A/N 1: Ok, forgot to put this in before publish, but this is completely standalone from the pointless piece of garbage Water Mage is. All Herein is secret plotlines and I highly recommend leaving a review so I might have courage to fix plotholes and improve my writing, thank you.
Chapter 1: Entry Level
Zuko's hair was down to his collarbone. The top hair was done in a bun, leaving the hair from just above the ear down, to flow freely just past his shoulders.
Dripping from his hair in a flowing torrent, the water pouring atop him washed his sins away. He felt a heavy weight upon him rinse away and the honor he'd thought missing suddenly was physical. He could feel the relief rolling off him in the wake of the water.
Stepping out of the water he lifted his head and a smirk played across his scarred face.
Lightning struck the ground in the distance. Echoing it's thundric sound in ripples between the mountains of which Zuko was encamped upon.
The once-forest in the distance was now nothing but random dead trees, and ash. Ozai, Zuko's father had razed the entirety of the earth kingdom, and was defeater of Azula, the Avatar Slayer.
Ozaid had goaded Avatar Aang into the Avatar State, and Azula had shot him in the back with lightning, this time ending the boy's life. Before Azula could even defend herself however, Ozai had shot her with his own lightning not a second after.
Should Azula have survived, she could have easily gathered enough support in the fire nation to coup d'etat Ozai's reign. However she instantaneously died as the lightning overcharged her nervous system, and her heart and brain ceased all function.
Zuko was already an exile and a criminal. So upon the fall of the earth kingdom he donned his Blue spirit persona as a full samurai. With nanban dou gusoku, and his kabuto having the perfect form for his mask.
As for his weapons, he wielded a Wakizashi, slung across the back of his hips, and a katana at his side. The standard for any samurai, a basic Daisho. However he was mor e skilled than most trainers he'd faced.
Shortly after the fall of the Avatar, the Gaang were hunted and slaughtered by the Dai Lee and elite Firebenders. Sokka and Suki were taken in their sleep. Toph retreated to Omashu where she was found and killed in the recapture of 'New Ozai.' The secrets of Metalbending died with her.
Appa and Momo had dissapeared along with Katara. Zuko had went into hiding himself. However his Blue Spirit persona had become almost as infamous as the Avatar. It was now known that they were a firebender, and a full samurai.
He was now along the mountain range to the north of Ba Sing Se, which was now redubbed as Castle Sozin. He'd conducted enumerous raids on incoming supplies and caravans.
It was on one of those raids he'd discovered the true fate of the Avatar's love interest, as well as his animal companions. They'd fled to the Serpent's Pass where they hid along the cliffsides in forgotten caves. It was their bodies discovered washing to shore after the narrow landbridge was completely obliderated by the Fire Nation navy to conjoin the two lakes.
In a manner of stealth, and a bit of intwlligence gathering, Zuko had given the waterbender her own traditional Burial Ceremony, being put upona canoe and sent off to drift the seas forever.
Zuko was done resisting, the world was doomed, the last of the earthbenders were being rounded up and executed in Firing lines
A fire navy field army was on the move. But had stopped to camp for the night. His blue and black gusoku on, and his menpo in place, Zuko approached the camp.
He didn't bother with stealth, walking down the road, he approached the camp with the elegance of a one man army. The four Watchmen immediatly drew weapons and began to approach advising he leave the area.
Zuko had long since mastered Iaijusto at this point. So when the first watchman attacked with an overhead swing he was dead before his sword had even reached head level. Zuko's katana had already been sheathed by the time the man dropped to his knees and fell to the ground dead.
Two watchmen took firebending stances and the non-bender took a defensive stance. Behind his mask Zuko just smirked, he'd die in this battle, if not by these three, then by the already waking masses.
Thus Zuko bowed to the three men, and drawing his sword out again, he took his own defensive stance. Sword centered and about 45 degrees forward.
Moving forth the non-bender attempted a side slash, this was parried upwards and returned with a flaming kick to his chest, sending the man flying back unconcious.
Ducking under a fireball Zuko redirected it around him into the sender. The final bender raised his hands in an offensive stance and began sending waves of fire with shouts of rage.
Zuko bobbed and weaved around the flames with deadly elegance. In a sweeping motion he lopped the benders head in two, from the left ear to the right temple, ending their life immediately.
An ensamble of pike men had arrived at the scene and took formation. One of the infanrry captains had taken charge and was barking orders at the soldiers. A squad of benders were split among the flanks of the now advancing pike wall.
Adrenaline was now coursing through the veins of the lone samurai, and in two fluid motions, he flicked the blood from his katana and sheathed it once more.
Bowing to the platoon of soldiers he took a firebending stance. The armor slowed him tremendously, but that wouldn't stop him from much, if anything at all.
Slapping a pike away from striking him, Zuko grasped the shaft and yanked it from the grip of it's wielder. Two steps and he blasted the soldier in the face with golden flames. A kick to his left left another soldier coated in the gold embers.
After Aang died, Zuko's flames shifted in color. As Azula's were blue, and Iroh's red, Zuko's became a golden color. Zuko himself had been declared MIA and presumed dead after the hunting of the Gaang.
So the gold color was trademark of the Blue Spirit. And was the subject of many Fire Nation soldiers' worst nightmares.
The morale of the enemy forces dropped significantly. The Blue Spirit had gone toe to toe with some of the best genrals as well as their personal escorts, and had fended off Dai Lee and FN assassins.
Grabbing a soldier, Zuko flung him into three of his comrades. Kicking behind himself, Zuko fried an approaching swordsman. Another swordsman got a lucky sword swipe in, but it glanced harmlessly off Zuko's shoulderplate.
Drawing his wakizashi, Zuko sliced the swordman's stomach open and then stabbed a pikeman's throat.
Leaving the blade in the throat of the shocked soldier he drew his katana and deflected a pike. Retrieving his wakizashi he sliced off the new pikeman's head, flicking and sheathing the blade, he took his katana in two hands. Nine killed, and one out of the fight, the enemy was visibly disturbed. Only 45 seconds had passed since first contact, and 35 of that had been without anybody attacking. There was now a slight clearing around Zuko as he faced a single enemy at a time as they attempted to draw out his strength. One by one firebenders and footmen died, this lasted for almost two hours. The Blue Spirit showed no signs of ever stopping.
Slowly, more and more began attacking at once, and finally at facing five enemies, it was proven that the blue spirit was mortal. A glancing blow from an enemy samurai left a light cut on the back of Zuko's forearm. The dealer lost his left eye and a good part of the brain behind it as the wakizashi was drawn and stabbed in the blink of an eye. The last of the five saw the blood drip and felt a surge of energy and inspiration. Truly this monsoon of a warrior could be defeated.
With newfound morale, the soldiers managed a few more glancing blows on the samurai until he finally fell to his knees.
3 hours and hundreds of enemies at his feet. The location had shifted as the bodies piled. His kill count in the battle alone was excessive.
The field army was crippled and the private that had brought Zuko to his knees was panting.
Zuko knowing he was defeated began to laugh causing all those around him to reel back in shock. It was the first sound the Blue Spirit had been known to make. Removing the blood from his katana with his left forearm he sheathed it and placed the blade, scabbard and all in front of him. Allowing himself into seiza Zuko removed his kabuto, his mask with it.
"Lest an early death,
I lay my arms and soul down,
My honor intact."
His death haiku was accepted by his defeater as the katana swept down and beheaded the ex-crown prince.
A/N: Ok, I know major cliff hanger and very random, but there's a point to this all. Present is the death, and the start of life this story will be about.
I know little to no Japanese but here's what I have for the translation/meaning of select Phrases
Nanban dou gusoku: Western Type Gusoku (Armour?) (It's a type of Samurai armour noted with a singular piece breastplace. Similar to Orochi in For Honor.)
Kabuto: The helmet of a Samurai (Think classic samurai helmet for my fellow westerners out there
Wakizashi: A shortsword, same shape as a katana (just shorter)
Gusoku: (Armour?)
Menpo: Mask On a samurai's Kabuto (also known as a Mempo)
Iaijutso: Combat form relating to the drawing of a sword. (Draw/slice, remove blood/cleanse the soul (flick) and sheathe the blade.) Think stereotypical anime single slice. Where there is one attack and the defeated typically is split in half.
If I need to fix any of this let me know with the correct terms and I'll fix it. Thank you!