Hello everyone! Welcome to the next chapter to The Light in the Flames! Hopefully, this chapter doesn't take too long to finishing and uploading but we shall see. And like the show, I'll be splitting up the Winter Solstice into two parts. Now, onto the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Avatar: The Last Airbender
Chapter 7: Finding Uncle Iroh
(Prince Zuko's Ship, docked near an Earth Kingdom Forest)
It was midday in the world as Sora practiced his bending again on the middle of the deck. They were docked here due to taking a break from the ocean for days on end and regain the Avatar's trail. After their fight on Kyoshi Island and dealing with Sora's bending, they continued after the Avatar, using the Water Tribe's girl's necklace as a way to guess which direction they were going. Now they were docked, hoping to hunt for some food and gain a proper bearing again. Sora practiced some kicks and ice blasts from his hands before letting out a satisfied breath.
"Ah, it feels good to be in control again," Sora said to himself when Zuko walked up to him. "Zuko, watch what I can do!" Sora said before creating multiple fire and ice kunai in his fingers. He then created an ice wall in front of him and tossed the knives at it, making them stick out before dissipating. Zuko smiled and nodded in appreciation while Sora smiled in response.
"Good job, Sora. I'm glad you've gotten better with your bending," Zuko replied.
"Thanks brother. So, are we all set to go?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, just one problem though. Have you seen Uncle anywhere?" Zuko asked.
"He's not inside the ship?" Sora asked and was answered with a shake of the head. "I haven't seen him since we docked. That's strange of him," Sora said when Captain Ling walked up to them and bowed.
"My Princes, your Uncle actually went for a walk in the forest. He said he needed a break from the ship and that he would be back soon, though that was an hour ago, of course," Ling said, making Sora turn to face Zuko.
"You think he's alright?" Sora asked, a little concerned.
"He should be fine but still, we should go look for him. Captain, remain on the ship, my brother and I will find our Uncle," Zuko ordered, with Ling nodding in confirmation. The two brothers disembarked the ship and walked through the bamboo forests in search of their wise Uncle.
"Uncle! Uncle Iroh, where are you?!" Sora yelled out through the quiet forest but there was no reply. "He couldn't have gone too far, especially in Earth Kingdom territory," Sora said.
"So then where is he? Uncle! It's time to leave! Where are you? Uncle Iroh!" Zuko yelled, pushing past some branches.
"Over here!" a familiar voice called out to them. They follow the voice through the trees until they come upon quite the sight: their Uncle relaxing in a steamy hot spring.
"Uncle?" Zuko asked, confused.
"Whew, you had us worried there for a second," Sora said.
"Apologies, my Princes. But I needed a good relaxation and I came upon this comforting spring," Iroh said. Sora smiled while Zuko shook his head.
"We need to move on. We're closing in on the Avatar's trail and I don't want to lose him," Zuko replied.
"You look tired, Prince Zuko. Why don't you join me in these hot springs and soak away your troubles?" Iroh offered.
"It actually does look relaxing," Sora said.
"My troubles cannot be soaked away. It's time to go!" Zuko demanded.
"You should take your teacher's advice and relax a little. The temperature's just right. I heated it myself," Iroh said before placing his hands together and breathes out some steam through his nose, warming up the water.
Ooh, I can feel the heat from here. Feels nice," Sora said.
"Enough! We need to leave now. Get out of the water!" Zuko demanded again.
"Very well!" Iroh said, getting up from the water, unfortunately, exposing himself to the two Princes.
"AAAHHHHH!" Sora screamed, using his cloak to cover his eyes while backing away in disgust while Zuko shielded his eyes.
"On second thought, why don't you take another few minutes? But be back at the ship in a half-hour or we're leaving without you!" Zuko said as the two walked back through the trees.
"Ugh, why can't I burn that image outta my head?!" Sora yelled to himself while Uncle Iroh sits back into the water, closing his eyes. The two brothers continue through the forest while Sora unfurled his hood and cloak from his eyes. "Uhgahh, we're not seriously leaving without him, are we?" Sora asked, still shaken by the sight.
"Of course not, but if he's not back by that deadline we'll come back for him," Zuko said.
"Well lets be sure to bring a towel next time so that he doesn't mentally scar us again. That's gonna be with me my whole life now," Sora replied, rubbing his head, disgusted.
"Haha, hopefully not that long, otherwise we'll never look at him the same way again," Zuko joked making the two brothers laugh.
(A Few Hours Later)
"Ok, now I'm starting to get a little worried," Sora said to his brother as they stood at the top of the walkway of the ship, awaiting their Uncle.
"What's taking him so long? We need to get moving!" Zuko said, arms crossed and foot tapping against the metal.
"How much you wanna bet he just fell asleep in those pools?" Sora asked.
"Nothing, because that's probably exactly what's he doing. Helmsman, any sightings of Uncle Iroh?" Zuko yelled to the guard at the top of the tower.
"No sighting, sir. Forest is too dense to see anything," The guard replied, making Zuko grunt in annoyance.
"Let's just go get him. It's quicker instead of waiting. We know how he is," Sora said. Zuko stared at his brother for a bit before nodding.
"Captain Ling!" Zuko yelled as said officer and two masked guards walked up to them. "My brother and I will go and retrieve Uncle Iroh. Your in charge until we get back," Zuko ordered.
"These guards will go with you as backup my Princes. I'll have the ship ready for sail once you return with General Iroh," Captain Ling said, bowing.
"Let's get going. Oh, and bring a towel," Sora said. Just like that, the two brothers and guards were off into the forest. It didn't take them long until they found the hot springs again, only this time, there was no sight of Iroh and the pool that he was relaxing in was now buried in rock. "Well, now where is he?" Sora asked Zuko, who narrowed his eyes and turned towards the forest.
"Uncle! Uncle, where are you?" Zuko yelled out only to be met with no response.
"Sir, maybe he thought you left without him," One of the guards suggested.
"Then he would've gone back to the ship earlier. Uncle's smarter than that," Sora replied.
"Something's wrong here. These pile of rocks weren't in the pool before," Zuko said.
"It might have been a landslide, sir," The other guard said.
"Land doesn't slide uphill. These rocks didn't move naturally," Zuko said, holding a pebble in his palm.
"You don't think…" Sora said worriedly.
"Yeah, Uncle's been captured by Earthbenders! Guards, bring us two rhinos to tail the Earthbenders, then remain at the ship until we return," Zuko ordered. The Guards nod in response and run back to the ship while the two Princes await them.
"D-Do you think we'll find him in time, Zuko?" Sora asked concerned. The older brother walked over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"We will find him. And if I know Uncle, he's either working on a way out or boring them with his words of wisdom," Zuko said. Sora took a deep breath and nodded as the guards returned with two Fire Nation rhinos. They jumped off while Zuko and Sora climbed on.
"Send a messenger bird if Uncle returns without us. Until then, wait for us. Understood?" Sora said and the guards bowed in response before leaving through the forests. "So, where do we start?" The young Prince asked. Zuko pointed to the trail that the moved Earth left behind, leading down the mountain. The two nodded before whipping the reins, spurring the rhinos into action as they took off down the mountain. As they moved, the young Prince couldn't help but worry about his missing Uncle.
(Many Years Ago, in the Fire Nation Royal Palace)
Ursa was sitting in one of the rooms of the Royal Palace with a two-year old Sora in her lap, while reading from a rolled out scroll. The child held a wooden doll in his hands and was near close to falling asleep.
"And so Kyoshi, in an incredible display of power, split the island in two and halted Chin the Conqueror's advances. This led to the creation of Kyoshi Island and the defeat of Chin and his armies. The two islands remain separated to this very day," Ursa read quietly when she heard some very light snoring and looked down to see Sora curled further into her asleep. She smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Sleep well, Sora," Ursa said, smiling. She got up from the couch still holding Sora and began to make her way to his room, that was right next to her room. Though she was too focused on the sleeping child to notice a figure she bumped into.
"Oh, I'm sorry-, Iroh!" Ursa said, hugging the Fire Nation General, who laughed in response.
"So good to see you again, Princess," Iroh replied, returning the hug.
"I'm glad to see you home safe. And is Lu Ten here as well?" Ursa asked.
"Yes, he went to go find Zuko and Azula, though I also think he'll have to meet this new one as well. What's his name?" Iroh asked, running a hand through Sora's hair, making the boy smile in his sleep. Ursa smiled a little before making sure that there was no else.
"Uh, actually Iroh…if you could keep a secret from any new generals and soldiers, Sora is adopted," Ursa said, surprising The Prince's brother. The children found him on the doorstep of the Palace a few weeks ago and he's been living with us since then," Ursa said.
"My brother took in an orphan? That doesn't exactly sound like him, unless this child serves a purpose," Iroh said, stroking his beard.
"That's the other thing, Iroh," Ursa said, walking a little closer to the General. "When we found him, he was able to bend both fire and water," She said, shocking Iroh.
"Are you saying that he is the…" Iroh asked.
"We don't think so, since Roku was the last Avatar and the next element in the chain is Air, which Sora hasn't shown any yet but who knows?" Ursa said.
"So, then…what is he?" Iroh asked. Ursa looked down at the sleeping Sora.
"Do you remember the legends you would tell us about the Key Warriors?" Ursa asked.
"Yes but how does it apply to…oh," Iroh asked, realizing the connection. "So, that is why Ozai took him in," Iroh said, nodding his head.
"Yes, and that is why I wanted to ask you something," Ursa said.
"Anything Ursa," Iroh replied with a smile.
(Back in the present, further into the Earth Kingdom Mountains)
The two brothers continued after the trail left behind by the Earthbenders and their ostrich horses, the footprints being large enough to easily follow. They continued down the dirt road until they came upon a lone sandal lying in the middle of the road.
"Zuko, look!" Sora said, pointing towards the foot wear. Zuko nodded and pulled on his reins, stopping his rhino. He leans down and picks it up before taking a sniff, quickly backing away from the disgusting smell.
"Yep, That's Uncle Iroh alright," Zuko said, placing it in a bag on his rhino.
"So, we're close?" Sora said.
"If we hurry, we should be able to catch up to them. Let's go!" Zuko said, snapping his reins and taking off with Sora behind him.
"Where do they even plan on taking him? Besides that nearby village, there's nothing out here," Sora asked.
"I bet they're taking him to Ba Sing Se. But knowing Uncle, he's gonna try and slow them down for us," Zuko suggested.
"You think they would try and get revenge for his siege on the city?" Sora asked worriedly.
"Probably. But we'll find him and then we'll find the Avatar. Hopefully he's not too far ahead," Zuko said but Sora wasn't paying attention as his eyes were focused on the flying bison high above them.
"Actually, he's a lot closer than we thought," Sora said. Zuko stopped and followed his brother's gaze to see the bison fly further into the land and over the forest.
"Where's he going?" Sora asked.
"Looks like its heading towards that village," Zuko said, following the bison as it got further away. Sora turned to his older brother to see a look of conflict in his eyes.
"What are you thinking?" Sora asked. Zuko narrowed his eyes in complete thought before looking down.
"Let's find Uncle quick!" Zuko exclaimed, snapping his reins and taking off down the road with Sora right behind him.
(Many Years Ago, in the Fire Nation Royal Garden)
A young Sora was standing near the small pool in the garden of the Royal Palace. He was trying to bend some water out of the small lake but was proving to be quite difficult.
"Ah, c'mon why is this being so tough?!" Sora asked himself, accidently splashing some water in his face. The young boy groaned and wiped the water off before trying again but the pool didn't respond to his movements. "Now you won't even work with me. Great," Sora said, plopping down on the grass.
"Something the matter, nephew?" A familiar voice said. Sora smiled and turned to see his Uncle Iroh standing behind. He quickly stood up and launched himself into his Uncle's arms, nearly knocking the two of them down.
"Uncle Iroh!" Sora exclaimed, making the two laugh together. "You're back!" Sora said, happily.
"Well, you're one of the lucky few to bring down this famous General!" Iroh said, falling over in the grass with Sora.
"I did it! I beat the Dragon of the West!" Sora yelled, happily while their laughs echoed across the garden. "Are you gonna be staying, Uncle? I wanna play more," Sora asked. Uncle smiled but sadly looked down.
"Unfortunately, not for long, Sora. I will only be here for a few days, then I'll be setting off for the Earth Kingdom," Iroh said,
"Ooh, Sa Bing Se, right?" Sora said, making Iroh laugh.
"Very close. Ba Sing Se, that's the correct way of saying the Kingdom," Iroh said.
"Ok, well can you promise that you and Lu Ten will be safe?" Sora asked, worried.
"We will be just fine and when we return, we can play all the games you like," Iroh promised.
"Yay!" Sora cheered.
"Now, it looks like you could use some help with your waterbending?" Iroh asked.
"Yeah, for some reason it's not working. Sometimes it works but other times, nothing," Sora said.
"Let me see," Iroh said. Sora ran back to the water and tried to bend it but nothing happened.
"See, nothing," Sora said, kicking some nearby grass. Iroh walked over and placed a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder.
"You know, during my travels, I've gained a little insight into how the other bending arts work. With fire, its about the aggressiveness of the bender, whereas with water its about the flow and grace of the movement. Loosen up your body and move with water, like this," Iroh said, demonstrating some waterbending movements. Sora followed the hand and body movements until he mirrored Iroh's. Suddenly, the water began to move around Sora's arms and body before going back to the garden.
"I did it!"Sora cheered.
"Well done, Sora and remember, if you ever need help with waterbending, you can always come to me," Iroh said. Sora smiled and hugged the General.
"Thank you, Uncle Iroh," The nephew said. Iroh smiled and returned the hug. Unknown to the two family members, Ursa watched from a balcony and smiled at the sight.
(Present Day, Earth Kingdom Forest)
The two brothers continued after the trail until they finally found the ostrich horses strapped to a nearby tree where it lead to a circular landscape up ahead.
"We found them!" Sora said.
"Let's make this quick!" Zuko replied. The two quickly jumped off their rhinos and ran further into the landscape. They stop when they spot five Earth Kingdom soldiers surrounding a chained Iroh, with his hands outstretched on a rock.
"These dangerous hands must be crushed!" One of the soldiers, the captain they assumed, yelled out before bending a huge rock over Iroh's hands, intending to put them out of use.
"Let's go, Sora!" Zuko said.
"Right!" Sora yelled. The two brothers ran into the landscape. Zuko quickly leaped into the air and kicked the boulder away while Sora created a fire wave to push back the soldiers. Zuko then raised one of his feet up and brought it down on the chains, destroying them and freeing Iroh.
"Excellent forms, nephews," Iroh said.
"We had a good teacher," Sora and Zuko said together. The soldiers got up from the ground and surrounded the three.
"Surrender yourselves. It's five against three. You're clearly outnumbered," The captain yelled.
"Yes, that's true. But you are clearly outmatched," Iroh stated, readying the chains still attached to his wrists. The soldiers bended rocks from the ground and launched them at the three but Iroh used the chains to destroy them. Zuko takes out two soldiers with some fire blasts while Sora takes out another with a fire sweep to the legs. Another soldier shot a boulder to their side but Iroh caught it with his chains and swung it right back, taking him out. The last solider, besides the captain, bended a stone pillar and sent it forward but Sora flipped over it in his Flowmotion state and fired a powerful wave of fire back, hitting the soldier and sending him flying into the wall. This left the captain who bended three rocks and launched them at the three but they all dodged while Zuko retaliated with a fire blast. The captain defends himself with his metal hat and raises both hands into the air, creating a huge mass of rock, intending to bring it down on the older Prince. Sora and Iroh nod and use both a small water whip and metal chains to trip the captain, making him fall and causing the mass to fall on top of him and his soldiers. The three regroup and look down at the defeated Earth Benders.
"Now would you please put on some clothes?" Zuko asked his Uncle, who scratched his head.
"Oh yeah, here," Sora said, pulling out the towel and gave it to Iroh, who wrapped it around his body.
"Thank you, nephews," Iroh said, smiling. Zuko nodded and ran back to the rhinos.
"Now let's go! The Avatar is close!" Zuko called out.
"He is?" Iroh asked.
"Yeah, his bison actually flew over us while we were looking for you," Sora said.
"Then we best hurry if we wish to find him," Iroh replied. Sora smiled and ran to his rhino with Iroh at his side. The two rhinos eventually took off as day slowly began to turn to night as they headed towards the village. They eventually entered the quiet village to see some damage was recently done to the roofs and buildings.
"Wonder what we missed?" Sora asked.
"Something important to the Avatar maybe," Iroh said. Zuko jumped down from his rhino and walked over to an undamaged house. He was about to kick it open when a man walked out with his back turned. He quickly turned to face Zuko and let out a gasp.
"Having trouble sleeping? Zuko asked, pushing the man back into the house. He walked further into the house, while glaring at the man. "Seen the Avatar lately?"
And that's the end! OH…MY…GOD! First off, I just wanna say so sorry for taking so long on this chapter! I did not intend to take forever, I just had a lot of things going on in my life recently and I would just hit writer's block when I did want to write, so I am so sorry guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you're all staying safe as the school semester ends and everyone seems to be getting better and hopefully soon we can return to a sense of normalcy. Now onto the reviews:
Crazzytony: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one.
Anonimosx: First part down, then all the other adventures as well. And for the words, I'll keep that in mind for future chapters.
Voidnogitsune17: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the story so far. And so far, no I have no plans for summons and as for him going to other worlds, I don't think so, and I do plan to have Sora in a relationship with Ty Lee.
Althea Sirius: Yeah, I'm fine just got a lot going on in my life at the moment.
Golden Zero16: Thanks glad you like the idea. And I was planning on having others in the story but after discussing it with others, I thought it wouldn't make sense in this time. And yeah, Book 2 is going to be a little different than before with Sora in the picture. And yeah, I see him and Ty Lee for sure.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and once again I apologize for taking so long and that you're staying safe and sound during these strange times. If you want to see more, please favor and follow to stay updated and if you have an opinion or idea, please review to let me know. I'll see you guys until the next chapter, peace out and stay awesome.