A/N: In a shameless ploy to garner more reviews, I am posting this on Friday which is a day early. If I receive at least 3 reviews by tomorrow I will post the next chapter (which is much shorter) tomorrow! No waiting for cliffhanger..maybe. Muahahaha!
RATING NOTICE: This chapter is bringing back the reason the story is rated T. This warning is due to violence and violent fights, also for descriptive physical damage horror. If these things bother you please avoid this chapter or read at your own risk. (Don't worry y'all, it ain't over yet!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
It felt so liberating to release herself from her physical form and travel quickly across great distances as her dispersed particle form. When Zuko (a jolt of happiness went through her consciousness as she thought of him) had rescued her from the tree that was her prison and she'd recovered her ability to gain a true human form she had felt as if she wished she could remain that way, a solid form, forever. Now, however, she was beginning to once again enjoy the freedom that came with her water spirit abilities.
As she traveled, she thought back to the ones she'd left behind to complete her errand. She knew they would continue on without her as she did have a habit of randomly disappearing to visit the ocean, of such they were accustomed, and that she would return to follow behind and hide their tracks.
Her thoughts strayed to Zuko, as they inevitably always did. Ah…but even for a short time, she would miss him. Of course she would miss Iroh as well, but it wasn't the same. She had feelings for Zuko, much stronger than she'd ever known; even though they frightened her at times, she knew it was real, and hoped he reciprocated. Oh how she hoped.
Despite her Zuko-centered, rather dreamy thoughts, by the time an hour passed she was arriving at her destination and smoothly transitioning into her eel-like underwater form for maximum speed through the water. Her swift and extremely accurate direction shortly brought her to the deepest, darkest part of the ocean she had relatively quick access to.
As a water spirit she had no need for actual human –style sight, she could become part of the ocean and feel everything it felt, know everything it knew. Instantly she found what she was looking for and moved a part of herself to that point and reached a tendril of her own water inside to communicate with the inhabitant.
In short order the item she had traveled so far to procure was offered her willingly, and she safely nestled it within herself, imparted a quick thank you, and set off once again to return those she'd left behind during her errand.
Iroh glared at the shocked faces of the fire nation soldiers who now stood some distance behind the young man he currently steadied. This situation could not be any worse at this very moment. Ever an optimist, for once, the old general had no words of wisdom for himself.
"Zuko!" he hissed, giving him a quick shake and surprising his nephew into looking at him. Then in a low and quiet voice he gently gave orders. "Remember your balance. I will retrieve your crutches. You are stronger than you realize, always believe in yourself Prince Zuko." Iroh finished, emphasizing the title as a reminder that he was the true heir to the throne.
In the frenzy of his mind he heard his uncle's words ring loudly, despite their soft-spoken delivery. That's right, he was strong. Not many people could have lived through what he had been through in his life and come out stronger for it. His mind quieted and he felt calm for the first time since he'd learned Azula was coming after them. "Yes, uncle" he agreed quietly, and met the older man's eyes with his own for a split second before he was balancing on one leg as his uncle spun down and quickly picked up his crutches.
The very moment uncle was no longer shielding him from Azula's view moments of dead silence ticked away, seeming like hours. His determined eyes met the cruel ones of his sister and for the very first time he almost thought he saw a shadow of caring in them, as if, for a moment, she was true family. Then the bubble of calm popped as Azula burst out laughing.
Finally no longer needing to balance because uncle had been quick to supply him with his crutches, he nearly staggered backwards under the sheer malice in the laugh that exploded out of the smaller, young girl.
"Oh Zuzu! This is RICH!" She practically screamed, "how by Agni did you manage to..to…OHhhh!" she was forced to stop speaking when cruel laughter overcame her again and she held her sides as she laughed uproariously. "Oh Zuzu!" She spluttered, and he'd finally had enough!
"I told you not to call me that!" He shouted angrily. He'd known she was going to do this, but still, he was unable to stop her.
"Call you what Zuuuuzuuu?!" She drew out the name in a sing-song voice and flipped her hair, grinning maliciously. Zuko growled at her, glaring at the face of the one he knew would be his greatest tormenter.
"Although, I think I may need to come up with a new name for you, since clearly, you're not the boy you used to be. In fact, you're rather less than three fourths the boy you use to be!" She cackled at her own joke. "So, how's that working out for you hopalong? Looks like you barely even have a leg to stand on!" As she laughed once again at her own joke, the rest of the soldiers with her laughed as well.
"Hey, cripple, how's your fire bending now?" taunted one, "yeah!" hollered another "I bet you won't have a 'leg up' on the competition anymore!" the soldier snorted his laughter and the others laughed loudly with him. "Good thing we have Azula" shouted another "I mean, a one-legged Fire Lord? HAHAHA, talk about the opposite of intimidating!" "Hey!" laughed another "at least we all know which way he leans!" There was another loud round of raucous laughter and Iroh felt his heart constrict for the pain his nephew must be going through at that moment.
Perhaps the young man would take them silently, but he would not. He smoothly sat into a battle stance and rushed the nearest soldier, engaging him, and consequently several others that came to his aid.
As the shouts and jeers were thrown his way Zuko had simply stood there, desperately wishing he could disappear, hide from the cruel and thoughtless words that hurt him more with each cruel jab. They rained down on him like arrows in his soul. He wanted to drop his head in shame, to look away from the piercing cruelty and mocking amusement of Azula's gaze, but he couldn't, wouldn't let himself give her even that much. His uncle was already fighting though, and he was thankful the taunts had nearly ceased.
So, emboldened by the powerful force his uncle had become and his own mettle, he met her gaze. That's right, he wasn't alone. Uncle had always been there for him, and he was here for him now, fighting for them both. It made no difference what these small-minded people said or thought, they couldn't handle what he'd been through, and he was a far stronger man then they would ever be.
Azula held up her hand and the men not engaged in combat with Iroh instantly fell silent. She smiled, that crooked, sinister smile, and folded an arm over her waist, supporting the elbow of her other arm as she propped her chin on her fist as if contemplating something deep.
"I got it! Your new name is Lee Ning" She guffawed loudly at her own joke "get it? Lee Ning, like leaning!" Suddenly the two soldiers with Azula burst out laughing as if it were the funniest thing they'd ever heard. Zuko felt the verbal jab as if it were a knife blade in his stomach. How could she be so cruel? His eyes sought his uncle's, even as the older man fought strongly against the other soldiers. The old general had heard the cruel words and breathed out a mighty breath of flame, as a dragon would, and met the eyes of his nephew. His eyes told the young man what he needed to know.
Zuko stood a little taller and glared at Azula, something inside him suddenly snapping. He looked around at Azula's guards and the men who had back off from his uncle temporarily to watch Azula and her brother exchange words. "You seem to have brought a whole unit of fire nation soldiers with you, apparently you consider us to be some kind of threat. I would assume you came here to do something more than simply make schoolgirl jokes." He allowed the smallest of sneers to curl his lip "I guess you were afraid to take an old man on all by yourself…that's ok, after all, you're only a little girl, you can't be expected to face experienced men alone."
Iroh's head whipped around from warily watching the soldiers who'd ceased fighting to stare at Zuko in shock. He was completely dumbfounded. Never in his life had he ever heard Zuko give as good as he got back to his sister. It was so completely unlike him that Iroh was slightly concerned.
Zuko stepped forward a few paces closer to his sister, his eyes never leaving her widening ones as she processed his insult.
"How.." she sputtered "how DARE you! HOW. DARE. YOU…!" No longer sputtering, she was outright screaming, her hands balling into fists as she swung into a fire bending stance. "You miserable excuse, you pathetic waste of space cripple!" You broken little worm! You, you..worthless CRIPPLE!" she yelled again and kicked off a burst of orange fire that arced towards Zuko in the blink of an eye.
Quickly switching the crutch on his good side to his other hand, he moved to deflect the flame. Azula growled as he appeared unharmed and screamed again, calling him a stupid hopalong cripple and flinging more orange fire his way. He easily deflected each attack with one arm and stood his ground.
"Azula, you may be losing your touch. You should find another word to yell, you're starting to sound repetitive, don't you think?"
For a few moments, he thought Azula might actually explode from the pure, unadulterated hatred he could see boiling in her eyes; her face was red, her hair was messy, and her stance unbalanced. "This Azula", he thought, "I can beat this Azula."
Suddenly her face went blank, her eyes drained of the hatred that had practically screamed from them mere moments before, and she moved to a normal standing position. She stood completely still and made no sound. Then, closing her eyes, she placed her hands together in front of her as if praying to Agni and took a deep breath, opening her eyes. She dropped her hands and moved once more into a fighting stance. This time, however, the stance was completely solid. Her eyes were devoid of emotion and nothing more than a cold gleam showed there was even life.
"I didn't know you had it in you, Zuzu." Azula smiled her, crooked, sinister grin. "You know I was a little peeved when I learned those pirates had failed to kill the two of you on your ship. They were the perfect tool to rid myself of you once and for all so the throne could be mine. You have an uncanny knack for surviving you know, but well" she shrugged carelessly "time's up! Now, I'll finish you myself!"
"Attack!" She yelled, and Azula immediately launched into another series of moves aimed at her brother, blue fire shooting from her sweeping heels and punching fists far faster than Zuko could possibly counter, his mind was whirling with the words his sister had just spoken. It was her..SHE had done this to him! His whole life, everything, it was all because of her! Every horror he had ever suffered, every traumatic experience he'd been through, every pain he'd ever felt, they were all HER FAULT! His breath came faster and faster and he began to lose focus.
Even has he began to lose himself, Iroh had not, and before a single flame could lick at his skin, his uncle was in front of him, deflecting the flames and driving Azula away from his stunned nephew. Iroh was furious, but he had the benefit of wisdom, age, and experience and her words did not shatter him.
"Hurry up you fools, attack!" came the angry order from the distracted fire Princess and the small unit of fire benders hurriedly formulated a concerted attack directly at Iroh, rapidly overwhelming him as he was fighting ten, seasoned, firebenders and one furious and deadly Fire Princess.
Zuko stood in speechless horror still reeling from the words of the person he thought he only hated slightly less than his father. Now, he knew better. Azula was now truly his enemy.
"Remember Zuko!" His uncle called to him as a particularly vicious attack threw him backwards several yards, "remember who you are!" The words came to him through the darkness of the haze that had fallen over his mind.
At that moment, the haze lifted like a veil. Zuko remembered. He was more than his disability, he was not helpless. He was not at her mercy. He could be a victim, or he could be a victor.
He would be a victor.
Never again would Prince Zuko be at the mercy of his younger sister.
Never again.
Using both crutches for balance, he shifted himself into a fighting stance as best he could and used his fists to punch flames at the person he now hated most in the world. Somehow, they were longer, and hotter than they had ever been before, and Azula barely managed to deflect them with just a small amount of lost ground.
The soldiers rallied back around Azula, ready to attack Zuko when she ordered them to deal with 'the old man', who had already lunged to his feet and was preparing to defend is nephew.
All ten soldiers once again turned to Iroh and for a moment his heart dropped, but then he remembered how strong he knew Zuko was, and told himself he would once again be the Dragon of the West, for at least a short time, and a new zeal was in his eyes as he prepared to meet their force. Two soldiers fell never to rise again before the onslaught of his newfound determination; a third and fourth soon joined them as he fought on.
Azula glared at her brother and surged forward once the soldiers were out of her way, jumping into the air and twisting around, aiming for Zuko with both feet first, a large burst of blue flame shooting out from them as she flew towards him. Desperately he did something he'd never done before and stretched backward, then jumped up, using his crutches to ground and balance him while he twisted his body just enough to use his remaining foot to sweep a burst of his own fire in an attempt to block her attack.
Azula once again twisted, this time in midair, abandoning her initial attack and instead used her momentum to create a cartwheel of blue fire that spun relentlessly dropping towards him with unerring accuracy. Due to his physical limitations he had no time to prepare to deflect the attack and so was completely open, caught in the middle of a desperate move and now off-balance. Unable to use his arms or leg to defend, he took a swift breath and allowed a huge burst of fire to escape his mouth.
The girl's powerful, spinning wheel of blue flames simply exploded into his breath of fire and dispersed it, her scorching flames searing into his stump, his remaining leg and his chest. He grunted in pain and crumpled in on himself as, directly following the flames, Azula's feet hammered into him and slammed him into the ground. His crutches were nearly incinerated as the vicious girl used his own chest as a launching pad and allowed her blue fire to explode from her fists and feet, propelling her upwards and away from him as he feebly attempted to use one arm to punch fire directly into her face.
She laughed in cold amusement. "Oh you pathetic little loser, looks like you're not even 'Lee Ning" anymore, maybe I should call you "Fa Lin"?!" Once again she laughed uproariously at her own cruel joke, but Zuko hardly heard her. He was gasping for breath and wanted to scream in pain.
She'd done damage. His stomach felt like it was on fire, even though he knew it wasn't. His arms and hands were seared and burned and he was beginning to feel his body shutting down.
He struggled into a sitting position and looked for his crutches, only to see their charred remains. His homemade animal-hide shirt was burned clear through and there was the smell of burnt flesh that he remembered from back when this whole thing had first started with the exploding ship, and he couldn't stop it, his body acted of its own accord and he retched, losing the contents of his burned stomach onto the ground beside where he struggled to hold himself up.
Feeling disgusted with himself and hoping his sister wouldn't notice but having no strength to affect the outcome he vaguely noted his uncle still valiantly fighting several soldiers all alone and caught the moment the older man saw him. He froze mid attack and was nearly overwhelmed as he struggled to hold them off, now distracted by how badly his nephew had been injured. His heart piercing with pain; he despaired inside himself. Could this be the end? He couldn't even help him, would he lose another son?
Unfortunately for Zuko, Azula had seen and her malicious laughter echoed until she finally gasped for breath. "I can't believe you're so worthless and pathetic! How disgusting, throwing up just because you got a hurt a little? What a useless crybaby! Here I thought I was the youngest but you, brother" she sneered "you're the helpless little baby."
Apparently deciding she'd toyed and taunted enough she attacked once again giving him no time to even think; kicking bursts of flame from her feet intent on completely overpowering him. Zuko desperately deflected the first attacks, but they were only a front for the blue burning disc that he'd been unable to see. He drew up around his middle and tried to use his one leg to deflect the attack but it wasn't near enough.
The flames exploded onto him, instantly burning everything they touched. Zuko screamed. His nightmare had returned. He could once again smell burning flesh as his remaining foot was charred beyond recognition and everything up to his waist was burning in excruciating pain. He no longer had the cognizance to hear as Iroh let out a shattered "no!" and Azula laughed exultantly.
"Stop!" She shouted, and every man fighting froze in place. She sauntered over to where Iroh stood, mid attack stance, tears streaming down his cheeks. He allowed her to roundhouse kick his lower back as she commanded him to move. He stumbled forward towards his beloved nephew who was now hardly coherent; lying on his side curled around his burned appendages, throat releasing raw howls of agony as he suffered incoherently.
"There's your little pretend son old fool, see what you did? You failed; you FAILED to save him, just like you failed to save your own son. You're a worthless piece of trash that can't do anything and you will die. But first, you're going to watch me kill him." Iroh finally turned from Zuko's agonized form and looked at Azula in horror. "That's right uncle" she ridiculed, "It won't be quick, and you'll beg me to end his life, but I won't. Not until I'm good and ready."
Iroh turned away in anguish, attempting to ignore the terrible words coming from the lips of his only niece and tried to throw himself on the ground by Zuko in an attempt to comfort him, but Azula ordered two of the soldiers to hold him, and they rushed forwards, grabbing him by the arms and holding tight. The will to fight had had all but left his body and he only barely strained forward against them, hardly seeming to notice they were there in his grief. "Zuko…" he whispered in his grief "forgive me…"
The sadistic young Fire Princess once again ordered her remaining five men (Iroh had actually killed half of the men she'd brought, much to Azula's irritation) and they proceeded to beat the former general and Dragon of the West, heavy fists striking his face, chest, stomach, back and sides, one kicking his legs out from under him so when she ordered them to release him he collapsed onto the ground, no longer able to stand.
The tears still flowed from eyes that were already beginning to swelll from the beating. He refused to acknowledge the raging of the one who held his life in her hands any longer. He only saw his nephew, and felt despair.
They did not leave him to lay there, two of the larger soldiers roughly picked him up and set him up on his knees, facing him towards Zuko as Azula stalked back over to the broken young man and casually reached out a hand towards him, palm facing out, and shot flue fire directly onto his currently unprotected side. Zuko jerked in response to the pain and let out a hoarse cry as he tried to draw into himself to somehow avoid the searing pain.
Looking over at Iroh Azula sneered and pointed at her brother. "Look at that pathetic loser! He gets a little burn and suddenly he's completely beaten. Disgusting, don't you think old man?" She glared at his tearstained face as he hung his head, no longer wishing to watch his nephew as he writhed in mindless pain in front of him. "What's wrong?" She jeered, "it's just getting good!"
Heartbroken, he could stand it no longer. "Please…" The exultant Fire Princess tilted her head slightly. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you." Iroh's shoulders drooped and his head sunk even further to his chest. "Please Fire Princess Azula, please let him live. He is no longer a threat to you." Iroh begged in the most defeated voice he'd ever used in his life.
"Oh this is so rich! The once proud and mighty Dragon of the West, on his knees, begging ME for a favor!" She let out a bark of pitiless laughter "Oh this is a wonderful day indeed!" Her face suddenly twisted into a vicious grin.
"I think not" she finally answered him. "I'm having far too much fun for that you know. Besides" her features morphed into a look far more sinister "I don't share. As long as that miserable excuse for a human being is alive I can't truly be the Fire Lord." She glared haughtily. "Make no mistake, I WILL be Fire Lord and there is nothing you can do about it!" as she finished her statement she was practically shouting.
In the haze of his pain-filled mind, Zuko slowly began to collect his scattered thoughts. He was gradually starting to be able to hear what was going on outside his own body, the excruciating pain somehow becoming rather numb, as if his mind had decided it was just too much to handle, and had placed it into a box and locked it away.
He heard his despicable sister taunting his uncle, heard the sounds of his beatings, his soft plea for Zuko's release, and the tears that had dried up as his body went into shock came again. His uncle was once again begging, just like he had in the street as the cruel man used dual swords and made him dance to avoid them and sing for a single coin, laughing and jeering at him.
He knew uncle would never have done it; he'd even called the man nice! No, his kind uncle would never know he'd taken his revenge that night upon the man who'd dared demean the one who cared so much for him, and he would do so again.
This had to end.
It was in that moment that inspiration came. There was a way. "I have one trick even Azula doesn't know about" he thought. It was his only trick, but against the almost unbeatable Azula and even five fire nation benders, it was probably the only trick he would need.
He would end it, and whatever happened afterwards, he would deal with the consequences then.
He called on his fire, and allowed all the pain and rage from everything he'd gone through starting from his childhood up to mere moments previous where Azula had been torturing him and righteous vengeance for his uncle and used it as fuel for his inferno. Building quickly inside of him, he felt the need to get into a more upright position so his burned hands found the ground and he pressed against it, twisting to tuck his useless and charred leg and stump underneath him and move into a partial sitting position.
There was a collective gasp from the soldiers, and even Azula looked surprised. "Well well, it looks like Fa Lin is trying to fight back. Are you really still trying to beat me big brother? Zuzu you know you can't, you never could." She belittled him.
"Zuko!" Iroh choked out of a throat that had nearly closed in his grief. "I'm so sorry my..my son. You must know that I love you, and I know you will be victorious! Always remember..." The old general looked the young man he'd just fully accepted as his adopted son straight in the eye as he spoke.
The pain was greater now that he was partially sitting, but it still seemed far away to him. He heard his uncle's words, no, his new father's words, as he had finally said he loved him and was able to see it in his eyes. He remembered, and the energy he was building surged faster than he even thought possible. Zuko smiled as much as he could at his newfound father. "I will, unc..f..father." He rasped, and suddenly his eyes were damp with tears as his heart filled even as his power filled his body, seeking escape even has he held it.
Azula had listened to their exchange with disgust, and shrewdly ordered her men to beat Iroh again, propelling herself forwards towards her brother, somehow feeling the power he was building and hoping to render him unconscious before he was able to release whatever attack he was building. The young man who was physically broken but mentally strong used the burned hands that were still braced against the ground and fisted them, ignoring the pain, and at the last possible moment he released some of that power, in twin jets of orange flame that shot directly down below his fists, launching himself straight into the air, completely avoiding Azula's attack as she skidded to a halt and stared in shock as he rose above her.
The remaining fire nation soldiers stood and gasped in awe, forgetting for a moment, the man they held captive. Iroh was released from nerveless fingers as they stared in amazement to watch Azula shake off the surprise of his avoidance and thrust her arms back slightly, a glint in here eye and a fierce look on her face, her blue flames shooting out from her fists and feet as she too, sped into the skies above.
Zuko took a deep breath and held it. This was it.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw uncle, "father" his mind corrected him, stealthily as possible crawl away from the soldiers and move a good distance away. Good, he would be safe.
It was time.
The air around him became stifling, and shimmered like a sandy desert under the punishing rays of the hot sun. Abruptly, the super-heated air burst into flame around him, sucking the oxygen from the air and creating a sphere of whirling, whipping tongues of hot, angry fire that licked hungrily for fuel.
At the moment his sphere burst into being, Azula was coming into range. The huge fireball exploded into existence inches from her face and she was thrown backwards even as the sphere grew with nothing more than a thought from him.
The Fire Princess hurtled towards the ground only partially conscious, her face melted beyond recognition, her shoulders, even some of her upper body burned until the skin bubbled, clothing in smoldering tatters and hair completely gone. There was nothing left but a terrible smell and black spots on her charred scalp.
Below him was chaos; every soldier tripping over another in an attempt to escape the falling girl. She landed hard on two soldiers who had tripped over each other and fallen, the earth actually cratering slightly as the force of her body hitting theirs was transferred to the ground below.
The two soldiers died instantly on impact, but Azula did not. She seemed almost inhuman as she rolled off the bodies of the men she'd just killed and kicked one, hardly before she'd even managed to balance herself or realize what had happened, so deep was her cruelty.
The remaining three soldiers stood stock still in fear and horror as their once-beautiful Fire Princess lurched a few steps and tilted what was left of her face up where Zuko was still hovering, waiting for her advance, feeding his flames.
The once proud and mighty Fire Princess no longer had eyes, they had burst from the heat and pressure, the skin melting over them. She was like the walking dead, but she refused to die. If she had been able to see the sphere, she would have felt true fear, because it was growing and advancing and making the very air hot with its intensity. Instead, in the midst of whatever was left of her mind, she made her feelings known and screamed, the sound even reaching Zuko above the roaring of his flames.
It mattered not to him, it was time for vengeance, and Zuko would not be denied.
Despite his mental state he knew he would need air so he hastily created a smaller sphere within the large one, allowing him to breathe small amounts of air inside his superheated blaze.
Zuko could not see what his sphere had done to Azula, being in the center of it, he could only feel her, as if his senses had become heightened. Somehow he knew exactly where she was, where his uncle was and the three still-living soldiers. He could almost see them, it was as if they'd become heat itself, as if he were reading their body heat to locate them.
The sphere of vengeance born of all the hatred and cruelty he'd ever experienced in his life cocooned him in its stifling embrace as he slowly lowered it towards the ground since Azula had yet to attack him. He would finish this once and for all.
A/N: *Dodges rotten tomatoes and various kitchen implements* If you kill me, you won't know how it ends! Just remember that before you throw anything too dangerous! ;) Remember, at least 3 reviews gets you another chapter tomorrow!
Whew, that was the longest chapter yet! It would appear I found a little inspiration. I started writing, and aching shoulders, back and neck be hanged, I literally wrote for 6 hours straight without even realizing! Yikes!
Note: I absolutely promise this has a happy ending for (almost) everyone, don't despair!