Chapter 8: Burying Grief
Kang marched west from the hut, ploughing through the leaves and bamboo of the surrounding forest, which had overgrown onto the path he and Azula used to take up to a hillside. Eventually, he walked out into a large clearing, spotting a hill with a giant tree atop it, Kang's heart grew heavy as he gazed upon it, remembering how he pushed her body up the hill inside the remains of a boat the two planned to go sailing in, taking a deep, shaky breath before pressing on.
The Tree became more distinct as he approached; but also something else: Blue flowers surrounded the hilltop, like a beacon of cerulean light amidst the black blanket of Chaos that cloaked the world.
"Blue flowers... I don't remember planting these..." the bewildered Kang muttered as he marched forward, coming to the beginning of a stone path leading up to the tree.
A small red chest atop a pillar of the earth stood before him, tiny clasps of earth locked onto the legs of the tiny chest, there was no lock on the box, and Kang's curiosity got the better of him, opening it to see a letter addressed to him. Kang opened the letter and began reading the contents of it.
"Dear, Kang. I don't know if you'll ever read this since I don't think this is a place you want to return to. But after you told Li, Eamon and myself about what happened to your mother, we came here to pay our respects to her. We didn't know her, but we know you loved her. And that was good enough for us. Li and Eamon planted some Sapphire Lilies around the hilltop you told us about... At least I hope this is the right hilltop," Kang read, softly chuckling at the latter part before he continued reading.
"We picked them out because they reminded me of your fire-bending. If you ever read this Kang, we wish you the best."
"From your friendly unorganised criminals: Zu, Eamon & Li, P.S. Gai, Kane and Kaz say 'hi'" Kang read as a tear streaked out from underneath his goggles, folding it back up and placing it in his pouch.
Kang gazed at the large tree before him, a lump growing in his throat as he slowly walked towards it, his heart weighing heavily on him as his legs quaked, slowly approaching the tree, and as Kang stood at its base, the weight of his grief made him collapse to his knees, as his head hung low.
"I'm here... mother," Kang softly spoke as his voice broke through the pain, but he didn't know where to begin, kneeling by the front of the tree in silence.
But as he knelt there, small amounts of petals from the Sapphire Lillies began flowing in the wind, spiralling around Kang and the tree, and as the mad inventor tried to get his words out, an odd presence hung in the air as a soft touch graced his right cheek.
Kang slowly raised his head, seeing a translucent blue figure knelt before him, Azula's spirit had come to him. Kang's lips quivered, looking into his mother's eyes as he stumbled over his words.
"Hello, Kang," Azula's Spirit greeted him with a smile as Kang slowly raised his shaking hand towards her cheek.
"Mother, is that... really you?" Kang asked in disbelieve as Azula's Spirit nodded.
"It is, I've been here for a long time, Kang," Azula's Spirit softly replied as the petals flowed in the wind.
"Is it true that... you lied that day?" Kang asked as his voice choked, looking to Azula as she gazed to the ground, slanting her eyebrows, before looking into Kang's goggles.
"Yes... I kept my... health a secret because I didn't want you to worry..." Azula's Spirit sombrely told him as Kang tried to keep himself together, his heart racing, his body shaking.
"And because of that... I killed you..." Kang replied as his voice cracked as Azula sadly scoffed.
"I... am just as much to blame for what happened that day, if I hadn't lied..." Azula told him, losing her words as Kang sobbed
"I've hated myself for what I did... I was a fool who took a stupid Agni Kai too far!" Kang angrily spoke to himself, quaking all over like a dam ready to burst as Azula's Spirit let out a heavy sigh.
"You never intended to kill me, I know you would never do something like that," Azula's Spirit spoke as she gazed into Kang's goggles, but Kang remained silent, turning his gaze to the ground as Azula's Spirit stretched out her hand, placing it on Kang's shoulder, causing him to lift his head back up.
"Although it was an accident... We are both to blame for what happened. But we need to let the past go. Because killer or not. I love you, Kang!" Azula's Spirit told him as tears broke out from behind Kang's goggles, the mad inventor collapsing to his knees, swiftly followed by Azula.
"Let it out, Kang. Let the pain go!" Azula's Spirit told him as Kang's tears flowed. Time passed by as Kang let his grief and shame flow out from him while Azula's Spirit consoled him. The two standing back up and gazing at each other.
"Feel better now?" Azula asked in a hopeful tone as Kang let out a shaky breath.
"A little..." Kang shakily replied as Azula smiled.
"I have to ask... what's with the goggles?" Azula's Spirit asked, trying to change the subject as Kang placed his hand to the rim of them instinctively.
"My friend Zu... he gave them to me, to help me," Kang nervously replied.
"To help you?" Azula's Spirit quizzically responded.
"Every time I looked in a mirror and saw my eyes... I saw you, and they constantly reminded me of that day... so he gave me these Goggles which would stop me from seeing my eyes, and stop reminding me of how I... you know..." Kang explained as Azula's spirit smiled sadly at him.
"Would it be okay if you took them off?" Azula's Spirit asked as Kang fell silent, thinking it over before reaching around to the back of his head.
"For you... sure!" Kang happily spoke as he pressed a part which linked the two straps on either side of the goggles together, causing the straps to drape down before him, grasping the rims of the goggles as he took a deep breath, slowly removing his goggles whilst his hands shook.
Kang clutched the goggles in his prosthetic hand, drying his eyes with his right hand, slowly blinking and letting his eyes adjust to not wearing the goggles, revealing his eyes to be just like Azula's, his gold eyes gazing at his mother's spirit as a smile of joy came over her.
"It's good to see those eyes again," Azula's Spirit replied as Kang smiled back, a tear streaking from his eye.
"Did you get the gift I left with the journal?" Azula's Spirit asked as Kang nodded, pulling the cloth-wrapped item from his pouch and presenting it to Azula's Spirit.
"Well, unravel it!" Azula's Spirit told him with a short laugh as Kang slowly unravelled the cloth, revealing Azula's old hairpin, a red band adorned with a golden flame, the mad inventor quizzically observing it.
"It was mine during my time as Princess of the Fire Nation, it saved my life once... And I want you to have it, so I'll always be with you in some way," Azula's Spirit explained as Kang smiled at the hairpin, pulling his unkempt hair up into a ponytail at the crown of his head, sliding the Hairpin onto the ponytail and letting go of his hair as two short strands of hair draped at the sides of his forehead.
"How Do I Look?" Kang curiously asked.
"A bit like my younger self!" Azula's Spirit chuckled as Kang smiled.
"How has your fire-bending progressed over the years?" Azula's Spirit asked him.
"It's... well, I can't do the blue fire anymore," Kang nervously replied.
"What happened to it?" Azula's spirit asked as Kang's posture slumped.
"Similar situation with the goggles... my friend Kane helped me 'dampen my flame', and now I don't know if I can do blue fire anymore..." Kang disappointingly replied as he punched out a plume of red fire to his side, but Azula scoffed
"Well, let's reignite that flame, shall we!" Azula's spirit told him as she outstretched her hands to Kang, the mad inventor nervously grasping them as he looked into his mother's eyes.
"Take a deep breath and find your inner flame!" Azula's Spirit instructed him as the two closed their eyes. Kang looked within himself, seeing visions of a small red flame amidst a vast blackness.
"Do you see it?" Azula's spirit asked.
"Yes... smaller than I expected," Kang nervously replied.
"Let the flame grow. Let go of your grief. Let go of your shame. Let your inner flame burn with the power you strode so far to achieve!" Azula passionately instructed him as Kang focused on the flame, seeing visions of Azula's fall and wincing, his arms shaking as he watched.
"That time is over now. Neither of us can change it. Let it go and embrace the future, your future!" Azula demanded as Kang focused on her words, letting the memory fade from view, his stomach and heart twinging as his inner flame grew whilst blue embers flickering around it.
"Now let your willpower ignite!" Azula confidently demanded, the inner flame erupting into a bright azure flame as Kang opened his eyes, his true fire-bending reigniting within him as he struck his fist out once more, letting loose a mighty plume of blue fire, following up with several kicks of fire to his left then finishing by unleashing a ferocious azure blaze into the sky, both Kang and Azula's Spirit stood in amazement.
"... Perfect!" Azula's Spirit whispered as Kang smiled at her, slowly lowering his arms as the flower petals stopped spiralling the tree.
"It looks like my time is running out..." Azula's Spirit sombrely spoke as she looked to the falling petals whilst confusion dawned on Kang.
"Will, I ever see you again?" Kang sombrely asked as he welled up once more, but Azula's Spirit placed her hand to his cheek, softly smiling as she gazed at him.
"From now on you'll always carry me with you, Kang. And remember that I will always love you!" Azula's Spirit softly spoke, fading away as Kang tried reaching out to her one last time.
"... I'll always love you too, mother!" Kang softly replied, smiling to the tree as a tear streaked down his face once more.
Kang took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, turning his attention towards the direction of Republic City as he reopened his eyes, his heart became unburdened, and the pit in his stomach faded away.
"If my mother can take down an Avatar, then I should be able to do it too!" Kang spoke as determination burned like the sun within him. Kang slowly looked down at his goggles one last time, scoffing at them before smiling.
"I won't hide myself any longer..." Kang pridefully proclaimed before kneeling at the base of the tree: placing the goggles down by it, and as he stood back up, he patted the trunk of the tree, then softly touched the hairpin as a smile came across his face before departing down the path
"For twenty-five years, I went through the worst agony I could have imagined... I don't know if I'll ever truly forgive myself for what happened... but I won't run from who I am anymore," Kang confidently told himself, stopping as he looked towards Republic City.
"And I won't allow Claire to go through the same pain I did..." Kang proclaimed, clenching his prosthetic fist, beginning his adventure back towards Republic City, to face Talos within his Heart of Chaos.