Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.
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Chapter 12 Extermination of an ember
Katara let out another scream. Zuko was starting to get worried. They had docked nearly three hours ago, and she still hadn't given birth. Iroh had forbidden the young prince, soon-to-be father, to go into the room. And by the sound of it, giving childbirth sounded painful.
"Zuko, stop pacing." Sokka commanded. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor."
He looked up at the warrior and sighed. "I don't want it to be a stillborn." He truthfully admitted. "I was almost a stillborn, if it wasn't for my brother then I would have been dead."
Sokka smirked slightly. "Right, and then we wouldn't have this problem with." Another scream interrupted the young warrior. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"No, I'm just a teenager. I have no idea what I'm doing." He began to pace back and forth. He couldn't just sit there and do nothing. But Iroh thought it would be too much for Zuko, if he sat in there and watched the birth.
There was a moment of silence and Zuko began to worry. What if Katara died, it would be my entire fault. Zuko thought. Zuko let out his breath when he heard the sound of a crying baby. He was personally glad that the baby was all right, but what about Katara?
Iroh walked out holding the baby. He handed the bundle of cloth to Zuko and ran back in, when Katara screamed again. Zuko pushed back the blanket and looked down at the pile of flesh.
"Awww." Aang cooed. "It's so cute, boy or girl?" Zuko pushed back the blankets a little further.
"Girl."
"Oh."
"What are you going to name her?" Sokka asked, wiggling his finger in front of the baby's face. "I'm all for Kana."
"I will not name her after you grandmother. Katara and I will…" Zuko was cut short as Iroh came out holding another blanket. "Boy or girl Uncle?"
"Boy. Katara wishes to see you." Iroh said, giving the bundle of joy to Zuko. "It's alright, she's alive and well. Just a little sore and in pain."
Zuko smirked and walked in. Trying to get both babies comfortable in his arms. "Kat?"
"I think we should name them." Katara said softly, sitting up.
"How about after your mother?"
"Kianna?" Katara questioned. "I dunno. What will we name our boy?"
Zuko stopped to think for a moment. What would they name the baby boy? Just as Zuko questioned this, the baby yawned and opened his eyes. They were blue, clear and blue as the sky. It was like looking into Katara's eyes.
"His eyes are blue." Zuko said, shocked.
"Kia's are gold." Katara confirmed. "She looks a lot like her father."
"And he looks a lot like you, except his skin is a little lighter." Zuko added, handing Kia to Katara. "There's gotta be a name out there."
"Kozu." Katara blurted. "I just mixed up your name and that can be his. It was either that or Ozai."
Zuko questioned Katara's choice right away. "Why?"
"Because you named Kia after my mother and I wanted him named after someone in your family. And I didn't like Zuko Jr." Katara chuckled. "If you don't like it we can give him a water tribe name."
"No," Zuko said looking down at Kozu, "Kozu is perfect."
Katara smirked, "no more children for a while though. I don't wanna go through the pain again."
"You know this means we have to get married right?"
Katara opened her mouth to answer when the ship suddenly lurched to the side, causing Zuko to fall off the bed. He was lucky that he didn't land on Kianna. He might have killed his baby girl.
"You don't think?"
"I hope not." Zuko answered, he looked at the door where his uncle, Sokka, and Aang stood. "Status report." He barked.
"Uh, Prince Zuko. It turns out that your sister is still alive and well. And trying to sink this ship." Iroh answered, taking out a fan.
"Shit." He immediately regretted saying that. "I shouldn't have said that."
"Really?" Katara asked, still smiling. "I trust that you'll go and come back victorious?" She questioned.
"Yeah, I will." Zuko said, handing Kia to her. He kissed Katara on the forehead, and the kissed both of his children. "I'll be back. I promise." He chuckled slightly as Kozu wiped away Zuko's kiss mark.
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Zuko walked out onto the ship. He was ready for this. It was him against his older sister. If he one this battle, killed Ember, everything would be all right. Then there would be one less obstacle in his way.
It was only a matter of time. He looked up and saw the ship in front of him. He took a deep breath in. He was a prince. And not even his sister was going to stand in the way of the crown. He was technically supposed to be the last one to receive the crown, but at the moment that didn't matter. It was the safety of his new family. And he wouldn't allow anything bad to happen quite yet.
"Zuko, my dearest brother? How are you?" Ember asked, walking down the ship.
"Cut the crap Ember. What do you want?"
"Simple your death. That way Daddy Dearest will have to hand the kingdom over to me." She smirked and threw a fireball at the youngest sibling.
Zuko jumped over it and sent flames flying out of his foot. He wasn't going down with out a fight. He stopped in realization; if he did his phoenix attack he might endanger his new family. It would only take one big attack to destroy this ship. And if he killed Katara and the twins then he would never allow himself to live.
Come on Agni, I need help. Zuko thought, bringing his hand around and launching a lightning bolt out from his fingers. It was a technique that he had picked up while traveling, trying to find his uncle and Katara.
"Dear brother, do you really think that you can defeat me without endangering your family?" Ember demanded, "If you do, then you are sadly mistaken. The moment you fell in love with that water peasant she became endangered."
Zuko was getting sick and tired of hearing his sister's mouth. Though he never did like his sister. If maybe he could get her to admit defeat, then he could travel and finally return home.
"Scared brother?" Ember questioned. "I hope so, because the worse is yet to come."
Before Zuko had a chance to question what that meant, she ran around him and kicked him in the back. There wasn't a chance to defend against the next attack, because the princess shot out a blast of fire. A quick duck from Zuko barely saved his face from receiving another scar.
"Back down Ember, I don't want to kill you."
"Just like you did to Ruko? I think you didn't have any second thoughts." She barked.
"He was trying to rape my girlfriend!"
"Whom at the time wasn't!" Ember shrieked.
Zuko kicked her in the chest, just above her breasts. She didn't have to remind him of the things that were going on between them. It just wasn't fair! He swung his foot around and kicked the current Fire Princess across the face. When she arose from the ground, the left side of Ember's face had a scar in the shape of his foot.
"MY BEAUTIFUL FACE! YOU RUINED IT!" She shrieked. This time she charged at Zuko, with two flame daggers at his side.
"I told you to back down Ember." Zuko reminded her.
Just then a big wave came across the boat knocking the princess to the ground. The banished prince looked up and saw the Avatar with both Water Tribe siblings next to him. "Katara, you should be resting!" He yelled, running over to her and then taking her in his arms. "I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Prince Zuko, this is my fight as well." Katara growled. Zuko immediately released the waterbender. He knew that it wasn't good to mess with Katara. "If it means that you have to be a single…"
Zuko captured her lips in a heated kiss. He couldn't stand her talking like that, but he really needed to remind her how much he cared. Sokka cleared his throat after a moment, reminding the two lovers that they were still in public and there was still a battle to be fought.
Katara pulled out a water whip and threw it at the girl. She quickly turned it to ice so when it hit the princess it wounded her. Both Aang and Sokka were behind her and had attacks of their own.
"Give up Ember." Zuko said, approaching the girl. She was on the ground bleeding slightly and moaning in pain. "You're clearly out matched."
Ember looked up at her youngest brother. She was dying, she knew it and so did Zuko. It was clear that she didn't have much energy to fight left. But she did have one last plan up her sleeve. And rest assure, it wasn't one that either of them wanted to be on the end of.
Her body started to glow a red color and Zuko began to panic. "The twins? Where are they?" Zuko questioned.
"With Uncle Iroh, why?"
"Get them off the ship. Both you, Aang, and your brother." Zuko said as he pushed the warriors forward. "Aang get my uncle and my babies. Hurry, you don't have much time."
Aang took off running and the three of them climbed onto the back of Appa. Zuko began to frantically look around for any sign of the Avatar, his uncle and his babies. He looked back at his lover, who was equally as worried.
"It's going to be okay Zuko, I promise." Sokka reassured.
The prince nodded, he felt like he was already being a crappy father. And by having the Avatar go off and fetch his children, well he just didn't want to think about it.
"Zuko…" Katara said, her voice quivering with fear.
"What?"
His waterbender didn't give him an answer. Why? Because the ship exploded just as Katara opened her mouth.
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K15: Okay so I lied. This fic has one more chapter before Redemption of a Prince. I promise the last chapter is just summing things up. Oh and I hope that this cliffy is good enough for you for a while. At least until I get another…
Zuko: Until Kayko figures out how she's going to end it.
Me: And trust me. It's going to shock you all…
Zuko: Not.
Me: Yeah. Anyway. Please review. Sokka is hungry. –looks over at Sokka- Hey don't eat that! I only have three of those left!
Zuko: -Shrugs- Just review. Everyone deserves to get some reviews. Even Kayko.
Me: Yeah. Until next time. Later. K15