"Haha! Aw, is the poor little whimp afraid of a bit of water?" Taunted an eight year old Azula. Ty Lee, the same age, giggled along and Mai, a year older than the two, stood next to them, her eyebrows raising as she stared at the gril floundering about in the fountain, causing the turtle ducks to fly away.
"Azula, knock it off!" Reprimanded Zuko, Azula's older brother by five years. He jogged over to the fountain and helped the girl out of the water. Once out, she hugged him in thanks and turned an evil look towards Azula. "Hey Azula, are you scared of hights?" Asked the girl. Azula only looked at her with confusion. "Wha-Ahhh!" Her question was cut off as Azula was quickly launched high into the air, thanks to the girl, who just happened to be an earthbender, pounding her heal into the ground in front of her.
"Take that!" Zuko just laughed from his spot beside her. "Nice one, Rea." Zuko said, grinning. "Yeah well, being an earthbender does have it's perks, you know." Terra, or Rea, as Zuko liked to call her, gloated, grinning a grin to match his own.
Azula landed with an "Umph!" in front of Terra and Zuko. She quickly lept up. "Filthy peasent! I'll show you what happens when you mess with a princess!" Azula yelled, moving as if to strike Terra, but her mother, Ursa, came in behind her and restrained her.
"Now Azula, my dear, you must be nice to our forgin guest."
"But Mother,-"
"No buts, lovely. Now go along and play with Mai and Ty Lee." Ursa gently instructed. Azula just growled, sent a look of death towards Zuko and Terra, and stormed off. Probably to go rant to Mai.
"Now then, I suggest you to go and do the same." Ursa said to Zuko and Terra. Zuko just nodded and grabbed Terra's hand, attempting to lead her off, but Ursa's voice stopped her. "Oh, and Terra?"
"Yes ma'am?" Terra said, turning around.
"Please be back before my husband gets out of his last meeting tonight?" Ursa asked.
"Of course. I know Fire Lord Ozai doesn't like me all to much." She made a small shrugging motion and tried to smile, but it came out more of a grimince.
Ursa smiled and brushed back some of Terra's bright red, pratically orange, curly hair from her face. "Thank you, dear. Now go run along. You and Zuko go have fun."
This time, Terra smiled. "Yes ma'am."
Walking along a dirt path, far enough out of the range of the castle and town that no one was out there, but close enough where they knew where they were, Zuko started up conversation. "You know, Azula stole your nick-name for me."
Terra frowned. "What? No far. Only I get to call you Zuzu..." She mumbled, and Zuko chuckled. "Fine! I'll make up a new one!" She exclaimed, a grin plastered on her face. "Okay, how about... Sifu Hotman?"
Zuko full out laughed. "Sifu Hotman? Really?"
She rolled her eyes. "Alright, so that's a bust. Hm...What about...Sparky?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Sparky? That sounds like the name of a dog."
She ran her shoulder into his. "Okay, fine. I guess I'll just stick with Zuzu. Even if your dredful sister stole it."
He smiled."Hey, don't worry about it. I don't even like the way she says it. It's like... She wants something from me. It's to sickly sweet. You, on the other hand... I quite like the way you say it." She smiled.
"Well, good. Hey, look, the sun is starting to go down. We should probably start heading back. I don't want Ozai catching me out." She said.
"Yeah, me eather." Zuko agreed. "Come on, Zuzu." She said, taking his hand in her's and jogging back.
- Four years later-
"Oh Gods, Rea, what am I going to do? It's an Agni Kai! Have you any idea what that means? He's going to destory me, just destroy! I just know it! Oh, Gods,-"
"Zuzu, hush. Quiet no-" He didn't listen to her.
" I can't belive this, oh Gods,-"
"Zuko!" She shouted. When that didn't do anything, she grabbed his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Listen to me, Zuzu. You can not, and will not, go into that Agni Kai thinking like that, or he will destory you.
Use your youth against him. Your smaller, you have more energy, and your quicker. You can tire him out with simple, small attacks. The basics. Then when he is all tired out and unable to fight as hard or throw an attack so quick, you show him just how powerful you really are. Do you understand me,Zuko?" She asked him. "Yes." He whispered after a moment.
"Good. Now take a few deep breaths." He did as instructed. "Now then. You will do wonderfully. I know it." She told him. Her bright green eyes never leaving his honey colored golden ones. She smiled. "Okay?" She stroaked the side of his face.
He took one more deep inhale and exhale. "Yeah. Okay." He sighed. "Thanks." She gave a small smile. "Anytime, Zu. You know I'll always be here." She told him truthfully. Then he pulled her in for a tight hug. Breaking apart, she joked, "Now, go kick Ozai's butt!"
"Get away from me!" He shouted through the thick downpour of rain. "But Zuko, wait-"
"No! Get away!" He hated doing this. He really did. I mean, Zuko thought he may have even... Loved Terra. But he can't do that now. All he needs to focus on is getting the Avatar; and that means getting as far away from the Fire Nation, and Terra, as humanly possible.
She was crying now. And he knew it. This thought alone made a few tears escape his own eyes. "Terra Jane Li, you keep away from me, you hear? My only drive now is to catch the Avatar. I no longer need or want you in my life."
That stopped her dead in her tracks. Pretty green eyes, now red rimmed and puffy, widened in suprise. He had stopped too. His face, the good side, cocked sideways so he could catch a glimpse at her.
She looked awful. Her usually vivatious, curly hair was wet and plastered to her face and neck. Raindrops and tears mingled were dripping off her eyelashes. Her clothes were slick and stuck to her body, and her arms were circled around herself.
"What?" She whispered, almost unheard.
"You heard me." He said, forcing venom in his voice. Raindrops mingled with his tears as well, and he used his hair, now down from it's ponytail, to hide his eyes.
He didn't look back as he walked away.
-End Prologue-
