Urzai month April 11th: Dragon

"Mother…" Azula placed a cool wet cloth on Ursa's forehead. Zuko sat on the other side of the bed, holding Ursa's wizened hand.

The mother of the reigning Fire Lord looked at her two children with filmy eyes that looked half-golden, half-brown under the dim light.

"Ozai…" She whispered, turning to Zuko. Zuko winced, but let his mother touch his face. Azula worked on drawing the extra, unneeded heat away from Ursa and the cloth, and the old woman sighed in relief. "Ozai…am I dead? Have you come to get me?" She smiled slightly, the fever having addled her mind.

Zuko swallowed, looking at Azula, who nodded sharply.

"Just hang in there a bit more…love." Zuko said, forcing his tears back. He glanced at Azula again, and tired ochre eyes looked back at him morosely. They both knew their mother didn't have much time left before she went to join the others in the spirit world. The royal siblings were the only ones left aside from Zuko's daughter.

"I'm so tired, Ozai." Ursa whispered, speaking words that were not for her children. She closed her eyes, and Zuko gripped on tighter, in panic, while Azula kept on siphoning the heat away. "Just take me away…" She whispered.

"Just…say goodbye to the children first." Zuko replied with difficulty.

"Yes…you're right. How could I forget?" Ursa coughed, and blood dribbled out of her mouth. Azula wiped it away quickly with a cloth, which she placed in a bowl of water that was already red. "Azula, my daughter…know that I am proud of you…so proud…and I'll always love you." She said. Azula took Ursa's free hand with both of her own.

"I love you too mother." She said softly. Ursa smiled.

"Tell Zuko I love him as well, and to cherish his family. You will tell him that, right?" Ursa gripped Azula's hand with surprising strength, her eyes clearing for a moment. Azula swallowed, glancing at Zuko.

"Yes. Of course, mother." She whispered. Zuko's tears were flowing down his face freely, and Ursa looked back at him.

"Why are you crying, Ozai? We are finally together again…" Ursa sighed happily. A few moments later her chest stopped rising, and her hands fell slack. Zuko sobbed with anguish, and Azula reached across to shut Ursa's eyes.

"Rest in peace, mother." She whispered, finally letting her tears free.

Ursa took a tentative step forward. The ground didn't look solid. It looked like clouds and fog mixed together. She took another step forward. The ground held.

"Hello?" She called. Her voice was quickly absorbed into the misty surroundings. She knew she was in the spirit world, and that she was dead. That was about it.

Suddenly, the fog cleared, revealing a nice beach with the sun glaring down at her. A red dragon was coiled up on the ground right next to her. She jumped. The dragon raised a massive head and looked at her with familiar golden eyes. Ursa reached out a hesitant hand, and the dragon leant into it, nuzzling her with its huge snout.

"Ozai?" She whispered in wonder. The dragon purred low in its chest, the sound reverberating even in the open air. It rose and raised its wings, lowering its neck. It made impatient gestures with its wings. "You want me to climb on?" She asked. The dragon made an affirmative noise, and she clambered on with agile moves, grinning at the fact that she was young again in the spirit world.

As soon as she settled onto its warm scales and had a good grip on its soft mane, the dragon rose smoothly and flapped its wings, taking off. Ursa was surprised at how easily she rode the dragon—she didn't even have to do anything special. She looked down at the beautiful scenery, even more beautiful than the real world. The oceans below them glittered and shone, the light blue waters reflecting a beautiful, clear sky with only wisps of white clouds dotting it here and there. Islands were scattered around the waters, and Ursa had a feeling of déjà vu.

"The Fire Nation archipelagos." She murmured, and the dragon snorted in agreement, descending on a large island that Ursa immediately recognised as the capital island. The dragon flew straight towards the caldera, where the capital city lay. When they reached the royal courtyard with the turtleduck pond, the dragon landed and Ursa got off. She looked around in wonder. Everything was the same. She headed to the large tree that she often sat under only to see the dragon rush towards the figure already sitting there. She gasped when the dragon flew into the figure's chest, disappearing completely into the person.

Said person's eyes snapped open. Molten gold eyes peered at Ursa, shining with elation. The figure stood and crushed Ursa in a hug, and the woman's eyes filled with happy tears, hugging the man back.

"Ozai." She said in an emotional voice.

"Ursa." Ozai murmured, and Ursa wept at the sound of her name on his lips. They stood there for Agni knows how long until he finally held her at arms-length and examined her.

"I've been waiting so long for you." He said fondly, raising one of her hands and lifting it to his lips, caressing it lovingly. Ursa blushed like a maiden at his action, but boldly reached forward to kiss him. He responded fiercely, pouring years of neglected passion and all of his love into the kiss. She was putty in his strong arms once again.

"I love you so much." She muttered against his lips. He pecked them again.

"As I do you." He said, touching his nose to hers affectionately. "Let us never part again."

"Hmm…that sounds good, for the rest of eternity." Ursa smiled as Ozai pulled her into another loving kiss.

Funny idea, right? XD