I appreciate the feedback from everyone who reviewed.
Update : 6/13/17: Chapter has been fixed and edited. In the process of reworking like chapter one. Should be done in a few days.
Update 6/21/17: Slight reworking here and there other chapters (Up to Chapter 10) will be given similar touch ups/complete reworks as I work my way through them while updating. There are parts of the story that change a little that carry on through the story so it might not make a lot of sense until all the reworks are complete. (Likely going to combine this chapter and the first one into one large chapter)
The feeling of free fall woke Zuko with a yelp. He awoke, startled, bolting upright in his bed and kicking his comforter off his small legs. The rising sun warmed his body, empowering his firebending, contrasting the sudden coldness of the sweat that coated him. Light poured in through the curtains and sharp inhales and exhales filled the silence of his room. He swallowed, and lifted his hands examining them as if for the first time. He couldn't pinpoint what, but something felt off.
Vaguely, he recalled his dream, being something significant - what it was about he couldn't remember either. His thoughts felt entangled, and unclear. Kicking his feet over the edge of the bed, he walked to the washroom slowly - even his own body felt too small for his liking - and stood over the basin to wash his face when something in the mirror caught his eye. A red, ugly scar covered the left side of his face mangling it from ear to eye. Reason led him to believe that the scar was a trick of the light, or perhaps heavy sleep marks.
His breathing slowed, and ever so gently he lifted his hand to his eye. To his shock smooth, undamaged skin greeted his touch. Something from deep within him calmed upon touching it, as if the mark's presence was natural. Despite his disgust he felt like the mark simply belonged, and touching it broke a wall in his minds eye.
Several images flashed of him and his sister at ends with each other, stirring an unpleasant feeling in him. A feeling and a memory surfaced, he needed to fix things with his sister, and something else. The rest of the lost thoughts would not surface and made his thoughts thunder in his head painfully. He splashed his face, ending the daydream and shook his head.
What is this?
A sudden knock on the door gave him pause to his thoughts. Act normally. Steadying his breathing, he calmly opened the door, revealing Azula standing at the door. She casually examined her nails before acknowledging him.
"That was fast, mother thought you overslept again." His sister finally turned her head to him and looked at his dripping hair and face, "You're wet. Did you have an accident in the washroom, Zuzu?" She teased, which Zuko ignored. She hadn't mentioned the mark, which meant that she couldn't see it.
"I guess so..." He muttered. Azula's brow furrowed slightly, but she rolled her eyes as if strange behavior from her brother was nothing out of the ordinary.
"How dull. Anyway, I'm just here to get you for breakfast. Mother was worried you would be late again." Azula turned to leave, but not before Zuko missed the biting tone in her last sentence. Quickly gathering his wits, he hurriedly arranged his hair into a respectable topknot before rushing after her, opting to forget about the mark for the time being.
"Azula, wait!" He shouted, running full tilt. She stopped and raised a brow at his antics, before her lips turned downward at the edges slightly, and something akin to suspicion flashed in her eyes.
"What's wrong with you today?" She asked casually, and Zuko nearly recoiled. Not even he could answer that. The strangeness that he felt when he woke up hadn't dissipated.
Searching for words he ground out, "I just wanted to talk to you is all."
"For what reason?" Azula looked toward her nails again, ignoring Zuko.
"Why do I need a reason, you're my sister." He answered.
"Unfortunately." The barest makings of a smile formed onto her lips. Her brother wasn't capable of being deceptive, but his sudden behavior interested her.
"I'll hear what you have to say then, if its worth anything." She conceded.
Zuko racked his brain for something he and sister had in common, thinking of the flashes that startled him moments ago. The urge to act like a brother surprised him. Especially given the thought that something so natural had become foreign over the years. Their drifting apart had been recent, according to his scattered, foggy memory. Yesterday felt several years behind him, and he struggled to think of something to do. Finally, the one thing they both could benefit from struck him.
"I was wondering if you wanted to firebend later in the gardens." Zuko blurted. Suddenly her brows rose, and she looked to Zuko.
"Firebend? What could I possibly learn from you?" Azula teased not so lightly, expecting to get a rise from him. However, he shrugged, "It could just be for fun, no pressure on either of us."
Azula hummed thoughtfully, and drummed her fingers on her side.
"I'll consider it. I do have training with Dad later." They reached the doors to the dining hall, opening them together. Something unsettled Zuko about Azula training with their father, almost as if he had forgotten that. He scratched his head, considering what exactly he felt unnerved about.
"There you are, Zuko!" Ursa's doting tone brought him out of his head, and he smiled at her.
"Mom." He ran to her and hugged her tightly, as though he hadn't seen her in years. Ursa laughed lightly, patted his head, and asked him to sit.
He noticed Azula's brow twitch slightly as she watched them before rapidly shifting her gaze to her food. Then, she sat at the table, stabbing at her food with a slumped posture. Zuko frowned. Was Azula jealous of his relationship with mom? Why didn't he notice this before? Another stray thought wormed it's way into the forefront of his mind. What could he do?
Ursa and Azula watched him closely, as he stared blankly at his food.
Azula lightly kicked his foot, startling him.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't sleep much last night." A weak excuse at best, but his mother seemed to buy it, as she began to cut her food. However, Azula locked eyes with him and frowned slightly. Zuko shrugged at her, then the door opened and the last person Zuko wanted to see entered.
"Good morning, my family." A stern voice cut through the silence that had enveloped them. Prince Ozai stood before his empty seat, staring down at his family with a gleam in his eye.
"Good morning, Dad!" Azula was the first to enthusiastically greet him.
"Good morning, husband." Ursa smiled at Ozai, but it didn't reach her eyes. A short silence followed her greeting and three pairs of eyes shifted to the one person, who'd yet to issue any form of acknowledgement.
"Prince Zuko..." Ozai tapped his foot expectantly while Ursa nudged her son's foot under the table, shaking him from his thoughts.
"Oh my apologies, Father. Good morning." Zuko managed to touch his hands together in a respectable bow and kept his voice from wavering. He was still so very confused. Ozai's head inclined slightly, then he took his seat before them, and they all began to eat.
"Azula," Zuko watched his father address his sister without so much as a glance away from his plate, "Your training is cancelled for the day. I have important business to deal with in a war council meeting today." Zuko noticed Azula's ensuing frown, and took advantage of this quickly, looking directly at his sister.
"Well, since your training is cancelled, we could go to the gardens and spend time together." Zuko suggested innocently.
"I suppose I could join you today." Azula mused, poking at her egg. Ozai's brows rose minutely and his gaze briefly shifted between his son and daughter, before he cleared his throat and continued eating.
Ursa smiled, "I think that is a wonderful idea." Zuko's muscles loosened, and he started eating with the rest of his family.
Ozai excused himself not long after the exchange between Zuko and Azula to prepare for the war briefing, leaving the three of them. Ursa and Azula ate in comfortable silence while Zuko thought about what exactly he was doing. Everything felt out of place now. Starting with the bizarre scar on his face - that evidently only he could see - to his sudden and abrupt change in perception toward Azula and his father. He knew his attitude had shifted, but he felt he was missing space between yesterday and today, as if his life before today was foggy, and unclear. Vowing to search the palace library after his outing with his sister, he stood and excused himself, walking back to his room.
He changed out of his morning clothes, holding eye contact with the mirrored him, mesmerized by the scar. Such a mark would have to be done on purpose, with its fireball like shape on his face.
He shook the morbid thoughts aside and ran to the gardens, picking up a light sweat. Azula leaned against the doorway, waiting for her brother with narrowed eyes.
"You certainly didn't waste any time." Her gaze pinned him to his spot despite the two year age gap, "I was wondering what exactly you had in mind ... since we haven't spent quality time together in ages." Her voice was sugary sweet but her narrowed eyes nearly made him cancel the outing.
"Firebending, remember?" he reminded her casually, walking past her onto the grass. Soft footfalls let him know she hadn't turned around and left, yet, so they found a suitable place to bend with no trees obscuring their fire.
"So, are we sparring, or trying to see who can come up with the biggest flame? Because we both know I can do both better. What is your goal here?" Zuko's head spun around at her venomous tone, and crossed his arms.
"Not everything has to be a competition between us Azula." Zuko explained. Her eyes narrowed to slits.
"Fine. How about we just see who is more accurate." She walked to a tree, carefully plucking an apple from the branch, handing it to Zuko.
"Put it on your head. I'll knock it off." He nearly froze, thinking it over. Taking the apple meant trusting her, and refusal would obviously upset whatever delicate balance they currently had, so he took the apple, and balanced it precariously on the crown of his head. Azula's eyes widened slightly, but her mouth had set in a determined line.
"You really wanted to play today didn't you Zuzu." She mumbled, stalking back to a reasonable distance. Her posture changed as she turned around, assuming a bending stance. The air around them seemed to fill with tension, and Zuko closed his eyes, while she wound up her arms preparing a precise fire bolt. A rush of heat passed over his head and suddenly the weight of the apple vanished. Caustiously, he opened his eyes to his sister's haughty grin two feet away.
"Well, you are more committed than I thought." Azula mused, taking another apple.
"You want to try your luck, or do you think you aren't good enough?"
Zuko hesitated.
The thought of missing by accident made him reconsider. "I don't think I could do it. I'm not as skilled as you are."
Azula dropped the apple, given the circumstances it was the last thing she expected to hear, then she recovered, scoffing dismissively.
"Of course you aren't. I'm a natural, daddy says I'm going to be the best firebender the nation has seen in years. I always figured you were jealous." She bragged, showing off a complicated flipping maneuver.
"I was- am jealous," Zuko admitted, reluctantly, "I want to be as good as you, and I guess that's why I've been acting differently. I realized though that it shouldn't make me treat you differently." The words felt foreign coming out his mouth, but a burden came off his shoulders at her bewildered expression. His own mind whirled, knowing he sounded wiser than his years.
"I- I see." She murmured, scratching her head. The evident effect of his words drew her arrogance from her face, replacing it with a more graceful, satisfied look. She looked so different now even at a young age of eight, without her usual haughtiness to mask her features. Zuko found himself endeared by the sudden change.
"Well, practice makes perfect, dum-dum. How about you show me your best move, and I'll show you mine?" She stepped back, as if giving him the space to perform. Zuko shrugged, stepping forward, and winding his arms into a kata that felt familiar. His chi flared immensely and a jet of heat, far greater than he expected, exploded from his hands into a nearby tree, igniting the dry leaves.
The fire immediately spread to a large portion of the tree, and the siblings rushed to the tree to put out the damage, bending the fire to a simmering heat and exhausting it after several moments.
Azula's sharp amber eyes assessed the tree, then returned suspicious attention to him.
"You idiot," Her eyes flashed, "I thought you were behind, that was almost as strong as my fire. Your form could use work." Then her eyes wandered back to the tree, as the fire died out, and a burning smell wafted through the garden.
Zuko looked at the tree mournfully, whispering, "We are going to be in so much-"
Suddenly, the doors to the garden opened and the brother and sister eye's nearly popped out of their sockets. Both of their heads shot to the burnt trees and the ashes that surrounded them.
"Azula and Zuko, why was I told there was smoke in the gardens!?" Azula was very familiar with the tone mother used. If experience was anything to go by she was about to be punished and sent to her room without dinner. Neither sibling dared to look in their mother's direction, leaving their heads hanging in shame. Ursa stomped up to them with an exasperated huff, observing the tree critically.
"Azula, why are the cherry trees burnt. Did you try practicing out here?" Azula scowled, and clenched her jaw shut, pointedly looking away from her brother and mother and staring at a point behind them both.
A painful silence descended on the garden as Ursa crossed her arms and focused her ire solely on Azula. Just as she was about to snap, Zuko spoke up.
"It wasn't Azula's fault, mom. It was my fault because I couldn't control my firebending." Zuko defended Azula admirably, considering the redness in his face for simply being in trouble for once. Azula's attention turned to her brother, and rare gratitude flashed in her eyes, before they returned to a calculating suspicion.
Ursa stared in disbelief before uttering a heavy sigh.
"Well, lets get you two cleaned up. Lunch is almost ready. We'll discuss your punishment later, son." Ursa turned around, and walked back in the direction of her arrival. Zuko stood to follow mother, but Azula gripped his shoulder and spun him around.
"Why did you do that? I didn't need your help." Azula's eyes were narrowed, and confusion clouded her usual sharp gaze. Zuko shrugged and smiled lightly.
"Yes, you did. I'm your older brother it's my job to help you, if you need it. Besides you didn't deserve to get yelled at for something I did." Azula stood and tilted her chin up defiantly to retort, but Zuko interrupted.
"If you need a further reason; we both know mom would be lighter on me than you." He explained with another shrug. Azula's mouth clamped shut and she blew air from her nose.
"Fine. I suppose I owe you now." Her smile however was difficult to keep down, despite her attempts to be difficult.
"You're still acting weird, Zuzu, but... I guess I can deal with it." She joked, and Zuko rolled his eyes. They ate lunch in relative silence, then Ursa sentenced Zuko to his room for the remainder of the day, which he gladly accepted. Time to sort out the anomalies in the past day was necessary.
However, a fatigue overtook him when he reached his room. Not a physical exhaustion, as his muscles felt fine, but a fatigue that drained him deeply inside. He lumbered over to his bed and collapsed, falling into a deep sleep.
A bright light, brighter than a sun, blinded him. Heat washed over him, not a scorching, burning fire, but a soft heat that emanated warmth and life. He could sense a singular entity, giving off such immense power.
"You have started something that has unforeseen consequences, Prince Zuko. The balance of not only the physical world, but the spiritual world is in danger." A faraway voice whispered. Zuko twisted his head still unable to see.
"What are you saying? Where am I?" His head began spin.
"A place in the spirit world. The dying avatar spirit has touched you. You are now connected with us while the Avatar waits." The voice became further and further away, and Zuko could feel himself losing connection with the presence.
"Who are you?" Zuko asked, not processing anything the entity said.
"I am Agni, child, and we will speak again." Then, his mind drifted off into normal dreams, and he forgot.
6/23/17 As I said when I last updated I have a different vision for this story now, which shifts the plot slightly. I wanted add different themes and plot points to the story so I have to redo most of the chapters ahead of this point to line up with that vision. I am not sure how long that will take but once it is complete the update will be made to everything at once, not pieces at a time, because I want people to be able to read it over all at once to see what changed. Until that happens this story is on hold.