Zuko was winded from the first fight, but it really hadn't lasted more than five minutes. His battle with Azula over the throne had been far longer. I've been fighting that battle my whole life, he thought wryly as he surveyed his opponent. But then he remembered the last time he had seen his sister, how earnest she had been. Maybe he didn't have to fight that specific conflict any more. He smiled.
Then the gong rang and the drums started, shocking him out of his reverie. Damn. Higuchi was slowly stalking towards him, more cautious than Sugawara. She kicked an experimental ball of flame towards him, but he merely sidestepped it. He sent a wall of flame towards her, forcing her to stop her advance and concentrate to part the curtain of fire. She was slower at repelling fire than she was at creating it—a common weakness. But Zuko had been defending against firebenders for years.
He went on the attack, sending fireblast after fireblast at Higuchi, spinning and changing his angles to hit her unexpectedly. It suddenly hit him that not one of his citizens, but two, had the gall to challenge him. When would they ever stop hating him? What would he have to do to gain their respect, their love? He gritted his teeth in a grimace and sent a torrent of sustained fire forward towards his opponent, the flames scorching the sand all around her. He realized Higuchi was hunkered down, forearms held over her face as she tried to weather his blows.
Abruptly, Zuko ceased bending. What was he doing? He didn't want to fight with anger, not against his own people. The Sun Warriors had taught him better than that. Fire was life.
"Higuchi!" he yelled. "Surrender! Whatever your problem is, we can talk about it." Higuchi looked up, her curved grey eyes standing out against her ash-stained face. "My problem is you!" she screamed. From her crouched position, she sent out a blast of fire at ankle level, forcing Zuko to jump above it. While he was distracted, she rose and closed the small gap between them, tackling him to the ground. Zuko's head hit the sandy arena floor painfully, but he was jerked out of his confusion by an excruciating pain at his side. Higuchi held him down in a wrestler's pin with her right hand, but with her left she seared her handprint directly on his side. He felt his skin crisp and crackle, and screamed despite himself. Forgetting firebending, he elbowed Higuchi in the face, just wanting to get her off him. She grunted in surprise, and he felt a moment of relief from pain. Zuko bridged his hips, flipping their positions so he pinned her to the ground.
"Yield!" he yelled, holding a flame near her face. It would be so easy to give her a scar to match the one his father had given him. Higuchi struggled for a minute, but he was heavier, and she couldn't escape. It was surrender or death by fire. Finally, Higuchi shut her eyes. "Both of my parents died in the war," she said, her voice roughed by smoke. "They were heroes. You can't tell me they died in vain, that they were criminals in an unjust war!" A single tear appeared in the corner of her left eye.
"I'm sure they fought bravely," said Zuko. Her face glowed by the light of his fire. "The war was the fault of people like my father, not your parents. And I ended it so that no more loved ones would suffer. I don't despise those who fought." He lowered his voice. "I fought for the Fire Nation. My sister did. My fiancée did. And I'll continue to give everything I have for the Fire Nation. We were just fighting the wrong war." Higuchi only looked partially convinced, but she nodded.
"I'm going to let you up," warned Zuko. "And then you'll announce your surrender."
"Okay," said Higuchi. She bit her lip, and more tears leaked from her eyes. Suddenly, her entire body was shaking as she sobbed.
Zuko was hit by a wave of nausea as the pain in his side where Higuchi had branded him flared. He rolled off his smaller opponent and stood, trying to look regal while also trying not to vomit.
"I have surrendered to Firelord Zuko!" yelled Higuchi to the crowd wetly. Wearily, she left the arena, while Zuko tried to evaluate if he could make it out under his own power. Then he realized the crowd was staring at him again, still not applauding. A few rows up, he could see his Council Ministers-Ilana, Asai, and Malona all looking anxious. The drums were quiet. They must be waiting for something.
"Higuchi found that it was better to talk to me than to fight," Zuko yelled, walking shakily to the center of the arena. His people's faces were blank, and against his will his temper rose again. "But are there any other challenges?" he shouted. "I am here. I am your Firelord. And I will do whatever it takes to prove it." They wanted Fire Nation? He could give them Fire Nation.
"I challenge you!" said a voice from the top of the arena. Zuko craned his head up, and saw an older man standing. "I challenge you as a friend of foreigners, rather than of your own people! I declare an Agni Kai!" The man began to descend. Although he looked to be about Iroh's age, he was fit, his greying hair gathered into a tight bun.
Sages. Zuko didn't know if he could continue or if he'd die right here in this arena. He had received two scars here already now—the one on his face, Higuchi's handprint seared into his side. But he had to do it. He had to win his people over somehow. Or else the world would burn…
"I accept!" Zuko said. He inhaled heavily.
For the first time, Zuko looked over at his friends in the first row. Mai stood next to Iroh, her normally expressionless face displaying concern. Even Akira looked afraid, his eyes darting from Zuko to the new opponent. Sokka and Suki held hands tightly. Zuko lifted his hand to them, and Mai nodded gravely, meeting his eyes. Do it, she seemed to say. Finish it. His heart clenched at the sight of them all supporting him. He didn't deserve friends like these. Zuko could only hope he'd survive this third Agni Kai to tell them…
The middle-aged man landed in the arena, planting his feet firmly. He had the eyes of a soldier. "This is where you die, Prince Zuko!" he growled.
"I'm not a Prince," Zuko answered. "I'm the Firelord." He lit two flames and ran forward.
The woman watched from her seat in the upper ring as Zuko approached his third opponent headlong. He and the older man dodged and weaved, kicking and throwing fire. She checked the hood of her cloak, making sure no one could see her face as she smiled. Zuko had been slow to learn firebending, but look at him now. As fierce as any Firelord before him. She heard Zuko yell as he landed a hit on his opponent's leg.
"Good!" she said to herself, clenching a fist. "Destroy him." After all, firebending was in Zuko's blood. Zuko spun, creating a spinning disk of fire with his feet that she recognized. That bastard. But it worked, and the challenger hit the ground. The man announced his surrender, Zuko won the third Agni Kai in a row. Not even Sozin had ever done something like this, and he was regarded as the best dueller in history. The woman felt a flash of jealousy, then pushed it down. No. Enough that Zuko was alive, and strong.
The Firelord bent over briefly, chest heaving with the effort of near-constant battle. He looked like he was about to be sick.
"Stand up," whispered the woman. "Show them you're not afraid."
As if responding to her, Zuko straightened, addressing the crowd. "Does anyone else challenge my rule?" he shouted, stretching out his arms. Fire glinted off of his pale form.
"I challenge you!" The woman whipped her head to the right. Someone in her row stood, ready to fight. How dare they? He had already fought three times! She should finish this one herself…but Zuko probably wouldn't thank her for that. He had to be able to stand on his own. So she watched the fourth opponent, woman in her thirties, descend into the arena, feeling helpless for one of the only times in her life. Another emotion struck her. Fear. Not for herself, but for the small figure below her. Everyone had their limits.
He can't fight forever, thought Mai. Zuko was barely standing, but the fourth opponent was already taking her place. Next to Mai, Iroh looked older than ever. Akira covered the bottom of his face with his hand.
"We have to stop him!" said Suki tearfully. "He's going to kill himself!"
"Look at him," said Sokka angrily. Zuko indeed had seen better days. In addition to Higuchi's handprint, his entire upper body was covered in small burns and cuts that Mai bet he didn't even notice. A rivulet of blood trickled down the center of Zuko's back from a cut on the back of his neck. Mai realized everyone was looking to her to do something.
"Bring Prince Kazuto here," she ordered a servant.
"Here, my Lady?" Kanako asked.
"Yes, here," said Mai forcefully. "And hurry." Zuko needed to be reminded what was at stake. Who he stood to lose. Zuko looked back over to their row, his eyes wide. With fear?
"Never give up without a fight!" Mai screamed at him. The Firelord nodded weakly, but a new determination lit his golden eyes. He couldn't die now. They were getting married in four days. It was impossible. To her surprise, Mai realized the crowd had started clapping at her outburst. A roar steadily built, and continued when the gong rang and drums started. Mai didn't know who they were cheering for, Zuko or the female soldier standing to fight him.
The soldier attacked, but Zuko redirected her fire upwards into a column of colourful flame. Where had he learned that? The fire flashed with dozens of colors: blue, green, purple, pink, red. Zuko's uplifted face and scarred chest were lit by the varying colors. It was the most beautiful thing Mai had ever seen.
"What's going on?!" Mai started as no less than the Avatar and Sokka's sister joined their group of anxious spectators. The Avatar was dressed in orange monk's robes, one shoulder exposed; on his clothed shoulder perched his absurd flying monkey-lemur.
"Why is Zuko fighting an Agni Kai?" demanded Sokka's sister. She surveyed the scene before them. "And how long has he been fighting?" Mai ignored her and turned back to look at Zuko.
"This is his fourth consecutive Agni Kai," said Sokka, embracing his sister. "I don't know how much longer he can last."
"He can fight as long as he has to," said Akira. The Avatar and his girlfriend looked confused by Akira's presence, but didn't comment.
"I should help him!" said the Avatar, looking ready to fly into the arena.
"No!" shouted Iroh and Mai. "This is a turning point in his reign," said Iroh. "If he survives this, the people will not look at him the same."
Mai heard a gong, and turned back to look at Zuko, panicked. But he was still standing. The opponent was on the ground, unconscious, but Mai thought she could see her torso moving as she breathed. Not that Mai really cared. Zuko was bleeding darkly from a gash on his chest, the blood slowly painting him a Fire Nation red. Pieces of black hair had escaped from Zuko's bun, but his crown was still firmly planted.
"Who else?" yelled Zuko to the crowd. He lifted an arm stained with his own blood. "This is your last chance! Who else believes I should not be Firelord? After today, who still thinks I am not Fire Nation?"
The crowd was silent. Zuko started to smile in victory, before a voice cried out. "I challenge you!" Admiral Shu, one of the heads of the Fire Nation Navy, emerged from the crowd. One of the younger commanders promoted under Ozai, Shu was immensely popular for his successful defeat of the entire Earth Kingdom navy years before the fall of Ba Sing Se. "I challenge you for the throne, and the title of Firelord!"