Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA T.T
Fire. Air. Water. Earth. These are the four elements. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. But that all changed when the Firelord attacked, wiping out an entire race and beginning a war that lasted for a hundred years. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements has the power to restore peace, but even he has limits.
"It's no use!" Zuko shouted, and threw the twin blades in his hands aside. Disgusted more with himself than anything else, he began to stalk out of the training room, tossing aside the padded armor he wore for practice.
"Prince Zuko!" Iroh, Dragon of the West and the most skilled general in the four Nations, beckoned his nephew over to where he was sitting. "Have some tea." His stern tone allowed for no argument.
Zuko scowled. At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to leave, but he knew better than to walk out on his uncle. When it came to tea, the man didn't take no for an argument. And his tea really was good. He went over to Iroh and accepted the proffered cup, sitting on the bench next to him.
"I still can't do it." Zuko growled after he downed the full cup.
"Do what?" Iroh raised an eyebrow.
"Bend blue fire. At least not while using my dao blades at the same time."
"What about it?" Iroh looked at Zuko, who glared back. He sighed. His nephew didn't have a very good sense of humor. He got that from his father. "Kidding. But why must you be able to bend blue fire? What is wrong with red fire? And while we are on the subject, why don't you try green, or pink-"
"Uncle!" Zuko shouted. "That's not funny! You know I'm the Avatar! I should be able to bend fire in all its forms, perfectly!"
"But you can bend blue fire, can you not?" Iroh looked his angry nephew in the eye.
Zuko shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, but not with my swords."
"And why is that so important? When you fight with your swords, is it not more important that you move as one with the blades, rather than forcing fire that is not even that much hotter than your usual? It is important to focus on the task at hand, rather than to attempt to make things more difficult than they already are."
"I suppose." Zuko poured himself some more tea. "But Azula can do it perfectly with her katana, and I-"
"Can beat her in a sword fight every time." Iroh finished for him. "Is that not the point of learning the way of the blade? And just because you cannot bend blue fire with your dao blades does not make you any less of a firebender, nor does it make you any less of an Avatar."
"Yeah, but not being able to bend any other element does." Zuko mumbled, half to himself. He wasn't expecting his uncle to hear, and it surprised him when the portly man chuckled.
"Prince Zuko. I have found in my lifetime that there is a time and place for all things. What must happen, will happen. It is with your role as Avatar as it is with your firebending. You cannot force it."
"But I'm almost thirteen now, uncle. I've known I was the Avatar for four years now, and I'm no closer to mastering all four elements! People are dying out there! I can end all that and bring peace, true peace, to the world if I win this war for the Fire Nation!" Zuko got up and began to walk out. "What am I telling you this for." He muttered bitterly. "You don't know what it's like. No one does."
Iroh frowned. He hated to see his nephew so helpless, but he knew that were Zuko to master all four elements, the boy would fight to win the war, and be killed. Or worse, if he succeeded, then the balance of the world would truly be lost. Consequences be damned. Iroh cleared his throat. "You know, Zuko, that's not strictly true."
"What are you talking about?" Zuko turned around. "There's no one in this world who could understand what I'm going through here."
"Yes, no one in this world." Iroh agreed, his eyes twinkling. "But you know, there are other worlds."
Zuko looked confused, so Iroh pressed on. "Do you remember what I have taught you about the Spirit World, and how I went there once to find your cousin, Lu Ten?"
"I thought that was a story you once told me to get me to sleep." Zuko frowned.
"And so it was. But it was a true story, and I did manage to get to the Spirit World. I did not find my son there, but I am sure what you are looking for will be found there."
Later that day, Zuko found himself wandering the royal palace. He'd manage to escape his sister and her friends. Even though she was twelve, Ty Lee still tried to put ribbons in his hair. Zuko wondered if he shouldn't cut his hair short so it would be easier to manage.
He found himself in a shrine to Agni. Few people besides the Fire Sages came here on a regular basis, and Zuko personally didn't really believe that the god existed. Even if the deity of fire were real however, he probably couldn't help him. It wasn't fire he needed.
Still, the shrine was full of light, even when the sun had nearly set. It was positioned that way, to be lit by the sun for as long as it was in the sky. The smell of incense hung in the air, reminding Zuko of his uncle's tea. Perhaps there was something true about what Iroh had said earlier.
Zuko sat upon the ground cross legged. Breathing in and out slowly, he tried to clear his mind. But instead of the blank calmness he was expecting, he began to see flashes of lightning, oddly enough. Zuko focused on his breathing again, and gradually, the lightning subsided.
A slight breeze ruffled his hair, and Zuko opened his eyes and gasped. He was suddenly outside, sitting on a grassy hill next to a tree. The sun was shining, and in the distance, he could just make out what looked like huge walls.
"This was my favorite place in the city." A voice tinged with a slight accent spoke from behind Zuko, making him jump up into a firebending stance.
"Who are you?! Where am I?!" Zuko shouted at the person behind him, a boy just a few years older than him with a small beard and his hair pulled back into a queue braid.
"Your bending won't work here, Zuko." The boy held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "You're in the city of Ba Sing Se, or at least, the Spirit World's equivalent of it."
Zuko tried to make a small flame and found that his bending indeed did not work. He forced himself to stay calm. "You still haven't told me who you are."
"Come. Walk with me." The boy turned and began walking down the hill towards the walls in the distance. Zuko sighed and jogged after him.
"Do you know who you are?" The boy asked as they made their way to the base of a massive wall.
"You know who I am."
"But do you?"
"I'm Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation and the Avatar."
"Precisely." The boy smiled. "And what do you know of the Avatar?"
"Um, he's the only one who can master all four elements, he has to learn them in the order of the seasons... It's his job to bring peace to the world... uh... "
"It's ok to say you don't know."
"I don't know."
The boy turned now to face Zuko. They had arrived at the wall. Rather than the smooth brick walls Zuko had expected from pictures of Ba Sing Se he had seen, the wall was made of rough stone, with ivy covering most of the surface. "You are mostly correct. The Avatar is supposed to be master of all four elements, and it is his duty to bring balance to the world. But do you know where the Avatar comes from?"
Zuko turned red. "Uh, well, you see, when a man and a woman-"
"No, not that!" The boy shook his head. "Surely you realize you are not the first Avatar in existence? There have been others, you know."
"Of course I know that!." Zuko grumbled. He felt rather stupid. "But aren't they just random? That's what the Fire Sages told me, that Avatars just happen by chance."
The boy sighed. "Why me?" He mumbled to himself. "So then, why did you say, 'The Avatar'? Surely there must be others, if Avatars just 'happen' like your Fire Sages said."
Zuko said nothing. He had a feeling the other boy was about to lose his temper.
"The truth is, Zuko, Avatars happen in a cycle. When one dies, they are reborn into a new body in another nation. So before you, there was an Avatar from the Earth Kingdom. Before him, was an Avatar from the Water Tribes. Before her, was an Avatar from the Air Nomads, and so forth."
Zuko was stunned. Part of him didn't want to believe it, but somehow, he knew what he had just heard was true. "But-"
"You said it was the Avatar's job to bring peace to the world, right? How did you plan on doing that, Zuko? By fighting alongside the Fire Nation and conquering all other peoples? Helping your Nation to destroy the others like they did with the peaceful Air Nomads?"
"Stop." Zuko began backing away. "You're lying. The Air Nomads were warriors and barbarians. They were building an army to attack us first. Great-grandfather Sozin started the war to end conflict and bring peace to all nations!"
The boy narrowed his eyes. "I would never lie to you, Zuko. I am your guide and predecessor, after all."
Zuko gasped. "You-you were the Avatar before me?"
"Yes. My name is Long Feng, and I was born, raised, and killed in this city." The boy smirked. "Killed by the Fire Nation when your uncle invaded and broke the outer wall."
"I-" Zuko began to stutter.
"Don't believe everything people say to you. Those in the Fire Nation have their own agenda for you. But remember, Zuko. As the Avatar, your duty is to all people, not just your own. Why do you suppose you haven't been able to bend air or any other element?"
"But- I just wanted to end the war." Zuko sat down on a nearby rock. His hands were shaking. "Is that so wrong?"
"No, it isn't." Long Feng said quietly. "But even if you could, it would not bring peace to the world. It's not in the nature of humans to exist perfectly alongside one another. But there must be a balance between the four Nations, and it is the Avatar's duty to protect it."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Zuko kicked at a pebble. "I can only bend fire, and all the Air Nomads are gone. No one from the Water Tribes or Earth Kingdom will teach me, so there's no way to learn the other elements."
"Don't be too sure of that." Long Feng grinned. "Seek out the Grandmaster of the White Lotus. You have to go now, but we'll meet again. I promise."
"Wait!" Zuko shouted but everything disappeared in a white flash, and he fell through nothing into oblivion. "NOOOOO!"