Sorry for the delay in the update, I've just been pretty lazy with this story lately but when I saw that it had been almost two weeks since I last updated, I figured that I might as well give you something. This chapter may or may not be a tear-jerker, depending on how you see it. It takes place before the Serpents Pass.

Ashes to Ashes

The day that Izanami had been dreading had arrived. It was the day that Kazu, her big brother would be buried and never to be seen again. Izanami had spent the past few weeks preparing herself for this moment, since there was nothing she could do to avoid it. For a brief time, Izanami had been in a stage of denial about her brothers impending funeral but the look on her parent's faces was enough to bring Izanami to reality. Her brother was dead, and after today she was never going to see him again.

Since her father returned last week, Izanami had rarely spoken to him. She only greeted her father when he returned home and after that, she was only in the same room with him only if she had to be. It was hard for Izanami to be around her father at this stage, since he rarely ever showed any sympathy towards her and now was no exception. By now Izanami had grown accustomed to her father's attitude, but it still hurt to know that her own father couldn't care less about how she felt.

On the day of her brother's funeral, Izanami wore her white dress that was specially designed for this event. In all honesty, Izanami had never worn anything this extravagant before. Sure, she had worn fancy dresses when Azula invited her to special occasions but nothing ever like this. The whole time Izanami was getting ready for Kazu's funeral, she was preparing herself for the speech that she would have to deliver in his honour. Her father had opted to give the speech himself, but Izanami argued that she should have the right to do that and surprisingly, her father had agreed to it.

When Izanami was ready to go, she followed her mother and father out of their house, so they could make their way to the temple where the funeral would be taking place. The funeral would be taking place at night, far in the mountains away from the capital city. The event was strictly family only except for the commanding officers who had known Kazu and a select few of his fellow soldiers. The whole time Izanami was struggling to contain herself, since she refused to cry and show weakness in front of her parents. They had raised her to be strong, and crying was not strong.

Eventually, the family of three arrived at their destination where most of the guests had already arrived. The moment they stepped into the area, their family was immediately greeted by the other guests as they offered their condolences which was meat by death ears for Izanami. Not wanting to be rude, Izanami simply thanked them half-heartedly for their support. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate it Izanami just felt that their sympathy was unnecessary. Her brother was now dead, and no amount of condolences would ever bring him back.

As her parents chatted away with the other officials, Izanami caught the sight of her brother's casket that lay open far ahead. Wanting to have one last look at her brother before he was buried forever, Izanami snuck away from her parents and carefully made her way towards his casket. When she was a few feet away, Izanami took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to see. Once she was ready, Izanami peered over Kazu's casket and her heart just about broke when she laid eyes on him.

If she was being honest, Izanami was surprised by the condition her brother was in. His skin wasn't as battered and bruised as she thought it would be, since they had done a decent job of making him presentable for his funeral. But Izanami could still see the wounds that Kazu had sustained from his last battle. It hurt Izanami to know that there was nothing that her brother had wanted more than to serve his country, only to die doing so. But in some way, it was comforting to know that her brother had at least died doing what he loved.

"I miss you, Kazu. I hope you're in a better place," Izanami sniffled.

While Izanami mourned her brother, she suddenly felt something yank her backwards and away from his casket. Izanami turned around to see her father glaring at her as he towered over her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Masaru demanded.

"I wanted to see Kazu," Izanami replied.

"If your mother and I cannot see your brother, what makes you think you have the right to, you insolent brat?" Masaru berated his daughter.

"He was my brother and I loved him. More than you ever could," Izanami argued.

"Don't test me, young lady. I could easily take away your speech and give it myself. You've already been given enough," Masaru hissed.

"Sorry, father," Izanami apologised half-heartedly.

"Now go back to your mother," Masaru ordered.

Izanami sighed as she took one last look back at her brothers casket before re-joining her mother and the others. Soon enough, the ceremony was ready to begin, and Izanami sat at the front of the guests along with her mother and father and the officials who had known Kazu throughout his life.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered her today to mourn the loss of Lieutenant Kazu, a young warrior who had the potential for a long a prosperous future that was taken away from him too soon. Kazu had served under the Fire Nation army for the past eight years and never gave it nothing but his best. It is with great sadness that we bid farewell to our son, brother, cousin, nephew, friend, comrade and lieutenant. May his spirit be blessed as we lay him to rest. It is now my pleasure to invite his beloved sister, Izanami to deliver a speech on her family's behalf," the priest began.

Taking a deep breath as she did so, Izanami stood up from her seat and made her way towards the lectern to give her speech. Once she got there, Izanami opened her speech as she tried her best to avoid looking at the crowd, knowing that it would do her no good. When she was ready, Izanami began her speech on what she wished she could say to her brother that she would never get the chance to do so.

"Kazu and I had always shared a special bond. He was nine when I was born, and from then on, he looked out for me like nobody else ever did. There was never a dull moment when Kazu was with me. He knew how cheer me up when I was down and to entertain me when I was bored. Even before I could understand what he meant, I knew that Kazu wanted to serve our country. It was something that my brother had always spoken about so even when it came time for him to go, I still fought to keep him here. As much as it pains me to deal with the reality that my brother was taken away from us too soon, it is comforting to know that he died doing what he always wanted to do. Even though he might not be with us physically, I know that he is here with us spiritually and will continue to be so. Thank you Kazu for everything that you have done for me, our family and our nation. No matter how much time passes by, I will always love you and remember you for what you were and what you always will be."

Choking back her sobs as she did so, Izanami took a few steps back from the lectern before returning to her parents so that the ceremony could continue. Once she got back to her seat, her father simply nodded at her while her mother wrapped her arm around her.

"That was beautiful, sweetheart. Kazu would've loved that," Hikari whispered to her daughter.

The rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch and Izanami was able to maintain her strong front until they finally started to lower Kazu's casket to the ground. As his casket got lower and lower, the more tears started to build up in Izanami's eyes. It was official now. Her brother was going to be buried, and he was never coming back.

Finally, the dam broke and Izanami burst into tears as she failed to control herself. Just the sight of her brothers casket being lowered to the ground was enough to send her into hysterics. Izanami didn't care if she was embarrassing herself or her family. All she cared about was her brother, who was now dead and who she'd never see again. For a few moments, Izanami tried to cry as quietly as possibly to keep the attention off herself but her efforts in that aspect were futile.

"Stop making a fool out of yourself, Izanami. Show some dignity for Agni's sake," Masaru hissed.

Izanami glared at him, "I don't care about stupid dignity. I want Kazu back."

"Well too bad, because he's not coming back, and you'll just have to accept that," her father stated.

"I don't have to if I don't want to," Izanami snapped.

"Do not speak to me like that, young lady. Remember I am your father," Masaru scolded her.

"You never act like it," Izanami muttered.

"What was that?" Masaru asked.

"Nothing," Izanami murmured.

Masaru scoffed, "I'm sure it was."

Eventually, the service was over, and it was time for Izanami and her family to return to their home. Leaving Kazu behind was hard, but Izanami reminded herself that she was already never going to see him again so there was no point in fussing over it now. When Izanami and her family returned to their home, Izanami was quick to bid her parents goodnight before heading off to her room, so she could be alone in peace. The last thing Izanami wanted now was for her parents to be around her when they were hardly sympathetic of how she was feeling.

Once Izanami had changed out of her dress and into her night gown, she crawled into her bed and let the rest of her pent-up tears come out. If she was being honest, Izanami was hardly a crier. She only ever cried if she was genuinely upset, just like she was now. There was nothing that Izanami wanted more than to have one last moment with her brother, but she knew that despite how badly she wanted it, she would never have that. And that was something that she'd just have to learn to deal with.

Hope you guys didn't get too upset at that. Sorry for the lack of Azula in this chapter but have no fear, you'll get to hear from her in the next one. Same as always, if you guys like Taming the Dragon, I'd appreciate it if you checked out my other works and told me what you think as well since those could always use some extra support. Until next chapter…