breathe, much less speak.
His mother looked at him, as if asking 'Why aren't you talking to me?' but she said nothing; her smile spoke for her.
Zuko's attention turned to the doorway as a man walked in, staring at Zuko as if witnessing a miracle. Zuko watched Azula's golden eyes move with horror from her mother to the man. He slowly made his way to the bed, which made Azula even more uncomfortable.
Ursa turned around to face Shu. She smiled at him, obviously happy that her children were okay. Shu smiled back at her and sat down on the bed, wrapping an arm around Ursa. Shu instantly noticed that Ursa's son was glaring at him.
Had this man replaced their father? Zuko hated his father, but if their mother had fallen in love with this...stranger...then she may have had more children - ones she had seen more often or loved more. Zuko wrinkled his nose.
Ursa noted this. "Zuko, this is Shu. He's been very nice to me ever since I moved here."
Shu smiled back at Zuko. "You must be Zuko. I've heard so much about you." he said, trying to see if he could get Zuko to stop glaring at him. It didn't work. Shu turned to Azula, smiling wider. "And who is this little princess?" he asked, moving a hand towards the girl.
Azula jumped in surprise and let out a cry of shock, pulling herself back and staring at Shu with wide eyes. Shu jumped back and glanced at Ursa, who was staring at her children, wondering why they were acting funny.
"What's wrong?" Ursa asked her children, raising an eyebrow.
Zuko took a deep breath. "Azula's just a little scared right now. She's had a rough week." he hugged his little sister close.
Ursa nodded softly, though that still didn't explain Zuko's behavior. She watched as Zuko returned his gaze back to Shu, glaring at the man for no apparent reason.
Ursa took a deep breath. "Well, that's it?" she asked, frowning. "I've been gone seven years and I don't even get a hug?" her frown flipped into a smile as she held her arms wide open. Zuko softly leaned forward and hugged her. Ursa smiled wider.
She looked over at her daughter, who seemed like she didn't know if Ursa wanted to hug her too.
"Come on, Azula. I want to hug my little girl." she said. Azula stared at her for a moment, before moving in to hug her mother.
Suddenly, Ursa felt at home. Her babies in her arms, Shu with his arm around her shoulder, even just the fact that Zuko was so worried about Azula's health. It made her smile and her chest swell with pride, knowing that everything was right, and that together, they could take down Ozai.
O
Zuko held his little sister's hand tight. Azula looked over at him with a smile on her face.
It was four months later. Zuko and Azula had regained full health, and now lived happily with Shu and Ursa. Shu had become like a dad to them - a good dad - a man who cared about them and played with them, a man who made them smile when they were sad, or even just hugged them every once in a while.
And the best thing of all; the war was almost over. Ozai had never expected an attack from a ton of non-benders. Shu and Zuko had organized the whole thing; about two weeks ago, all the townsfolk that the duo could gather came together in a surprise attack. There were a few benders, yes, but the majority of the benders in the Earth Kingdom had either been captured or killed by the newly proclaimed 'Phoenix Nation'. Even a few firebenders that were against Ozai fought with them.
Zuko had met up with Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Toph. Sokka had broken his leg in the fight, and Toph had sprained her wrist, but besides that, they were all in good condition. Zuko forged a letter from his father demanding that the Boiling Rock release Mai and Ty Lee. They had helped lead the battle against Ozai, and thanks to them, the battle had been successful.
Zuko smiled. Ozai had not been killed, but instead imprisoned in a high-security prison inside Ba Sing Se's inner ring. The only reason the war was still going on was because some of his generals continued to fight and plot.
Zuko and Azula turned as Ursa walked out onto the balcony. The 'family' had moved into the Palace in the Earth Kingdom after the battle. They only planned on stating until the Earth King returned, but still. It was nice; big enough for all of the new Team Avatar to live in. It was beautiful, too. Many of the floors were made of Marble, and the view was amazing from the balconies.
"Yes, mom?" Zuko asked. The words felt funny in his mouth, even now.
"Your uncle has invited us for tea. Put on your good clothes and hurry downstairs." Ursa said, smiling at her kids. They nodded at her and walked away from the balcony.
Uncle had taken back his tea shop in Ba Sing Se. That was just like him; nearly killed and then suddenly worried about tea.
"I'll meet you there, Zuzu." Azula smiled at the use of Zuko's nickname. Zuko would just have to get used to it, wouldn't he?
Zuko smiled. "Alright, Lula."
Azula frowned. "Hey! You can't give me a nickname! I'm fifteen!"
"I'm eighteen."
"Yeah, well." Azula shrugged. "Mom said it was my first word." she smiled again. "She told me I couldn't figure out the 'ko' part, so I just said 'Zu' over and over again."
Zuko smiled again. Their mom had told them so many great stories about when they were little. Some were a bit embarrassing - including the time Zuko ran around Ember Island naked - but some were great family stories Zuko would cherish forever.
Azula ran downstairs to meet her mother. Zuko watched her leave before turning back to the balcony. He stared at the bright orange sun and took a deep breath.
He had found his mother - or was it, she found him? - and finally had a real family. He and Azula had grown so close to each other, doing everything together. Zuko planned on proposing to Mai after the war was over, and starting a family back in the Fire Nation. Azula planned on organizing some 'Rebuilding Efforts' for any place that had been destroyed during the war, including the Air Temples. There had been no sign of Aang - some people believed he had committed suicide and been reborn in the Water Tribes - but Zuko would make an effort to find him.
He was just another lost person that needed to be found.
Zuko had been one of those people just a little while ago. But luckily, he had found his way and now was going to turn the whole world around.
He smiled one more time, turning back to his doorway and walking downstairs. He found his new family waiting for him, standing by the door. He walked over and hugged his mother again as they walked out the door. He turned to look back at the room, knowing that he had made the right choices all along.
He had found his way.
*Wipes sweat off brow*
Thanks for reading all of that nonsense! Incredibly long, I know. But good?
Written 100% on my iPod, Betaed on Panakin's computer, and edited on mine. Please review, this is the longest thing I've ever written, even over Fyre's Guide to Creativity.
HAPPY INSPIREDBYFYRE! WEEK!
(Note: The title has nothing to do with RarityTheUnicorn's 'Lost' (Though it is a good fic) I just came up with it randomly one day when I was writing this XD)