AN: I'm back! Sorry for the wait, I've been putting a lot of attention into one of my other works.
One thing I wanted to say. I've decided to scrap most of the future flashback scenes. I'll keep 'em in the story for anyone who enjoyed' em, but I really don't have the time to replay the entirety of the Sith Warrior Storyline and then type everything out after. After this, there'll only be a few of them, and only for key character moments for Zuko.
Chapter 4: Kyoshi Island
Zuko headed to Tremel's office. It had been one of the toughest fights he'd had in his life, but he had done it. He had passed his third trial. He had slain the Beast of Marka Ragnos. It had taken all he had, but victory had never felt this good. However, as Zuko headed into Tremel's office, he felt a sense of foreboding. Tremel turned to face him, his face pale.
"We must speak quickly, Acolyte, there isn't much time. I may have made a slight miscalculation. The Beast of Marka Ragnos was a great source of dark energy here on Korriban. When it was slain, there was a tremor in the Force." Tremel took a breath, trying to calm himself.
"Darth Baras felt that tremor, and has become aware of your presence. He demands an audience."
Zuko frowned.
"Tell me what to expect, Overseer."
"Baras is a serious man, but a master of deception. Everything he does and says is calculated. He will attempt to trip you up, test your nature, get to the heart of who you are. Always take him seriously, and I mean always."
"Consider me warned."
The Wani trawled to a halt near the docks. Iroh, the cunning salesman he was, decided to use this opportunity to sell some more blends to the people of Kyoshi Island. The Emerald Dragon Teashop was ready to receive their loyal customers. Meanwhile, Zuko was busy trying to revise the backstories of the Water Tribe stowaways and the Avatar. All four of them were wearing dark green tunics
"Remember, your names are-"
"Shaoza, third generation born in the colonies of Yu Dao, found the opportunity to earn some money, so I came onto this ship. I remember." the boy grumbled.
"Yula, third generation born in the colonies of Yu Dao. Didn't want my idiot brother feeling all lonely, so I joined him." The girl said, crossing her arms, a small smile fighting it's way across her lips.
Sokka sputtered. "Hey, who're you calling an idiot?!"
Zuko shook his head, desperately trying not to laugh. He grabbed the Avatar by the neck and legs and started to carry him towards the ship's exit. "Let's go get you healed up, Kuzon."
As they exited the dock, they met a brown haired girl dressed in the traditional armor of the Kyoshi Warriors.
"Lee! How've you be-?" she exclaimed, then frowned when she noticed the half dead boy in Zuko's arms. "Oh shit, what happened to him?"
Zuko shook his head. "Nothing good, Suki. Is Healer Relan busy at this moment? The boy's been injured, badly. I have done what I can, but he needs a professional if he's going to survive the next few days."
Suki took a closer look at the Avatar, saddened at how fragile he seemed to appear. She turned the other way, gesturing to the group to follow her..
"Relan shouldn't be too busy. Let's go see him."
A Few Minutes Later
Relan examined the teen in front of him, shaking his head.
"This boy should be dead." Relan stated to the group. "Severe hypothermia and third degree frostbite would've killed any regular adult."
"Kuzon is a unique case." Zuko replied. Relan chuckled, having noticed the tattoos on his patient.
"I'm sure. In any case, I can heal him, but it will take time. A week or two, minimum."
Zuko handed the doctor a bag of coins. "Do whatever you have to do." he said. He turned to Sokka and Katara.
"He's in Relan's hands now. There's nothing more we can do besides wait."
Zuko headed towards the tent flap. "If you wish to stay next to him, however, I won't stop you. I just ask you one thing. When the Avatar wakes up, let me speak to him, just once. After that, I will let you all leave, if you desire it."
And with that, Zuko left.
Five Days Later
Zuko couldn't help but feel a small bit surprised when Katara walked up the Wani. He had honestly expected them to make a break for it the moment the Avatar fully healed.
"He's awake." Katara grumbled, crossing her arms. Zuko smiled. "Thank you Katara, for giving me a chance."
She blushed and looked away. "Just go and talk to A-" Zuko threw a sharp glare at her. "-Kuzon, before I change my mind."
Zuko nodded, taking off his apron. "Uncle, I'm going to talk to Kuzon! Yula says he's doing better now!"
"Very well! Hurry, nephew! Rush hour will begin soon!" Iroh replied.
Zuko chuckled, before walking down the gangplank. Within a few minutes, Zuko had reached Relan's tent. Entering it, Zuko was greeted by the sight of the Avatar greedily chowing down on some vegetables.
"Hungry, I take it?" Zuko remarked. The Avatar stopped eating, looking at the newcomer. He swallowed his food down, before smiling.
"Are you a firebender?" he asked. Zuko sighed. He could already tell this one was going to be a handful.
Perhaps I should've kept him in his previous state.
"Yes, Avatar. I am a firebender, and there are several things we have to discuss." Zuko stated, before sitting down, his knees crossed and his hands on his legs.
"Call me Aang!"
Zuko shook his head. "I'm sorry, Avatar, but I cannot. I've taken great pains to keep you hidden from the Fire Nation, and I can't have it ruined by referring you to a name that couldn't be more Air Nomad than yours. From now on, your name is Kuzon. Use your true name only if you are absolutely certain no one else will hear it."
The Avatar looked at him, confused. "I don't understand. Why is the Fire Nation after me?"
Zuko froze. "They didn't tell you, did they?" he muttered. His rage grew. "Damned fools!"
"What's going on?"
Zuko lost his temper.
"What's going on, Avatar, is that your people were wiped out centuries ago by my own nation! The Fire Nation now seeks to conquer the entire world since the Avatar disappeared centuries ago, because by either divine luck or horrifically tragic circumstance, you were frozen in a block of ice until the past few months! You are, quite literally, the Last Airbender!"
Aang sat there, frozen in shock. "T-that...that can't be true."
Zuko breathed in deeply, reigning in his anger. "I am sorry, Avatar, but it is the truth. I have been to your temples. I have seen the destruction, the bodies left behind. If there were any survivors of the genocide Sozin carried out, they've either hidden themselves too well for me to notice, or they have all been wiped out. You are all that is left, and if the Fire Nation discovers your true identity, they will stop at nothing to throw you into the deepest, darkest prison in my nation and throw away the key."
The Avatar trembled. "No. No. It...it can't be true. It can't!"
Zuko's fist banged the table, his eyes turning from a warm gold to a blazing red. "Should I show you the graves, then, Avatar?! Should I drag you to every site where Sozin placed a memorial decorating himself on ridding the world of the Airbender threat?! What will it take for you to see the truth?! WAKE UP!"
Zuko breathed heavily. He shook his head, taking out a cigarette, before lighting it.
"The world has changed, Avatar, whether you like it or not."
Zuko headed towards the tent's exit, before turning around. "I am sorry I had to tell you all this, Avatar, but it needed to be said. Time is running out, and you must quickly decide what to do next. We'll talk later. For now, I think you should talk to your friends again."
A Few Minutes Later
Zuko took a fierce drag from his cigarette, giving a rather pointed glare at Sokka and Katara.
"Mind explaining why you're looking at us like we punched your Gran, Jerkbender?"
Zuko chuckled, before taking the cigarette out of his mouth. "That was a good one, Shaoza. Of course, that doesn't make me any less angry at you. The both of you."
Katara looked at Zuko, confused. "What are you angry at us for?"
Zuko shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because you didn't tell Kuzon the fate that had befallen his friends?"
Kitara put her hand to her mouth. "You...you told him?"
Zuko snarled. "Of course I told him! If your tribe had been exterminated by my own people a century ago, then you'd want to know the truth, as well! Believe me, the sooner he knows the truth, the sooner he can deal with the trauma that comes with it."
Katara looked at him, angry. "And what would you know about that?!" she exclaimed. Zuko looked at her, unimpressed, before gesturing to the left side of his face.
Katara winced. "Sorry."
Zuko sighed. "Look, I am just trying to say, the sooner one learns the truth, the sooner they can decide what to do with it. I only realized years after my exile that my father was a madman who did not care about me one bit. Once I learned that, the scar I despised so much became a source of my strength. I wore it with pride, because it signified that, whatever my father threw at me, I had survived, and come out stronger for it."
Katara nodded, looking downwards. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just...wanted to protect him."
"We all want to protect those close to us, Yula. But take heed that your care does not smother them. It will only lead to further suffering." Zuko replied, sagely.
Katara chuckled. "Where'd you get that from?"
Zuko smirked. "Uncle's books. A few of his proverbs might not be as original as he'd want you to believe."
Zuko looked off into the distance, before freezing in shock.
"Lee? What is it?" Katara asked. Zuko turned to her, his eyes having transformed into a bleeding red. A snarl decorated his face.
"Zhao." he growled.
AN: Zuko's eyes tend to shift colors when he gets angry. A little bit of a weird side effect from his use of the Dark Side.
So, get used to seeing "Yula", "Shaoza", and "Kuzon" a lot. The Gaang will be hiding under false names for most of the story, since one of the concepts I wanted to explore in this story was how the story of Avatar would change if the Gaang played things a bit more intelligently.
Next chapter, we get to see Zuko's extreme firebending style in action, as well as how differently he acts in battle compared to regular Zuko.
Ah, screw it. Have a preview! You guys deserve a look ahead, for the extremely long wait you all have had to go through for this chapter.
Zhao feebly clawed the deck, his charred and blackened hands refusing to obey him. In front of him stood the demon responsible for his horrific immolation. His eyes a bleeding red, the Demon Prince smirked, before preparing another orb of dark crimson fire with his left hand. The Demon Prince knelt down to Zhao's level, relishing in his opponent's agony.
"I've waited a long time to put you in your place, Zhao. Consider this-killing you was easy."
Zhao glared at him with all the loathing he could muster in his final moments of life.
Zuko brought the orb down, disintegrating the captain that had dared to harm his friends into ash. He breathed heavily, his eyes morphing back into its regular color, before he turned to the others.
Iroh looked at his nephew, horrified by the violence he had unleashed. The others were not faring much better, with Sokka and the Avatar looking like they were on the verge of vomiting.
"You...you killed him. Him a-and his crew." the Avatar whispered.
"And I will kill as many as needed to keep you safe, Avatar. You are the last hope of this world. All nations, including my own, need you to restore balance. If you were to be exposed now, our plans would be made much harder."
Katara looked at Zuko, a glare of pure loathing clear in her eyes. "Don't you care about them?! Don't you want peace?!"
"Casualties of war, Katara. Better they die now rather than letting their future descendants die in a war they had no choice but to fight in." He turned to the group.
"Besides, if there's one thing I've learned in my life, it is that peace...is a lie."