First Lessons
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"DAAAAAD!!!!!!!" Asamiya screamed. "DAD!!! Dad, come here! Come here!"
Zuko burst into his daughter's room, golden eyes filled with concern.
"What's the matter, Asamiya? Are you alright? What happened?"
Asamiya giggled and hugged her father.
"I can firebend, Dad!" the nine-year-old squeaked excitedly.
"What?!?!" Zuko could hardly believe what he was hearing. His dear, sweet Asamiya, his little angel, could firebend…..just like him.
Smiling, and laughing along with her, Zuko swung his daughter up and around, before pulling her into a tight embrace, filled with love and pride. He'd known from the day she was born that she'd be a bender someday, but that didn't make this moment any less special.
"Um, Dad?" Asamiya gasped. "Dad, I can't breathe."
"Oh," Zuko muttered, not quite getting what she meant. Then it hit him. "OH!" he let go quickly. "Sorry, sweetheart."
"It's okay, Dad. You didn't break anything."
The two laughed a little, but then a serious smile spread across Zuko's face.
"Well," he said, pride in his voice, and love in his eyes, "you'll have to have lessons to learn to control that fire, my dear. And, if you want, I'll teach you."
"Really?" Asamiya gasped, her eyes bright and shining. "Oh, Dad! You're the greatest!" She giggled, and jumped up to throw her arms around his neck.
"Come on, love," the Fire Lord said, his voice matching the look in his eyes. "Let's get started on those lessons!" Asamiya followed, happier than she'd ever been.
"Now, Asamiya," Zuko explained, "firebending comes from the breath, not so much from the muscles, got it?" Asamiya nodded. "Good," her father continued. "Remember, the breath becomes energy, which becomes fire, then, you concentrate on forcing that fire out through your hand. Let's see you try it on command."
Asamiya closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, feeling a fire burn deep within her. She let out her breath as she concentrated, imagining flames snaking through her veins to her outstretched hand. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see a small fire wavering and flickering in her palm.
"I… I did it," Asamiya whispered. "I DID IT!!!" She punched her fist into the air, and fire spurted up, then fell like a deadly rain around them. Zuko closed the distance between them in two strides, and held her close, protecting her from the flames as they fell, and then dissipated just before reaching the ground.
"Asamiya," Zuko said gently. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Dad," she replied sadly. "I'm really sorry."
"Oh, dear, don't be. You know, the same thing happened to me, when I was learning."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I burnt my sister's butt." Asamiya burst out laughing, her mistake completely forgotten and replaced by the funny vision of her father burning Azula's rear end.
"Alright," Zuko said, bringing her back to reality. "Let's work first on defense; protecting yourself from fire."
"Okay."
Asamiya watched as Zuko demonstrated, her attention focused completely on her father, as he showed her different ways to keep fire away from the body.
"…And this," he said, creating a shield of fire all around him, "is the fire shield."
"Cool!" Asamiya cried. "Dad, can I try that?"
"Alright, let's see how you do. Just concentrate on surrounding yourself with fire, as a protection……"
Asamiya did as she was told, but, instead of the circular shield her father had gotten, hers molded to the shape of her body, the flames licking outward no more than a couple of inches away. She glanced down at herself in shock.
"You look like your uncle Aang did in the Crystal Catacombs," Zuko told her. "Only he was incased in crystals."
As Asamiya breathed out, willing the flames away as her father had showed her, she looked up at her dad, and saw in his eyes just how proud her father was that she could firebend.
"Hey, Dad," she asked softly.
"What is it, love?"
"Can you show me those fire whips you can use?"
"Oh, Asamiya," he laughed. "I don't think that's such a good idea for your first lesson. Why don't we wait till you've learned a bit more?"
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Well? You like? Next one will be up very soon.