Powerful Benders Chapter 3: The Sun's Burial, an avatar: last airbender fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own "Avatar: The Last Airbender", but I do own the storyline for this story and all elements that are not within the official realm of the funded story done by Nickelodean. I also don't own the quote by Sir Isaac Newton.

Pre - - A/N 1: Again thanks to a great friend, Elenea, whose motivational reviews and words have inspired me to never falter in step.

Pre - - A/N 2: This chapter, well in terms of length, may be longer, but word wise, it matches up to the first chapter. As you've noticed, the first chapter and most of the second were told from a very 'impersonal' perspective. By impersonal, I mean the story did not concentrate on a specific person's feelings and emotions. It just covered details of a grand scale. However, in the second chapter, when reading the Library Documents, the story generated for Fire Lord Sazora, and the parts concerning Zuko and his mother, were told from a personal perspective. After around the beginning area of this chapter, everything from here on out will be told from a personal perspective.

Pre - - A/N 3: After I saw "Zuko Alone", it has become much harder to view Ozai as a kind man. But because I founded his character on this, it should be all good. But for Azula...no way. I wanted to make her also a nice person in the beginning, but that episode has shown her to be dark and scary, even as a child.

Pre - - A/N 4: This chapter was very hard to write. Besides the fact that I became so used to writing in such a distant perspective that, at first, it was a challenge to write normal perspectives, there was also the 'discussion' that took a lot of my time. Besides that, in just a few chapters, many events will happen, (Refer to Post - - A/N 2).

Pre - - A/N 5: I write for 2 reasons. The first concerns me, and the second concerns you, the reader. The first reason, is because, though I'm not great at it, I love writing. The second is because I write to entertain the readers. So this note is just for you, the readers- I hope you all enjoy!

"Powerful Benders"

--III--

"I do not know what I seem to the world, but to myself I appear to have been like a boy playing upon the seashore and diverting myself by now and then finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay before me all undiscovered."

- Sir Isaac Newton

--Chapter 3: The Sun's Burial--

With the times rushing past the men of war, many were dieing of old age. Eraho had passed away many, many years ago, with Kira having followed her husband into the otherworld shortly after, with age being the burden she bore in her last moments. Saze and Ejah had passed away as well shortly after the marriage of Ozai and Ursa, they're feud oddly untouched nor dismembered. Saze's proud son, Fire Lord Azulon was failing in health, but not due to his age, and his decision to step down was imminent. Beyond that, Ejah's children were still relatively active war lords. The only healthy descendants of the two great dynasties were Azulon's daughter, and Ejah's grandchildren, which were of the same generation, and they're children as well.

Ozai was a determined man. The husband of one woman, the father of two children, a leader to thousands of soldiers, and a hero to millions of civilians, meant he had several duties to uphold and fulfill. When Ozai married Ursa, of which the wedding was beyond grand, he had received the ability to gain the title of the Fire Lord, and after Fire Lord Azulon had decided that his health was not helping in guiding the war efforts, Ozai gained the throne. This was by no means the position he was seeking when he married Ursa. His union with Ursa was brought about by his love for her, and it was the additional gain that was his reward, almost like fate was happy with his decision. Upon this, he had also married into her family, thus continuing the dynasty of Fire Lord Solzen. This honor, for one not originally not part of the family, was so high that the efforts he poured into his rule were beyond believable. He had devoted much time and energy into fulfilling the Will.

The Will, by now, had received several altercations. The final goal of the Will, its ultimate finality and purpose was the only thing, that was said, to not have changed throughout all the changes. It was forbidden to actively try and change the message within the writing, but trying to modify it such that the words were brought ever closer to the original writings were allowed. A council was formed to try and recover the original documents. The profiles and histories developed for Fire Lord Solzen were studied and expanded greatly, thus new information and justifications for them allowed the writings to be altered in terms of literature.

The law, of not being able to change that which was declared almost a century ago, was something Ozai had to hold down on. This single inhibitor, the law of never altering the message was a cut-through of his morality. Ozai, as a general by lineage, had loved his soldiers. Seeing them die was horrific, and any prevention of that, while attaining the goals of the empire being fought for, were ideas he held close. Ozai had wanted to end to war peacefully, an action that could not be achieved with what the Will demanded, and though he held no retribution against his beloved and deceased leader, the ideology Fire Lord Solzen promoted did not agree with his ideals. But as a leader of the Nation, he had no choice. When all was said and done, ultimately, the Will had demanded, as a finality to the results of the war, that by its end, every empire was to be brought down to its knees and to become a faction of the Fire Nation. Thus was the notion he rejected, but was forced to keep on track.

Unfortunately, for Fire Lord Ozai himself, the fragility that was inherent in him was starting to die out. After years on war councils, being the decision maker of battalions and the controller of myriads of lives, Ozai had become a hard person. It was his spirit that became darker, but his heart was still brittle. It would take one event, corresponding to a time when his first born child would pass a decade of existence, and his younger would just reach that age, that something would happen in his life, something of such magnitude, that his spirit would ultimately converge on his heart and destroy whatever light it used to harbor, finally shattering his heart. But even though his heart was far from that end, his dark spirit had started to create a frightening and intimidating demeanor.

Ursa was a women beyond imagination. She was an icon to all women of the Fire Nation. Looked up by millions, she was as easily recognizable as her husband was. Influential in the politics involving civilians, and a person of great morals, one that cared deeply for the well being of everyone, especially her husband and children, no one could ask for a better empress, nor a better mother, and especially not a better wife. Her ideologies were strong, supported by very powerful morals that dictated everything about her.

Ozai had married a truly wonderful women, and he could not have asked for a better wife. Her dedication to him, as well as his dedication to her, was unbelievably strong. They stood by their vows of marriage, and because of it, their bonds to each other were dazzling. When she had become a mother, her tenderness of heart, and loving care for her children were beautiful. Truly, her children could have never have asked of a better mother, because they were blessed with one of the greatest. It was a trait of all women on Ursa's side of the family, especially the family tree corresponding to Erah, to be excellent wives, and mothers, and Ursa was no exception. In fact she was the true definition.

Ursa truly loved her husband, her children, her relatives and friends, with an unimaginable spirit and heart. Beyond that, the one thing that made her stand out so much, was that, just like her beloved husband, she too loved all the peoples of the Fire Nation.

At the age of 20, Ursa bore a son. Zuko, a child blessed with the heart of a lion, was one not gifted with anything of tangible means. Zuko was an emotional person, one that inherited the fragility of his father. Ozai had loved his son, but because of his ever darkening atmosphere, any form of affection was a rarity. In response to Zuko's loss, it was his mother than loved him more. Ursa had held her great grandfather in high esteem. Fire Lord Sazora in all his honor and glory was once humbled as a child. Realizing this, she knew that her son would follow the same fate. He would rise above everyone to prove something no one else saw. He had a special ability, it was just hidden. But despite his vast weaknesses and downfalls, and her love for her great grandfather, Ursa had truly loved her son.

Zuko did have a special ability. Ursa had known of the power of his heart, and how he used it to push him forward in life, but his special ability was something hidden from her eyes. It was one no would ever match. Zuko's determination. What drove his heart, and what made him the lion that he was, was not his physical strength, nor his mediocre ability to bend the element he represented, it was the special ability by which only a being of vast experience and one that knew no failure, could have, and that was his determination. Of such inhuman comprehension was this fire that it also influenced his ideologies. Along with determination, strength was needed to support the falling body when failure arrived, courage was needed to push it forward as it lagged behind, and endurance was needed to keep its position visible to every eye that ever cursed and demoralized it, to prove them wrong. Zuko stood for what the Fire Nation was and he was the child that was the foundation of their lives. But despite these valued gains, he was never recognized.

In the years to pass, when Zuko would pass the age of 10, a basic instinctual feeling would then spawn in his heart, in addition to his determination. It was a feeling rooted to his mind and one that merged his heart and soul. No one was aware that the events to occur much after his birth, would bring about such a dark and common feeling in a way not envisioned by anyone. Anger. Such a simple and fundamental makeup of what the human was, was something Zuko had placed into himself in the wrong way. In the normal circumstance, anger was a feeling no one could harbor without losing their sanity, but for Zuko, it became his life blood. Between hatred, jealousy, envy, and vengefulness, and more of those same feelings was the medium, anger, and Zuko was one to absorb it like air.

Zuko was born 84 years into the war, at a time when the Avatar never hindered the plans of the Fire Nation, and at a time when the world was crumbling under its awesome burden.

When Ursa had turned 21, she had brought another miracle into her world. Azula, her daughter, was actually a miracle to her father as well. She was both the proud child of a great family, but she was also the bending prodigy no one had expected. When she had learned of her ability to bend fire, Fire Lord Ozai was beyond proud. The war efforts needed someone of her caliber and it was his child that he boasted about to his generals. At the early age of 2, when she was caught in the darkness, fear had forced her to ignite a tiny ball of fire on top of her index to find the daylight. From that time on, her skill grew beyond the levels she was supposed to train in, and because she had great physical command of her body, she could easily bring about almost any train of motion within a single try. Ursa had loved her daughter but beyond her maternal instinct to do so, she knew something was wrong with Azula.

Azula, despite her ability to bend, or because of it, had lacked a trait inherent in her older brother, and that was humbleness. Being the overbearing, cocky fire bender that she was, she had forced her mind to gain two large social problems. The first was that she loved the pain of others, and the second was that she prided everything about herself, including her immediate family and no other. Despite this, she had two good friends, Mai and Ty Lee. Mai was a quiet and dark girl, whereas Ty Lee was bouncy and was always bright. Together, the three of them had an unsatisfiable need for combat or any form of it. But even with friends, Azula became a dark creature herself, and while the spirit-hardening Ozai viewed her as his greatest gift among all he had gained in his life, Ursa had started to worry over her, pondering if what she was acting like was normal for a child her age and status.

The events that would blow past Zuko, and introduce him to true anger, were the same events that Azula would soon be victimized from, and by that time, she would turn 10. Azula had a very calm demeanor and her messages were always dark. But it was her sense of uncaring that would travel beyond the realm of the believable. Her sadistic nature, to enjoy the pain of others, would only heighten and the smiles she gave off, ones that always accompanied dark news, were no longer artificial but were true feelings of those news.

Azula was born 85 years into the war, when the world was still in unrest and at a time when darkness was soon enveloping the world.

It was deemed, even before their births, that Zuko would take the throne and Azula would become an asset. However her father resented that idea, and had wanted to reverse the birth rights, but because Azula was a warrior, not best to be bound to the throne, not that she could have anyways, it was said that she become the guardian of Prince Zuko when he was inaugurated, and whenever the future Fire Lord ever proceeded into battle, it would be his prodigious sister, Princess Azula to escort him.

Zuko had understood what the Will required and had accepted its terms at an early age. Azula, never cared for it, and only wanted to destroy the enemies. Her ambition was so strong that she often made jokes to her friends of wanting to rip the throats of the enemies out from between their shoulders, and as fun twist, cauterize those bare shoulders once their heads departed. She was extremely dark a character, but much loved by the Nation, because in the due future, she was bound to become an icon.

Zuko was never seen in that way. Unrecognized, except by his family, Zuko was only known to inherit the throne and that was as far as any envisioned him. Any revolution he would bring about would only spark the interest of an ant coming out to eat the foods of the celebrations of which no would attend. But Zuko was determined. The fire in his eyes would help him see the daylight when nightfall blinded his path, and the radiance of his heart would only guide him along the rocky road that would lead to being the Ruler of the World.

Before the times of when Zuko would pass 10, and Azula 9, they were close. Close, but in a very limited degree. She was indeed dark, but conveyed her messages with a happy face, and Zuko, as naïve as he was, was always trying to show her the light. Joking around with her and making her laugh was his greatest goal and as a big brother, he never wanted to see her heart turn as black as it felt like. They were both fun loving children. But after those ages past, and that event happened, much would change between them, especially their relationship and Zuko's goal as a big brother.

From here on...the story begins. Much pain and sorrow will follow as lost souls fight in their own wars. However, those lone warriors will bind on their own, one day merging to become a force to defy all that caused them their suffering. From here on...their loss will become their gain, their weaknesses will become their strength, and they're despair will become hope.

It is from here on...that the journey begins...

Zuko is now 10, and Azula, recently reached 9. They have not yet passed these ages, and as such, "that" event, the event that would change them, has not yet occurred in their lives.

The ball of fire had risen towards the east from behind the mountains setting aflame the grasslands and the mountainous regions located far from Prince Zuko's palace. The drifting clouds had no purpose as to their direction, only following where the wind was taking them, crossing a path across the eyes of the sun, setting their underbellies on fire. With these, the rays had pierced into his room, only to tint it in its hues of red and orange further burning the wooden paneling on the wall. Filtering through the wooden blinds, its unbearable nature, to the eyes associated to the dark, caused the sleeping ten-year-old to ruffle from side to side, trying desperately to avoid the light of the morning. Ultimately it had woken him up and finding a dark corner now meant nothing.

The still groggy prince sat up straight, his eyelids halfway open. "Morning...dedications..." Remembering the daily obligations made his head drop. 'Why, honestly, I don't get any stronger, and Azula clearly never does it!' He had pondered these thoughts to himself on many occasions, but as a Fire Nation citizen, he was to always honor the customs. 'Should I ever become a leader,' a position he was destined for, 'then the customs,' that defined his empire 'would always have to be followed by everyone...including my sister.'

Sitting up straight, Zuko stared towards the window that was off to his left. Originally, in his square room, his bed, a large wooden base, with a mattress and a four post ceiling complimenting its design, was located in the middle of his room. In this original orientation, the window would be directly on his right, and the entrance to his room directly in front, but with the sun rising in the east, a direction his window happened to face, the light was beyond bearable. Zuko had changed the orientation of his room such that the right wing of his bed was in contact with the rear wall, which made the mornings much easier to handle.

There he looked towards the sun. He knew it was rising slowly, yet steadily, just like his training, or so his mother had said to motivate his damaging morale. Indeed, he was no expert at bending but he was trying his hardest, and his father could only do so much for a child that was limited in so many ways.

Beyond that Zuko was not trained in any other field, but was adamant to one day join the weapons training classes of the Yuu Yan. They were a fighter squadron proud and able to accomplish anything. 'Even bringing back the Avatar after being lost for...' Zuko looked into the air, and used his fingers to count how many years he had been missing '...I guess 94...94 YEARS! That guy has to be gone by now, maybe to the moon.' He mused to himself.

Zuko folded his legs in the meditative position and placed his hands together in a sign of a prayer. He closed his eyes, and allowed the light from the sun to penetrate his eyelids. Breathing calmly, he had to focus on a viable heat path, one that was large enough for him to place a fire in. When Zuko found it, he snapped his eyes open, and drew a mental image of a kanji representing peace and prosperity. A flame then ignited forming the kanji in the air. It was a small symbol that soon disappeared.

There was no requirement of size, but just that a small portion of the energy be devoted to showing fate where one wanted to be guided. Since it required discipline to execute the move, Zuko had also believed that the spirits would provide good health and safe travels because of it.

"The dedications are done, and the sun looks beautiful. Nothing could go wrong." He breathed. Zuko looked around his room, to spot any intruders, and since none were present, he was safe to lift his pillow to see the parchments he'd stolen. 'They're still here. I have to get them back before anyone finds them.' Zuko then stashed the papers in a lidded box, and placed it under his bed. He pondered on last nights conversation as he started to get out of bed, 'Mom said training would be harder than usual.' Hopping out of bed he started towards the cabinets. 'I hope it isn't true,' he thought to himself.

Zuko stood in front of the cabinets. There were fire engravings carved into its form, and as the sun was rising, its casted rays gleamed off of the gold that lined the carvings. Since it was training this morning, he needed a full battle uniform, and as such, pulled out the heavy garments. He passed his bed, and threw the clothes there while walking into the washroom to freshen up.

His breakfast was waiting for him downstairs, he knew, because by this time, the workers had already finished cleaning the palace, but he could not get to the food till after the training. The workers didn't have much sleep but they usually were very kind.

In the washroom, a majestic, marble adorned room with all the facilities, Zuko stared outside the window, while cleaning his teeth and tongue with a keiki leaf. After gargling his mouth, he walked out. Bathing would come after the training.

Zuko quickly paced across his room to put on the uniform. The underclothes were easy enough, and the tunic simply slipped on. It was his royal armor that was the pain. He marched towards the closet and threw the doors open dramatically, to give him an air of power. But that air was diluted with the dust that flew into his face. "What...the...", Zuko wondered through his coughing. He poked his head in and looked up to see the problem. A bag of coal dust sat at the top of the inner frame. 'Wow, I totally forgot about this.'

Zuko looked forward, and there it was. Already hanging in a way to show where every part went, was his body armor. There was the plated vest in the middle, with the arm and shin braces, located to the side and below the plating. With that was the lower skirt guard, located below, and the neck and shoulder plate on top. Zuko had his own helmet, but that never left its place on the hook. He removed the arm and shin braces, and locked them on. The forward breast plate had intricate tethers in the back to hold it up, with the wires running around his arm, over his shoulders and around his waist, and it was accompanied by such confusion that it was hard not to stick his tongue out.

"I could be of assistance..." appeared a female voice.

"Mai?" Zuko looked up. "Why are you here?" There stood Mai, a quiet girl, with dark ravenous hair, poking her head into his room. Zuko never had an interest in her, but the same couldn't be said about the other way around. She had a crush on him, and it was more than just an infatuation of the handsome child.

She quickly looked down, "Well, Azula wanted to us to see the training, so she invited Ty Lee and me here." 'Oh, what was I thinking! This is so odd, randomly coming here, just to check up on him.' She tried to laugh it off.

"Oh, well, could you tie up the harness' in the back. I still can't reach them." He said while still struggling to get them together.

Her face lighted up at his request. "Don't worry, I'll fix 'em up!" Zuko turned his back to her, and she buttoned the harnesses together. She looked into his closet and saw the neck and shoulder plate sitting there. "Do you have to where that too?"

Zuko looked in her direction. "Oh, I can get that on myself, no problem, no tethers to worry about. But, thanks a lot, Mai!"

She smiled and ran out of the room. Before she was completely gone, she whizzed back for one final message. "Well I have to see where Ty Lee is...but I'll probably drop by for the training. So see you then?" 'He looks so cool with the body armor and all!'

"Sure thing." Smiled Zuko. 'I wonder what she was doing here in the first place? Whatever, she cut down the prep time by 20 minutes, so I can't complain.' He thought.

By now Zuko had reached the main corridor. This was where all the doorways that lead to any field surrounding the palace, were located. He stopped for a second, as he usually did, to observe, carefully, the beauty of his surroundings. 'Whoever built this, must have spent more time on each monument, than the total time I spend looking at this place.'

There were pillars off to his right and left, running down the lengths of wall. The walls itself had the many doorways with large over hanging banners with woven stories as part of its design. The ceiling ran extremely high, and without the sunlight trickling through the square opening at the top and the fire fueled chandeliers, it would have been as black as the hearts of the statues that stood in front of every other pillar. The entire area was casted in marble, with ebony as its background and a sharp white contrast streaking in forms of lightning. The pillars, in addition to having influential monuments adorning their bases, had fire basins situated halfway up their lengths. Within were the burning candles.

The walls corresponded to the cardinal directions. The wall farthest from him was the North Wall. From there, he stood at the entrance of the South Wall, with the East to his right, and the West to his left. The room was designed such that when the sun was in the middle of the sky, the light would shine down on the dedication statue of Fire Lord Sazora, which sat at the far end of the main corridor, right in the middle of the North Wall. It was the largest statue there, and was held high above the ground by a giant and powerful marble cube stone. In the middle of that stone was the entrance to the throne room. The door he had just walked out of, had led to the royal sleeping quarters.

Many of the rooms were identical to this, but this was his favorite area of the palace. He turned to the right, and made an exit out through one of the doorways on the East Wall. 'With all this extra time, dad won't get disappointed as easily!' This was a great highlight to his day. The exit led him to the main training grounds.

"Zuko. You're earlier than usual son." Stated his father, who looked far ahead at Azula who was trying to clear the archer track without falling.

"Well, dad, I had help putting on the breastplate so I have some extra time to spare." Sung his happy voice.

"I'm glad." Ozai smiled. 'That girl is playing her cards right. If Azula doesn't taunt her progress, Mai should be able to attract Zuko...Wait! What am I thinking! That Ursa...' "Well son, where did we last leave off at?" He said as he turned towards his son.

"Well, I think it was a short introduction to the ember...sai?"

"Right. Yes, the ember sai." 'This is as close to hand-to-hand combat I can allow for someone his level.' "In remembrance of the fact that your skills no where parallel your sisters, you may be wondering the specialty of this move."

'Exactly...'

"Well, I've noticed that your method of bending has a vague stability to it. As such, this is a move that you should be able to accomplish fairly easily." Ozai held out his hand, his palm facing down. "The ember sai is a decorated move. It is a maneuver that enables close-combat fighting."

At this Zuko's eyes sparkled. In reality, because he failed at even being a competition to this sister at fire bending, he wanted to exceed her in another field. Weapons combat, and close combat fighting was a step in that direction. However, this was as far as his father wanted him to excel. Zuko was mediocre at the arts of bending, and was nothing of special mentioning, but his father wanted him to excel in this field, and no other.

Ozai quickly wrapped his hand into a fist, and as he did so, a small heat wave started to generate on the outer edge of his palm. Slowly, an audible sound, that of a high-pressure cooker started to arise. Zuko stared in wonder as a yellow after-burn started to take form, which soon erupted into a full force fire thrust.

"The ember sai is named for the form of which this move assumes, and that is off an offensive sai stance. Beyond that, the term 'ember' is used to encompass that fact that it is a flame, and not steel that you use to fight your opponents." Ozai said as he stared at his son. He quickly jutted his arm to the right and left in a counter attack train of motion, to show Zuko how the ember sai helped in combat.

Ozai dissipated the flame, while Zuko stared in awe. "You're fire bending carry through is strong and steady, even though the rigidity of it is what limits your ability to bend better. However your sister has a more fluid approach. Other students are much better following it, but she is blessed with the ability to properly contain and control her motion. With that said, she lacks the physical strength and the rigidity required to perform this move."

Ozai stepped away from his son. "The ember sai is a high level maneuver. Why? Remember fluidity makes one bend better, but with that one must train to reacquire the rigidity of its motion. You haven't lost it, and thus you can perform it. Follow me."

Zuko's uncle, Iroh, the older brother to Fire Lord Ozai, was watching over Azula over on the left side of the training field. Mai and Ty Lee were on the barracks playing through a part of the archer tracks, while Fire Empress Ursa was watching both her daughter close by and her son from a distance, being that she was giving company to both Iroh and her daughter, Azula.

Since Zuko always came a bit later, she always watched her daughter for the early part of the training session. 'You're doing so great.' Ursa thought, as she watched her daughter scale a jump. "Excellent work, honey!" She waved at her, 'I am so proud of your progress, Azula.' She looked back at Zuko.

"Empress Ursa, there is no need to worry over Prince Zuko." Iroh mentioned in between his sip of his morning tea. He was dressed in royal attire, just like Fire Lord Ozai, and Fire Empress Ursa. Except his had an exceptional amount of black adorning the robes, which was used to remember his son and wife.

"Oh, Iroh, stop with the formalities." She joked with him. "Those words are a hindrance to whatever message you're trying to say. 'Empress', 'Prince'...no wonder your statements are so short." She smiled, turning to look at him, and then stared off at a bird as it jetted by. "I'm not worried about him. I...just...don't want him to feel so lowly anymore. He may not meet the expectations of his father, but he tries. He should be proud of that."

"Your son is a strong fighter." Iroh tipped the cup into his mouth, and settled it back down. "He will surpass the views of others. Remember that." Iroh looked wise as he stroked his black beard. It was as if wisdom lived in there, and every stroke bore more messages from his vast knowledge. 'I am impressive.' He smirked.

Iroh now lived in the royal palace. After the loss of his wife and son, Fire Lord Ozai demanded that his older brother live with him. When Iroh took residence, it was Prince Zuko that provided him his food, guidance throughout the palace walls, and, most importantly, company. Because of it, Iroh saw Zuko as his son and had treated him well. His loss at Ba Sing Se was a story to behold, however his battle against the demons at Ba Sing Se, was a story he held secret.

"You're right." Ursa said, and then turned to watch her son again.

Since the maneuver required the tensions of several muscles in the palm all the way to his hips, it was necessary, for the first try, to execute a train of motion that tensed the appropriate muscles. Breathing slowly, Ozai went through the necessary movements. He straightened his posture, then slowly spread apart his legs, extending one hand out and quickly wrapping one of his hands into his chest, only to shoot it out in the other direction, all while running his feet through intricate steps, where his body would spin and arch in such amazing motions. Ozai's hand had then shot out in front of him, held into a fist, and his other followed along in a wide swing that impacted the top of his fist. With that the flame exploded on the outside of his fist in the form of a thrust.

"You're turn." He said through narrowed eyes.

Zuko nodded at his father. He breathed slowly to acquire concentration and then carried through with the motion. At the last step of his feet, he slammed his palm onto his fist, and out through the bottom, the flame exploded, frighteningly.

Instead of gradually heating the air with the fire pouring out after, as Ozai had demonstrated, Zuko's execution caused the flame to burst outwards instantly, creating a shockwave of noise.

What the!' Zuko's eyes widened in horror. The flow had come out with such a massive force and with such a consistency, that his heart started to flare in pain as it tried to provide enough air to his muscles to hold his hand steady.

He remembered most of the maneuvers his father had taught him, and they were manageable, with the possibility of standing against its force, but this was too much for his arm, and his biceps started to strain severely. 'My arm's going to give out!'

"Zuko, control! With too much power, you could dislocate your arm!" Ozai warned loudly. From the corner of his eyes, he could see his wife running ever closer to them. She had felt something tug at her heart when Zuko executed the move.

"Ursa stand back!" Ozai held out his hand against her. "The damage area, if performed incorrectly, is large!" He had his eyes fixed on his son, and was waiting for any signal of a muscle failure.

Zuko narrowed his eyes in determination. He wasn't going to let a mishap take away the initial impression his father had of his execution, which, to his father, was impressive. 'I will not fail you, dad!' He knew he couldn't reduce the flame, not with his heart pounding at the rate it was, so he swung his body around to allow the flame to reduce the tension in his arm, and at that point his fist pushed underneath his left hand and started to fly out of his control. 'NO!'

Zuko kept his eyes closed and tried to pull his arm back. Twisting faster, his foot dashed against a rock destroying his concentration. At that point, it drove to his side and arched over his head, pulling a full sweep around in the air, quickly popping Zuko's shoulder bone out of its position.

Zuko, closed his eyes, bit his tongue, but had supressed to urge to scream out in pain.

His arm had no feeling to it, and with it able to hang limply, his fist took control and smashed him into the ground, driving in and out of the dirt as it pulled his flailing body. He tried desperately to stabilize and that only succeeded in his body being dragged by the side, quickly guiding him to the stone walls of the palace. Ozai leaned towards Zuko and jetted forward, heading for his arm. Immobilizing it in a powerful grip, he pressed on Zuko's wrist to cut the heat path. With that, Zuko opened his eyes in horror, sweat dripping down his face, as his father holding his pained body. 'That was dangerous...'.

"Med team, get a stretcher!" Ozai said standing up and looking towards the closest medical squadron. Ursa ran to her son, holding him close and rubbing his back to offer comfort.

"I'm fine mom." Zuko said through a pained expression.

"Clearly, you're not!" Ursa replied sternly. 'That was close. Had Ozai not limited his arm, Zuko could've run into a wall.' She thought to herself, trying to disperse the thought.

"Zuko, practice will resume after they fix the dislocation. You did well." Ozai said, looking down on his son. The medical team arrived and heaved him onto the stretcher. As his mother ran beside it, the team tried to acquire a quick diagnostic while running into the ward.

Ozai, though disappointed with Zuko's injury, had smiled in acknowledgment of his son's determination in trying to control the maneuver. He tried to control the situation despite the speed with which the problem had arisen, and that proved his leadership skills, making Ozai proud.

He turned around and started to walk towards his daughter, who completed the track and was now running towards him.

In the distance, "I'm sorry dad...," Zuko whispered to himself. That small comment caused Ursa to look at her son, whose eyes were closed in comtemplation. She squeezed his hand tighter.

Azula, Mai and Ty Lee ran towards Ozai. Iroh took notice of his stricken nephew and looked towards his brother. Ozai stared back at him and nodded, and with that Iroh made his way back into the palace to see Zuko.

"Dad." Azula panted after reaching her father. "What happened this time?"

"Your brother had a mishap." Ozai mentioned. "Nothing to concern yourself about. I'm proud, though, that he could start the maneuver. And how he handled the problem was impressive but that was all that happened."

"So he's okay, Lord Ozai?" Mai asked. 'I hope he's fine.'

Ozai looked at her and her friends. "Zuko's practice will resume soon." Looking straight at his daughter he asked, "Azula, did you clear the track?"

Azula smirked. "Hmph, it was done without a slip up." 'These mediocre training regiments won't improve anything.'

"Good." Ozai then walked off into another direction. A group of generals and a few palace guards, as well as a station of sentries, had awaited Ozai's presence as they stood outside in the field. Strangely enough, Iroh was with them conversing, instead of being inside the ward, as he originally intended. Ozai ignored the change, and had questioned the group."What is it?"

One of the generals looked over to the Fire Lord. "Something happened. Apparently an accident," he said. Ozai took notice of Iroh's furrowed eyebrows. Whatever message they wanted to tell Ozai had already reached the ears of his brother, and apparently it wasn't good news.

Zuko was in the medical ward calmly laying down on the bed. His mother was ushered outside so that she wouldn't have to bear watching Zuko when they fixed his arm. Two nurses settled beside him, and had pinned both his hands down. A doctor then entered the room and handed Zuko a small wooden bite-bar.

"My prince, grind your teeth into this, and absorb the pain." He mentioned looking towards all the other patients waiting for him.

Zuko opened his mouth and clamped his teeth around it. According to the doctors, the maneuver he had conducted in training had simply not just moved his arm out of place into a dislocation, but had blasted it out of its socket with the muscles now twisted in strange directions. As usual, they would have to manually relocate his arm, but because of his muscles, Zuko's condition would take a few seconds longer to finalize. As per the Fire Nation code, a soldier was to take the pain straight as it was, so Zuko had to withstand burning the nurses with the severe discomfort soon to follow.

As soon as Zuko was mentally prepared, the doctor received an affirmative nod from the Fire Prince, and promptly started to work through relocating Prince Zuko's disbanded limb. He placed a solid grip on his shoulder, and the other on his upper arm and proceeded with the operation.

In an instant he started to wrangle Zuko's shoulder joint, madly pulling his arm back and forth, and trying to rotate it to reallocate his muscle tendons. This caused Zuko's jaw to tighten terribly around the bite-bar, as his eyes flared open in pain, and his head snapped from side to side, with his neck muscles straining, trying to scream through the bar.

It time, the pain would subside. But as it was, it seemed that his muscles simply did not want to unwind. And the nurses were starting to have a hard time holding him down.

Sitting outside the medical room, Ursa patiently waited for the status of her son's condition. Her eyes were closed, and her face was saddened as she recalled the terrifying moments before, in which Zuko's own body had begun a process of massacring itself through an art his father had thought him.

"My lady, it perplexes me to see you in such good health, yet awaiting an appointment for the doctor. Of course, I am glad to see you in good health." Smiled an mid-aged, motherly women.

Ursa looked up with surprise and happiness etched into her words. "Auntie?" She immediately stood up and embraced the women. "My...I haven't seen you in ages." Ursa pressed.

The women laughed heartily, enjoying the display of happiness at her presence. In reality she was not related to Ursa, but was of a distant relative to Ozai and Iroh. Brita was the granddaughter of Kira, and was, at a time in the past, close to the once happy Iroh and once ambient Ozai, acting as an aunt in place of the absence of a real one.

Ursa had known her well ever since the marriage, but something had happened that thinned their relationship. Close to the second year of Ozai's and Ursa's union of the family, Brita had left the safety of the palace, residing in a home close to the grave of her ancestors. This was the same time that Ejah had passed away. "It pleases me so to know that I am so welcome here." She said with such a warm smile.

Ursa helped her to sit down. "Of course!" She then heard the sound of the small bell that proceeded after every successful operation. 'He's okay.' Ursa thought, placing a hand over her heart in gratitude for his safety. "My son had severely hurt himself in practice, auntie. That's why I'm here."

"By the sounds of things, and if the medical stream has not changed, it seems your son is in fine health now, dear." She said, pointing to the bell.

Ursa smiled at her and had the full intention of walking into the room, but she was stopped as she stood up. Brita was tugging at her sleeve. "My child..." She whispered, looking away.

This caused Ursa to look back in concern. 'Auntie?' "Auntie...what's the matter?" She urged.

Brita looked up and into the eyes of Ursa, concentrating on the warmth resonating from her gentle soul. Many things were amiss in the past, and sadly life still seemed to be derailed, running a route away from its true path, and what saddened her most was that, what she was to say would bring about the involvement of the young women in her presence, to the darkness that surrounded them both, the darkness that surrounded them all.

In the past, what appeared to be so, was really not. What historians dictated, was really a cover-up to a mystery that spanned a century, a mystery that spanned several generations. Brita's eyes were of the wise, but she wanted to withhold the tools that lead to the truth. However, she knew she could not. Ursa's inclusion was something recognized much before her birth, and Brita had no choice but to involve the gentle mother. Through pleading eyes, Brita let go of the words, "Ursa, things are not as they appear."

"Auntie...?" Ursa questioned. She wanted to say further things, but it seemed that that one word was enough to send the message that Ursa wanted to know more of what she was talking about.

"Dear." Brita looked back towards the wall, and shook her head in disapproval, letting go of Ursa's sleeve. "My dear, I am so sorry to have to do this, but by the will of your great grandmother, and by the instructions by my grandmother, I must ask you..."

Ursa quickly sat back down. In any case, no one would be allowed to see Zuko till he was in full repair, his mother included, and this spark of information had intrigued her. Ursa gently took hold of the hand of the kind women, quietly giving her permission to push forward in her message.

"Oh dear..." Brita heaved, "My child, there was a time when the sun had shone, the truth that it beheld in perfect view for all to see. Then darkness overcame and engulfed it in a shadow, disguising the truth as day light. No more was the truth visible in the eyes of those who loved the day. But when the darkness took over, the stars still glimmered and the moon was still bright. To that end, know that the truth can never be covered, not in day, and neither at night." Brita nodded.

"I don't understand the message. The cryptic words with which you speak, is...mesmerizing, yes, but I can't comprehend the message." Ursa said, confusion apparent in her voice.

"My child, you cannot comprehend because your heart does not will to do so, nor does your mind wish to know. But, even before you were born, you were meant to be involved." Brita then pulled over her satchel. In it she retrieved an old log book, with the side bathed in a sealant.

"Years before you were born, Fire Empress Erah had lost her beloved husband." Brita mentioned as a matter of fact, looking at the book, with which she grasped in both hands.

"Yes, my great grandfather, Fire Lord Sazora, had given his life to spare his navy from..." Ursa was then cut off as Brita handed her the book. 'Huh?'

"Yes, your ancestor, the great and honorable Fire Lord Sazora was indeed a man of true heroism, who sacrificed his life for his navy. But behind every great man is an even greater women. Have you not wondered what happened to your great grandmother?" Brita looked deep into Ursa's eyes, searching to see if any indecision of what was told about the incident was present, and she found it.

"I wondered...but they said that she disappeared looking for the soul of my great grandfather. I was skeptical. It was said that she had apparently lost her mind." Ursa said the last part with sadness, trying to comprehend the pain of losing a loved one of such closeness. 'It truly is sad...to lose the one you love so much. If Ozai or the children...'

"Take pride. Your great grandmother was greater than that, my child. She did not lose her mind. My grandmother, Lady Kira was good friends with your great grandmother, is not that correct?"

"The very best, indeed, almost like sisters." The question caused Ursa to tilt her head to the side, since the answer seemed so obvious.

"Notice child." Brita said, with much wisdom in her speech, "My grandmother was unconvinced as to the disappearance of your great grandmother. It was her that caused it to be three months, instead of three days, for my grandfather, at the time, Fire Lord Eraho, to be convinced by the Sage Zubuum, as to the cause of your great grandmother's disappearance. My grandmother knew better." She said with a smile, and tap to her head.

This had caused further intrigue from the side of Ursa, but within she was delighted, for this new information caused her to see her great grandmother in a light, which she had seen her in before she found out about the cause of her disappearance. "I knew it was Lady Kira that caused Fire Lord Eraho to delay in canceling the investigation, but no one ever said why..." Another thought clicked into Ursa's head, "...nor did they even say a plausible reason as to why they even considered canceling the investigation in the first place...that was where my criticism laid."

Brita then looked to the ceiling of the infirmary. She had noticed that the pillars that spanned the frame of the building, ran extremely high into the air, just like the mysteries she was discussing with Ursa. "As to your first question, well, the reason no one ever said why my grandmother delayed the investigation was because she knew what exactly happened to your great grandmother and had wanted to pursue the matter. But I cannot even fathom the reasons propagating all this. I don't know what she knew. Your guesses are as good as mine."

The apparent confusion in Ursa's demeanor caused Brita to further elaborate. "All I can say, is that Fire Empress Erah had disappeared not for the reason of a loss of mind. Yes, it was true that she was looking for her husband, but she knew that he had died in the battle for the eastern shoreline. That she was, most unfortunately, sure of. However she had not given up on her loss, and had gone about 'looking' for him in a very different manner."

Brita then gently tightening her grasp around the mother's hand. "To calm her mind, Fire Empress Erah had instead tied herself up in her own personal investigation, the contents and results of which I do not know. Two years after your marriage..." Brita trailed off.

"You left us." Finished Ursa, who was looking at the floor.

"Yes, but remember, I left after the death of my distant uncle, General Ejah. On his death bed, he told me that his adoptive mother, my true grandmother had given my mother and my aunts a very important keepsake. As you know, my mother died many years ago and my aunts, now widowed, lived together in the compounds by the grave of my grandmother. I had decided to visit them. However after staying in the palace for two years, I was resentful of leaving, but I knew my uncle would not have mentioned such a detail if it was not a matter worth pursuing. Thus, I followed my intuition." Ursa was now fully immersed in the words of the wise women, who was now standing in front of her, but she was still confused how this would explain why Brita had no idea of why Kira delayed the investigation, nor how it would answer the second question.

"I wished to know more of my personal history and had decided to stay in the family compound to find out certain...truths." She decided, her mind racing through the events of days past. "My grandmother, long ago, was truly the best of friends with your great grandmother."

'This should explain it all, my dear,' she thought and continued. "At a point in time, after the death of Fire Lord Sazora, the empress, Erah, had decided to seek out truths in the matter of the war. She wanted to know why her husband had died, what reasons had propagated him to do so, and the reasons he was fighting for. In essence, Fire Empress Erah was starting to question the foundation of our empire, the Fire Nation." She then pointed at the book. "What she discovered is unknown, but instead is stored away in the book you now hold. That is her log, her diary, a sacred journal of her personal life."

The sudden information, of what she was holding, had caused Ursa to tighten her grasp around the book. 'This is beyond...anything I've ever known!' thought Ursa. Brita continued, "Shortly before her disappearance she had entrusted the information she gathered to Lady Kira, my grandmother, providing her with the knowledge she had gained from her investigations, as well as giving her, her diary. My grandmother kept it well." This, Brita said with pride, but then had pointed to a small bit of writing carved into the hardened, once soft, sealant. "On the diary was an inscription, engraved by your great grandmother herself."

Ursa tilted the book to take advantage of the rising sun. The light glinted off the markings, shading in the words, clearly showing the message for potential readers to see. 'My goodness...' "It dictated that only a female, specifically, one from her line of descendants, in other terms, the next 'daughter' of Fire Empress Erah, could open this book. Thus the seal she placed on it." What Brita was about to say next, forced her to place a hand on the book, which Ursa looked at intently. "My grandmother, again, kept the dairy well, and dared not even try opening it, knowing that she could not, nor would not open the book, even if the cause of her dearest friend's disappearance lied within. My grandmother acknowledged and honored the request that only the daughter of Erah could see this. The book was entrusted to her daughters, my aunts who now reside together. It was instructed to be treated as a sacred keepsake, which through time and through a line of only her descendants, her daughters, would ultimately reach the hands of the next daughter of Fire Empress Erah. We were to keep it till someone like you came into being."

Realization dawned on Ursa, "That's why I was to be involved with what 'the darkness had shadowed' much before my birth."

"Exactly! Your involvement was determined before your birth, before even a hint of your existence," Brita said with delight. "When I had visited my aunts, I inquired about the keepsake. To my surprise, it was something they had forgotten about, but with them, I searched through the family library and found the book. My aunts had told me of the history, and how it was to be one of us to give it to one of you. As I returned, something struck me as odd. Of all the daughters of my grandmother, Lady Kira, I was the only one informed by my uncle to find the book. Because of the information he dawned on me, I could finally complete the will of my grandmother. As such, I knew it was my duty, whether dead or alive, to give it to you, the next daughter of Fire Empress Erah. Only you can open the book, and it is your destiny to try and find the truth, to fully bring back the 'sun'. Oh, there is further instructions on the book, as to how to remove the sealant."

Brita then said the last statement as a side thought, recalling all the events that had taken place in the past. "Take it any way you want, but for some strange reason, every one of your ancestors have been genius'. Your great grandmother included, and no doubt you as well." She said with a smile.

Happy about the compliments, Ursa continued to question, "But, what is the reason you don't know what Lady Kira knew, and why was the investigation considered canceling?" asked the still curious, women.

Brita realized that what she said only cleared up her own questions but not of the person she was informing, "Because the book is considered a secret, my great grandmother had insinuated that what happened to her dearest friend also be kept a secret, and to note, my grandmother knew full well what happened to your great grandmother. Apparently it was out of fear that she had never revealed what had happened to her. That is why I don't know why she tried to delay the investigation, nor what she truly knew. Further to that, on your second question, the only detail my grandmother left us, was that someone had something to hide, and trying to discover why Empress Erah disappeared was a risk to the secrecy of that 'something', which explains the cancellation, obviously in no clearer terms."

'I still don't understand...' Thought Ursa.

Brita then concluded. "My child, in time, with diligence, and with the resources at hand, you will find all the answers to all your questions. But, I must take my leave."

"But you just arrived!" Pressed Ursa. "You can't just leave again..."

Brita could only smile back, "I'm sorry my dear. I'm so sorry my stay was so short, but there are lands that need exploring. And my time here has expired," she said with a smile.

Ursa helped her up, embraced, and kissed her on both cheeks. For some reason, throughout their entire discussion, something seemed amiss as to the sense of the presence of the kind women. But Ursa dismissed the anomaly, and waved goodbye to the now receding women. After a few moments, Brita was out of sight, but not out of mind.

Ursa waited patiently still. Her son was in the ward for moments far too long, especially since the operation was over much before. From the corner of her eye, she caught Azula and Ty Lee running from an enraged and blushing Mai. 'Her crush on my child...is apparent even to the unknown,' she mused, but looking back at the book caused her to frown again. It had seemed to her that very dark secrets were hidden in the log.

As her thoughts pondered on the books contents, and its context, the doors to the medical ward swung open. The doctor had stepped out, "My Lady, your son is in-WOAH!" Azula had found an opening for her escape. Instead of running straight and risking getting pinned by Mai's throwing needles, she could instead dash into the open room and avoid their mark, with which she did, grabbing hold of Ty Lee's hand and rushing into the ward.

"Azula! Stop running in the infirmary!" Warned Ursa, now standing in partial anger.

Mai had instantly stopped at the notice of the Fire Empress. "Fire Empress Ursa...uh, I'm sorry about-"

"Dear, nothing is your fault, so no need for apologies." She responded, with clear kindness in her voice. This only caused Mai to smile in happiness.

"Zuzu?" Zuko's presence in the room caused her a little bit of a startle. The nurses however were startled from Azula's sudden entry. But, since the operation was over, they stepped aside and walked over to the next patient who had severely burnt himself in an Agni Kai against an opponent. "Hmph! It seems you're weaker than I thought. That accident wasn't as bad as it seemed." Azula said, leaning against the door frame.

"Shut it, Azula." Replied the prince, who looked straight at her only to look away in anger. The sudden motion caused him to wince in pain, both from the shock that ran through his arms, and from the remembrance of the events preceding his sister's visit. "No doubt you're going to annoy me more that the pain in my arm. Oh wait, you are the pain." He said, the last part in a teasing manner especially.

"Ha ha," she mocked, "Your insults are dry, drier than your ability to impress grandfather. Drier than grandfather himself." She said, sticking out her tongue.

"Well I'd rather be dry in insults than have an ego that rises above this palace, especially with what Uncle told me about you..." Zuko snickered.

"What did he say?" Azula said, stepping forward, her fists by her side. Ty Lee had the urge to hold her back, in case something was about to spark.

"Oh, that you always have reams of snot running out of your nose, every morning!" Laughed Zuko, emphasizing the last words, who then grasped his shoulder in pain. "Ow..."

"You okay, Prince Zuko?" Asked Ty Lee. Ty Lee was the medium between Azula and Mai. She was spontaneous, but in terms of their relationship with Zuko, she was in the middle. Azula accepted the existence of her brother. Mai had gained an affection for him. But Ty Lee was just a friend. A distant friend, more associated with the girls, than with the injured prince. If ever she had a crush, even as minor as it was, it was with Iroh's respectable and powerful son, but after his death, her concerns with love were never as serious, and the loss disheartened her.

"I'm fine-" Responded Zuko, who was then cut off as he noticed his sister approach him, with a frightening glare engraved on her face. "Uh..."

"Uncle saw WHAT!" She screamed the last part out. Before she could dislocate the arm of the immobilized prince again, Ty Lee had restrained her.

"Now princess, your brother is hurt. Spare some sympathy, won't you?" She said batting her eyelashes.

Azula rolled her eyes, and decided to lean against the door frame again. "For a fact, that's not true."

'I'm sure...', he thought sarcastically. Zuko stared at the door for a while, trying to remember something that bothered him while he was training. Finally recalling the thought, he decided to inquire further. "Um, I was just wondering...why was Mai by the sleeping quarters this morning?" Zuko said, massaging his shoulder to try and ease the strain he had just put on it.

Ty Lee tilted her head. "Mai was never there in the morning, silly. She was waiting for me to arrive to go see Azula." She then turned to Azula as something clicked. "But didn't you say she disappeared somewhere? Cause she was with you early in the morning, right?"

"Yeah, she had to check something..." Azula said staring at her nails, while crossing one of her arms. Her posture showed that she cared nothing of the ensuing conversation.

'No! That's not right. She clearly was there.' "No, no. Just this morning, Mai helped me tie the rear harness to my breastplate. Azula knows I take too long to get those buttoned up. She was definitely by the sleeping quarters, cause I was at training early." He said, nodding his head in approval.

Azula arched an eyebrow. 'He was early.'

Ty Lee tried to comprehend what was just said to her. 'Did I just hear right? Mai helped Zuko with his armor, check... but that means...she went to his BEDROOM!' The last part caused Ty Lee to bounce in the air in happiness. The girls then exchanged smirks both realizing what one of their friends had tried to do.

The unknowing prince could only stare at them both in confusion. 'What could I have said to make 'em smile like that?' he thought, looking at them both. 'Girls are crazy...'

What Zuko never knew was that Mai was the one girl that kept her eyes on him all the time. Her crush on the prince was visible even to the blind. Ironically, as the girls started to find themselves achieving a state of giddiness, Mai had slowly taken a step into the room, throwing-needles at hand.

"Hey Mai..." Azula said in a sing-song voice. "Why were you by my brother's room this morning?" Azula inquired, exaggerating the 'room'.

Ty Lee continued, "Nothing happened, right?" She said with a grin reaching both her ears.

'HUH!' The sudden statement had caused her to drop the needles with which she was going to pin her friends with. Her cheeks suddenly reddened and her head started to turn very slowly to stare at Zuko, to see his reaction.

Zuko was dumbfounded, and knew nothing of the situation. Even throughout the years to pass, he would never know about it.

Looking back, there were a lot of things that had deterred the loving mother from seeing her son. The first was the grateful visit by her dear aunt Brita. After, was the mesmerizing story behind the book she now held at her side. 'There is so much to know, yet so much is hidden, and it seems that all is in here...' she thought. After recollecting what her aunt had said about the diary, it was hard for Ursa to not stare at the book in awe.

However, the most prominent detail in her mind was, ultimately, the status of her son. Beyond anything else, his health was something of the greatest concern to her. What she had experienced, seeing her son almost sending himself to the spirit world, was a memory she could not dispel, despite the harsh treatment it dealt to her gentle heart. But she knew her son well. He was one to stand up to any treatment, and as such, with her mind at partial ease, the facts regarding the book had easily slipped into her conscious thoughts.

Standing up, she was about to turn into the room to see her son, but from the corner of her eye she caught someone. In the distance, a man, with a raven black beard, one with which he always stroked, and a round belly, with his face saddened and his heart heavy, was strolling down the corridor. He tucked his hands into opposite sleeves, and proceeded down the hall, fully adamant about seeing his injured nephew.

Ursa was looking intently at him, but Iroh took no notice. Instead his face was locked on to the floor, with his eyes trying to see through it. He tilted his head up, for an instant, to see if he was heading in the right direction. Though he knew the infirmary well, the sheer number of rooms in the medical wing was enough to confuse any person. As such, when he looked up he caught sight of Zuko's mother.

"Empress Ursa..." Iroh stated at realizing who he had just spotted. The kind expression on her face lifted his spirits a bit.

"Iroh! Enough with the formalities!" She jokingly demanded. Expecting a chuckle from the tired man, she was terribly disappointed as a very simple upward tug at his lips appeared followed by a heavy sigh. "Iroh, what's wrong?" She asked. "Zuko's doing fine. The operation is over, and I'm visiting him now, myself." 'I've never seen him like this, not since the loss of his wife and son.'

He looked up, and with sad eyes, had mentioned a few words. "I have bad news..."

Ursa took notice of his sad demeanor, which seemed to be outdoing her happy mood. Thinking that a special person's visit would cheer him up, she considered conveying the news before Iroh's bland atmosphere would rub off on her. "Well before you destroy both our days with bad news, I have some great news that you might love to hear!"

Iroh was glad, and had gestured for her to continue.

"Your dear aunt Brita...is within the compounds today!" Ursa tried to come up with a reason as to why she visited, without mentioning the book, "She came back to visit us all. Can you imagine, she hasn't seen Zuko or Azula since they were both toddlers." She gleefully mentioned.

'What! But that's...impossible.' "Fire Empress Ursa, are you sure you saw who you thought you saw?" Questioned Iroh. His demeanor had suddenly changed. It was beyond dark, and had held severe confusion in it.

The sudden use of the formality and the dark expression that Iroh cast, caused Ursa to falter in her step. "There was no 'thought' as to who I saw, Iroh. I spoke, and at length, with your aunt Brita. In this daylight, my eyes cannot deceive me, especially of one of who is so close to me." She defended.

The stance Ursa took removed the tension in Iroh's face, as the strength behind his words suddenly receded. "My lady, I was just conversing with your husband and the generals."

"What has that to do with aunt Brita and her presence?" She asked quietly.

"A subordinate of one of the generals, a scout patrolling the eastern border had discovered something...well, there was an accident on the cliff side of the Azura's Mount. My aunt Brita..." Iroh then heaved. His heart became sad once again as he recalled the information given to him. "...she was caught in a landslide and was buried alive..."

Ursa quickly covered her mouth in fright, stepping back. She had just spoken with the women, so how could she have died. "When was this?" The answer she expected had terrified her. 'Maybe she died after...after her presence here...?' She then looked at the book in her hands with shock written into her face. 'But with the way Iroh placed his words, it's almost like she had died previous to my encounter...'

She then shook her head in disapproval. 'No, that's quite unlikely! She must have died after meeting with me, because I did converse with her. Though I truly believe it impossible for her to reach the mount in such short notice...and for Iroh to be aware of the accident so quickly is unfathomable. Could she have...died before...ludicrous!' Ursa was convinced that it was truly impossible for her to die before hand, till Iroh relayed the bad news he had come to Zuko's ward with. Though the answer she expected would have struck her as terrible, what Iroh actually knew, and was about to answer with, horrified her.

"She died a week ago..." He said looking down. "Again, according to the scout, she was crossing the Mount to visit us, when her carriage was struck in a landslide. It is truly sad..." Iroh cast his dark expression again, "But you said she was here."

Ursa realized something. The strange anomaly for which she had disregarded, and the failure of her true presence during the entire conversation had started to take on more meaning than she previously associated it with.

She then recalled two very peculiar statements that Brita had mentioned, the recollection of which had started to frighten her.

"As such, I knew it was my duty, whether dead or alive, to give it to you, the next daughter of Fire Empress Erah."

"And my time here has expired."

'Was her will to see me so strong, that she had crossed the border of life and death just to give me this book? If that's the case...then the situation is more dire than I imagined! Dear aunt Brita, what is in here?' Ursa was starting to breath heavy, now aware of the fact, or the apparent fact, that it was not her dear aunt Brita that she had spoken with, but with the physical manifestation of her soul...her ghost.

"My Lady..." Iroh inquired. The confusion that scathed Ursa had started to disturb the tired man.

'If I persist with Iroh that she did appear here, even with the adamant fact that a scout had found her body, then...I will have to admit details about the book, and aunt Brita may not want anyone to know she was here. But it was her ghost that came here...?', and with quick thinking Ursa had said the only words that would bring her out of the bind she was in. "Iroh...you're right. I must have missed aunt Brita so much that women who did visit me, well I could have switched her identity...I'm sorry about the confusion, and I'm even sorrier for your loss."

"Aunt Brita, was a great women, so her life in the afterworld should be a lot better than what this poor and beaten planet can offer. So it wasn't aunt Brita that was here?" Iroh asked, with his eyebrow arched.

"No...it was...just my imagination." Ursa said looking back down. 'Her ghost...' This fact, no matter how fast she had deciphered it, was something beyond her realm of the believable.

"Well...lets put that behind us for now. I wanted to see if my nephew is doing fine." Iroh finalized with a smile.

Ursa smiled back, and walked into the room. Iroh followed behind her, and the scene they had caught up with caused Iroh to chuckle. There in front of them was a lost prince, a princess and gymnast that couldn't hold back fits of laughter, and an embarrassed and angry needle thrower all collected in a giant room with other injured soldiers trying to fight off the ensuing laughter.

Azula turned around and tried to look at her mother without laughing. Feeling as though talking would make her heart fly out of her mouth, she struggled to convey the news. "Mom, you'll never guess what happened this morning...Mai acutally-"

Withholding the formalities to show her seriousness with the matter, Mai shrieked, "AZULA!"

Post - - A/N 1: This is my first chapter in which I've introduced a personal perspective, and I hope it came out fine. Note that this story is actually a really sad story. I thought it was action/adventure/romance, and yes those elements are in it, but mainly, it is a tragic and suspenseful story. There is humor in it, don't worry. For more details, check my profile, and at the bottom is another description of the story, in a general sense.

Post - - A/N 2: Throughout writing this chapter, the only songs I listened to were "11 – Corynorhinus" and "02- Eptesicus" by Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard for the Batman Begins Soundtrack, and "Hokage" and "Heavy Violence" by Toshiro Masuda for the Naruto Original Soundtrack III.

The first 3 songs are the basis for the story. These songs set the atmosphere, and ambiance behind everything. The last song, "Heavy Violence" was for when Zuko attempted the move his father had thought him, the ember sai.

Post - - A/N 3: For a visual of the ember sai, well, remember when Zuko and Azula fight in the episode, "The Avatar State"? Well when he went to engage in combat, those flares that came out of his hands, those are what I dubbed the 'ember sai'.

Post - - A/N 4: I want your opinion of story, and I'm sincerely serious. Reviews are a beautiful thing. To devote just a tidbit of your time, to write a reflection, a review, of what I write always makes my heart race. It always boosts my confidence, and it will always be appreciated!