Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews - much appreciated. Not much to say, so I'mma just leave you to it! Enjoy the Chapter!
Chapter Seven
The hull of the small metal boat drifted to a halt as Zuko lowered anchor near the dock. A guard lowered the rope-ladder from above, and he silently climbed the unsteady distance to the top. Several others lined the dock, going about their business and making no attempt to stop or greet him. Azula must have been expecting his return. Bare feet padded across the medal planks, the damp iron cold against them. Amber eyes trailed upward, sizing up the path to the palace doors. Surprisingly, not many guards separated him from the home he had once longed for.
Sighing, he climbed the steps, each bringing him closer to ornate steel doors. The handle was crafted from gold, a long phoenix tail connected to the body of a firebird. The sun-warmed gold felt soothing beneath his fingers as he allowed himself to grasp the handle, pulling ever so gently to open the door. With surprising ease, the heavy metal door opened, sliding almost silently shut behind him. When he turned, he recognized the foyer of his home, decorated with gold framed portraits of the Fire Lords before his father and tapestries that displayed the Fire Nation insignia in bright red and black. Red orange rugs, trimmed in gold, lined the floor that he crossed towards the stair case. It led to the upper chambers, where he and his family once slept as that – a family.
Hesitantly, he allowed himself to climb those stairs, one after the other. They traveled upward into the ceiling of the foyer below, and a long hallway appeared before him. He walked past the first two chambers, turning right down the next hallway. The door at the end was closed, unlocked. Hands shuddered as they pressed against the Fire Nation banner that covered cold metal. It whined loudly in the otherwise silent palace as it swung open. It was just as he had left it. Velvet covers the shade of rose petals wrinkled and frowned in an unmade mess that draped down onto the floor. Another banner, like the one on the door, hung proudly above the headboard between two unlit candles. Closet doors allowed the mess of clothing to spill into the delicate room, the mess from when he had last left. On the side of the room, a dresser pressed against the wall, cluttered with old paintings of family portraits and the "good times" of his child hood.
On the opposite wall, dual broadswords, similar to the ones he had left on the island, mounted on the wall, surrounded on either side by another pair of unlit candles. They shone dully in the dim daylight, dust coating the glassy metal. The handles were ornate and delicately crafted as dragons, so that the blades erupted from scaly mouths as fire would have. Zuko rubbed a thumb over one of the blades' inscriptions.
"龍西"
Dragon of the West. He remembered it now, when Iroh had returned from Ba Sing Se and had the mount made for Zuko, who admired his skill with broadswords so enthusiastically. Amber eyes closed, and a sudden twinge of guilt swept over him.
'I'm sorry, Uncle,'Zuko thought to himself. Looking back through his life, the man had been more of a father to him than Ozai had ever attempted – even before Lu Ten was killed. He had never seen Zuko as an embarrassment or a burden, or a failure…even when Zuko could see himself as nothing more. And even after all of those times Zuko had protested, argued, shouted, and lost his temper, Uncle Iroh had still been patient with him.
He had always been right…always known exactly what to say.
Metal screeched against the warped mount as he pulled each sword from the wall. It would be fitting for these swords to help him face Azula. Carefully, he slid them into his sheathe. He turned from the empty mount and stepped towards the door, taking only a moment to glance over the silently watching faces before heading back to the main hallway. A guard walked the corridor, not acknowledging Zuko as he passed.
"Where's my sister?" he asked quietly. The guard turned and spoke.
"In the courtyard, sir," he replied. Zuko turned and headed back down the staircase to the foyer. He crossed the room and went straight back towards the large glass patio doors. They were open already, the warm daytime air wafting through the hallway as he got closer. A burst of blue exploded outside, and he knew it was her.
The sudden sunlight caused him to squint, placing a hand over his eyes to shade them. Azula dodged a swift fireball from the opposing guard and shot a blast back his way. He fell backwards, but regained his footing. Azula jump-kicked, flame spewing from the limb to the ground as her foot cut across his shoulder. The guard fought to keep his balance, but she quickly knocked his legs from beneath him, and he crashed to the ground, barely rolling in time to dodge her blast of blue flames. Hands rose in surrender, and Azula dropped her stance with disappointment as the guard stood. Slender fingers brushed the dark chocolate bangs from her face, a couple of strands catching in the band of her eye patch. She turned towards the patio.
"Well, if it isn't Zuko," she said, approaching him. "I was beginning to wonder what happened to you. After your fleet returned and the captain told me you had gone to shore alone, I didn't know what you were up to. For a minute, you had me convinced you had gone crawling back to them." She sat down at the patio table, the red-and-gold trimmed umbrella shading her from the sun's harsh beams. "But I'm glad to see you back, ZuZu. Why don't you have a seat? And a glass of wine," she added, gesturing to the nearby servant.
"I didn't come here to talk, Azula," Zuko said sternly. Azula looked at him with a somewhat quizzical glance.
"Well then, why did you come here, Zuko?" she asked, raising her glass to red lips.
"I came here to get even," he said. "I came here to fight you." Lips curled into a smile as she took a sip of the bittersweet maroon liquid. She set the glass down and stood.
"Get even?" she finally replied.
"For hurting my friends. For killing Uncle Iroh, and Aang," he said, a hand resting on the hilt of his broadswords.
"Zuko, they weren't your friends," she laughed. "They were using you – they didn't care about you. And Iroh was a traitor – he got what he deserved."
"Shut up!" he fused. "He might have been a traitor, but he was right. He didn't deserve what you did to him. If anyone did, it would be me, or maybe you." She raised an eyebrow as he continued, the wine glass remaining halfway between pursed red lips and the smooth surface of the table. "And it doesn't matter whether they used me or not. I cared about them. I still do. I never wanted any of this to happen to them, and it's your fault that it did, Azula." He drew his uncle's broadswords with a striking hiss that echoed through the otherwise silent arena.
"Alright then," Azula said, sipping her wine before setting the glass to the table. She stood and brushed the bangs back from her cheek. "Let's play."
Azula jumped back into the arena, and shot a quick blast at Zuko, beginning the battle. Zuko dodged, and the umbrella took the hit. He charged her, dodging left as another burst of blue headed his way. He slid under the next, now just in front of Azula. With a swift movement, he swiped a leg beneath her feet, just missing the target as she jumped over them. She rebounded, sending him backwards and to the dirt. Quickly, he regained his footing, using the dual blades to shield him from her flames. Dodging another quick punch, he ducked and the fireball flew over his shoulder. Azula smirked and sent five quick streaks of blue his way. Zuko managed to dodge the first two, the third deflected with the broadswords. The fourth hit its mark, and he fell backwards to the ground once more, the final blast drifting over his face. Heavy breaths cut through the air and he stood once more.
"What's the matter, Zuko?" she taunted. "You shouldn't pick a fight unless you actually mean to pose a threat." Gritting his teeth, he charged Azula again, dodging sprays of hot embers as he closed the gap. Bare feet propelled from the earth, just over the streak of fire that raced passed. Steel gleamed in the sunlight as the blade cut through the air, leaping down towards his opponent. Azula smirk and easily missed the attack. The other blade cut backwards, slicing through the thick humid air with lightning force. It nicked her cheek as she moved to the side, a thin stream of blood forming beneath a gleaming amber iris. As his feet touched the ground, swift feet kicked them from under him, Zuko collapsing to the ground.
"Hmm," Azula hummed, wiping the trickling line of blood from her cheek. "Not bad Zuko." She turned away and began to increase the distance between them. "I understand you're mad, but am I really the one to pick a fight with?" Zuko sat up, coated in fire singe and dirt. "I mean, yes I did kill the Avatar. But I'm not the one that turned my back on you, am I? Just because I told them you were watching, does that mean that they should assume that you wanted to? You said it yourself, Zuko…you cared about them. And yet they abandoned you and call you a traitor? Some friends, you've got Zuko."
"Shut up, Azula," Zuko said his voice heavy with harsh breaths as he stood. "I don't deserve their forgiveness or their sympathy – I don't want it."
"Don't you?" she laughed. "Then why are you trying to 'get even' with me? You won't get any satisfaction from this humiliation, will you, Zuko?" Zuko's eyes fell to the ground. "So, tell me Zuko is this what you want?" She walked back over to him, deliberate and sincere. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and Zuko tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. "You want to get even with the friends that betrayed you, don't you?"
"I…" Zuko began unsurely. Quickly he readied his weapons. "Stop trying to confuse me, Azula!"
"I'm not trying to, Zuko," she replied innocently. "You're confusing yourself. You're letting your emotional attachments cloud your judgment. I know that you're just trying to figure out how you can gain their trust, and 'getting even' with me is your way of gaining that." Zuko lowered his weapons; for once, it sounded like Azula was actually right. Maybe attacking her was his way to avoid confronting them once again. "Listen, I know that confronting them must be difficult for you, but didn't Uncle Iroh always tell you to face your fears?"
"M'Lady," a guard interrupted from the patio door. "The Avatar's friends have returned. We await your orders."
"…Surrender to them," Azula smirked.
"…Pardon?" the guard replied with uncertainty.
"You heard me," she snapped. "There's no point in you imbeciles getting hurt attempting to capture them. They'll get through anyway. Surrender to them and point them in the direction of the Agni Kai arena. We'll be waiting."
"…Of course, your highness." The guard retreated from sight.
"Now's your chance, Zuko," she said as she walked passed him in the direction of the arena. "Are you going to take it?" She didn't pause for him, but passed through the gate of the courtyard. Zuko hesitated, but followed his sister.
*~*0*~*0*~*0*~*
"…Surrendering?" Sokka said as the guards stood at attention. "You mean, you're just going to let us pass?"
"We have our orders," the commanding officer said with obvious loathing. "We have been instructed by Fire Lord Azula to allow you to pass, and lead you to the Agni Kai arena. However, any resistance and we won't hesitate to use force."
"So…you are surrendering?" Sokka attempted to confirm.
"Sokka, now isn't the time to kid around," Katara said softly as the commander shot him a venomous glare. "Then take us there," she replied to the commander. "We'll accept her challenge." Without another word, the commander led them inside, guards surrounding the group on either side.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Toph said as they approached the arena.
"Tell me about it," Suki replied, cutting her eyes across to the nearby guard. They stopped in front of two heavy steel doors, ornately engraved with two figures that dueled across their surface. An Agni Kai.
"Wait here," the commander instructed as he entered the arena, the door slamming shut behind him. Inside, Zuko stood by Azula and drew his blades as the door opened. The commander entered, and crossed the arena. "They are here, m'lady."
"Excellent," she said. "How many have returned?"
"Five, your highness," he replied.
"Send them in," Azula smirked. The commander bowed, and turned, crossing to the ornate doors once again. They opened with a screech and the commander gestured them in. The group entered, single file and surrounded by a dozen guards. "You are dismissed," she said with annoyance at the guards. The commander once again bowed, and the rest filed out.
"Mai!" Zuko said with an unexpected gasp.
"Zuko?!" Toph exclaimed.
"It would figure you'd be here," Sokka spat. "So now you're protecting her?" Zuko didn't answer. "I'm sorry that I ever trusted you! You're a backstabbing traitor, Zuko. Aang was wrong to ever give you a chance!"
"You hear that, Zuko?" Azula said, facing her brother. "He calls you the traitor."
"You turned your back on me," Zuko replied with Azula's encouragement. "You left me in that prison to rot! You didn't give a damn what happened to me – none of you!"
"Because you let Aang die!" Sokka shouted. "You sat there and watched, knowing what she was doing. Why the hell would we care what happened to you?!" Zuko gritted his teeth and Azula stepped forward.
"Enough talk, Zuko," Azula said softly. "Why don't you show them what the Fire Nation does with traitors like them?" She didn't have to wait. Zuko charged, and she charged beside him. Blue flames sped through the air passed him, the heat fueling his attack, and the group scattered like roaches. Sokka drew his boomerang and whipped it into action before unsheathing his sword. Zuko's blade clashed into the boomerang, deflecting it and it spiraled to the ground nearby with a clatter. A fire-whip shot past him, Suki just barely dodging the attack as it shot passed and singed metal. Mai sprung into the air, flinging her needle-like knives into the action. Azula dodged one, and another sliced into Zuko's bicep with an almost silent hiss. He winced, but the blow didn't slow him.
A blue blaze blasted into the fight, the fire barely vaporizing before it reached where Sokka stood. Steam hissed upward where the water had made contact, and Katara bent the vapor. She let a whip fly, the water slicing through the air and knocking Zuko back to the ground. He stood quickly, the array of knives darting towards him barely missing as he skidded sideways. From his right, Suki approached rapidly, her signature round-house kick hitting its mark. Zuko stood once more, now struggling to keep up his defense against the group. Seeing his chance, Sokka charged. Blue embers shot past, a brief scent of smoke crossing him before Azula intercepted. His weapon flung across the room with a metal clang. She smirked and threw a hard kick to his stomach, and he flew backwards passed Katara.
"Toph, why aren't you helping?!" Sokka yelled over the noise of the battle as he stood. He ducked as another shot of blue streaked overhead.
"Well, for one thing, there's no earth, and I've never bent metal this thick before," she said, pulling her hands up from the bent floor tile. "For another, I'm not fighting him."
"What?!" Sokka exclaimed. "Toph, I know you want to trust him, but he attacked us and he's helping her! We need your help!" Before she could protest he raced back into battle dodging Mai's knives to reach his sword. Zuko attempted to knock Sokka backwards, but Suki jumped in front of the blow, allowing Sokka time. Katara snuck in with a rain of ice shards; frozen needles shot silently through the air, falling downwards over him. Amber eyes widened, and he knew the attack wouldn't miss. Zuko raised his swords to protect his face from the attack as they sliced through cloth and flesh. Taking advantage of the situation, Suki knocked his legs from beneath him. Zuko fell to the cold metal with a thud, the wind catching in his throat. Cool water soaked through tattered clothing and clung to brown locks already drenched with beads of sweat. Another group of daggers flew downward, and Zuko rolled out of the way, narrowly escaping. On shaky limbs, he tried to stand, panting painfully.
"She's getting away!" Toph exclaimed loudly over the battle. The group looked over, and the heavy metal door slammed shut. They all hesitated. Zuko stood closest to the doors, though the group was closing in. She had abandoned him. Left him behind – for dead. He finally understood: her sincerity, her concern – it had all been an act. A sham meant to manipulate him into whatever she wanted.
And he had fallen for it.
The flames burst in front of him, a wall separating himself from the others. Fists clenched, and knuckles whitened around the hilt of his uncle's swords. Heat rippled his vision and crawled across his skin. His grip trembled and he closed his eyes tight. The heavy perfume of singed metal and smoke filled his senses, the heat dancing across his flesh.
"Zuko!" Katara shouted over the crackling roar of the fire. A stream of water attempted to vaporize the flames, hissing as it touched the embers. A tear slip down his cheek, cool against his fire-heated skin. None of it mattered any more. He was a failure. He always failed. Azula had been right – and he'd been a fool to trust her! Azula always lied – he'd known that since his childhood! Always!
"Zuko!" Toph yelled. Eyes darted open and the blaze died down. Black smoke drifted upward from the embers in plumes that stung his eyes. He gazed into his flames, and they billowed back and forth.
Breathe in…breathe out…
Hesitantly, he took a step back, his eyes lifting to the group before him. They stood motionless on the other side, faces illuminated with a warm glow from the dying fire. Before they could react further, he turned on his heel, bolting from the arena.
He was going to take her out.