Disclaimer: I don't own Atla

Chapter 10

The next day Iroh finally woke up. Zuko was sitting by his side as Lenetta made tea. Iroh groaned as his eyes fluttered open.

"Uncle you were unconscious. Azula did this to you." Iroh looked at Zuko, he had a worried look on his face.

"Somehow that doesn't sound surprising." Iroh replied as he rose carefully to a sitting position. Lenetta snorted softly as she finished making the tea. Zuko had told her his favorite tea is jasmine so that's exactly what she was making. Lenetta wanted it to be ready for when he woke up.

Lenetta poured a cup and handed it to Zuko. "Lenetta made you some tea, I made sure it was just the way you liked it." Iroh took it and took a sip. It actually tasted quite good, just the way he liked it. Lenetta could make a mean cup of tea.

"This is delicious, it's just the way I like it." Iroh told her a smile on his face. Lenetta smiled back and nodded at him.

She poured two more cups and took her side beside Iroh after giving Zuko his cup. "So Uncle. I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her.

Iroh surprised them both when he interjected, "No, she's crazy, and she needs to go down." Zuko nods with a surprised but sad expression. Lenetta was surprised too but also sad. This really shouldn't be happening like this. They're brother and sister, they should be loving each other not trying to take each other down. Iroh stood up. "It's time to resume your training."

oOoOo

They walked a few miles away from their house just to make sure it doesn't get hit by rogue blasts. Zuko and Lenetta stood side by side and Iroh in front of them.

"Lightning is a pure form of firebending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and deadly, like Azula." Lenetta couldn't but agree with that statement as she listened intently to the lesson. She'd never learned about lightning generation in any of the scrolls she'd encountered in her travels. She didn't even know it was possible. "To perform the technique requires peace of mind."

"I see. That's why we're drinking tea, to calm the mind." Zuko interjected. "Oh yeah, good point! I mean, yes." Iroh replied, quickly amending himself when he realized what he'd said at first. Lenetta giggled softly. She went serious again.

"There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang. Positive and negative energy. Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies." And sadly Azula is one of them, Lenetta thought bitterly to herself. "This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance, and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together, you provide release and guidance, creating lightning."

Iroh holds a hand out to the two teens, indicating they should step back, once they do Iroh gets into position. He moves his arm in a circular motion and electricity starts to crackle around him and he does the same with the other arm. Once he completes the motions he throws his arm forward with two fingers out and the lightning shoots out of his fingertips away from the trio and harmlessly into the sky.

Once Lenetta and Zuko get out of their stunned stupor Zuko exclaims, "I'm ready to try it!"

Iroh rubbed his shoulder gently as he replied, "Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply it's humble guide. Breathe first."

Zuko nods and he and Iroh switch places. Lenetta gives him a question "are you ok" look and Iroh gives her a reassuring smile and nods his head. Zuko takes a deep breath and begins mimicking the motions but no electricity appears. He shoots his fingers forward but only an explosion happens and he's thrown backwards. Lenetta gasps and rushes forward to assist him.

"Are you ok." He nods his head and exclaims as Lenetta helps him, "Why didn't it work I did it the way you showed me!" Iroh looks like he's thinking hard when Lenetta says she wants to try. "Alright, remember to breathe first."

Lenetta nods and takes her position. She takes a deep breath clearing her mind. She begins the motions, feeling a spike of energy. She feels the power of the electricity and she guides it around herself as she completes the technique. She throws her fingertips forward and the lightning releases harmlessly into the sky.

Lenetta smiles, giddy about her success. Iroh gives her a warm smile and pats her on the shoulder. Zuko smiles at her too but he still seems upset about his failure. "Don't worry Nephew we'll just keep trying." Zuko nods as Lenetta steps back giving him a reassuring smile and an encouraging nod. He smiles back and nods at her. He begins the motions again.

oOoOo

After several more tries and failures, Zuko growls in frustration. "Why can't I do it? Instead of lightning it keeps exploding in my face...like everything always does." Zuko's voice is full of despair. Lenetta frowns, she didn't like the way he was talking.

Iroh walked away from the way from the wall from which he and Lenetta were leaning and frowned. "I was afraid this might happen. You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you." Iroh tells him. Zuko's expression goes from frustrated and sad to frustrated and angry.

"What turmoil!?" Zuko shouts. Lenetta frowns again at this. Of course, his turmoil over wanting his father's love. I don't understand why he still craves that man's love when all he's done is show him pain and suffering. I mean his Uncle Iroh is the perfect example of a proper father. He has what he's looking for right here, he just doesn't see it.

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away." Iroh tells him gently. He's so patient. Lenetta thinks to herself as she watches the conversation.

"But I don't feel any shame at all. I'm as proud as ever." Zuko replies, still with frustration in his voice. Lenetta raises an eyebrow, knowing this is not true... at all. If only he would just admit it, he would feel much better.

"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but it's source. True humility is the only antidote to shame." Iroh replies.

"Well, my life has been nothing but humbling lately." Zuko says, bitterness in his voice. Lenetta nods her head as she agrees with that statement.

Iroh motions for Lenetta to come closer and she complies. "I have another idea. I will teach you both a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself." Iroh tells them with cheekiness in his voice. Lenetta gets an excited look on her face and Zuko smiles.

oOoOo

The trio are sitting now as Iroh draws things in the dirt. Lenetta and Zuko see he's drawing the nation's insignias.

"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy to drive and achieve what they want. Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had good senses of humor! Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."

Lenetta and Zuko shared concerned looks and they looked back to Iroh, wondering what all of this had to do with firebending. "Why are you telling me these things." Zuko asks Iroh, his confusion evident in his face and voice.

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." Iroh tells them as he separates the insignias into four sections. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole." Iroh draws a circle around the insignias.

"Yeah during my travels I studied a lot on the four bending arts and the nations, I now incorporate other bending styles into my firebending." Iroh nods at her and then looks to Zuko, who looks at him. "All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff." Zuko says.

"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But it can make you more powerful, too. You see the technique I'm about to teach you is one I learned by studying the waterbenders." Lenetta and Zuko smiled, both excited to learn this technique.

oOoOo

The trio are now back in the place where they were practicing lightning generation, except now they were doing some waterbending movements. Lenetta already knew how to do this move but Iroh was helping Zuko out by guiding his arms in the right movements.

"Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy. A waterbender lets their defense become their offense, turning their opponent's energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning." Lenetta gasped suddenly, feeling overwhelmed with excitement.

"You can teach me to redirect lightning?" Zuko asked as they stopped doing the arm movements, he had awe in his voice, neither he nor Lenetta knew this was possible. Iroh nodded.

"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, then down into your stomach." Iroh did the motion himself as he told them the direction to take the lightning. "The stomach is the source of energy in the body. It is called the sea of chi. Only in my case it is more like a vast ocean." Iroh laughs along with Lenetta except for Zuko who remains stoic. They stop and Iroh gets back into position. "From the stomach, you direct it up again, and out the other arm." Iroh walks towards them face deadly serious. "The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart." Iroh presses a finger to Zuko's chest, over his heart. "Or the damage could be deadly." Zuko and Lenetta look at Iroh with grim looks on their faces as they took in this information, Iroh backs off. "You may wish to try a physical motion, to get a feel for the pathways' flow, like this." The three begin to practice the redirection motion. "Now, are you focusing your energy? Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out?" Iroh asks as he practices with them.

"I think so." Zuko replies while Lenetta hums an affirmative.

"Come on, you've got to feel the flow." Iroh reminds them while moving his arms like waves.

They continue practicing the motion for a few more minutes until Iroh exclaims, "Excellent! You've got it!" They stop practicing relaxing, their postures.

"Great, I'm ready to try it with real lightning!" Zuko exclaims excitedly. Lenetta and Iroh look at him like he's grown a second head.

"What, are you crazy? Lightning's very dangerous!" Iroh reminds him, disbelieving in the fact he has to tell his nephew this at all.

"Yeah are you crazy Zuko?! What the heck are you thinking!?" Lenetta asks him in utter disbelief.

"I thought that was the point! You teaching me to protect myself from it!" Zuko asks voice, risen in anger.

Lenetta slaps her forehead, "Yeah! But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you!" Iroh turns away from him. "And I'm not going to do it either, so don't ask." Lenetta tells him, crossing her arms and turning her head away.

"If you're lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all." Iroh tells him, still with his back turned.

"Well if you two won't help me. I'll find my own lightning." Zuko tells them angrily and he rides off towards the direction of an incoming storm. The sun was low in the sky at this point.

Lenetta sighs and starts to follow him while telling Iroh, "I'll make sure he doesn't get himself killed." "Thank you Lenetta." replies Iroh and he turns back around sighing about his nephew's recklessness.

oOoOo

Lenetta climbs up on the rocks up to where Zuko was currently at. She can distinctly hear shouting but can't tell what Zuko is saying. By the time she reaches the top of the rocks she can hear him perfectly.

"You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it, and now I can give it back!" Zuko is looking up at the sky, urging the lightning to strike him. He was shouting as loud as he could over the sounds of the storm. Lenetta struggled to hold back her tears as she watched.

"Come on, strike me! You've never held back before!" Zuko shouts for one final time. He lets out a gut wrenching scream and falls to his knees. Lenetta's heart leaps into her throat at this.

She slowly walked over to Zuko's trembling form, she could hear his sobs. She knelt behind him and gently placed two hands on his back. Zuko stiffened at this but Lenetta didn't back down as she rubbed soothing circles on his back.

Zuko looked back at her, he saw nothing but compassion in her face as tears ran down her own face. He crumpled and wrapped his arms tightly around her back. Zuko's hands fisted her dress as Lenetta rubbed soothing circles on his back.

He sobbed into her shoulder and she had her own tears falling. She hated seeing her friend this way. "Why?" Zuko asked her, his voice strangled. Lenetta understood what he was asking. Why does the universe keep making his life difficult. She didn't have an answer for him.

"I don't know." Lenetta answered. Zuko went back to sobbing into her shoulder and she rocked them both back and forth, tears falling down her cheeks as she did her best to comfort her best friend.

Author's Note: Dialogue taken from Bitter Work of Avatar the Last Airbender. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are welcome and appreciated.

Much love The Litness :)