Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar or Star Wars or any material related to them that is mentioned in this fiction. All of it belongs to Nickelodeon and George Lucas respectively.
Bender of the Force
Revelations and Confrontations Part 2
Zuko woke up, feeling his head exploding. He tried to open his eyes, but the light coming from the entrance of the cavern made it difficult to open them completely. "What happened to me?" thought Zuko, and immediately he remembered.
He fought Anakin, the young man they had found where his uncle had seen the strange light while they wandered. He had been winning the battle, and was assured of his victory, until Anakin started earth bending behind him. He thought he would be able to deflect the rocks and then face Anakin, but Anakin had been too fast for him, he moved with great speed as he earth bended and hit him in the head so hard he passed out.
"Uggh, no wonder I have a head ache" thought Zuko, and tried to sit up, grabbing his head in his hands and trying to get rid of the splitting head ache that was consuming him.
For a few minutes Zuko did not really move, but as the headache receded he began to observe his surroundings. He was back at the cave, he realized, he looked at his side and saw his uncle sleeping over a small sleeping sack, and further from him there was Anakin.
At seeing Anakin, Zuko was filled with raw fury, here this man, no older than he himself had come out of nowhere, befriended his uncle, and decided to stop him from what he was doing in order to regain some of the life style he had lost.
Without second thought Zuko got up from the sleeping bag where had been slleping, grabbed his swords and plunged into Anakin.
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Anakin was in the half-sleep half-awake state of the healing trance. In this state every sensation, even time was difficult to determine. He had entered the healing trance as he was loosing consciousness, and began to use the force to heal himself, finding it particularly easy to use in this place, wherever it was, as if the force was stronger here than anywhere else he had ever been.
For a moment he felt the touch of his uncle Luke, mixed with the way his own father felt, it was a strange feeling. A presence that felt like the wise and centered being his uncle was and at the same time had the gentleness that only his father could display towards him, when he was putting him to bed so many years before.
He also felt the nature surrounding him, it was hard to describe, for it felt more than usual, yet he couldn't really feel it like he felt everything when he was awake, and at the same time it felt also very different, a type of feeling he had never had.
Anakin remembered how his brother had always had a good understanding of nature, how he was so easily capable of knowing how the universe moved. He missed his brother, he missed everyone. He had not been in this place for more than a few days and he was worried.
He couldn't really place the reason for this feeling of loss he had been feeling for the past days, but it was undeniable now, something was not right, and yet everything was right. These two feelings where in conflict, he didn't really understand why he felt them and yet he knew that both of them where correct.
Then there where the people he had recently met, Iroh and Zuko, he wasn't sure why, but he knew that they would play an important role in events yet to come, but what he wasn't sure. Iroh seemed to be a centered and caring person, but Zuko was a sea of anger that he could only partially relate to.
When he had brushed their minds he had seen glimpses of their respective pasts, more feelings than images really, but very powerful and ever present. In Zuko he felt something he himself had been feeling since Chewbacca was killed during the battle of Sernpidal, a feeling of loss, and a deep separation that had happened between himself and his father, a bridge that had only recently been repaired, but that had also been lost when he had been transported to this planet.
He felt that a similar event had happened between Zuko and his father, and in that sense he began to understand the young man. He also felt that there was far more to Zuko's rage than just this loss, there where deeper scars that he had felt, but that where buried under layers of rage, deep meditation, and duty, foundations that had been shaken recently as well.
As he continued to meditate on these issues he felt a great and powerful red shadow, a light becoming an inferno, one that felt very close, too close for comfort, and with a snap of his eyes he woke up, and scrambled out of his bed, just as a blade was about to slice him in half.
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Zuko thought he would be able to get Anakin for his defeat, his actions had cut too deep into Zuko and he was angry, angry like he had not been in a long time, and most of the inhibitions he normally had regarding people where forgotten, and there was only his sword and Anakin's body.
Yet he had been robbed of that. Just before his blade pierced Anakin's body, Anakin scrambled of the sleeping cot on which he had been just a second ago. Zuko looked at Anakin with a great amount of hatred, this young man had come to his life just recently and he had taken it upon himself to be self-righteous without understanding what Zuko had been through.
This was what had Zuko the most riled up, Anakin had decided that Zuko was wrong in what he did, and decided to police him, what did he know about what he had been through? What could he possibly understand of his situation?
Taking his sword of the ground Zuko prepared for another assault on Anakin, and stroke with fury and rage, while Anakin scrambled away from his sword.
"Zuko, calm down, we don't have to fight" said Anakin, as he got up and prepared to defend himself from the maddened prince.
"Shut up, what could you possibly understand of me? How dare you become so self-righteous with me without even knowing me?" said Zuko in only slightly controlled anger as he glared at Anakin.
Anakin felt Zuko through the force, he was a sea of anger, fury and confusion. He felt that Zuko knew deep down that his actions where not honorable, but that he was justified in them. He also knew that Zuko was ready to strike at Anakin with deadly force.
Suddenly Zuko lunged once more towards Anakin, but he was stopped by a powerful hand, that came far faster and with more strength than a body of that size should really allow.
Iroh had his nephews hand in a powerful grip, while Zuko glared at his uncle.
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Iroh had heard his nephew wake up, and watched him as he forced himself to stand up, and try to relieve his head ache. He remembered what Anakin had said, and what had been confirmed about his nephew.
On a personal level it was nice to regain some of the possessions they had lost when they had been exiled. His new tea set was very beautiful and artistic, but he knew that it was only a material possession, so he really did not need it, however nice it was.
Iroh remembered the difficult times they had had recently, the long journey since their exile, the search for the Avatar. The chase through the world, the many fights along the way, the enemies they had made and the friends they had left behind, their banishment and Azula.
Iroh realized that his nephew was indeed very upset with the world at the moment, and that his mind was passing through a great turmoil, as he reconciles the events with the past, with the present situation and the future self that he might yet become.
His nephew Iroh knew very well was a good person at heart, prideful, honorable and strong. However he had been heavily indoctrinated by his father and recent events to be something he was not, a cold blooded dictator, a cruel ruler and a sadistic individual, like the way most of the fire nation was at the moment.
That was the really sad part. Iroh knew that there was great strength in his people, but it had been misdirected for over a hundred years, and there seemed to be no awakening for them any time soon. The fire nation was powerful and it had greatly expanded itself, but in doing so had alienated the whole world and created a monster that Iroh knew needed to be stopped.
Had he ascended to the throne he would have ended the war. Too much blood had been spilled by way too many people to even fathom, and no more was necessary. The point of the superiority of the fire nation that fire lord Sozin had wanted to make to the world had long since been made clear, and a war of extermination and genocide could only end with the fire nation alone, and probably on its way to its own destruction, for such indoctrination could not continue with the power hungry government that existed at this moment.
However his cruel and evil brother had managed to usurp his throne. He accepted, for the reasons appeared to be valid, and there was no evidence connecting their fathers death to his brother Ozai, and for a time he had been content to simply watch, for everything was in place and running smoothly, and he could work within the system to try and correct it.
However now he had been banished along with his nephew, he was being hunted by his psychopathic niece, and he had a prince that was currently very disturbed, a prince who may yet have a very important part to play in events to come, and now there was another young man.
Anakin, whom he had met less than a week ago had just managed to surprise him, by revealing a power he didn't know about, a power he felt would also play a great part in the story that was unfolding, and by in a single act antagonizing his nephew into a murderous rage.
He had suspected of Zuko's activities, and had planned to speak to him, and appeal to the Zuko he knew was the true self of his nephew, but now it may prove to be more difficult.
Iroh sensed some movement from his nephew, and saw him lunge for his sword, and quickly strike at Anakin. Iroh believed that Anakin would die, and that an innocent mans life would be on his nephew's hands. Fortunately that did not come to pass.
Once again surprising Iroh, Anakin had scrambled for safety before Zuko could deliver a mortal blow and now the two young men where in a stand-off, waiting for the next move. He heard as the two young men debated for a few seconds, and sensed when as the next strike was to come. Moving far faster than even he himself believed he could he grabbed his nephews arm, stopping him in mid-lunge.
Iroh glared at Zuko, stopping him from committing a fatal mistake, while his nephew glared back at him in return. "Zuko!! What do you think you're doing?!" yelled Iroh as he held of his nephews arm.
Zuko removed his hand from his uncle's grip, and turned to glare directly at his uncle. "Uncle, he is an earth bender spy, I saw him with my eyes earth bending" yelled Zuko at his uncle as his uncle glared back at him.
"He is not an earth bender Zuko" said Iroh in a clear and firm voice, forcing the young man to back down, but Zuko was also very stubborn, and refused to back down.
"No, but he was tossing rocks at me. He might even be a spy, or a bounty hunter, trying to take the money for our heads" yelled Zuko getting closer to his uncles face, and not backing down.
Iroh observed his nephew. The confusion that he believed was causing his nephew so many problems was indeed that source of his nephews mistrust and his uncontrolled anger. He let out a sigh and looked at Zuko with a sad face. "Zuko, Anakin here isn't even from this world, he is no earth bender, or a bender for that matter. I don't know what he is, I haven't had the time to learn yet from our young friend, but he is not an earth bender, or a spy or a bounty hunter" said Iroh trying to a peace his nephew. "What he is, is a lost soul, who is true to his beliefs and acted in an honorable way by stopping you from doing more dishonorable acts"
Zuko heard his uncle's words. He lowered his head in shame at his actions. "I only did that, to give us a better life" said Zuko turning his head as he spoke of his shame. "We are royalty, we deserve much more than what we have at the moment" continued Zuko, but the more he said that the more shame he felt.
Zuko looked at Anakin, who looked at him with sadness, and got closer to him. Zuko felt Anakin's hand on his shoulder and heard him speak. "Zuko, I know how you feel, I felt it when I touched your mind. It is not very different than the weight I have been carrying since the death of a good friend of mine" said Anakin as tears began to well in his eyes.
"I know, what it feels to loose the love of your father. I know what it feels to plunge yourself so deep in your work, that you don't deal with the problem. I know how it can drive you to try and get redemption in their eyes and how it can twist you into something you are not" said Anakin as even more tears welled up in his eyes, as he relieved all those moments that felt so far away, yet still so painful. "Zuko, I know how you feel, I know that you think your life is hard right now, but what you where doing would only give you grief in the future" said Anakin as he looked straight at Zuko, who looked at Anakin dumbfounded.
Iroh listened to the young Solo, and saw the truth he was trying to get across his foolish nephew. "Zuko, what Anakin is saying is true, we are in a difficult situation right now yes. But that is no reason to fell shame. We have a decent life, and though thing seem to have no solution, we can still have a decent life"
"What is the point of a simple life if we can't restore what was ours" said Zuko defeated.
"You must never loose hope Zuko, everything always resolves itself, but we must also work to make it happen" said Anakin, hoping that Zuko would understand his reasoning.
Zuko thought about what the two present where saying, and left his swords hit the ground. "I must leave, be alone and think" said Zuko, and he made to leave the cave.
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As Zuko left it was only Anakin and Iroh in the cave. "He is very disturbed at the moment, he might leave on his own" said Anakin as he looked at Iroh.
"I know" said Iroh in a sad tone. "But he must find his own way, and deal with his problems on his own, we can counsel him, but we cannot make his choices for him"
Anakin and Iroh continued to look as Zuko left, and realized that his journey and theirs had only just begun.
TBC