Day Five: Alternate Universe

NOTE: I am a huge fan of Avatar: the Last Airbender so I was thinking about how to make a Thor/AtLA crossover when I found the perfect opportunity through Zuko and Azula's twisted sibling relationship. The weird thing is that it can work both ways: Thor could be Azula, the favored child while Loki is Zuko, the one viewed as a dishonor/disgrace OR Thor could be Zuko, banished and seeking to restore his honor while Loki was Azula, power-hungry, manipulative and psychotic. So I'm going to work with both these ideas in mind though focus more on the former. The common factor, of course, is that Odin is Ozai, a crap father. It's started out as a sad story but I decided to end on a more hopeful note. So I hope you enjoy this crazy crossover.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"My father says he was born lucky…"

Thor was the golden child, their father's favorite. He was a firebending prodigy whose skills in redirecting lightning were unparalleled. He was loved by all the people in the Fire Nation and was constantly praised for his strength and skill. He was heir to the throne and future ruler of the world, since the Fire Nation had managed to subjugate the other three races during the hundred-year war. The Avatar had disappeared long ago so there was no one who could challenge them. He was destined for greatness.

He was brash and arrogant but essentially well-meaning. He had yet to learn more about the world but he was determined to be a leader his father could be proud of. He wore a cheerful smile to mask the weight of responsibility he felt on his shoulders. Deep down, he was not sure if he would ever live up to everyone's expectations.

And he loved his brother even if he knew that they were not related by blood. He often teased Loki, with no ill will, about the latter's different abilities but he also expressed his admiration at the unique skills of the waterbender. He enjoyed sparring with Loki so that they would both develop their powers. Though Thor did not know the depth of the pain his brother experienced, he tried his best to protect Loki.

"…while I was lucky to be born."

Loki was the outcast, an adopted waterbender child whom Odin had saved after a raid on the Southern Water Tribe. The Fire Lord had believed that raising a waterbender as one of his own would be a symbol of goodwill towards the two tribes and would prevent them from openly opposing him. It was effective, up to a point. But the real reason the Water Tribes had not dared attack the Fire Nation yet was their lack of resources and capabilities and not some strained loyalty to a child who had never been part of their community.

As a waterbender growing up in the Fire Nation, even as part of the royal family, Loki was constantly subject to discrimination and, at times, pure disdain. He wasn't one of them and never would be, no matter how hard he tried to please his father. His was the element of the enemy, even when it gave him healing powers that no firebender would ever be able to possess. Suspicion and mistrust were all he had ever known among the people of the Fire Nation and yet he knew that should he be sent away to his "real" people, he would never belong with the Water Tribes either.

Only Frigga and Thor had ever been kind to him. The queen was always encouraging him to hone his gifts because she believed it was important for him to learn about his heritage and so that the healing powers he possessed would not only cure physical wounds but hopefully begin a reconciliation between the two peoples. She loved him as a son and never made any distinction between him and Thor. Loki loved his mother and was grateful for all that she had done for him.

And Loki loved Thor, even when he was always being compared to the latter and always found wanting. It was painful but he did not blame his brother for it. Loki had grown accustomed to people's narrow-mindedness. Thor's love and acceptance meant more to him than the opinions of everyone else around them. And though he was sometimes envious of his brother, Loki decided that he would simply have to make a name for himself, outside the family's shadow. He was in a unique position, after all. Neither Fire Nation nor Water Tribe, and yet also both. He was determined to make the most of it. And Thor supported him all the way.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Thank you for your faith in me," Loki says gravely.

"You are my brother, that is all that matters," Thor reminds him, "I am lucky to have you by my side."

"As am I. After all, we are the best qualified to show the world that fire and water can coexist in harmony."

"If we work together, there is no end to the wonders we can achieve."

And so it came to pass that through the joint efforts of Thor and Loki, balance was finally restored in the Four Nations and all their noble deeds became legend. So great was their power that they were looked upon as the God of Lightning and the God of Rain. Together they were the perfect storm.