Author's Note: So this chapter is probably coming as a surprise, especially considering the gap between the last chapter and the one before it, but I was feeling pleased with how the last one went over with. Realizing I left you all on a cliffhanger, I decided I'd further fuel the fire that is your curiosity, while also giving you a minor break in the action, let you catch your breath, so to say.

So, I decided to write up a sort of intermission-like chapter, a look at just what was going on with Zuko before he awoke the fire within himself.

I really liked how this turned out and I'm hoping you all do too. I'm always looking to read your feedback, it inspires me to keep writing the way I do, and I'm always looking to learn something new from you guys and gals! I'll see you all again next time, but until then, enjoy!


Passion and Fire.


If there was any concept that Zuko was familiar with in the cruel world he called hom, it was pain. From the day he was "born" he'd felt pain, be it physical, mental, or emotional, he felt it. There had never once seemed to have been a period when he could say he didn't hurt.

His dreams tended to be what hurt him the most; the number of time's he'd woken up in a cold sweat, hand clenching the left side of his face, were too many for him to count. Each nightmare was the equivalent of being stabbed in the chest if he could equate it to physical pain.

And yet, as Zuko lay there on the hardwood floor of the burning house, breaths labored, blood running down from his mouth, body battered and bruised; he could easily say that this was the most pain he'd ever felt at one time.

" ...Well...You...You really did it this time...Z..Zuk..k..ko.. " He said to no one inparticular, between pain-filled coughs. Even something as simple as coughing hurt badly, like there was sand in his lungs. Zuko couldn't even tell what was making him cough. Was it the smoke? Or was it his broken ribs?

" ...H..Hard telling… "

The blaze surrounding him lit the room in a way that he could see a beam of light slipping through a crack in his mask, a crack that was most likely a result of the explosion. " ...A...Crack...Oh...Oh well… "

" You can't be serious?! "

The voice came back, that rude, jerkish voice that sounded just like his own. It could only be described as some force from deep within his psyche, some latent part of himself that was hidden away with the rest of his memories. A piece of who he was that somehow slipped out through the cracks of the abyss.

" ...Why'd...Why'd it...Have to be...So rude… "

" Dammit! Just do what I said! Think deep! There's a way to get out of this! You just have to find another part of yourself! A part that- "

" ...I ...I don't care...What...What good am I like this… "

What good was he? Even if he could move, he doubted there was enough energy in his body to do anything.

" What about the girl you idiot!? What about Katara?! "

Zuko's good eye went wide. " ...K..Katara…? "

That's right. Katara was still counting on him. Katara was still with him, and he was just giving up on her.

" ...Katara…. "

" Z-K-O "

" Can you hear her?! She's crying out for you! "

But the truth of the matter was that Zuko could barely hear anything. His ears had still been ringing from the blast, and he'd stricken his head when he was flung into the house, so hearing wasn't exactly easy. " ...Ka...tara… "

" That's right! Katara is out there! Crying out for you! So do as I say! Dig deep into the bottomless pit of a psyche, and find the piece of you that can get you out of this bind! "

Find the piece of him that could get him out of this bind? How exactly Zuko Was supposed to do that, was beyond him, any previous time he'd "willingly" dived into the depths of his mind, he'd wound up lost, delving deeper and deeper into places he'd rather not be, waking up in cold sweats moments later.

" ...Maybe….Maybe a nap….Will..Help… "

" ...ZU-OOO! "

" No! No you idiot! Stay awake! Stay awake and fight! "


But the other Zuko's shouts and demands did little to halt Zuko's descent into unconsciousness, and before Zuko realized it, he was sinking into the depths of his mind.

And sink he did, falling further and further into the recesses of his mind, paying no mind to how the usual solid black sea of emptiness, bathed in a shroud of haze and smoke. As Zuko fell, he gazed into the abyss below with a half-lidded stare, watching as he went deeper and deeper, with only the occasional muddied memory passing by to keep him company in the void.

" ...Empty….Always so empty… "

" One's mind is only as empty as one allows it to be. "

That sagely old voice always seemed to know how and when to find Zuko, even when he was bathed in the deepest pits of despair.

" ...Iroh…? " He knew it wasn't really the man, merely a representation that his subconscious had created some time after the real Iroh's disappearance. But that never stopped him from listening to him, even if he was a mere figment of his imagination.

" You are in much pain… "

Even if Zuko couldn't feel his bodily pain in his subconscious state, he still found the statement humorous. He'd always been in pain, and Iroh had never once brought it up. Perhaps he'd never known, or perhaps he'd chosen not to bring it up, thinking it would only do more harm than good.

"...That's an understatement...I've only ever felt pain… "

The image of Iroh reached out to him, firmly taking hold of his forearm. Grabbing hold of Zuko's forearm had been Iroh's own way of stopping Zuko from acting irrationally; it was more of an affectionate action than one meant for reprimanding. Zuko could still recall the first time he'd ever done it.

It had been Zuko's first time going beyond the boundaries of the forest they'd called home; before that point, the only places the two had gone was the beach Zuko had washed up on, and some nearby fishing villages. It had been a sudden decision made by Iroh. " I believe it is time I start showing you more of the world, Zuko. "

More of the world, he had said. In reality, Iroh had only ever intended to take Zuko to a village that neighbored their current place of residence. He'd heard rumors of a healer who specialized in burns, no doubt in hope of healing Zuko's before it could scar; something that obviously never happened.

The memory was as crisp as the morning grass in Zuko's mind. They'd set out shortly before sunrise, taking the long road out of the forest. The scenic route, Iroh had called it. The tediously long route, Zuko retorted.

It was a long and quiet walk, with quiet being Zuko barely talking, and Iroh going on and on about the nature they'd pass along the way.

" You know Zuko, this flower right here is known as the white dragon bush! It makes an excellent ingredient for tea! " Zuko remembered responding with an impassive grunt, not really caring much for the aforementioned plant. " Then again, it could also be the white jade bush...In that case it would be highly poisonous… "

That had earned a rather incredulous look from Zuko, who up until then, had come to trust, or at least tolerate Iroh's judgement. But learning that the man couldn't even distinguish a flower from a poison plant, was not something that upheld Zuko's confidence in the man.

" ...You're ridiculous… " Whether Zuko had intended it to come out as a chuckle or not, wasn't very clear, but something about the image of Iroh mixing the two plants up brought about some sort of morbid humor from within the younger Zuko.

Iroh shrugged with a smile, unbothered by his companion's remark. " It is an honest, and easy mistake, one that you could make someday. "

" ...Riiiiight...Definitely gonna do that… "

The break in their trek had been brief enough for Iroh to lecture Zuko thoroughly on the difference between safe and poisonous plants, a lesson that Zuko wasn;t sure that even Iroh understood. Still, it wasn't long before the two were back on the trail, their sites still set on finding the particular healer that Iroh had in mind.

There exists an old saying of sorts, one that you could have used to describe the events that followed the short interval in their travel.

"Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity"

And that brief pause had been quite costly. It had never occurred to Iroh at the time that the very village they were set out for, had been set upon by the Fire Nation at the time of their stop.

So to see the smoke pouring off the remains of the village, even in the distance, had been an eye opener for Zuko, who, up until this moment, had very limited interactions with the Fire Nation. The look of horror in Iroh's eyes had only reinforced the thought that was born within Zuko's damaged mind.

There was no thought behind Zuko's next actions, his legs moved on their own, carrying the scarred teen in a full on sprint. And while the carnage around him had thoroughly sickened Zuko, he never stopped, never gave it enough time to sink into his mind.

Homes...

Bodies...

Just about everything that could be burned to a crisp was, and in the most ruthless of fashions too.

It was enough to throw the younger Zuko into a daze, one where he sprinted blindly through the wreckage, hoping to find one person, one soul that was spared a fiery demise. But no matter how much of the village Zuko scoured, there were none to be found.

In the end, Zuko wound up collapsing in front of what he could only assume was the village healer's hut, also set ablaze.

" ...This...This is so...So… "

" ...Horrible… "

Zuko remembered gazing up to see Iroh standing beside him, a look of pain and disgust worn where his jovial smile tended to be.

" ...W….Why….Why would they… " Those were the only words that Zuko could remember uttering, the sour feeling in his stomach starting to weigh on him further.

" ...Because the world that the Fire Nation sees is a cruel one...Where only the strong fit in...Not even a harmless village such as this one can exist in their world… " Despite the look of rage in Iroh's eyes, his voice spoke a different story, with his tone holding more of somber and sorrow than anger.

It was spoken in a way that a parent would speak to a child they were disappointed in, like he couldn't bring himself to be entirely angry. " ...They are misguided...And have been for the past One-hundred years… "

" ...Misguided…? " Younger Zuko mimicked in disbelief. " ...Misguided?! What...What about any of this is misguided?! " He had pulled himself off the ground, unsheathing his swords. " ...They….They killed these people..In...In cold blood! " Zuko's words were slowly morphing into sobs, desperate, pain-filled sobs. " ...N...Nothing...Nothing about this is misguided! It...It's an execution! Played out by a Nation of monsters! "

A heavy silence fell off Iroh, who looked away from the thirteen-year old, a somber look in his aged eyes. " ...In their eyes...What they do is most honorable...As they are serving their home with pride… "

Zuko could only stare at Iroh for the longest time, his eyes widened with utter disbelief. " ….Honorable...They...They think doing this will bring them honor…? " The audacity of what he had heard was so great that Zuko couldn't find it in him to raise his voice.

The idea that they thought this would bring them honor was ridiculous!

" ...It is as I said, Zuko...They are Mis- "

" THEY'RE NOT MISGUIDED! They...They're monsters! Blind monsters! Thinking that this! This! The killing of innocent people! Will bring them honor! " There had never been a moment before this point, that Zuko could remember, that he had gotten as worked up as he was then. It was as if there was an unprecedented stockpile of rage hidden deep within the void that blanketed Zuko's mind; A wrath born from the life he no longer knew, brought about by the injustice done upon him.

He wouldn't even give Iroh a chance to talk; he was so mad. " How can you say that they think this is honorable?! There's no honor in this! There's no honor at all! It's senseless slaughter! The ending of lives that should never have ended! " Zuko could remember how hard it was to breathe in that moment, how he tried keeping his composure but failed at every chance. He was hyperventilating, trying to catch his breath with each brief pause.

" ...This….This isn't honorable! It's horrible! And...And if this is what they consider to be honor-worthy...Then...Then I'd rather be the most dishonorable person in the world! "

Tears welled up in the boy's eyes, tears that stung as they cascaded down his face. There was so much pain that Zuko could feel just from being in the village, so much unnecessary death that it weighed down on his body, making him feel as if his legs would give out at any second.

" ...Why...Why would they think that this...Taking the lives of men...women...children...Would even be remotely close to honorable...Why Iroh…? "

Silence…

Iroh didn't speak, rather he kept gazing off with an endless stare. The older man wanted nothing more than to believe his people were misguided, but knew through experience that it was something else, something deeply ingrained in them through generations of hate-filled teachings. It was something that he wanted to hide Zuko from, a truth that he wasn't ready for, but one that he couldn't be hidden from.

Eventually, Iroh's silence would only further fuel Zuko's inner rage, which quickly overtook the sorrow he'd been feeling until now. His fingers dug deep into the soil, clawing, trying to grasp onto something that wasn't there, something to hold him down, to keep his anger from running wild.

" ...IT'S NOT RIGHT! "

In that brief moment, Zuko could recall the sound of the fire's around him growing in strength with his outburst, and he could see the look of shock in Iroh's eyes. Perhaps he was deliberately trying to ignore it, perhaps he pushed it into his mind because the notion of him controlling the fire horrified Zuko.

" I'll...I'll make them pay! " Zuko shot from the ground, ready to sprint off wherever the soldier's responsible had gone.

" ZUKO! " That shout, that stern voice he'd never heard till then; the strict side of Iroh that he had only imagined till then. It wasn't just the sound of his voice that halted Zuko, it was the firm grip on his forearm that seemingly froze his whole body.

All the thirteen-year old boy could do was slowly look back at the older man, his good eye widened all the way.

It took no time at all for Iroh's eyes to soften, and the firmness left his grip. " ...I understand how you feel, Zuko...I truly do, from the bottom of my heart...And I know the feeling of helplessness that comes with not being able to do anything about it...The lives stolen from these was an unjust action...One that would bring no amount of honor… "

" ...Then why...Why can't we make them pay… "

"...Because...Revenge is never the choice...It is the spark that keeps the fires of hatred burning…It is never right to strike down those that have stricken down others… "

" ..But...But...What...What can I do then… " Zuko choked out between sobs, tears flowing from behind his mask, tears that Iroh could clearly see.

Instead of answering directly, Iroh chose another approach. " ...You are feeling much rage now, Zuko...There is much anger in you...I can feel it… " His hand moved from Zuko's forearm, slowly placint itself atop his shoulder. " ...A sword guided by rage...Is one that will cut it's own wielder…"

Somehow, Iroh had managed to reach deep down into Zuko's hurt heart, and quell the rage, all while stirring up confusion within him.

"...Much like the water that covers our world, so too does revenge flow in a cycle...When one life is taken in revenge, so too will another...So say you strike down one of the soldier's responsible, the rest will retaliate and destroy another village...And another, and another, and so on...All revenge does it further burn this already scorched world… "

The more Iroh spoke, the greater Zuko's confusion grew. If he wasn't supposed to strike against the Fire Nation, how could he help anyone, how was he supposed to fight back, when according to Iroh, fighting would only worsen the world.

" ...Then...What Am I supposed to do...How can I make this all right..?! "

" ...Your heart is one filled with much love, Zuko...You feel pain for those who cannot, shed tears for those who are unable to...Do not let hatred corrupt a heart so pure...I understand your wish to right the wrongs done by the Fire Nation...And you can… "

No longer were there tears in Zuko's eyes. There was still a way for him to fight, there was hope for him, for the world that had been burned the way he had. " ..How?"

That one question, that simple one word question "how?" was enough to bring back the smile to Iroh's wrinkled face. " Let your heart guide you Zuko...Follow the righteous path, show the world that they can make a stand against the Fire Nation, without hate to guide them...Be the light that sheds away the darkness, and one day...Become the one that brings the peace back to not only the Fire Nation...But the whole world...You have a kind heart, and always have...So show the world...Fight back, in your own way… "


The rest of the memory slowly faded away, leaving Zuko to float in the abyss once more. His consciousness drifted deeper and deeper into the sea of darkness that constantly consumed his thoughts. But as he floated there, something about the previous memory nagged at Zuko, something that Iroh had said.

" ...You have a kind heart, and always have… "

What exactly had Iroh meant by "always have"? He'd spoken as if he'd known Zuko prior to his awakening on the beach, prior to the events that stole Zuko's memories.

Was there some point in Zuko's past that he wasn't seeing, something that Iroh had been alluding to?

It made Zuko wonder, was there something in his mind, something he needed more than anything at that moment. Something that could-

" ...Zuko...Please...Open your eyes… "

" ..Open my eyes..? "

That voice. That tender, warm voice, the one that Zuko could hear in his most precious of dreams.

" ...Mom…? "

" ...Please Zuko...Open your eyes… "

It wasn't him she was speaking to though, at least not him now, as much as he wished she was. Somehow, Zuko had managed to find a memory, one old enough to have his mother in it.

He could see himself, a child, curled up beneath his bedsheets, his eyes clenched shut with tears leaking from the corners. He could feel his mother's soft hands caressing his face, trying to comfort him. " ...N..No! No..I..I burned Azula...I burned her! "

That sentence had Zuko's blood running cold. " I burned her! " So many things were running through his mind, so many horrifying things, like how had he burned her, why had he burned her? And who exactly was "Azula" and why had burning her brought so much trouble to his younger self?

A great part of him sincerely hoped he'd done it while cooking, and not the worse implication that spawned from the dark side of his mind…

" ...Zuko… " His mother pulled him from beneath his sheets and into her arms, cradling him against her chest, letting the beat of her heart soothe him. " ...It wasn't your fault...You didn't mean to hurt your sister...And Azula will be alright...So please, don't let this one accident get you down… "

" ..How...How can I! I burned my own little sister!...I'll never firebend again! "

I'll never firebend again...

Never firebend again…

Firebend again…

Firebend…

The world around Zuko felt as if it could come crumbling down at any moment, as if he'd uncovered some lie that had been hidden from him since birth. Had he not heard it come from his own younger self, he would have thought it was some horrible lie, some nightmare spawned from the depths of his mind...But it wasn't, it was the truth, and deep down, Zuko had always known it was.

From the moment he woke up on the beach, to the present where he was laid out in the burning house, Zuko had always felt an innate connection to the fire he feared. It was like the quietest of cries, resonating from the furthest reaches of his mind, a plea that he tried desperately to ignore; tried, and failed.

Whether Zuko had always known, or if it was just some shadow of his past life that had been silently trailing him till now, was something he wondered.

It made so much sense now, whether Zuko liked that or not; It was never the fire he feared, it was the connection he felt to it, the hidden fact that he had always been a firebender, the very thing he'd fought tooth and nail for so long.

Azula was another thing. The fact that she was his sister, the girl who'd been so cruel to both him and Ty Lee. He'd burned his own sister with firebending, and it had wracked him with so much guilt that his younger self had been fully prepared to give up the practice; something that Zuko wished had actually happened.

Exactly how much had Zuko's little sister meant to him? It was just one of the hundreds of questions that popped up within his thoughts on a regular basis.

" ...Zuko...My son… " His mother's tone was one that only a mother could have, one that expressed the pain their child felt, and the need to rid them of that pain. " ...You can't say something like that...Your firebending is a gift… "

" ..A gift..? " How exactly was something that only brought pain supposed to be viewed as a gift? " ...How is it a gift..? All firebending does is hurt people...How can that be a gift? " He said, looking on at his mother through tear filled eyes.

" ...There is nothing evil about firebending, Zuko...Yes...There are those who use their firebending to destroy...And yes, there are more and more people like that with each passing day...But...Firebending can be a beautiful thing...It can bring warmth and joy to people's lives...But most importantly, it can be used to protect… "

" ...Protect? "

It was something that both Zukos, past and present, said at the same time. The mere thought of firebending being capable of protecting something, was a concept he hadn't even begun to think about. It was like being a child and having been taught one thing, only to be immediately told the opposite.

His whole life, as far as he could remember, Zuko lived under the impression that fire could only destroy, that all it brought was pain and suffering; Zuko's mother however, the woman with the kindest smile he could imagine, said otherwise.

" ...Yes my love, firebending can be used to protect...And it's a very beautiful thing when it is...I've seen it before. "

" ..Y-you have? " Zuko's eyes were wide with child-like curiosity; if his mother had seen it, surely it must have been true, never once had his mother lied to him, and he sincerely hoped it would stay that way.

" I have.. " Ursa said with a nostalgic smile. " ...My marriage to your father has never been the most conventional one...And...He has changed since we first met...But there was a time, when he genuinely cared, when he had genuine love in his heart… " There was much melancholy in her words, no matter how warm of a smile she wore, like talking about the past hurt more than any pain her children would feel. " ...The way he would bend had so much passion behind it...It lacked the malice...the anger….the hatred… "

" ...What changed..? "

Ursa slowly stroked her son's head, leaning down and placing a kiss atop his head. " ...Who's to say...So much has changed since then...I wish your father was the same as when we met...But, I see in you the man your father once was...the passionate man with love in his heart… " The smile she wore was one filled with love, filled with warmth, warmth that Zuko wished he could feel every day. " ...I want you to see that you can grow up to be that kind of person...One who let's his heart guide his actions...I want you to do what you believe is right...And never give up, never let anything keep you down. "

Zuko wiped his eyes, fighting back the quiver left over from crying. " ...I won't...I won't ever give up...I'll make you proud mom...I promise… "

" ...That's my Zuko… " Ursa beamed, standing up, bringing her son with her. " Now, let's go check in on your sister, maybe she'll be up for some sweets, which you two will help me make. "

" Yeah! Your desserts are the best mom! "


Never give up.

Those had been the words spoken by his mother. She'd told him to never let anything keep him down. So why was he just giving up? Why was this his breaking point?

Not even he knew, he'd just up and decided that it was time to give up, that it was time to break his promise to his mother.

" ...Mom...I...I won't give up… "

" That's what I wanted to hear! " It was the other Zuko, the more aggressive one, the one that was trying to pick him up when he felt that he couldn't. " You told her you wouldn't give up! And you told Katara you'd always be there for her! So keep your promises! "

" ...Katara..? "

"Yes! Katara! The girl that's out there, crying out your name! Asking you to save her! "

Katara. She was out there, waiting for Zuko to help her, to rescue her, just like he'd always done. She was crying for him, begging him to help, and he could hear her, now he could hear her clearly.

" ..ZUKOOOOOO! ZUKOOOO PLEEEEASE! "

" ...Katara,... "

Then, as if spurred on by Katara's pleas, Zuko's usually pitch black psyche was ignited by a bright light, coming from deep within. It grew brighter and brighter with every passing second, bathing Zuko in it's warm light.

" ...Is this..? "

" It is...This is what I told you to find...The piece of you that can save Katara...That can save yourself...The part that completes you...Reach out….Grab it...And open your damn eyes! "

Reach out and grab it.

Reach out and grab it...That's all Zuko had to do.

So he did. Zuko extended his arm, pushing it further into the light, feeling its warmth gradually grow into a blazing heat. But despite its heat, he felt no pain, no burning, only the soothing warmth, the same kind he'd felt from his mother. It was her warmth, no. It was his warmth, the fire that's always resided within him, that until now he'd been too scared to embrace.

" ...My fire….This is… "


Zuko's eyes flew open with a deep gasp, followed by a series of hoarse coughs. His body ached just as much as before, but now it was overflowing with a comforting heat. He could feel the fire around him, every last spark, cinder and blaze.

He could feel the life that flowed through it all, the energy that fueled it all, the energy that was fueling him.

" ...My….Fire! "

With this newfound strength, and cry of fury, the fire around Zuko suddenly flared up, roaring with even greater intensity. And just as the fire rose, so too did Zuko, who pulled himself off the ground, even though every last muscle screamed for him not to.

" ..RAAAAAAAGH! " Zuko screamed as he fought through the pain, bringing both of his arms to his torso, grasping tightly at the arrows stuck in his body. He cried out in agony as his grip tightened, and with one single movement, he tore the arrows from his body. A wild snarl escaped his nostrils, his jaw clamped shut and his teeth ground together.

No blood was shed from the removal of the arrows, as the moment he pulled them from his body, flames engulfed the wounds, burning them shut. Not even the seering of his flesh could compare to the pain that would come from knowing he failed Katara in her time of need.

Reaching down, Zuko grabbed hold of his swords, which ignited the second he touched them, bathing the metal of his blades in his passionate flames. And no matter how hot the flames grew, his blades never warped, never wavered under the heat.

Just as his blades did under the swathe of flames, Zuko stood tall, no longer paying mind to the pain that had consumed him moments prior.

With this newfound strength, Zuko took his first step, and then another and another. Each step took him deeper into the inferno that covered the house, but never did it burn, it only fueled his resolve, his growing fire.

Zuko sucked in all the air he could, crossed his arms and blades across his chest and let out roar. A roar for Katara. A roar fueled by his own passion.

" KAAAAAATAAAAARRRRAAAAAAAAAA! "

Flames would fly, not flames of hatred, like the ones that the Fire Nation bathed the world in, but flames from the heart, flames fueled with Zuko's passion. The passion to protect Katara, to protect the world, and right the wrongs of his people.

But first? He had slithering spider-snake of a colonel to deal with, and deal with him, he would.