Disclaimer: If you read almost my whole story, then you should know that I don't own the Avatar. If you don't… well… I don't. Anyway I'm so glad that I'm back. Could you guys believe it if I told you that this chapter took me a week and a half to create. This is definitely one of my longest chapters I have ever written.
I would like to thank WhiteInnocence, Avtr1200, Insane Elvish Vampire Pirate, and DeafLizgon. Just to remind you guys that this is a angst story (obviously) but it does have a happy ending. I almost know where this story is going to end. But anyway, be prepared, and don't kill me. You'll see why. Enjoy!
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"I'm so tired of this!" Sokka exclaimed. Once again, they had woken up, and found themselves in the familiar Fire Nation hallways.
"Zuko! Zuko!" Iroh called out.
"I'm right here Uncle," Zuko muffled back. Aang and Katara had somehow fallen on Zuko. Katara was all ready standing up, while Aang was still trying to get up with his foot in Zuko's face.
"Get off of me!" Zuko yelled and pushed Aang off of him. Zuko got up, and started to walk towards a door and the end of the hallway.
"What are you doing?" Katara asked.
"I had enough of this! I'm leaving!" Zuko announced and reached for the doorknob, but his hand went through it like a ghost. "What the?"
Zuko then backed up, and ran to the door, expecting to go through it, except he didn't go through. Zuko bounced off the wall and painfully fell backwards.
"Its no use. Somehow the Mischief Demon can lock us in here. We are prisoners to him." Iroh explained. They were interrupted by footsteps.
"Where are we going mom?" past Zuko asked. It was another memory. It was Zuko's memory of when he was only six.
"Mom?" Zuko questioned out loud. There before him stood his mother, her long dark brown hair lay down to her waist. She was gilding slowly as little Zuko was jogging to keep up with his mother carrying blankets.
"That's your mom?" Aang asked.
"I can't believe I almost forgot what you looked like!" Zuko said not even noticing Aang's question.
"Zuko?" Iroh asked worried. Zuko did not answer, instead he continued watching his mother.
"Zuko, you must promise me you won't tell anyone what we are about to do. Not even your father." Zuko stood there for a moment, nervous. He was always taught not to keep secrets, especially his father. Not too long he replied, "Okay mom!" and Ursa revealed a beautiful smile.
She took out a key and opened a metal door to her right. It creaked opened and they stepped in together.
Inside there were Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe people.
"Prince Zuko, can you please hand some blankets out?" Zuko's mother asked. "You know that this is the time of year where it gets a bit chilly." Little Prince Zuko nodded and started to hand out blankets to the prisoners.
"You helped prisoners?" Sokka exclaimed.
"Wow, this is surprising," Katara commented, but the present Zuko remained silent. The memory changed and the colors flew and mashed around them.
"What's wrong with mom?" the past Zuko asked his uncle. They were quickly walking to the infirmary.
"Your mother isn't feeling to well…" Iroh explained
When they approached the infirmary, Zuko's father came out with Azula, both with sad expressions on their face. The Fire Lord was hold Azula's hand and they were slowly walking away. Little Zuko ran past them and pushed open the door, but only found himself in the same candle lit room as Iroh's wife was before she died.
Zuko cautiously went to his mother while one of the fire sages was chanting in a soft murmuring voice. His mother's skin was oddly pale and tight. Her lips were no longer ruby, but a faded pink. Her eyes looked glossy as she stared at her visitors.
"Mom?"
"Oh good, I'm so glad you came Zuko." She softly ruffled Zuko's hair and caressed the left side of Zuko face, smooth and soft.
"What's wrong mom?" past Zuko asked.
"Just a little under the weather," Ursa coughed. "can you sing me the benders song to me?"
Zuko held his mother's hand and sang softly to his mother. By the end of the song, there was a peaceful smile on her face.
"You have such a beautiful voice my little prince…" Zuko flushed. "I must ask you something…" Ursa trailed off.
"What is it mom?"
"Promise me, that you will be a benevolent king… "
"I promise mom." Zuko said. Zuko's mother smiled and her eyes went far away. The grip on Zuko's hand lessened, and then went limp.
"Mom?" Zuko cried panicked, reaching for her limp hand.
"Mom! Didn't you hear me? I said I promise!" Zuko's mom did not reply. Iroh placed his hand on the little Zuko shoulder. Tears streaking down his face.
"What does benevolent mean Uncle?" the little prince asked as he watched his mother be carried away by the fire sages.
"It means to be kind." Answered Iroh.
"Then I swear, that no matter what, I will be a benevolent king who merciful and kind." Zuko announced loudly.
"I think I like the sound of that." Iroh said smiling and he guided Zuko out of the room.
"You lost your mom too." Katara said as she stared at Zuko with tears in her eyes.
"Yes." He croaked.
"So if Zuko was the Fire Lord, then this whole war could be over!" Aang realized.
"Yeah, but Mr. Prince sure doesn't act nice, or merciful…" Sokka pointed out. Zuko was about to snap back when the dizziness of rushing colors came again. And to Zuko's horror, his nightmare was coming alive again.
"No! Not this! Not Now! Stop it!" Zuko screamed to the ceiling. I don't want them to see this…
"Why? What happened in this memory?" Aang asked. He had never seen this fear in the Prince's eyes before.
"This is the day of my banishment…" Zuko whispered. And sure enough he heard the familiar voice.
"Hey! Let me in!" cried out the past Zuko who was now fourteen years old.
"Wow, that's you?" Sokka said, noticing Zuko without his scar.
"Prince Zuko! What is the matter?" Iroh asked placing his hands on his shoulders to calm him down.
"I want to go in the war chamber, but the guards won't let me in!" The past prince exclaimed.
"Oh Prince Zuko, you don't want to go in. It is very boring." Iroh tried to convince, but Zuko could not be swayed.
"But if I'm going to rule this country one day, shouldn't I learn as much as I can?" Prince Zuko smiled.
"Wow, you actually smiled! And look happy too!" Aang pointed out.
"And you looked pretty good too!" Katara muttered with Sokka glaring at her. But Zuko stood still, shaking a little.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"We'll attack using the forty first division," one of the generals informed while pushing a miniature icon across a map.
"But the forty first division is nothing but rookies! There will be powerful earth benders there! They will never stand a chance against them!" a general disagreed.
"Yes, that's true. But we will be attacking them from the back."
"You can't sacrifice a whole division like that! They love and fight for this nation!" Zuko outcried. Everyone in the room was quiet, even Aang, Katara and Sokka.
"Wow," Sokka said breaking the silence. The colors flashed around them and placed them back in the Fire Nation hallways.
"What's going to happen?" Aang asked worried. Zuko was now shaking uncontrollably.
"An Agni Kai." Iroh replied solemnly.
"A what?" Sokka questioned.
"It's when disagreements are settled in a fire duel." Iroh explained, and the teenagers eyes widened. "You see, Zuko thought that he was going to fight the general, but he was wrong."
"Who did he have to fight then?" Katara asked.
"His own father." And Aang, Sokka, and Katara gasped.
They were now in the arena. The proud Prince Zuko on one end of the room slowly rose, the cloth falling softly to the ground. On the other end, Fire Lord Ozzai. Aang shivered as he saw a shadow of his enemy. So this is whom I have to stop…
Zuko's eyes widen in terror as he saw his father. The two Zuko's got on their knees and bent down into a low bow. Tears were streaming down Zuko's face while Aang, Katara and Sokka watched in horror. Ozzai approached the past Prince Zuko.
"Rise my son and fight!"
"No! I meant no disrespect! I only had the Fire Nations best interest at heart!" the two Zuko's cried.
"You will stand and fight for your honor!"
"Please father! I will not fight you!" both Zuko's pleaded.
"Zuko, don't listen to this!" Iroh shouted moving in front of Zuko trying to get him to stand up, but it was too late.
"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher…" Ozzai growled and he moved forward to the past Zuko. The present Zuko looked up, but did not see Iroh there, only his father. At that moment, Iroh froze as he saw his dear nephew in pain, the unbearable pain that he looked away before.
Zuko was losing control of himself. His heart felt like it was slowly being ripped apart.
"Please dad don't do this," present Zuko whispered. "I love you."
Fire Lord Ozzai punched his hand and fire blasted a the young prince. Both of the prince's screamed in agony.
Even though nothing hit the present Zuko, he still yelled, and fell back as if someone had pushed him. Zuko lied on the ground silent, not moving.
"Zuko!" everyone screamed. Iroh went to his nephew's side. Zuko was lying his back, eyes half opened.
"Zuko! Zuko wake up!" Iroh cried shaking Zuko into a sitting position. Zuko just stared back. Iroh shuddered as he saw the dull gold eyes. They were lifeless, dull, almost dead like. He wanted to shake Zuko, do anything to see eager, happiness, or even anger in his eyes.
"How…how could he do that?" whispered a horrified Katara. No one replied.
"So that's how he got the scar...," Aang said understanding. Everything was coming together, like pieces of a puzzle.
A loud crashing noise interrupted them. The memory had changed again. They found themselves in the Fire Nation infirmary. They could smell the disinfectant and burnt flesh.
There was a loud piercing scream coming from one of the white sheet beds. The past Zuko was thrashing around in pain in his bed. Both his hands covering the left side of his face which was bandaged. On the right side of his face was his untouched eye, tearing. Loud footsteps were heard in the corridor as Iroh appeared. His face solemn.
Zuko fell silent so that his screams were reduced to whimpering.
"Uncle!" young Zuko asked. "What did father say?" Iroh did not reply at once. He sat down on Zuko's bed softly.
"Prince Zuko… I'm sorry to say that… you are… banished." Past Zuko's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"No…it must be a mistake…" the past Prince Zuko croaked, tears coming back.
"You have three hours to pack and to leave. That is when your banishment starts." Iroh informed.
"What am I banished from? The palace?" Iroh shook his head.
"You are banned from all Fire Nation territory, and if you are caught after your banishment begins… I'm afraid to tell you that you will be arrested." The past prince rose slowly out of his bed. "But there is good news!"
"And what is that?" Zuko
whispered so softly, that Iroh almost missed it.
"If you can capture the Avatar alive and bring him here, you will be welcomed back and your throne returned." Iroh smiled slightly.
"The…Avatar?…" Zuko said, trying to take all of this in.
"Yes, and who knows! Maybe you will be the one to finally end this conquest that your great great grandfather started."
"Will I get to see father before I … leave?" past Prince Zuko inquired. Iroh's frown returned.
"Uh… I'm sorry to tell you that your father is busy and will not be able to see your depart."
Aang, Katara, Sokka and the present Iroh watched as the past Prince Zuko just stood there for a moment, his eyes hidden. Then with a cry, he suddenly went to a table and started to throw medicine bottles on the ground.
"Zuko!" Iroh exclaimed getting up from the bed.
Zuko did not stop, or did not want to. He kept slapping glasses from a table screaming in anger. It was no fair. Not even his father wanted to see him. "All my FALUT! My promise, people, dream all GONE!" All because of a stupid mistake!" Zuko screamed.
"Stop Zuko!"
Zuko took the table and flung it across the room. Broken glass flew everywhere as the table landed only half way across the room.
"You must stop!" the past Iroh grabbed the past prince as the prince fell to the floor crying.
"Zuko! Wake up!" Aang yelled, but Zuko made no response.
"Yeah, come on," Sokka tried to cheer Zuko up. "don't you want to capture Aang now? He's right here!" Sokka shook Aang in front of Zuko. But then, Zuko's body quickly became transparent, almost ghost like.
"What's happening to him?" whispered Iroh, his hand going through his beloved nephew.
"Excellent question!" exclaimed a similar dark voice. The Mischief Demon crept from the shadows. "Sorry I couldn't use a more dramatic entrance, but I just couldn't think of anything else!"
"You!" Iroh growled.
"Yes! It is I! I see that your age hasn't effected your memory." The demon mocked. "But as for your delicious nephew, he is dying."
"Of what?" Sokka demanded.
"Simple boy, his mind and spirit are dying."
"What?" Katara questioned.
"You still haven't figured it out? Where do you think you are?" The Mischief Demon asked gesturing his decayed hand around. No one answered. "Physically, your bodies are still in the forest in the camp site, sleeping."
"That's impossible!" Sokka outraged. "We're in a creepy memory world that you put us in!"
"That's true. I have separated your minds and spirits from your bodies. Your minds are now in a world where either I or you can watch past events in your lifetime. Though there are complications, and it is dangerious. Something said about, not seperating the mind and spirit from the body…" the Mischief Demon explained. "But I must tell you that your nephew has been like a feast to me with all that pain and sorrow. It is a wonder why he didn't go crazy yet."
"I'm not going to die," a raspy voice stated. The Mischief Demon was surprised to see Zuko staring at him with flames still in his eyes.
"You are just too stubborn to die! Why do you even push yourself for a man that will never be proud of you?"
"Your wrong! I'll make him proud… I'm his loyal son-"
"Who doesn't even care about you!"
"Your wrong," Zuko repeated. "I know he cares about me…" Zuko closed his eyes remembering a distant memory with his father. Flashbacks of him running with his sister. The sound of laughing children echoed, and his father standing beside him, with his hand on his shoulder…
While Zuko pictured this in his head, it was also showing the same memory to everyone else.
Interesting how the Prince can manipulate my memory world…Thought the demon.
"Yes yes, that is nice, but do you really want to see what your father really thinks of you? How about a quick detour into your uncle's memories?" The demon drawled delightedly.
"No!" But it was too late. The Mischief Demon flicked his hand and the world obeyed. They were in the chamber room, and Fire Lord Ozzai was meditating on a red satin pillow. His eyes glared angrily as Iroh, his older brother approached him, disturbing him.
Iroh spoke first. "I do not know if old age is creeping up on me, but I thought I heard Prince Zuko was banished?"
"You're hearing is still fine Iroh. Zuko will be officially banished in four hours." Ozzai informed.
"He's just a boy-"
"Who's also no longer my son!" Ozzai snapped. "I cannot tolerate weakness, or disrespect!"
"You're sending a fourteen year old boy out into a world filled with nothing but enemies and no allies!" Iroh exclaimed.
"I don't care! What I care for is a child who will take over in my place!" Ozzai shouted, fire was rising from behind him.
"You have no idea how much Zuko loves you." Iroh said in disgust. "He looks up to you. He spends most of his time practicing and studying just to please you. Surely can't you give him something to make it up to you?"
Ozzai sat there for a moment, mind in thought. Then eventually he spoke.
"Zuko can have his throne back if and only if he captures and brings back the Avatar," Ozzai announced.
"But he hasn't been spotted in almost a hundred years!" Iroh exclaimed in shock.
"Then he should get started," Ozzai replied coldly.
"But the Avatar can bend all four elements! He's had a hundred years to perfect all four of them!"
"Good, then it should get him out of my hair!"
"Fine. But at least see your own son leave for his banishment!" Iroh said.
"I don't have time for a failure. I have more important things to do." And Ozzai closed his eyes, and continued to meditate.
No…" Zuko whispered. This couldn't be. It had to be a trick, but deep down inside he knew it was true. So even if I did bring the Avatar back… he wouldn't have cared. He never cared…
"Zuko?"
My whole life has been nothing but pain and failure…"It's only a wonder why your uncle would spend so much time with you. Look around you. All you will ever get is hatred and pity. No one really cares about you. The only reason why your uncle tries to protect you and love you is for he just needs a replacement son-"
"That's not true!" Iroh yelled.
"Isn't it? Don't you see your son when you see Zuko? Don't you pretend that it is your dead son you're talking to instead of Zuko, just to satisfy your own selfish desires?" The Mischief Demon asked as Iroh trembled.
Zuko made a low raspy noise and became more transparent.
"No Zuko! You can't give up!" Aang said crawling to him.
"Yes Zuko. Why don't you just give in? It'll make everything go away. The pain, the loneliness, it will even fill that empty hole inside you…" The Mischief Demon whispered to Zuko.
I just want the pain to stop…and suddenly Zuko felt it. The tiredness he felt for the past two years. The tiredness that he always pushed aside for hope of coming back. But this time, there was no hope to push aside with. Zuko's eyes dulled and disappeared completely.
"Zuko!" Iroh cried as he tried to grab Zuko, but only found himself grasping air as Zuko disappeared. The Mischief Demon laughs echoed his ears as the world around him swirled and he wasn't sure if it was the changing of the memories anymore as he curled into himself trying to believe that there is still some hope.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Hi! Don't kill me! I know I made Zuko suffer through this, but he is strong so he will make it. What will happen next? Well, I'm working on that now, so you'll just have to wait. In the mean time, you could
go outside and go camping
go swimming and hang out with friends
get started on your summer reading for school
finish a chapter or story for fanfic
spend the whole day watching nothing but Avatar on DVD
Pick you choice, but I know mine is going to be E. Yay! 6 hours of avatar! Thank god for dvd's!