Okay here is chapter 4.
Special thanks to all my loyal reviewers. You people rock
Warning: this chapter contains action, profanity, character death, and a hell of a lot of rage. It's also very long so if you have chores you may want to do them before you start.
If you think I own Avatar or that I'm associated with the people who do please seek immediate mental help for your sake and the sake of others. I am introducing 2 characters of my own however Zane and Kimiko. I think you guys are going to like them.
Ch.4 Heartbreak
Iroh was riding through the forest on his ostrichhorse towards the western airtemple. "I must admit, I'm proud of you Zuko" Iroh thought to himself after hearing how his nephew had stood up against his father and was currently teaching Aang firebending. "However, I'm afraid the Avatar and crew alone will not be enough to stop Ozai as things stand now; that's why I have to find you and let you know the truth" Iroh sighed heavily with a look of guilt in his face.
Back at the Western Airtemple
It's been three days since Zuko hatched the dragon egg. Zuko had been hoping that having Fang around wouldn't complicate anything too much but what was about to happen made it clear that he shouldn't hold his breath.
"Good morning Zuko, how are you?" Katara asked with a fake innocence that made Zuko raise an eyebrow.
"Ah, I'm alright" he said looking around and noticing that Aang, Sokka, Haru, Teo, The Duke, and Toph had a mischievous grin on their faces. Appa was eating some feed for breakfast, Momo was curled up in a ball taking a nap, and Fang was sleeping on his back with a happy expression on his face.
"Good" Katara said just before raising up her arm which was covered in water and punching forward in a very firebender-like motion sending the water forward and hitting Zuko hard enough in the face to knock him back five feet.
"What the HELL was that for?" Zuko shouted loudly as he got up and started drying himself.
"Your dragon is a peeping tom" Katara informed him as everyone else stated laughing hysterically.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Zuko asked confused.
"I mean he spied on me while I was taking a damn bath Zuko." Katara stated simply.
"Okay, so why the hell didn't you hit him instead of me?" Zuko asked still a bit pissed off.
"Two reasons; first off he wouldn't have felt a thing thanks to those scales, second of all I just wanted to test out that move I picked up from one of your firebending scrolls on someone." Katara chuckled.
"Great" Zuko breathed angrily as he walked over to get his breakfast.
"Ah come on sifu hotman where's that calm wise man who gave us that lesson a couple days ago?" Aang asked lightly.
"First of all that was a onetime deal, acting like my uncle Iroh was very out of character for me, and second would you stop calling me sifu hotman?!" Zuko growled at him.
Everyone went back to their wild laughter as Zuko sulked thinking "Even now, I just can't win".
The fun and games were interrupted when Toph opened her eyes widely.
"Everyone shut up for a minute" Toph shouted as she placed her hand to the ground and then opened her eyes in shock.
"What is it Toph?" The Duke asked.
"There's something coming, it's too far away for me to tell what but I think we should investigate" Toph said.
"I think me, Toph, and Sokka should head out and investigate; the rest of you should probably pack up our crap in case we need to get the hell out of here" Zuko said with concern.
The rest of the group nodded as they headed out to grab everyone's belongings and Zuko's group headed towards the source of Toph's feeling.
"So why exactly are we investigating instead of just flying away?" Sokka asked curiously.
"Because the temple is a great place for us to hide while I teach Aang firebending and it's close to the capitol, so we should be 100 sure this is a genuine threat before we vacate it" Zuko stated factually.
"Oh, so why is it just the three of us investigating?" Sokka asked.
"Because you and me are the only ones who can hope to take an enemy down quickly without making too much noise and Toph's ability to sense people from afar should help us avoid any unnecessary risks." Zuko answered him.
"That's brilliant" Sokka thought admiring Zuko's tactics.
"Anyway if you have more questions hold them till later I think we're getting close" Zuko said.
He was right, five minutes later they came upon the enemy camp and what they saw horrified them. There were easily forty if not fifty enemies. However the identities of their enemies scared them more than their numbers. There were six Yu Yan archers, Coronal Mongke and his rough rhinos, about 10 Dai li agents, and about twenty firebenders. And to top it all off the force was being led by Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula. To make matters worse Zuko saw that they came equipped with catapults perfectly capable of shooting down Appa if they tried to escape, chameleonlizards, and a steel container of unknown contents.
"Damn this isn't good, we need to get back to Aang and the others quickly" Toph whispered urgently.
Back to Iroh
Iroh continued riding to meet up with a couple of associates of his, eventually coming to the clearing where they were supposed to meet. When he got there he saw that the two people he was seeking had already beaten him there each wearing a red hooded cloak with the symbols of all four nations on the front and the white lotus insignia on the back.
"Zane, Kimiko, it's been too long." Iroh said happily walking towards them with his signature grin on his face.
"General nice to see the rumors about you busting out of prison are true" Zane said.
"Yeah you really must have pissed your brother off with that little stunt" Kimiko chuckled.
"Thank you both" Iroh replied.
"Seriously though, we need to get down to business, do Zuko and Azula know about their bloodlines?" Zane asked with urgency.
"Zuko does, but Azula doesn't I doubt our friends have felt it time to tell her." Iroh answered with an equally serious tone.
"Okay does Zuko know just who we are yet?" Kimiko asked concerned.
"No I didn't get the chance to tell him about the order." Iroh replied.
"I see then we need to head to the Western Airtemple, from what I hear it's going to be one Hell of a fight." Zane stated with concern.
"The good news is they're only about thirty minutes away if we ride." Kimiko said.
"That's good but we won't make the time by just standing around here talking" Iroh said as he mounted his ostrich horse and Zane did the same.
"Your damn right so let's go" Zane commanded bluntly as the three rode towards Zuko and crew.
Back with Katara and the others
Katara, Teo, Haru, Aang, and the Duke where gathered around Appa who was fully packed with everyone's belongings. The Duke and Momo where playing around with Fang who seemed to like the attention.
"It's hard to believe something this small is a dragon" The Duke said cheerfully.
"Trust me, he's going to get a lot bigger" Aang assured him.
"I wonder how quickly dragons grow?" Haru asked puzzled.
"Well that warrior said that Fang would grow to reflect when Zuko's power started to awaken, so I'm guessing after he goes through the first event Fang will probably grow into an adolescent state, and after the second event he'll be in his adult state." Katara figured.
"I guess that makes sense." Aang said.
Then suddenly they heard rushing footsteps. The group got to their feet in time to see Sokka, Toph, and Zuko panting with a look of panic in their faces.
"What is it?" Katara asked worried.
"We need to get the Hell out of here now!" Toph exclaimed.
"Okay, everyone get on Appa" Aang commanded.
"No don't, they have catapults; if we try to fly away on Appa they'll shoot us out of the sky!" Zuko stated quickly.
"We need to head out on foot, there's a sizable river to our North a couple of miles, if we get across and destroy the bridge we'll be safe." Sokka stated.
The group traveled north hoping to avoid a fight; however this hope was shattered when they were immediately surrounded by the enemy party with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee at the lead.
"Damn it" Zuko hissed under his breath.
"Well well look at what I found" Azula said with a hint of pleasure in her voice as she and her crew dismounted their chameleonlizards.
"Great you found us Azula" Zuko said sarcastically eyeing his little sister noticing she didn't have a mark on her he said "I'm glad he didn't hurt you."
"Gee thanks, tell you what, surrender and I'll see to it you get a nice cell for your life imprisonment after I kill your little friends" Azula offered with a trace of hope in her voice.
"Thanks but I'll pass" Zuko answered her.
"What have you gone mad?" Azula asked "Everyone here is a hundred percent determined to bring you in, they don't mind if they have to kill you." She finished.
"Well now I wouldn't say that" said one of the firebenders to the groups rear as he took off his helmet revealing lieutenant Jee from Zuko's ship crew.
"Jee?" Zuko stated shocked.
"Who the hell is Jee?" Toph asked angrily turning to the rest of the gang as they raised their shoulders in confusion.
"Prince Zuko just why are you fighting alongside the Avatar?" Jee asked, "I mean are you fighting for the Firenation or are you a traitor?" He finished.
"I'm fighting for everyone including the Firenation, I'm tired of this war and all the death its caused our soldiers and their families!" Zuko started "also the state of the world is our fault so I think someone from the Firenation should be part of the solution" Zuko stated.
"I see, well what you say boys?" Jee asked turning his head to the other firebenders.
"Sounds good to me" a few of them replied as they knocked out the other firebenders and removed their helmets revealing more of Zuko's old crew. They immediately joined the gang's rank and took their bending stances.
"Damn I knew I should've left them in the city" Azula thought to herself.
In a nearby tree an archer was reading a shot to fired through the princes heart. He let the arrow go however just before it hit it's mark a knife intercepted it pinning it to a tree. "What the?" the archer thought just before he felt another knife hit him in the heart and he fell to the ground dead.
Back with the group the source of the knives had jumped off a pillar of rock that the Dai li had tried to toss her with and landed next to Zuko.
"Mai" Zuko said shocked "thank you."
Mai responded by slapping him across the face with tears pouring out of her eyes. "Why the hell did you leave without me?" she asked angrily.
"I'm sorry" Zuko said as he rubbed his face "I just didn't want to get you involved if possible."
"I understand, but I'm still pissed at you" Mai replied while the rest of the Avatar's group seemed shock to learn that Mai was on their side and that she has feelings.
"Mai what are you doing?" Ty Lee asked with a shocked expression.
"I guess I've picked my side Ty Lee" Mai answered.
"Well isn't that precious?" asked a cynical voice as a man was seen emerging from the woods on his own chameleonlizard revealing Firelord Ozai.
"Ozai" Zuko said angrily as the rest of the group flinched at the sound of his name.
"I see you're as weak and pathetic as you've always been boy" Ozai said menacingly.
"Oh I don't know, he sounded like a good Firelord there." A young man's voice called as Zane, Kimiko, and Iroh rode in from the opening dismounting their steeds to join the Zuko and Aang's group. Zane and Kimiko had removed their robes to reveal an eighteen year old girl and boy with pale skin, blue eyes, and long black hair. They both wore robes of red and gold however Kimiko's seemed to be ripped at the elbows and kneecaps.
"Well I'll be Zane and his twin sister Kimiko two of the most wanted enemies of the Firenation and my rather disappointing brother, will the surprises never end?" Ozai asked.
"I'll deal with my brother, Zuko I'm sure you want to deal with your sister, and everyone else can pick their opponents, I promise I'll explain later" Iroh said to everyone's confused faces.
"Alright then let's do it" Aang shouted as they charged into battle.
Iroh immediately entered combat with Ozai each one displaying their mastery of firebending as they attacked each other mercilessly as explosions of red and blue fire shined erupted. Toph and Haru were in an Earthbender's version of an Agni Kai with the Dai li. Mai was in the middle of a stalemate with Ty Lee as they shouted to each other begging each other to back down. Aang was fighting against the other firebenders alongside the former members of Zuko's crew. Sokka and Katara took out the Yu Yan archers and turned to see Zane and Kimiko were surrounded by Mongke and his rhinos.
"Alright it's just two kids, this should be easy" Mongke said with a grin on his face.
Zane looked at him with his eyebrows raised and said "you know sis, I don't think these poor bastards know who they're dealing with" as he took a firebender's stance.
"That's pretty damn obvious brother" Kimiko said as she took the same stance but instead of fire, water started surrounding her arms and legs and began moving like fire "so I vote we teach these dumb asses a lesson" she finished with a grin on her face as she punched forward and knocked one of their men to the ground.
"Damn it get them" Mongke ordered.
Right when he finished that sentence Zane was staring him face to face just before knocking him to the ground for a one on one fight as Kimiko knocked out his men with a grin on her face. Mongke immediately bent a fireball towards Zane however he intercepted them with his own fireballs and hit him in the chest with a flaming punch. The force of the impact sent Mongke flying twenty feet until he hit a tree and fell to the ground unconscious. He then walked over to his sister who seemed pleased with herself.
"Well brother I think they've all been enlightened" Kimiko said cheerfully.
Zane quickly got in front of Kimiko saying "not just yet" as he incinerated an arrow that was about two feet from hitting her and he kicked a flame that knocked out the archer, "now they have sister" he added cheerfully.
They walked over to Katara and Sokka who had just defeated the archers and were looking at the twins with their jaws dropped.
"In case you're curious we are brother and sister" Kimiko said.
"Then how come…" Sokka began.
"Long story short, our mother is water tribe and our dad was Firenation; we can give details later" Zane said as they walked off to join the fight against the Dai li.
Zuko was in fierce combat with Azula. He managed to burn off her topknot holder so her hair was down, she was breathing heavily, and she had minor injuries. Zuko likewise was breathing heavily and was covered in minor injuries.
"Why won't you just come back Zuko?!" Azula screamed as she threw several blue fireballs at Zuko.
"Because it's my duty to help end this war and restore balance to the world" Zuko answered as he countered with his red flames.
"But I helped you come back home to the Firenation, you had your spot as heir to the throne back, wasn't that what you had wanted?" Azula asked almost at the brink of tears.
"Yes it was, but it wasn't as I imagined, I wasn't me over those months" Zuko began "not so long ago it was everything I was fighting for, but now I know what a fool I was" he finished. "All that time I was trying to earn his love; however I recently figured out you can't have something that doesn't exist" Zuko told her as he threw a couple fireballs of his own at Azula and she countered them.
"That bastard over there is no father to me or to you Azula" Zuko screamed as he continued the fight with his sister.
"But you seemed so happy, ever since you came home after three years away" Azula said as she countered Zuko's attacks and tried to get an edge over her brother.
"Like I said I wasn't me, I hate the fact that I basically bowed down to him and went along with his disgraceful tactics no matter what; but something I'm curious about is the Azula I've known since childhood the true you?" Zuko asked.
"What the hell are you talking about Zuko?" Azula asked breathing heavily.
"I'm asking you is the person who tormented me almost every day of my childhood the real you, or was that sad girl I saw at the beach who was at the brink of tears because she was under the impression that her mother thought she was evil the real you?" Zuko asked with an intense gaze towards her younger sister.
"What makes you think I'm in any sort of pain?" Azula screamed as she tried without success to burn her brother.
"I'm thinking that its possible that maybe you're the way I used to be," Zuko said as he avoided her flames and tried to counter attack "maybe you've just been acting like the perfect princess the daughter our father always wanted, but you weren't being yourself". Zuko finished as he finally over-powered Azula and knocked her to the ground where she looked up at him in fear.
"Do it already!" Azula shouted.
Zuko responded by shooting a fireball at the ground about three feet to her side and said "no I'm not like him, I don't strike those who can't or won't fight back; anyway if the latter part of what I said is true you need to stop trying to follow the destiny Ozai picked for you, you need to decide just who you are and take hold of your own destiny, there is no happiness for those who let others decide for them I'm reminded of that every time I look at my face."
Azula just laid there on the ground in shocked that Zuko had gotten so powerful. Meanwhile Ozai and Iroh were continuing their battle with neither side backing down as the two brothers eyed each other with loathing until Ozai saw Zuko standing next to his sister.
"Damn him now he's even ruined Azula" Ozai hissed.
"He is impressive isn't he Ozai?" Iroh asked his brother with a slight grin on his face.
"Yes he's an absolute disgrace just like the man he considers a father, he's even ruined my perfect daughter" Ozai hissed back.
"He may be like a son to me but he's far too strong hearted and capable of greatness to be just like me" Iroh answered back.
Ozai absorbed the seen around him and saw that most of his forces were either down or they had fallen back to avoid confrontation in their states of exhaustion. On his enemy's side he saw that the Avatar's group plus the twins and the firebenders who turned traitor were breathing heavily about fifteen feet away from Zuko who was looking towards his girlfriend Mai who was about three feet away. Ozai immediately began to swell up with hatred until he finally said "We'll see how great he is dead" as he knocked Iroh to the ground and fired lightning at Zuko while his back was turned.
"Zuko lookout everyone shouted" as he turned to see the lighting coming towards him. He had no time to react or to redirect it he knew he was going to die then suddenly he felt a force shove him to the ground and out of harm's way. Time seemed to slowdown as Zuko looked up to see lightning go through the person who sacrificed herself to save him it was his beloved Mai.
"Mai!!!" Zuko shouted as dark clouds started forming in the sky and he caught her before she hit the ground.
"Zuko let us help" Katara said as she and Kimiko held her up trying to heal her with their water bending and Iroh went back to fighting Ozai cursing himself.
Mai looked up and smiled as she turned to the man she loved and said "Zuko."
"Why Mai, why did you do that?" Zuko asked as tears fell from his eyes.
"Because I love you, you big oaf." Mai answered with a chuckle.
"Mai you really shouldn't try to talk" Azula stated as she looked towards her friend and Ty Lee ran towards her with tears running down her face as she knelt down to the ground.
Mai smiled and looked up at Zuko and said "I think I'm pretty screwed anyway, so please listen; this isn't your fault Zuko, I owe you everything."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Zuko asked "If it wasn't for me you never would've gotten hurt in the first place."
"You set me free, those months I spent with you were the happiest days of my life, I thought I was going to grow old and have a family with you but I guess some other woman will get that pleasure" Mai said just before she coughed up blood and continued "never stop fighting for what you believe in, you have a strange knack for saving people from themselves, so for your own sake become a Firelord like none before you, bring about a new age of peace and prosperity for all, and always remember that I… love… you...Zuko."
After this Mai fell asleep Katara and Kimiko did everything they could but it was no use. Eventually Katara looked at the prince and said "I'm sorry Zuko."
At those words it began to rain heavily as Zuko fell to his knees screaming "NO." and everyone else looked at him with sadness, Zuko then started to glow and so did Fang.
Damn this took me a while. Anyway was this chapter appropriately titled or what. Anyway next chapter shouldn't take me so long. So don't miss it Zuko vs. Ozai round 1. And trust me he is going to pay for what he just did to Mai, because remember those two events in the prophecy
