Chapter 7: Flames of the Past
Azula raised Kang within the seclusion of the hut, awaiting the day his Fire-bending came to fruition, but while she did, her mentality had changed, whenever Kang seemed in danger, she would rush to get him out of it, whenever Kang appeared upset, she would try to console him, she didn't know why she kept instinctively doing this, but when Kang's Fire-bending came to light at the age of six: The Ex-Princess remembered her plan to forge Kang into a weapon to use against her brother and to uphold him as the True Ruthless Fire Lord.
Azula distanced herself from Kang as she trained him to be the strongest Fire-bender the world would ever see. Three long and hard years of training forged Kang into an expert Fire-bender, but although he knew the forms like the back of his hand, he lacked the power to properly use them, but despite this, Azula decided it was time for his first Agni Kai.
The two stood inside the Arena on opposing sides, Azula standing tall and proud, ready for battle, whereas the nine-year-old Kang nervously looked around, unsure what to make of the situation.
"It's time for your first Agni Kai, Boy!" Azula sharply spoke.
"What's an... Agni Koi?" The young Kang asked whilst Azula blankly stared at him for his mispronunciation.
"It's Agni Kai, Boy. K-a-i" Azula bitterly replied, to which Kang apologised.
"An Agni Kai is a duel between two Fire-benders, a duel of honour, and ends with the victor burning the defeated," Azula explained as the young Kang winced.
"I'm... not sure about this, mama," the young Kang nervously replied.
"Oh, don't worry, boy. If you don't refuse to fight and go down with honour, I won't burn you. But if you cower on the floor begging for mercy, I will have none to spare!" Azula maliciously spoke as the Young Kang froze up, his heart skipping a beat as his legs quaked.
"Don't back down, got it!" the young Kang nervously replied as he raised his fists, to which Azula smiled.
"The Agni Kai begins now!" Azula shouted as she mercilessly kicked out a blast of sapphire flame, but Kang quickly ducked underneath it, rolling forward and unleashing a small blast of fire at Azula, but she snuffed it out with a wall of blue fire.
"Come on! I know you can do better, boy!" Azula shouted as she leapt into the air, kicking out her leg and bringing down an arch of Azure flame as fear washed over Kang's face, the young boy rolled to the side, his heart racing as he saw Azula land.
Azula unleashed a powerful stream of cerulean fire, keeping her merciless eyes on Kang as he tried to block the onslaught of flames, but the sheer power ultimately knocked him down, wracking his body with exhaustion, he rolled onto his back, looking to Azula with a hazy gaze.
"Stand up, boy! You can still fight!" Azula cruelly demanded as her blue flames grew in the palms of her hands. Kang tried to stand up but inevitably fell onto his stomach, lifting his head to Azula.
"Please... don't, I can't fight anymore..." Kang agonisingly spoke as he looked to his mother, but rage came over Azula's face as she glared down at him.
"You will rise and fight, boy!" Azula sharply told him, her voice echoing with malice as she raised her right hand to the sky, creating a large azure flame in her hand.
"I'm... too exhausted to fight on," Kang tried to reason with her, but Azula simply gazed down at him with her piercing golden eyes.
"How Disappointing! I warned you, boy! This will be a lesson you will remember, and suffering shall be your teacher!" Azula furiously spoke, echoing her father's words as Kang cowered on the ground, looking away from the blazing blue flames, but as the Ex-Princess brought her flames down, the pained cries of Zuko pervaded her mind, the memories of watching Ozai burn Zuko's face, hearing the words Iroh muttered echoed in her mind.
"How could you do that to your own son?" Iroh's voice echoed as the flame on Azula's hand slowly sputtered out. The Ex-Princess gazed into the distance, her posture slumping, her breath shaking.
"I'm... becoming no better than my father," Azula sombrely spoke as she gazed at the hand she intended to use against Kang, slowly letting it drop to her side, then gazing at the still cowering Kang.
"I... won't use him as a weapon, they never showed me love... but that doesn't mean I should treat him the same way," Azula told herself as a tear streaked out of her eye.
The Ex-Prince knelt before Kang, softly placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Kang?" Azula softly spoke as Kang flinched, perking his head up and seeing Azula knelt before him.
"You're... not going to burn me?" Kang nervously asked as Azula softly smiled.
"No, I'm not go-" Azula spoke as Kang immediately threw himself at her, hugging her tightly. Kang's sudden act flustered the Ex-Princes, unsure how to respond as she quizzically looked at him.
"I hope this is okay to do?" Kang nervously asked as Azula smiled again.
"Of course it is..." Azula replied as she hugged him back, an odd warmth blooming inside her as the two hugged.
From that day forward, Azula repaired her relationship with Kang, trying to show him the motherly love she never received, having Kang as her son made her give up on her goal of creating her own Ruthless Fire Lord, her only goal in life now was to raise Kang with the utmost love she could give him. Azula would read a story to him every night, The two would cook and clean the hut together and go up to a hillside on days out. The two still trained together in the ways of Fire-bending, Kang eventually becoming a Master by the age of Sixteen and inheriting Azula's signature Blue flames.
Azula stood within the kitchen of the hut, the sun beating through the window as she stood next to two aligned plates with a small bag of rice next to them. Azula lit a flame under a cauldron of water, reaching out to the rice as her hand quaked, slowly grasping as her breath shook.
"Hey, Mother!" Kang greeted her as he swung through the doorway, startling Azula and making her drop the rice, her heart racing as she chuckled and turned to him.
"Kang! What have I told you about sneaking up on me?" Azula lightly scolded him as Kang awkwardly looked away.
"Only do it during emergencies?" Kang sarcastically replied as Azula slanted her gaze, putting a hand to her hip as Kang nervously chuckled.
"Could we... have another Agni Kai?" Kang asked, his voice riddled with enthusiasm as Azula briefly gasped, quizzically looking back at him.
"Sure, dear. Exercise before a meal is a good thing after all," Azula told him with a smirk as she walked towards him, her stride slightly limped.
"I'm sure you're still fighting fit, Mother!" Kang responded with an upbeat attitude as he walked with her to the Agni Kai arena.
The two ventured up to the Agni Kai arena, but as they did Azula lightly clasped her chest, stumbling forward, but Kang caught her before she could fall any further.
"Are you alright?" Kang nervously asked, looking her up and down as Azula regained her breath.
"I'm fine, Kang. Just tripped on a rock," Azula lied, standing back up straight as she took a deep breath whilst Kang slowly nodded.
"Let's keep going!" Azula told him as she ventured towards the Agni Kai arena, shortly followed by Kang.
The two had scorched the grounds of the Agni Kai arena from their years of training, now appearing to be more of an ashy black rather than its original dirt brown.
Azula and Kang stood on opposing Sides, both raising their fists before engaging each other. Kang unleashed kicks of mighty azure fire towards Azula, who ducked and weaved through the attacks, counter-attacking with a stream of cerulean flame, however, Kang blocked the attack by erecting a wall of impenetrable blue flame.
The wall ceased as the two stood against each other once more. Azula swept her leg along the ground, unleashing a low wave of sapphire flame, but Kang leapt over it, landing on his palms, his backed facing Azula as he kicked out a plume of azure fire. Azula scoffed, swiping her arms and snuffing out the flames, and as Kang leapt back to his feet, Azula pointed her fingers towards the ground, lifting them and circling them to her side, lightning crackling along her fingers as she lunged forward, letting loose a bolt of lightning, but Kang pointed his fingers towards the bolt, bringing his arm in, down then out to his opposite side, unleashing the bolt into the air.
Azula clutched her chest once more, her arms tensing up as her legs quaked whilst Kang smugly looked to the cascading lightning, turning to his mother as his gaze nervously slanted.
"Are you okay, mother?" Kang asked, cautiously walking to her.
"I'm... fine," Azula breathlessly lied as her left arm numbed.
"Are you sure? We can stop if you..." Kang replied, but Azula unleashed a violent crescent of sapphire flame, Kang's eyes widening as he leapt over it, watching it crash into the surrounding foliage and earth.
"Alright, you're fine," Kang nervously replied as Azula smirked, kicking out waves of cerulean fire, as Kang brushed them aside before swinging his arms around, lightning crackling as he lunged forward, Azula saw the bolt approach as her she kicked out another wave, but the Ex-princess quickly improvised, leaping up with her second foot and catching the bolt, redirecting it up her leg and kicking it out behind her as she flipped back onto her feet, smugly gazing at Kang as the earth crumbled behind her.
"Now when were you going to teach me that one?" Kang sarcastically asked.
"Maybe later, I just thought of it," Azula breathlessly chuckled. Kang smirked, swinging his fist out and unleashing a crescent of azure flame as Azula tried to parry, but her arms seized, the heat of the flame closing in on her. The Ex-princess' eyes widened as Kang worryingly raised his eyebrows.
"MOTHER!" Kang shouted as the flames struck Azula, her screams piercing his ears as she fell to the ground.
"Mother?! Are you alright? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I got carried away I-" Kang frantically spoke as he threw himself down to her, gazing upon her burnt clothes and skin, but Azula raised her hand to tell him to calm down.
"I'm... alright, Kang..." Azula softly lied, trying to reassure him, but the burn marks across her skin and the burns in her clothes said otherwise as Kang welled up as his hysterically breathing as he shook his head.
"N-no, you're not alright... I need to get you back to the hut!" Kang told her as he lifted her off the ground, carrying her back to her hut and up to her bedroom, laying her down in her bed, the Ex-Princess gazing at Kang as he frantically placed her down.
"Kang..." Azula softly spoke as Kang placed his hand to her face, seeing a tear streak down Azula's face.
"I'll run to the Village, I'll get whatever I can to help!" Kang told her as he began running out of her bedroom.
"Kang, Wait!" Azula cried out as she outstretched her arm to him, but her calls fell on deaf ears as Kang sprinted out of the hut towards the nearby village.
Azula's arm dropped, her life slowly ebbing away as she looked to an empty leather diary on her bookshelf, reaching out to it and grasping the quill pen from nearby.
"With my dying breath, I want you to know. I'm sorry for the way I treated you when you were young, and I'm sorry I lied to you. But I still love you, Kang and I always will, even in death. I've left a gift behind with this diary. If you ever find it. Be strong, Kang. And never forget who you are," Kang finished reading, closing the book with a soft drop of the leather cover as his heart sank, placing the book down, his eyes welling up as he looked to the ceiling and clutched his stomach.
"There's just... one last thing to do..." Kang painfully told himself, grasping the leather book and cloth wrapped item as he stood up, placing them both in his pouch before leaving the hut for the last time.