Author's Note : I finally got off my lazy bum to get the third chapter of Fire in the Skies up here. Again, it's a Zuko x OC fanfiction, so yeah. I'll probably throw in some Zutara somewhere along the line...maybe. I haven't decided yet. Anyway, I ask you to please read and review so that I can get the next chatper up as soon as possible. Thank you guys very much, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer : I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender nor any of it's characters. Those belong to Mike and Bryan. The only things that Mike and Bryan don't own are my stories and the characters I create. Though I'm going to absolutely laugh my ass off if they bring someone like Kaida into the show...though I do doubt that.
Fire in the Skies
-- The Meeting --
Kaida and Zuko walked down the halls of the Fire Nation palace. Just like they had done for the past five years. Kaida was now fourteen years old, a tall and gangly thing, having reached her growth spurt the year before. Standing at five feet and seven inches, the girl was still growing and developing. Zuko, on the other hand, was thirteen years old. He had not yet hit his growth spurt and was still stuck at the short height of five feet and two inches.
Zuko kept his shoulder-length hair pulled up in a high ponytail. Where as Kaida was proud of her long hair and let it flow free. They both wore the traditional clothing for the fire nation - Kaida in a crimson and gold kimono and Zuko in the traditional crimson and black uniform of the fire nation nobles. They were on their way to the war meeting…where Kaida had been invited to join Zuko's Uncle Iroh in the matters of war. Kaida was a peaceful person, so Zuko didn't see why Uncle had invited her instead of him…but he would ask his Uncle that he could join as well. They reached the meeting chamber in a few minutes and Kaida watched timidly as the generals and admirals entered. Zuko caught sight of his uncle and began dragging Kaida off towards him and out of her daze.
"Uncle! Please, can I join? I'm thirteen. Kaida's only fourteen and she's a woman. She hates war. Why can she go and I not?" Zuko asked, causing his uncle to look at him and raise his brow.
"You are too young, Prince Zuko. Lady Kaida, on the other hand, has matured far beyond her years and deserves to know what matters of war are going on. She will understand them far better than you would."
"But Uncle, please, I -"
"Hush. If I allow you to come to this meeting, you must promise not to say a word, Prince Zuko. The matters of war should not be in the hands of a thirteen year old boy. Understood?" At this Zuko beamed and nodded eagerly, Kaida was still watching the other generals walking past in the meeting chamber. She sighed and jumped slightly as Uncle placed a hand on her shoulder, the other already on Zuko's, and led the two into the chamber, the guards nodding as they passed.
--
"Zuko! What the hell were you thinking? Hmm? How could you do that? You knew it wasn't your place! What is wrong with you?" The voice of the young Kaida sounded in his room, scolding at him for his stupid actions only twenty minutes before. Yes, those fifteen minutes that it took to get back to his chamber was spent in silence. The past five, however, were spent scolding him feverishly. He sat on his bed and hung his head.
"Do you even know who you're supposed to duel, Zuko? Do you know who challenged you for an Agni Kai?" Zuko looked up, and shook his head. Kaida sighed, she couldn't tell him that it was his own father. He would have to figure that on his own.
"Zuko. You were a complete and total idiot for doing that, do you understand?" She only got a nod from him. Yelling at him for five minutes wasn't going to teach him a lesson, she realized. This Agni Kai was going to have to do that for him…most unfortunately.
"Go. You must train and get ready for your Agni Kai. It is tomorrow morning, remember." Zuko looked up and nodded, standing and bowing at the taller girl. Kaida sighed and wrapped her arms around him.
"You should have listened to your Uncle, Prince Zuko." He didn't answer, only nodded and sighed. Kaida sighed as well…she wasn't looking forward for tomorrow in the least. Sighing, she departed her friend and turned on her heels, leaving his room and walking into the corridor. She would see him in the morning if all else. She was tired and began heading towards her room, arms shaking inside the kimono's sleeves from being nervous.
--
The following morning, Kaida woke up before the sun began peeking over the horizon. She sighed as she watched the sky slowly grow paler and paler over time. Her green eyes hiding beneath heavy lids. She was tired, yes…but she was not about to go back to sleep. Not when she was so nervous. She had barely slept as it was and she simply doubted that it was going to do her any good with only a few minutes of sleeping until the Agni Kai. She sighed once again, thoughts were flying past her head about what might happen during today's battle between Zuko and his father. After his mother had disappeared, he hadn't really been the same person he used to be. And after this, she had a feeling that Zuko wasn't going to be allowed to stay in the Fire Nation Palace any longer. His father was the Fire Lord now, after all.
Another sigh escaped her full lips as she weighed her options. The only current reason that Kaida was allowed to stay in the palace was because of the fact that she was Zuko's friend and Zuko bid that she stayed. It had been like that since Ursa left. And both Kaida and Uncle Iroh were sure that Fire Lord Ozai was going to banish Zuko for his 'treason.' Yet another sigh escaped her lips as she watched the sun creep above the crater's walls. Yes, living in the palace with no sign of the ocean around the island sometimes got to her. But she got through just fine…she supposed. She just missed the ocean. Odd for a fire bender, she assumed. Sighing, Kaida turned round. It was time to intercept Zuko before he went to his moment of truth.
She dressed herself in a kimono, this one was a thinner silk than the one she had worn yesterday and hugged to her form quietly. This one had no obi, either, nor sleeves. It made it lighter to wear…especially this early in the summer day. It would keep her cool all day, thank Agni. It was a crimson silk, with black embroidery reaching up the hem of the skirt and snaking up the dress in a vine pattern. Said vines ended just below the navel…as they slowly dispersed as they reached higher and higher. The dress itself had black trim along the hems and the cross section that she tightened across her supple chest. She combed her raven hair out, removing the tangles that had nested themselves there during her sleep. Her green eyes kept a soft stare at her as she arranged her hair to lay around her shoulders and down her back and her front at the same time. Smiling to her reflection, her eyes gazed out at the sun's steady rising. Her heart raced with a nervous sort of laughter as she realized she would have to practically run in order to walk with Zuko to the duel. Sighing, she quickly slid her feet into a pair of black slippers.
Zuko, on the other hand, was busy staring at himself in the mirror. His smooth porcelain flesh stared back at him and his golden eyes glared hard at the reflection. He, unlike Kaida and his uncle and nearly every other general and admiral at the meeting yesterday, was unaware he would be fighting his father. And not knowing that, Zuko had not followed Kaida's advice about training. He was good enough that he wouldn't need to worry. Or at least that was his thought process…not a very smart one mind you, but it was what he believed to be true. He was, once again, dressed in the traditional fire nation uniform, his hair pulled back into a high ponytail.
A knock at the door pulled him from his trance and he went to answer it. Silently, he hoped in the back of his mind that it was good news. Something like the man he was supposed to be fighting had dropped dead over night and Zuko would have to fight his three year old son instead. But when he opened the door to find Kaida looking lovely as usual, he composed himself and bowed to her. Kaida bowed back and beckoned him into the corridor with her.
"Good. I was afraid you had left already. Come on, let's walk together…" Zuko nodded and hugged her, smiling softly at the thought that she wanted to be with him right now. Though he was expecting to get scolded once again for the previous evening, that was not so. They walked along in brusque silence. He didn't mind too terribly, though…and Kaida was happy for the silence. They reached the room in which the duel was to take place not long before everyone else arrived. Kaida hugged him and he went to join Iroh in preparation for this Agni Kai.
--
"No! Please, father, I didn't know! I had no intention of dishonoring you! Please!" Zuko pleaded, kneeling before his father, the Fire Lord, and attempting to beg forgiveness.
"Rise, Prince Zuko. Defend your honor." The cold voice of Fire Lord Ozai sounded in front of his thirteen year old son.
"No! I won't fight you!" Kaida watched helplessly from the sidelines, shaking with both fear and anger. She sat still at her place beside Uncle, however. She swallowed as the Fire Lord laughed at his son's protests.
"Then I will teach you about respect myself!" He roared, and as Zuko looked up, a flame flew at his head. Kaida and Uncle looked away just in time to hear Zuko's screams and cries, but not to see what had happened to the Prince.
