Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender or its characters.

Pointers: 'Italics' means that the character is thinking.

Summary: An organization called The Phoenix Flame has only one agenda and that's freeing their previous Fire Lord Ozai. They want Ozai to go back to being Fire Lord and soon Phoenix King. Higasa is a young assassin, recruited along with other children and her brother. She's doing what she can to survive and protect him, but can Zuko save her or will she be the one to save him? Zuko x OC

Chapter One:

Higasa

"Foolish child!" screamed the woman in a dark, large room. The woman was tall with chin-length brown hair, her eyes a deep bronze as there was fire ablaze in them. She was glaring down at the young girl, who lied against the floor with her arms protecting her head. The girl's shoulder shook as her whimpers only annoying the woman further. "Cease your tears; they are do not give me remorse! Now raise, Higasa!" The woman threw her arm up, indicating for the young girl to stand. "I took you from the streets, put rise in your bowl, and clothes on your back. Is this how you treat a woman has been nothing but a mother to you?" The woman continued on, berating the teen.

Slowly, Higasa had placed her small hands against the floor and lifted herself up. Slowly rising to her feet as she stood, her head hung low. Her whole body felt weak, she had already had pushed her limits the night before and now she was suffering from this abuse. However, she had owed this woman her life and so there was no way that she could talk back or speak ill to her. "N-No." The girl stuttered.

"Look at me when you speak to me! Do I have to hit you again?" The woman barked, Higasa wincing from the ferociousness of the woman's tone and the image of being striked again. Slowly, she lifted her up her head and her bright, amber pupils looking at the woman before her. "Are you going to disappoint me again?"

The girl immediately shook her head, her hair clinging to the side of her face due to her being drenched in perspiration. "N-Never." She said, her eyes still looking directly at the woman before her. "I'm sorry." She apologized, knowing that every fiber of her being did not mean it.

The woman sighed and walked towards Higasa, the young wanting to take a step back but remained still. She closed her eyes as she soon felt a hand on her head, "You can go back to your room." And with that, the hand that had given her a pat on the forehead was removed and the woman kept walking forward. Higasa stood there for a few seconds before slowly falling down to her knees, she didn't have to hold back anymore.

And in that room, the young teen had cried to her heart's content; tears stinging her cheek from the small, open cuts that were on them. Finally, she could release her frustrations by the only way she knew how.

/ Higasa P.O.V. /

I failed her again. Sometimes I wonder how I have managed to live this far, disappointing Māmā over and over again. She's not my real mother, but she has given me the necessities in life that a mother provides for their child. Her real name was Min, but she insisted that all of us call her mother. My real mother, Lan, had died a long time ago along with my father. They had been killed by this organization: The Phoenix Flame. My mother and father would had loved the new Fire Lord, wanting a reign of peace of this era. But the Phoenix Flame had killed all those who opposed before the new Fire Lord was coronated, but they had taken me and my brother and put us in the organization because we were Firebenders a year after we managed to escape them. They saw us as useful.

The Phoenix Flame was original called the Azure Flame and they had once served under Fire Lord Azulon. Since his death, they had served under Ozai strongly and diligently. They were his skilled assassins, removing those who opposed him. Most of us are just tools, us children being the weapons while the adults had pulled the strings on every operation. We were trained, we were tortured, and we had been through enough pain and suffering than the world had been through in 100 years during our whole lives. Sometimes I feel like we'll never escape and while others are prancing around in peace, we're suffering in darkness.

The job I was supposed to take on was to gain enough information on the perimeter of the large prison that Fire Lord Ozai was being held in. I would be on a mission to release him, which was the main objective of The Phoenix Flame. They wanted to arouse a takeover in which we would kill our current Fire Lord and replace him with the one we had before and let him dominate the world as he intended. Even though Sozin's comet was a long while away, the adults had already made plans on how Ozai would take over the world like they had anticipated before.

I would rather not release Ozai, I had not wanted to see the world turn into ashes and I did not want to serve under him either. I just wanted to take my little brother away from here, so that he could have a normal life but normalcy was far from anything we'll ever get to experience.

The reason why my plan had gone awry was because I did not expect Ozai to have a visitor that night.

/ Flashback /

The moon was full and it was the last day of the week. It was the days were the streets would not be filled, shops closed early, and everything would be dead. Quite and easy to infiltrate, the soldiers that walked among the streets would be slim. Nobody would suspect anything on the last day of the week. I had my cape over my figure, whizzing through the air using my tool and using the tiles of the roofs of the city to make my way.

The prison was far, but the route there was an easy one. Most of the time, it was heavily guarded and nearly impossible to ever infiltrate but since it was the last day of the week, I had an easier time. Not only this, The Phoenix Flame had remained a secret for a long time and so there was no need to arouse suspicion. Nobody who loved the current Fire Lord would believe if some people were to tell them there was a group who wanted to release Ozai, not when there were no signs of it.

The Phoenix Flame had given little, but subtle warnings in which had built their reputation amongst some of the city people who had believed Ozai was a better Fire Lord.

I had made sure that my footing was steady, quite, and quick. I had reached the side of the building, away from the guards who stood at the front gates. I had reached in my small pack and pulled out my shuko and ashiko, which were irons bands that tied over the hands and feet that made it easier to climb. Due to how old the building was, the claws could easily dig through the wall and make things stable enough for me.

I took a step back and jumped, the claws digging in the cracks of the wall and I began to scale. I had made sure that I was steady and no mistake was made. Scaling the walls became an easy feat even though it had taken some time to reach the top of the tower, going through the windows were impossible since they were barred.

When I had finally reached the top, I had knocked on certain areas to see what was weak and what was not. There was one area which was weaker than the rest, with patience and accuracy, I would be able to remove it. I reached back into my tool pack and pulled out small little bombs. I threw them over the edge where the guards were.

In a few minutes, those small bombs would go off and they would be fast asleep. I would have time enough to use the detonating bombs and break away the fragile area of the roof, Ozai was the floor below this and so it made my access to him easier than from coming bottom up.

Once I placed the detonating bombs, I had moved closer towards the edge and slowly moved down. My chin rested on the roof and I blew a stream of fire from my mouth and the bombs immediately went off. I held on tightly, even though the blast had always made my hands slip but I was lucky today. Soon I climbed back up and jump down from the hole, just to attack the soldier that was on tower watch.

I had no intention to kill and so I had hit a pressure point, knocking him unconscious.

My feet soon ran out of the hall and down the stairs, there were guards at those doors and so I had threw another pair of the sleeping bombs. Once they hit the wall behind them, they went off and both bodies fell to the ground. I opened the door and there it was the single cell that belongs to the once powerful man in the world.

Ozai.

The man had looked up at me and that's when I noticed how defeated he looked. His clothes raggedy, his hair a knotted mess, and his eyes looked so dull. "Who are you?" The man asked.

I felt odd, starstruck but I was not in awe of him. But yet, I never imagined that the most powerful man who had ruled most of my lifetime would be in front of me.

"I am here to help you." I told him, my words genuine even though I really did not want to mean it. "The Phoenix Flame wants you."

The man let out a snort, almost disbelieving what I was saying. "I am of no use to them."

She hadn't expected that at all. "No, you are. They still wish for you to be Fire Lord, their Phoenix King in fact!"

"With no bending? How idiotic. Just get out of my sight." It was true but Māmā told me to bring him back at all costs.

And so, I came up with a lie. "There is a way to get your bending back without the Avatar."

The man looked at me in disbelief, how eyes wide and mouth slightly opened agape for the first few minutes before a serious and stern look replaced it. "Is that so? Then free me by all means."

With a nod, I had pulled out my pickpocketing from my tool pouch. Before I could even stick a pin in, I heard a voice coming from the door.

"What is going on here? Guards! Gather soldiers, someone has infiltrated the prison!" The voice said and I had known things were not going as I planned.

Who could be here so late at night?

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko." My eyes had widened, I did not imagine Zuko would be here. Did he come to see his own father? From what I had known, Zuko had betrayed his father countless of times.

What was he doing here of all place? And disguised, he also wore a cloak and his face shielded from view. I had never known what the Fire Lord look like. All I had known was that he had a scar from Ozai. Speaking of Ozai, I looked at him and he had looked at me. "It appears my son has ruined your plans. Go, you will come another day." So, he did not blame me? His son must've not had a schedule of when he had come to visit. And so it was only natural that my plan had been ruined.

I nodded and put my tools away, but then I remembered the same way I came in would be the only way to get out. The door flew open and here I was, a deer stuck in headlights.

Before me was the young Fire Lord and his soldiers behind him. "I'll take care of this." He instructed the soldiers, who lowered their weapons upon his command. I made sure my hood had concealed my face, a dark shadow casting over it even though the light of the prison would highlight half of it. "Who are you?" He finally asked.

I didn't know what to do. "A person who wishes to take the Fire Lord and let his continue his reign." I said, even though my words did not portray my truth but this was what I was assigned to do and say. "The world needs its Phoenix King."

"So much for a Phoenix King, he can't even bend." The boy scoffed, looking at his father from the corner of his eyes.

I took a step back, "As far as you are concerned."

His eyes were wide, his mind was boggled now. Soon enough, I had already figured an escape plan. And so, I ran towards them, stopped halfway before they could firebend at me and let out a stream of fire from my mouth. They had quickly shielded themselves but I had already jumped over them and then made my way out the door and soon out the prison tower.

/ End Flash back /

Māmā, as you already know, was not pleased when I told her I had not expected Fire Lord Zuko to be visiting Ozai at the time. Since I was close and Ozai knew that I would come back and rescue him, I already proved to have done good enough to manage to not be punished. Now I was on my way back to my room. I lived in the hideout outside the capital along with the other assassins, but I had been ranked enough to have my own room. My brother's room was right next to mine, but he mainly slept in mine because he hated being in this place and we found solace in each other. He was my light and I was his, this world was dark that we lived in.

When I reached my room, I had seen Kohaku sitting on the edge of the bed with a book in his hands

"Kohaku, shouldn't you be asleep?" I asked him but he had looked at me with those bright eyes of his and smiled.

"I wanted to sleep with you and have you sing Ma's lullaby." He said to me.

Kohaku was only seven and I being sixteen. He still acted like a baby while I was transitioning to adult hood even so, we still bonded and sometimes I felt like I would have to take over the role and be his mother instead. I had taken care of him, taken his punishments for him, and held him close. I brought him gifts in secret, told him stories, and had told him that one day that we would escape. I wanted to protect his happiness like our mother tried to protect ours. "Okay." I had taken my hood off, my boots, and my tool belt. I picked him up and lay next to him, his face looking up at me and I giving him a smile. He was the only thing that made me smile these days other than the sun and moon went I had the luxury to enjoy them.

He looked at me with a smile as I gently brushed the side of his cheek, my fingers soon combing his black, long hair as I pressed my forehead against his: "Sleep my baby, sleep my baby. Dream of somewhere far away. Do you remember still? How I hope you always will, keep the memory of the day the world was born. When you wake up, I'll be waiting; eager for your smile. You've had quite a journey darling, you should rest a while. When you cry, we still rejoice to hear your voice – oh yes, it's true. My sweet Kohaku, please understand how much we love you."

And just like that, he was fast asleep. His chest rising and falling slowly, his snores so soft. I rubbed the back of my hand against the side of his head, my own eyes falling close. I had hoped that tomorrow was more promising than it was today and the day before.

/ End Higasa P.O.V. /

Morning had come, quite quickly too. And like all benders, Higasa had risen with the sun. Her amber hues had opened to see the orange color of the dawn filling the room, Kohaku was beside her still asleep. She immediately sat up, walking towards the window as she could see the palace not too far and the prison tower. 'I'm sure the place will be more guarded now. It'll be impossible to infiltrate so easily like before.' She thought, sighing deeply. How was she going to finish this mission? She would have to wait but how long would Māmā be patient?

Soon enough, the door to her room had opened and it was Māmā. She had looked at Kohaku, the corner of her lips slowly dipping to a frown. "You are still babying him?"

"He couldn't sleep last night. And I didn't want to bother you with something so small, so I sang himt o sleep. Next time I'll send him back to his own room." Higasa said, bowing.

The woman seemed satisfied with the answer. "Good. We have good news to celebrate anyway."

The dark-haired teen had looked at Min curiously, "What is it, Māmā?"

"Princess Azula has escaped the mental institution and will be joining us today." Min said proudly, "Our Princess is really something else, isn't she?"

Inside, Higasa felt her heart stop. Azula broke out of the mental institution? What good was that? How could anything good come out of that? Her eye remained blank, even though her mind was racing. "I haven't heard news as great since this, Māmā." She replied, the woman walked towards her and placing her hands on the girl head.

"She will help you release her father. Who know, she might not even need your help." The woman said, smiling as if her words were something to be happy about. Higasa merely stood, her eyes looking downwards. Nothing good was going to come out of this.

"When will she arrive?" asked the teen as Min placed her hands down at her sides and then walked towards the door, her hands folded.

"This afternoon." She answered, "I expect you and your brother to be able to do as she asks obediently." Min instructed.

"Of course, Māmā." Higasa said, bowing politely. "May I have this morning to myself in the market?"

The woman closed her eyes, thinking about the request. "What is it that you need there?"

"I would like to buy a new sword." Higasa said as the woman nodded. "Fine." And with that said, Higasa had let out a sigh of relief. She was glad that the woman was gone.

She walked over towards Kohaku, her hands moving him side to side. "Kohaku, wake up."'

The child groaned and then fluttered his eyes open, slowly raising his hand to rub his eye. "Higasa…"

"I'm going to the market this morning. Please stay near Gang, okay? He'll keep you safe." Gang had been one of the two friends that she had made in this place. Gang was a year older than her, but when she first came he had been the first to teach her the rules and Māmā's behavior. The other was Nuan, she was the same age as Higasa and she was kind to her the first day, also protecting her.

Both of them had looked out for Kohaku when she was away and they were here. "Okay, can you buy me a meat bun while you're out there?"

"Of course." She said with a smile, ruffling his hair. "Now, remember what I said? And listen to Gang."

Higasa had kissed his forehead and walked out of the room, turning back to look at him as he laid back down and fell back to sleep. For a firebender, he sure did not do well with mornings. She smiled and looked away, slowly closing the door behind her and walked down the large hallway. Her eyes scanned the area, other assassins walking down the hall and conversing. She soon walked down the hall and towards the entrance hall.

The day must've been slow or everyone was busy preparing for Azula's arrival. That seemed more of a logical answer. She finally reached the doors of the hidden temple of the forest and then walked in the forest. Soon, she found the pathway and began her walk.

She always enjoyed the walk from here because she could feel the sun on her skin and gaze at the bright, blue skies. She loved it.

And since it was a forest area, she could hear the birds and other animals, even the cicadas. But there was one animal she had stopped and stared at in the morning, it was the horse-sized deer that would stop and stare. She had named him Mu, everytime she got near he ran away and so she admired him from afar.

Finally, she had reached the gates of the capital and had shown her pass which allowed her in the village. The guards gave her a friendly hello and kind smile, they had known her well. "Good morning, Higasa."

"Good morning Shu and Sei. I'm glad to see you both on duty today." She replied.

Sei had smiled as well, "Something quite dangerous is going on. We're actually not supposed to let anyone in."

"What happened?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Princess Azula escaped the mental institution. We're not sure how, but she did and now the capital is on high alert." Shu finished saying, "But we trust you, Higasa. We'll allow you through."

It had hurt to hear them say that. They trusted her after all she worked for the people who was glad Azula was on the loose. Her eyes lowered, but she continued to smile. "My Māmā wants some fruit for the orphans and so I'm glad I'll be able to do that."

More lies. Shu and Sei had sympathetic expression, "Go on." They both said, allowing her through as she looked at the prison tower from the distance. 'I can never be honest…'

And with that, she walked ahead towards the marketplace which was still bustling despite the threat. Which was odd to her, would the Fire Lord want everyone in their homes? Safe? Maybe if they had done that I might've made things worse.

She had walked towards an pomegranate stand, looking over the fruits with lustful eyes. Pomegranates had to been her favorite and the next being oranges and then grapes. Before she could inspect one, she had then heard a commotion from behind her.

"Hey! If you can't afford it then put it back!" The man yelled, his hand in the air as he scolded the child, who by clothing was obviously poor.

The assassin looked at the man, scowling. Could he tell that the kid was hungry? She stormed her way over and stood in front of the boy protectively. "He didn't mean it, sir. He's just hungry." She tried to explain.

"So are a lot of people! Don't give him the right to steal!" The big, burly and bald man with a shaggy, brown beard had said. Others watched at the girl gallantly, protected the boy. "I ought to cut off him arm to show him the price!"

Higasa's eyes widened, "No, no you won't!" She continued to stand her ground, her eye aglow. She would not allow this child to be amputated over a petty apple.

"If you don't get out of my way then I'll take your arm!" The people gasped as Higasa reached for her sword, which she remembered she didn't have. A couple of missions ago, her sword was broken. She kept telling herself that she had to buy a new one, it was probably wise to buy one like she told Māmā she would.

Now unsure of what to do, she took a step back. The boy behind had begin her grabbing the fabric of her red, baggy pants out of fear.

Expected the worse, she closed her eyes, her arms stretched out to protect the boy as the man raised his knife in the air, attempting to bring it down on her.

She awaited the pain that would've been inflicted, but she had felt nothing. Instead, all she heard was commotion and the man in front of her groaning.

She opened one eye and saw a boy with shaggy, dark brown hair and a large scar over his left eye grab the man's wrist. "If anyone should learn a lesson, it should be you. I thought this city had become better than this."

Author's Note:

I always wanted to write a story like this and I finally came around to it. The first chapter is short, but I promise the next will be longer.

Higasa: The Japanese name meaning "Parasol"

Kohaku: The Japanese name meaning "Ember."

Lan: The Chinese name meaning "Orchid."

Min: The Chinese name meaning "Clever, sharp."

Gang: The Chinese name meaning "Strong"

Nuan: The Chinese name meaning "Warm, genial."

Mu: The Chinese name meaning "Admire" or "Wood."