A/N: Here we begin to explore the themes that force Raya to address her Fire block. Can she reconcile her power and freedom?

Chapter V:

Enter the Dragon of the West

"Fire is the element of Power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will."

Uncle Iroh had arrived in the Fire nation only two days after the Demitar had received his response to her message. If the Fire Lord had been upset about his arrival, he didn't show it. While his demeanor at the front doors of the palace was reserved, the moment he laid eyes on the old general, he softened. They exchanged brief hugs and took tea together. Raya was so relieved to see the man that she felt the knot of tension at the base of her neck melt for the first time since she'd arrived, leaving a small sore spot behind.

While she lived in the Earth Kingdom, she had taken tea at Iroh's shop almost every day. She loved the tea, for there was no better quality in the city. No other tea shop poured as much love and genuine appreciation into their work as Iroh did. But she was also incredibly fond of the man. They shared so much in common that Raya was compelled to spend time with him in order to find comfort. He was such a peaceful man, as well as from the Fire Nation, and Raya knew that she could always count on him for sound advice about being a peaceful firebender.

The two of them sat in open expanse, below the stands, of the old Royal Agni Kai arena. It was a place that had gone unused since Zuko's rise to power. Raya wasn't sure that taking away such a long standing tradition from his people was necessary, even if she didn't agree with it. But she could understand his motive behind the dismissal of the sport. He told her once that perhaps one day it would be reestablished, once people could accept an outcome that didn't involve permanent scar tissue.

Tea steamed in a pot between the two firebenders, and Iroh was taking in the aroma with tender consideration. He had insisted that the key to a calm soul and clear thinking was to enjoy well-made tea whenever possible. While the Demitar had mastered firebending at the age of fourteen, over a hundred years ago now, there was no doubt in her mind that she needed to relearn the art. She knew every movement, how to conjure the best flame, and how to control her breathing. But somewhere along the way after her awakening, she had lost her respect for the element.

For months she stood by on her journey with the others and watched, listened, and witnessed the path of destruction it carved. For some reason, recently, when she thought of firebending, she could only picture Azula. Rage, power, and fear; Azula seemed to have become the new definition of the ultimate firebender. A prodigy, Zuko had once called her. Her flames came forth in their blue hue without the touch of a dragon.

"What do those things mean to you?" Iroh asked. Raya snapped out of her train of thought and looked up from her cup of jasmine tea slowly. Her mind was churning as she tried to summon an honest answer.

"Ferocity. Domination . . ." Raya finally said. These were the only things that came to mind now when she was forced to consider the meaning of power and will; bending others to your own will.

"Perhaps in some respects, those are the qualities these words may possess. But you have only listed the negative qualities. These traits have positive energy, too. Desire, will, and power are not exclusively negative."

Raya almost dropped her cup as she thought back to a time, over four years ago when she had told Sokka, 'Firebenders are not inherently evil.' She had defended herself and her element in the face of his accusations, until she witnessed that maybe there was more truth to his words than she dared admit. It was still true, however; firebenders were not inherently evil. She had to maintain that truth.

"In fact, it is the reconciliation of both the positive and negative energy that allows us to firebend. It is the life behind our breath that flows through our chi and extends past the limbs. Perhaps the best way to demonstrate this is to learn to create lightning." Iroh sat his tea cup down and looked toward the Demitar patiently. She must have made a strange face at the notion because Iroh simply gave a laugh.

"I'm sorry, but lightning is a pretty rare skill, isn't it?"

"The royal family would have you think that, because what would we do if every firebender gained the ability to bend lightning?" he replied, his eyes soft. She understood what he meant. It was a suppression tactic. Not to mention that it would cost a fortune to hire a master to train the average firebender to create lightning.

"Zuko can't do it . . ." Raya acknowledged aloud without really meaning to.

"You're right; not just anyone can do it. But perhaps a Demitar touched by a dragon can."

X

"Thank you again, I know we're asking a lot," Zuko said as he and Mai made their way through the Fire Palace. She stood beside him with her usual apathetic demeanor. She had aged slightly since the last time he'd seen her, but who hadn't? Her face had grown sharper, and a bit narrower, but she retained all of the qualities that marked her. The long black hair with two side knots, her disinterested expression, and her slender frame all remained through the years. Zuko had to admit he wasn't really surprised.

"Don't mention it," she said in her never ending monotone. It made it incredibly hard to distinguish when she was being sincere. The Fire Lord decided it was best to assume she meant it and leave it at that.

They finally approached the door that held the Demitar behind it, but when Zuko sought entrance, he found that it was empty. He wasn't upset, however, as he knew that Iroh was most likely with her. They had been working together a lot since the old general's arrival. Zuko had initially been worried about his uncles coming to the capital; there was a lot going on and the Fire Lord felt like he had control over just about none of it. The second he had laid eyes on the old man, his heart felt full to bursting. A wave of relief washed over him and he was grateful for his uncle's presence.

Raya, he had noticed, seemed to be just as happy to see Iroh. She leapt toward him and embraced him as though they were old friends. The truth was that they were close friends, as Raya was a regular patron at his tea house. She had glanced back at Zuko to see how angry he was at her, but the truth was, he wasn't. He was also getting tired of drawing those kinds of reactions from the Demitar. He did it to himself though, and it was something he would have to address when time allowed.

Now was not that time.

"I'm looking for the Demitar. Where is she?" Zuko addressed a guard at the end of the hall. The guard bowed deeply.

"The old Agni Kai arena, My Lord-"

"What?!" was all the Fire Lord could muster as a panic fluttered in his chest. He didn't even give the guard time to finish as he raced off toward the arena. The words Agni Kai always sent a small shiver of discomfort down his spine, but the thought of Raya in the arena made his skin crawl. Mai looked after him, the look in her eyes that of almost boredom.

Zuko rounded corner after corner, his long legs carrying him as fast as they could without breaking into a run. Agni Kai's didn't happen anymore, not under his rule.

Finally he found himself pushing through double doors that lead into the royal arena. It was empty, though his mind flashed with the image of a crowd, and his father standing over him. He was on one of the decks of the arena, and ran to the edge of the balcony that looked down into the pit. There in the center of the arena was Raya, wearing a pair of Fire Nation colored trousers, and a top that was cut off at the sleeves.

Her strong arms were moving gracefully through the air as she practiced motions with the man beside her. Iroh was guiding her, taking the same steps and making the same movements as the Demitar. Zuko's panic had settled immediately as he realized he'd over reacted. The movements that he watched became familiar to him, and he realized in an instant what Iroh was teaching her. Could she really do it? Even after all this time, Zuko still couldn't produce lightning; something he had come to terms with a long time ago.

"She's pretty." Mai's apathetic drone came from behind him. He turned to watch as she joined him. She looked down over the balcony, her arms crossed over her torso casually. Zuko had no idea how to respond to that. He wasn't sure if she was making a genuine observation or prodding him, so he chose to remain silent.

~o~

"In order to create lightning, we must first disrupt the energy in our body by separating the positive from the negative." Iroh moved his hands in a motion that Raya recognized: a move that redirected lightning. Now she had to find it in herself to create it. She struggled with the thoughts of when she would ever use such a tactic, but pushed it from her mind. In this moment she needed to focus on what it represented. Positive and negative. Yin and Yan.

"Follow your chi paths. Feel the energy swirling within your stomach; the point of energies creation." As iroh spoke, he moved through a few motions, and Raya watched in amazement as sparks of electricity began to flicker at his fingertips. "Then, focus on that energy, the good and the bad. And pull it apart. Then, as you allow it to collide back together, guide it out of your body."

A large bolt of lightning erupted from the end of his two pointed fingers and shot off into the atmosphere. Raya watched with admiration, ready to try it herself.

"I'm ready," Raya said as she took the stance Iroh had taught her.

"Remember, you do not control this energy. Only guide it. The positive cannot exist without the negative, and so when you release the two they will rush back together without hesitation. You must be prepared to handle that energy." Iroh stood back as he delivered his warning. Raya merely nodded in acknowledgement.

She sent one hand through the air slowly, feeling the energy in her body; the movement of the chi through every pathway in her body. The other hand made its circle through the air before her next, and she began to feel for the positive and negative. It was difficult at first, as all the energy felt the same. As she reached inward, however, she began to notice the slight differences in the energy swirling within her. She reached for the two energies and began to pull them from each other.

She felt a rush of static building under her skin. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up as she moved her arms a final time to complete the movement. Her eyes were closed in concentration, and she opened them finally to see where she would direct the energy. Once she felt she had done what Iroh had instructed, she released the two energies so that they could come together.

A small explosion sounded at the tips of her extended fingers and she stumbled back. Instead of lightning she had simply produced a cloud of smoke punctuated with a bang. She pulled her arm into her chest and held it as she steadied herself. Heat and soreness radiated up it.

"I couldn't do it . . ." Raya said, trying to hide the defeat in her voice.

"You couldn't do it that time. Try again. And remember, you are guiding the energy only. Not producing it. Breath and try again."

Raya nodded slowly and looked down at her hands as she extended them out before herself. The arm that was sore looked a bit red and irritated. She swallowed and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, a puff of flame emitted from her nostrils. With a new determination, she made the motions again, reaching inward again, and separated the energies again.

As the power traveled up her arm from out of her stomach, she breathed again, and instead of feeling as though she were creating the lightning, she simply let it flow up her arm. There were sparks at her finger tips, and the static feeling returned, covering her entire body. With a cracking sound, some electricity poured from her pointed fingers before blowing up once again.

She stumbled back once more and grabbed her arm. The soreness turned to pain and she looked down at her arm with irritation.

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. It was right there."

"You are hesitating. In firebending, we must think, and calculate. But once we create the fire, we must not hesitate to release that power. I believe we have found the source of your problem."

"I mastered firebending years ago. I know how to firebend. It comes to me without thinking about it."

"But you do think about it. You over think it. I can see it on your face." Iroh was watching her patiently, and she thought for a moment that he was beginning to sound like Aang. The old general seemed to be able to read her like a book; no spiritual connection needed.

"Duel me." She turned quickly to see that the Fire Lord had entered the arena. She looked around and saw a woman with long black hair still high above on the balcony. When had they appeared there? Zuko approached her and Iroh, tossing his shirt off into the dirt revealing the scar that lightning had given him; Azula had given him. His muscles rippled over him, and she had to wonder when he found the time to maintain his physique.

"What?"

"You're frustrated; pulled out of your monk mindset. Duel me as a firebender."

Raya turned to Iroh quickly to see that the old man was deep in thought. As she watched him, he stepped back and nodded to the both of them.

"Fine," Raya said, her agitation growing. Why were they all so insistent upon drawing out the fire within her? She was an excellent firebender, wasn't that enough? Would no one be satisfied until she wielded her power in the face of others? She had no desire to conquer anyone in any sense of the word, and yet it seemed that was all that was asked of her as the Demitar.

"Like you mean it," Zuko said as he took a stance at the other end of the arena. Raya stepped back and took a beginning stance as well. Uncle backed toward the wall and sat, taking up another cup of tea. There was no time that didn't call for a steaming cup of jasmine.

A lengthy inhale was heard simultaneously from both of them, and then Zuko moved forward quickly, cleaving a line of fire through the earth toward her. She moved both of her hands up through the air creating an emerald wall of fire before her. Zuko's fire slammed into the green wall and dissipated. When the wall dropped, she saw the Fire Lord moving quickly toward her.

Two balls of flame erupted toward her and she dodged one while blocking the other, sending herself to the side. She darted around him and leapt over a low line of flame he sent out to trip her up. She was doing it again. Dodging. She had thrown no punches, and could see that Zuko had that knowing look in his eyes. She was proving him right.

'Like I mean it . . .' she thought to herself as she quit backing away and took a firm stance in the dirt. She breathed deeply and let two shots come at her. She blocked the first, then the second before ducking low and sending sweeping wave of flame across the arena. Zuko front flipped over it and shot flame toward her. She twisted out of the flames path and sent her own back.

"With passion, but a clear head. Do not confuse your frustration for power; bend only from the breath," Iroh instructed. To whom she did not know, but she hardly had time to care as Zuko swept waves of low flame toward her to throw her off balance. She resisted the urge to airbend and instead met his flames head on, separating the heat around herself.

Zuko was laying it on thick, and she hardly had any openings to fight back. The fight became real in that moment. It felt like the man she faced was no longer someone with whom she was having a friendly duel, but a challenger; an enemy. A pang of adrenaline hit her, and the acrid taste bloomed in the back of her throat.

Raya took a step back as he leapt toward her and sent out an unbearably strong flame. The continuous stream swallowed her and she felt something break within herself . . .

As it seemed that Raya was overtaken by Zuko's powerful blow, he began to back off. Before he had the chance, though, a massive sphere of green flame erupted from Raya's center, and pushed Zuko's fire rapidly back. The swirling green exploded from her and Zuko was blown back to the other side of the Arena. As he righted himself, two, then three, then four blasts of fire hurtled towards him. He barely had enough time to block all of them before Raya was directly over him.

He raised his hands quickly, but it was too late. She had a flat hand, palm up pointed at his throat. He looked down at her gently and saw eyes that he never had before. They were hard, and devoid of the passive nature that he had always seen there. It was replaced now by unyielding ferocity. She was more powerful than he had ever given her credit for physically. It was hard to know what kind of creature lay beneath the sea of calm.

"You brought forth your power, but sacrificed control," Iroh commented from the side, still sipping his tea gently. "We must strive for balance."

Raya stepped back from Zuko who brushed himself off and looked at her with new eyes. She felt odd under their gaze and straightened herself. The power of her flames still radiated through her body and had to breathe deeply in order to make it dissipate.

"You dueled like . . ."

"Like I meant it."

"Like a firebender."

X

"It's nice to officially meet you," Raya said with a small bow towards the black haired woman. Zuko had informed her earlier that Mai was not a bender, but still incredibly skilled in defense and weaponry. Raya could appreciate a woman that could hold her own.

"Likewise," Mai replied in her usual monotone. This was going to be difficult for Raya to get used to. It was hard to tell when the woman was being genuine. She looked to Zuko for some guidance and he simply picked up the conversation.

"We all know why we're here. It's time to start gathering information on these Loyalists," Zuko said.

"I'll help you, as long as you keep your promise."

"You have my word."

"What promise?"

"Her family will be safe and well taken care of as long as I am the Fire Lord," Zuko said simply. It seemed like an easy enough thing to offer for the Fire Lord. It really only depended on how he defined 'well taken care of.' Raya pushed the thought aside; that was Zuko's problem and business to worry over, not hers.

"I know this is a lot to ask. I have no doubt this will be dangerous," Raya said finally as she observed Mai. If she were unsure or frightened, she didn't betray it.

"I've faced worse things," she said simply. Raya would never know how true that really was. Being one of the Fire Princess' best friends took its toll.

"We don't know much about them other than what we have gathered from Huein. Where they meet now is beyond his knowledge, so our first move is to make it into one of their meetings," Zuko said.

"And by 'we' you mean 'me.'" Mai leaned against the desk in Zuko's office casually.

"Right."

"Mother has heard whispers from a few customers that are supporters of the group. I don't think it will be hard to find out where they're meeting." Raya watched Mai with careful eyes and thought the girl looked rather fragile. She was sure that in certain airs she, too, seemed like a fragile individual; something she had proved to the Fire Lord only hours ago was not the case. Perhaps she wasn't giving Mai enough credit. It tugged at her, though, to know that they were sending this girl into the lion's den alone.

"Once you have solid information, let us know." Zuko glanced at Raya as he spoke. Raya's heart fluttered a bit at the word 'us'.

"Will do," Mai said.

"It's time to end this," Zuko said, his eyes looking off absently. Everything was finally in motion for years of stress, anxiety, and caution to be put to their end.

A/N: Things are starting to build and we are on the precipice of confrontation with the Loyalists. Raya will discover their true leader, and comes face to face with someone from her very distant past (from the era of Fire Lord Sozin). Stay tuned as the Demitar's path unfolds, and as always reviews are genuinely appreciated. I hope everyone is still enjoying.

Next Chapter: The Loyalists