The Trouble with Fire
Ch.4: Agni Kai
Zuko X OC
disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender. I own my OC
Fang held onto Zuko's arm tightly, desperately wishing he had not challenged Zhao. They were led to the outside of an empty fort. Large stone walls loomed over them on all sides. Fang was feeling sick to her stomach as they approached the large courtyard until a guard stepped in front of them.
"Lady Fang please wait outside. It would not be appropriate to have you here without a seat for you. Commander Zhao's orders.", the guard told her. Zhao was making more and more excuses to keep her from Zuko and she had just about enough. Fang glared at him. "Forgive me.. but I'm staying with my husband.", she stated and walked passed the guard, holding onto Zuko's arm tighter.
They slowly made their way into the arena. Her eyes focused on Zhao who was taking off his shirt at the other end, her eyes fell toward the guards around him. She couldn't help but feel that if Zuko won, the guards would still keep them here against their will. Fang slowly let go of Zuko's arm and watched as he took off his shoes and his shirt.
Her heart felt like it was just about to leap out of her chest. She must have showed it on her face because Iroh placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her. Her face was probably as pale as a sheet as she watched Zuko kneel in front of his uncle.
"Remember your fire bending basics, Prince Zuko. They are your greatest weapons.", Iroh stated, trying to make his nephew's nerves calm. "I refuse to let him win.", Zuko said, standing up slowly, turning to face Zhao.
Fang wanted to reach out to Zuko, to beg him not to do this but he was already walking towards the center of the arena. Her eyes traveled to Zhao who was also walking to meet Zuko. She jumped at the sound of the loud gong signaling the fight had begun. She watched as Zuko shot fireballs quickly at Zhao, wanting to take the upper hand as fast as possible but Zhao blocked each one of them.
Zuko kicked a fireball toward Zhao but it seemed like Zhao didn't even flinch as he blocked all the fireballs. Fang could see out of the corner of her eye that Iroh was shaking his head, making her even more nervous. Zhao took a couple of steps forward and shot a fire blast towards Zuko, taking a step forward each time.
Zuko continued to block each shot but it kept pushing him backward. The last shot was particularly strong and Zuko couldn't block it, making him fly backward. Fang winced as she heard Zuko grunt in pain as his bareback hit the ground. She watched as Zhao leaped toward Zuko, standing over him as he shot a fireball towards his face.
"Remember your basics Prince Zuko, break his root!", Iroh yelled at his nephew. Fang placed a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming when she saw the fireball coming closer to her husbands face. Zuko quickly rolled on his elbows and kicked Zhao's feet from under him, just in time to dodge the fireball.
Zhao was caught so off guard that he tripped over his feet as he desperately tried to dodge Zuko's fire blasts and eventually fell over after dodging a strong fireball from Zuko. Zuko quickly stood over Zhao in an offensive position.
Fang closed her eyes and turned away, she couldn't bare to watch a man burn another man. She had seen it once when Zuko had been burned by his father and it had been so horrifying, she never wanted to see it again.
"Do it!", Zhao yelled at Zuko, making Fang close her eyes tighter. "That's it?", she finally heard Zhao ask Zuko. Fang slowly opened her eyes to see that Zuko had sent the fireball close to his face but on purpose, missed. "Your father raised a coward.", Zhao said, looking up at Zuko with hatred.
Fang felt weak as she felt all the tension slowly fade. She hadn't realized how tightly she had been clenching her teeth but when she allowed her jaw to finally relax, she could feel the pain. "Next time you get in my way.. I promise I won't miss.", Zuko answered as he turned and started walking toward Fang and Iroh. She smiled at him softly, relieved that he was alright.
A glint caught her eye, making her gasp as she saw Zhao stand up and send a fireball toward Zuko while he had his back turned. Before she could even blink, Iroh had grabbed Zhao's foot and protected Zuko. Iroh pushed Zhao slightly causing him to loose balance as he fell to the ground.
Fang's mouth fell open as she realized how badly Commander Zhao had acted. "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat... disgraceful. Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable then you.", Iroh said, looking down at Zhao. Fang smiled softly as she heard the words come out of Iroh, she could hear how proud he was in his voice as he spoke of Zuko.
"Thanks for the tea. It was delicious.", Iroh stated, always being respectful. Fang smiled at both of them and walked toward them to meet them, raising a hand to touch Zuko's scar. "I'm glad you are alright, My Prince.", she whispered softly to him as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. Zhao scowled and looked away from the couple.
Fang felt her heart settle to a steady beat once again and took Zuko's arm when he extended it out to her. "Did you really mean that Uncle?", Zuko asked as they walked out of the arena. "Of course! Ginseng is my favorite.", Iroh answered, bringing a smile to Fang's face as they continued to walk toward their newly repaired ship.
Fang sat quietly in her husbands room as he meditated. It had been a couple of days since his victory against Zhao and she had suggested that he meditate to try and help calm his anger. At first he had protested but a little persuading had made him change his mind.
Her eyes traveled to the dueling swords placed on the wall as a decoration and the fire nation banners hanging around his meditating area. He had four candles placed in front of him as he meditated and grew larger and smaller as he breathed.
A dragon head was hung on the wall above him, a great symbol of the Fire Nation. She sat on Zuko's bed, reading different scrolls that they had picked up from their travels. She found she could immerse herself in the history of the world and learn things that might better help her to one day stand beside Zuko and rule a nation.
Though it was wishful thinking, she knew that if his father really wanted him back they would have already returned. She raised her head when she heard the door creak open, surprised that anyone was daring enough to bother Zuko while he meditated.
"The only reason you should be interrupting me is if you have news about the avatar.", Zuko threatened. Fang's ears perked up as she heard Iroh speak and quickly got up to meet him at the door. "Well there is news...", Iroh said hesitantly.
Fang smiled at Iroh and held open the door for him. "Thank you, Fang. As I said.. there is news, Prince Zuko but you might not like it. Don't get too upset.", Iroh said, holding his hands up in a dramatic way. Fang bit her bottom lip and shook her head, this news could not be good and it was going to make Zuko angry... she was sure of it.
All of her work on finally convincing him to meditate would be gone. She dreaded the next thing that would come out of Iroh's mouth. "Uncle... you taught me that keeping a level head is a sign of a great leader. Now, whatever you have to say.. I'm sure I can take it.", Zuko answered.
Iroh stroked his beard as if he was in deep thought and said the words that Fang had been dreading. "Okay then... we have no idea where he is..", Iroh said. Fang jumped as the candle flames suddenly got huge. "What!?", Zuko yelled, spinning around.
"You should really open a window in here, you're going to suffocate Fang.", Iroh said, taking out a fan and fanning himself. "Give me the map!", Zuko demanded, ripping it out of his uncle's hands. "Well there have been multiple people who have claimed to have seen him but he is impossible to track down.", Iroh said, still fanning himself.
Fang quickly closed the door before any of the soldiers could hear them and walked toward the both of them, looking at the map. "How am I going to find him Uncle?", Zuko asked, staring at the map. "He is clearly a mastermind of evasive maneuvering", Zuko said, looking at all the points that had been marked on the map.
Fang peered at it and had to agree with Zuko, it seemed that the avatar was just choosing random places. The pattern almost made a zig-zag of sorts. It was near impossible to track him down, it seemed. Zuko sighed and set the map down on a nearby table.
"We just need to wait for a lead, Prince Zuko, patience.", Iroh said, taking his leave from Zuko's chambers. Fang frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do not worry, my prince, we will find him.", she stated trying to reassure him.
She didn't want him to lose his hope because he had so little to begin with. "I need to find him now so I can go back home.", Zuko said quietly, sitting back down on the pillows on the floor. Fang quickly knelt down next to him to him and placed her hands on both of his shoulders.
"I have faith in you.", she whispered before placing a gently kiss on his lips. His arms came to wrap around her and pull her closer so there bodies were touching. His heart had sank by the thought of not finding the avatar and more then ever, he needed the comfort of a woman. Comfort from the woman he loved more than anything and she was happy to give that comfort back.
He kissed her more passionately and she could feel his hands moving up her back, his fingers gliding up the back of her neck making her shiver. She felt her hair being undone, as her hair spilled over, down her back.
His lips traveled down to her jawline where he kissed softly and gave a rough tug on her robe making Fang wince a little but she didn't dare make a sound. A smirk played across his lips as his fingers played with one of her bra straps.
Fang's heart beat was quickening and she could feel her body getting hotter by the second. "Lay down.", he ordered her and she quickly obeyed, not wanting to upset him and laid on her stomach, propping herself on her elbows and turning her head and smiling at his direction.
She felt him climb on top of her, she shivered as she felt his lips trace along her spine. A sigh escaped her lips as he kissed along her shoulder blades and down her back. His rough hands traveled up the small of her back and up to her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.
She gasped when he roughly grabbed the hem of her pants and pulled them off, making Fang blush a little. Zuko grabbed her shoulder and pushed gently, coaxing her to lay on her back. Fang did as her husband bid, watching as his rough hands stroked one of her legs, she smiled up at him softly and blushed a little more as he placed kisses from her knee down to her ankle.
Fang shifted a little and sat her upper body on her elbows and pouted seductively knowing that it drove him wild. A soft growl came from Zuko as he quickly met his lips with hers, kissing her heatedly and eagerly. He pushed her back down onto the pillows and set about taking his shirt off.
Fang ran her fingers along his arms and traced the contours of his muscles. She felt as if her body was on fire when Zuko placed another kiss on her lips. She had missed the intimate moments with her husband.
He had been so distant the last months that she had become accustomed to not being even slightly intimate with him but it seemed the avatar had restored a little hope in him, even if he did not have him captured. She had to thank the avatar for that much, she had her husband back, at least, for now.
Fang slowly opened her eyes as she was startled by a knock at the door. She could hear the rustling of Zuko putting his clothes back on as she rubbed one of her eyes. "Stay. I'll get it.", Zuko declared, making his way toward the door.
She could hear Zuko talking with one of the guards as she wrapped a blanket around herself and slowly stood as Zuko closed the door again. "My uncle is having a large meal prepared for us.", Zuko stated. Fang raised an eyebrow. "What's the occasion?", she asked slipping into her clothes again.
"I think he thinks it will cheer me up.", Zuko replied, as he helped her clip her robe together. Fang nodded slowly and grabbed her hair ornament and fastened her hair using one of the nearby mirrors. She slowly followed Zuko out as they walked out into the hall. Taking his arm, she walked beside him until they reached one of the dining rooms.
Iroh was already seated having his tea and a slice of bread. "Good morning, you two.", Iroh said, greeting them both with a smile. Fang smiled at him and sat next to Iroh, pouring a cup of tea for both herself and Zuko.
One of the guards came in and placed a piping hot plate of fish in front of the three of them. Steam rose from the dish and the aroma of thyme and basil filled the room. "I was informed by the distributor of this fish that he heard the Avatar is on Kyoshi Island.", he said as he stood from the table and bowed toward the both of them.
Not this again, she didn't want to go chasing after the avatar again after the episode they just had. Zuko had nearly been killed when he had been flung off that boat. Fang stayed silent as her eyes fell on Zuko who quickly stood and placed his hands on the table.
"The Avatar is on Kyoshi island?! Uncle ready the rhino's.. he's not getting away this time."
End of Ch.4
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