Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Last Airbender.
Bodyguard of Azula
Chapter 8: Zuko in command
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Bijū/spirit talking"
"Bijū/spirit thinking"
(Location: Earth Kingdom)
Zuko and Iroh rode on the ostrich horse in silence. It had been more than a week since Zuko learned how to redirect lightning. They decided to head back to the western coast of the Earth Kingdom to avoid Azula and Naruto. Going after the Avatar was the farthest thing from their minds now.
"Are you alright, nephew?" Iroh asked, noticing that he was unnaturally silent.
Zuko had been staring straight ahead in a trance. His uncle's question snapped him out of it. "Huh? What?" he asked, blinking his eyes. The sound of waves crashing against the shore filled his ears momentarily.
"I asked if you were alright."
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered. "I just have a lot on my mind." He briefly wondered if that was an understatement.
"You've been acting like this ever since you back from the storm. What happened out there?"
He didn't really know how to put it. How could anyone say that they had met the Dragon King? "I just…ran into someone I wasn't expecting," he said, the waves fading away somewhat in his ears.
"Oh? Who was it?" asked a curious Iroh.
"I can't say." He just couldn't find the right words for it.
His uncle was silent for a few minutes. "Very well, if you do not wish to tell me, I will not ask," he finally said. It was none of his business to intrude on something his nephew didn't wish to talk about.
"Thank you, Uncle," Zuko said. He stopped the ostrich horse. As they got down, he reached for the map. "Anyway, we're low on supplies and the only town that is nearby is the Fire Nation colony of Akawan." He turned to face his uncle. "Should we risk it?" They could be found out and having word sent to Azula.
"Perhaps we should. It would to be nice to be back in civilization for a little while," Iroh said, already wondering if the colony had any good tea. Zuko put the map away and they climbed back on the ostrich horse.
An hour later, they arrived at Akawan. The colony was important to the Fire Nation. While Yu Dao made the finest metals, Akawan was the Fire Nation's access into the Earth Kingdom. It was their most important harbor, not just for the military, but also for trade.
Zuko and Iroh rode through the city gate, keeping their faces hidden from the guards, and headed into a nearby market. "Perhaps it is best if I went for the supplies," Iroh said as they dismounted. "People won't recognize another old man in the market."
Zuko wanted to argue, but he could see the logic . So, he nodded in agreement and let his uncle leave to get the supplies. Left alone, Zuko just watch the crowd go by. As he watched several people greet one another, he couldn't help but reminisce. "This all reminds me of the day we actually met Naruto."
(Flashback)
"Uncle, can we go talk to the stranger now?" Zuko asked Iroh as he left the room where the stranger was. "He's been cooped up in that room for over a day." They were all getting impatient (even Azula, despite repeatedly denying the claim).
Before Iroh could answer, they heard a voice from behind the door. "Shouldn't you be asking me that question?" Stepping away from the door, Iroh revealed Naruto. The clothes he originally wore were ruined, so he had to borrow some of Zuko's clothes. The shirt looked a bit loose and big on him.
"You're up after only a day in bed?" Zuko asked, surprised. He would've thought more time was going to be needed.
"I heal quickly," Naruto lied easily. Like he was going to tell his secret to a couple of people he just met and introduced himself. "In any case, my name is Naruto Uzumaki."
"Oh, right. I'm Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation. Come on, everybody else wants to meet you." He ran off and Naruto followed. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee had been waiting in the backyard when he came running out of the house. "He's awake!"
Ty Lee hopped up from where she was sitting. "Then where is he?" she asked excitedly.
"Right here," Naruto stated, appearing behind Zuko.
He jumped at his voice. "Whoa! Don't sneak up on people like that!" he protested. That had really surprised him.
The blonde laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized, scratching the back of his head.
Azula and the girls took a long look at the newcomer. Like Azula had said, his hair was blonde, his eyes were blue, and he had whisker-like birthmarks on his face. But what she didn't mention was the fact that his eyes were the kind of blue that put the ocean to shame or that the color of his hair almost seemed to be the same color of the sun or that the whiskers were almost begging to be touched.
They had different reactions. Mai just ignored him, Ty Lee openly ogled him, and Azula had a look of disinterest. "Well, what's your name?" she asked.
"It's Naruto Uzumaki. Are you Azula?" he asked her, trying to be friendly.
"That's Princess Azula to you, peasant," she snapped at him. Didn't he know the proper terms of respect?
He was a little offended by those words but moved on. "Thanks for getting me out of the water. I might have died if it wasn't for you."
She turned away to hide a faint blush, the only person who saw it was Iroh. "Whatever," she said curtly.
"Okay then, ignoring the rather rude princess over there—"
"Excuse me?" she demanded, whipping her head back to look at him. For a moment, it felt like everything had gone silent.
He turned to look at her. "You heard me; you were rather rude. Do I have to put in deaf as well?" he asked, mockingly sarcastic.
"You shut your mouth, peasant!" How dare he talk to her like that? She was a princess!
"Make me, you arrogant little—"
At that point in the conversation, they both were whacked in the head by Iroh. "Both of you are being rude," he told them sternly. "Now apologize."
"Sorry," Azula muttered. She didn't really mean it, but she wasn't going to let her uncle know that.
"Sorry back," the blonde said. He noticed that Ty Lee was ogling him. "Uh…is there something on my face?" If there was, he was going to be really embarrassed.
"No, you're just really cute!" she chirped.
"W-what?" he asked, shocked as he began to blush.
"You heard me, you're really cute," she repeated herself.
"Not really, no. I'm not that cute," he denied. He was just ordinary. None of the girls back in Konoha had ever paid attention to him (then again, they had all been paying attention to Sasuke).
"This boy will have the girls flocking to him if he keeps that attitude," Iroh noted. If they gave him a few years, he would go from cute to handsome and if he kept that attitude, the girls wouldn't be able to leave him alone.
The acrobat paused suddenly. "Hm, that's strange. You have two auras."
"I'm sorry?" Naruto asked, confused. "What do you mean by 'auras?'"
Zuko decided to help. "Ty Lee thinks she can see people's auras and can tell their emotions from the color," he explained. Personally, he was a bit skeptical about the whole idea.
"I don't think," she objected. "I know I can see auras and you have two of them." She pointed at Naruto to emphasize her point.
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," he told her. "Kyūbi, I don't know how you're going to do it, but stop making her notice you!" he told the fox. He didn't know if the Kyūbi did it, but he wasn't focusing on that right now.
"Just let it go, Ty Lee," Mai told her. "You're making him uncomfortable." She could see and she knew her friend could see it too. The difference was that she knew Ty Lee would try to press the issue. That was why she decided to intervene.
The acrobat gave a huff and began to pout. "Fine," she grumbled, a little annoyed at the lost chance.
Naruto turned to Mai. "Thanks for that. You are…?" He trailed off, waiting for an answer.
"Mai," she stated simply. After a couple of seconds, it was clear that was all she was going to say to him.
"So where are you from?" Zuko asked, deciding to keep the conversation going. "You don't look like you're from the Bending Countries."
"Dum-Dum's right, where are you from?" Azula asked the blonde. Her words, however, made her brother mad.
"Don't call me that, Azula!" he shouted at her. She just ignored him, focusing on the stranger. That just made him madder.
"I am from somewhere else," Naruto told them, trying to stop the fight before it began.
"So why did you come here?" she asked with genuine curiosity.
"Because I wanted to," he told her, deflecting the question. He didn't want to answer that question and he wasn't going to.
Before she could press him, Iroh stepped in. "That's enough introductions. How about some tea?" he suggested with a small grin. After a little groaning, everyone did take a cup of tea.
(End Flashback)
As Zuko watched the crowd, time seemed to slip away. So, it didn't feel long to him when he saw Iroh walking back to him. "Did you get everything we need?" he immediately asked. It looked like it, with all the bags his uncle was carrying.
"Yes, but there is a slight problem," Iroh told him. "The gate closed a few minutes after we came in. We will have to stay the night."
He gritted his teeth. "Agni!" he swore. That wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to be in and out of Akawan once they had the supplies. He didn't want to stay in a place where they could be easily found. It was too risky.
"Calm yourself, Zuko. I have taken measures and got us rooms at an inn for the night." Iroh began to walk down the street. "Follow me."
Zuko took the reins of the ostrich horse and followed as they walked through the street, trying to avoid people's gazes. "When does the gate open in the morning?"
"So impatient, nephew," his uncle said with a chuckle . "Don't you want to enjoy a bit of the city life?" He gestured to the people around them. They were all going somewhere and the paces they took were varied. But there was a kind of energy among them. It wasn't visible, but it was there.
"Uncle, please remember that this is a Fire Nation colony and we're fugitives." They couldn't afford to stay here. "If someone recognizes us, Azula will be notified. And your idea of city life would be to find the nearest tea shop and drink every kind of tea the shop has." When Iroh said nothing in his defense, he groaned and put his head in his free hand. "How close is it?"
Iroh looked at him. "What do you mean?" he asked with an innocent expression that they both knew was faked.
"How close is the tea shop to the inn?"
"Oh, it's right next to it." Zuko took a deep breath to calm himself down. "I am just wondering if they have a different kind of tea from the ones we are used to."
"Fine," he said. He wasn't going to win this agreement. "Just promise me that you won't be so critical about their tea. That way, we can avoid another debacle like the one three years ago."
Three years ago, when Zuko had just started on his quest for the Avatar, they had docked at a new Fire Nation colony. After restocking the supplies, the entire crew went to a tea shop to relax. Iroh had taken one sip of the tea and spat it out. He demanded to see the owner and when said owner appeared, the Dragon of the West proceeded to chew him out about his lack of knowledge on tea. The local military arrived and attempted to arrest Iroh. The crew stopped their attempt, and the end result was a brawl in the tea shop. They had to flee back to the ship when reinforcements showed up.
His uncle winced. "Are you ever going to forget about that?"
"You almost had us arrested over one bad cup of tea!" Zuko said in an accusing tone. If they had been caught, it would've been an embarrassment! "Can you imagine the scandal that would have reached my father back home? He would have ordered our execution!"
"And yet, we all managed to get back to the ship safely," Iroh pointed out. "It was also one of the few times that you and Lieutenant Jee worked together. The two of you were the last ones to get on the ship." They had made sure everyone else had gotten on first.
He fell silent, remembering the lieutenant and the crew. The last time he had heard of the crew was that they had been conscripted into Zhao's foolhardy siege of the Northern Water Tribe. "…Do you think they made all it out of the siege?" he asked.
"It's possible, since Naruto showed up and ordered everyone to return to the ships," his uncle admitted. "But beyond that…I don't know." They arrived at the inn and once they had put the supplies and ostrich horse away, they quickly went to bed.
He knew where he was. He was on Ember Island. He could by the fact that the nearby beach was the one he used to play on as a child. In fact, he saw himself as a little boy ran by and onto the beach. "Such a carefree life you once lived," a voice spoke out, echoing around him.
He turned around to look for the person who spoke. Even though he didn't see who it was, he knew that voice. "Lord Bahamut?" he said aloud.
He heard a deep chuckle for a response. "From calling me a coward to calling me Lord Bahamut," the voice mused. "What brought this about?"
"Well, I don't think it's every day one talks to the Dragon King," he explained, feeling a little sheepish about it all. "And I apologize about what happened on the mountaintop."
"Don't worry about it. I won't hold it against you."
Zuko watched as his younger self tried to build a sandcastle. "Why am I watching this?" he asked. He was a little confused.
"So, you can understand something. Your uncle told you that there is energy everywhere."
"So? What does an attempt to generate lightning have to do with a childhood memory?" There wasn't any connection that he knew of. It just made him even more confused.
"Every Firebender who has been able to generate lightning has always taken energy from the same place. There are other ways to generate lightning. Look over there." Despite not actually seeing a finger pointing in a direction, Zuko knew where to look. He turned to look at the cliff wall and saw, standing against it, was the Blue Spirit.
"What the…What's he doing here?" He wasn't supposed to be there. He didn't even exist until Zuko had already been hunting for the Avatar for two years.
"He's a clue, just like your younger self is a clue. Find out what they mean and learn what they can teach you," the voice of Bahamut told him.
He woke up to the sound of bells ringing throughout the colony. "What's going on?" he asked Iroh, leaping out of his bed.
"I don't know. But I know that those are the warning bells!" he replied, getting out of his bed as well. Whenever those kinds of bells went off, it usually meant that the colony or city was being attacked.
Zuko grabbed his swords and secured them across his back. "Come on, we need to know what's going on." His uncle nodded in agreement.
The two of them ran out of the inn only to find pandemonium was running wild. People were screaming and fleeing deeper into the city, trying to get away from something. "What's going on?" Zuko asked a nearby person, grabbing hold of him.
"It's General Fong's army. They're attacking the colony!" he screamed. He broke free and followed the crowd. Soldiers were trying to coordinate the masses with limited success.
"Get to the shelters!" somebody, a soldier and a Firebender, judging by his armor and lack of weapons, ordered the people. Some of them listened to his words and changed course, heading to where the shelters presumably were. Others were caught by the change of flow and were brought along while the rest just ran away.
As they ran, a nearby house collapsed. Earthbenders appeared and began to attack the civilians. Nearby Fire Nation soldiers engaged them, but they weren't well coordinated. They were slowly being pushed back (but the civilians did manage to get away). Zuko didn't waste any time and joined the fight. He drew his swords and saved a nearby Firebender, stabbing his attacker in the chest and then beheaded him.
As he fought, Iroh grabbed the nearest soldier to him. "Who's in charge here?" he asked the man urgently.
"I don't know, sir!" the soldier replied. "They went after the higher ranked officers first! We've been given no orders, so we don't know what to do!" It was obvious that the man was close to panicking and running away. He was terrified and didn't know what to do.
"Keep it together, son!" he barked out, He looked at the rest of the Fire Nation soldiers. "All Firebenders, break up the enemy troops, don't let them keep formation! All Nonbender troops get in close and push them back!" he ordered, old and familiar authority coming back into his voice.
"Who are you to give orders!?" a nearby soldier asked. To them, he was just an old man who just started giving orders.
"My name is Iroh." With those words, the entire street fell silent. Everyone there (except for his nephew) stared at him. As they did, the soldiers of the Fire Nation began to hold hope in their hearts again.
"It's the Dragon of the West!" an Earthbender cried out. The Earth Kingdom soldiers didn't feel hope when they heard those words. They felt fear, having heard of the infamous son of Fire Lord Azulon. Iroh simply smiled amusingly as the Earth Kingdom soldiers began to falter.
Zuko took advantage of the silence. "You heard the general!" he shouted, using his uncle's old rank. "PUSH THEM BACK!" The Fire Nation soldiers bellowed in agreement and charged their enemy, the fact that one of their nation's war heroes was there drove them forward.
"Uncle, we're going to need reinforcements," he said, looking over at the Dragon of the West. "Can you go find someone to do that?"
"That is sound thinking, nephew," Iroh complemented him before heading quickly down the open street, away from the battle.
"You're his nephew!?" a nearby soldier asked , staring at his face in surprised realization. The attention of everyone there now turned to him "You're—!"
"No time for that, soldier!" Zuko told him, cutting him off. "We've got a job to do!" His voice seemed to swell in volume as authority he didn't think was his came forth.
He attacked the Earthbenders again and the soldiers of the Fire Nation joined him. The tactics that Iroh had issued worked for them. The enemy's Earthbenders tried to separate the Firebenders and Nonbenders by bending a wall between them. However, because they were being attacked, it wasn't a large wall, only a few scant feet long. It didn't stop the Fire Nation soldiers for long. Some of them went over the wall, some went around, and some followed Zuko's example and burst through the wall via Firebending.
Eventually, they weren't sure how it took them, but the Fire Nation soldiers pushed them back to the city gate. There Zuko saw that the four other streets were fighting as well. Reinforcements for the Earth Kingdom army were coming through the gate, filling the square beyond. They were coming in fast, and their ranks seemed to swell.
"Sir!" cried a soldier as he ran up to Zuko. "We've just received news from command. General Iroh has dispatched the Yuyan Archers to the gate as well as some cavalry. It'll take some time for the cavalry to get here, but the archers are coming in fast from the rooftops!"
He nodded in acknowledgement, glad to hear that. "Tell the Yuyan Archers I want them to stay up there. Have them thin out the enemy's numbers in the other streets, so the troops can push through! After that, have them get onto the walls and aim for the reinforcements!"
"Yes, sir!" said the soldier before saluting and running off.
The rest of them began to look at him with questioning looks. He realized that they had unconsciously looked to him orders. "What are your orders, sir?" another soldier asked him.
"I want you men to assist the other streets. Attack the enemy from behind so they have to deal with attacks from two directions," he ordered. Then he pointed at a small group of Firebenders. "Except for you lot. You will follow my lead," he told them as the rest of the soldiers split off to attack the other streets.
"What are we going to do, sir?" one of the Firebenders asked.
He sheathed his swords, not caring if they were bloody. "Something incredibly stupid."
He charged directly at the city gate, bending fire into his palms, and letting it cover his hands. He attacked the incoming reinforcements with full use of his Firebending. After a moment of hesitation, the soldiers followed him, bellowing war cries and bending fire. The gate was narrow, which helped them tremendously. It forced the enemy soldiers to come at them piecemeal, unable to overwhelm them with superior numbers. Even when they fell, they still fought on.
And they held out long enough. "Get out of the way, boys!" a nearby soldier yelled. "The rhinos are coming through!"
They pulled back into the colony and out of the way of the cavalry. They came through and smashed into the enemy troops. Already weary from being blocked by Zuko and the Firebenders, they fell back into a retreat.
Amidst the chorus of victory cheers coming from the soldiers, Zuko was found by the leader of the Yuyan Archers. "General Iroh wants you at the command center, sir," he told the exiled prince.
Zuko nodded and followed the archer, leaving the gate, the square, and the soldiers behind. "How bad is it?" he asked. He had briefly seen that the other streets which had been blocked off were free and any Earth Kingdom that remained was corpses. But that wasn't the only thing that caught his attention. Many of the surrounding buildings, built with red and green colors that didn't conflict with one another, had been damaged in the attack. Not a lot were completely ruined, but there were some that had completely collapsed.
"Casualties were surprisingly light," the archer replied. "But I don't think that what General Fong had in mind. Every officer the rank of colonel or above was killed. My guess is he went after them first to spread confusion within our ranks."
"Then it's a good thing General Iroh was here," he commented. If his uncle hadn't been here, it might've been a lot worse.
The archer stopped and turned to face him. "I have heard some of the soldiers talk about how the General called you his nephew. Is it true?" He kept silent, so the archer turned back around and continued walking. "I will not push you for answers, but I must warn you. If you are his nephew, then don't expect a warm welcome here."
"What do you mean?" Zuko asked. Those words were cryptic and didn't make much sense. But the archer stayed silent and so they continued walking until they reached at the command center, a building that looked unimportant, but stood in the center of the colony. Iroh stood outside waiting for them.
"Here he is, General," the archer said, saluting. "If you'll excuse, I must get back to my men."
"Thank you, Lieutenant Bao-yu. You may go," Iroh told him. He saluted again and left.
As the archer left, Zuko faced his uncle. "That was good timing on your part, Uncle," he said, relief coating his words. "The rhinos arrived just in time." He hadn't been sure how much longer he and the group of Firebenders would've lasted.
"Hmm, from some of the reports I've been getting, they probably weren't needed. The enemy was already outside the colony when they arrived," Iroh replied with a pointed look at his nephew.
"I did what I had to do." He looked at the building that held the command center. It didn't look like a command center, but perhaps that was the point. "How many officers did you have to go through in order for them to believe your identity?"
Iroh gave a smile. "Actually, I only had to talk to one person, and he allowed me to take command immediately," he said with an amused laugh.
"Who was he?" He would've thought the officers would try to override his uncle's orders and imprison him at the earliest opportunity.
"A familiar face to be honest, you know him as well." He led Zuko into the building, walking through the corridors of the place.
When they reached the map room, Iroh opened the door and Zuko's eyes widened in surprise. "Lieutenant Jee!" he blurted out, looking at the man's back.
Lieutenant Jee turned to see who was at the door. "Well, at least we know who was leading the soldiers at the gate," he simply stated.
"You made out of the siege!" Zuko said as he walked into the room. He was happy to see the man again, he was just still surprised.
"Yes sir, me and the crew. Although it's not lieutenant anymore, it's captain."
"You've been promoted?" He knew it was an obvious and rhetorical question. But he asked it anyway.
The new captain nodded. "My promotion was given when our ship docked in the harbor and we reported to the commanding officer. But given the present circumstances, I think it's safe to say that I am currently the highest-ranking officer in the colony of Akawan." He made it sound like it was something horrible.
"What of the mayor?" He didn't know much of the Akawan mayor. But what he did know was that the man had served in the military before retiring to the colony.
"He was killed as well." He turned to face Iroh. "General Iroh, given the circumstances, I think it would be best if you took command." If it was known that the Dragon of the West was in command, he was sure the Earth Kingdom general would hesitate in attacking again.
Iroh shook his head. While he could see what the man had been thinking of, he could also see a flaw in the plan. "Besides you, Captain Jee, no one here has served under me and they have all heard of what happened at Ba Sing Se. They'll question my orders because of that." And they did not need that.
"Then who do you think should lead, sir?" he asked.
He stood silent as he thought it over. "Hmm…perhaps it would be best if Zuko leads," the Dragon of the West finally said.
"What!?" said both Jee and Zuko in surprise.
"No doubt, stories about the person who effortlessly took command in the streets and retook the city gate with only a handful of soldiers are already spreading. If we say that he has taken command until reinforcements arrive, then the soldiers would be pleased," he explained.
"But sir, the soldiers have also heard that the Dragon of the West is here and so is his nephew. There is a good chance that it will have the opposite effect if we announce that he has taken command," Jee argued.
"It is a chance that we will have to take. Go tell the remaining officers and have them inform the soldiers," Iroh ordered. Jee saluted and left the room.
"Uncle, why would my being in command be a problem with the soldiers?" asked Zuko as they heard the captain's footsteps fade away. He never knew any soldier of the Fire Nation to have any problem with him.
"It is something I learned when I arrived. The entire military force in the colony of Akawan is composed of the 41st division," his uncle told him grimly.
He went still at those words. The 41st division. It was the division that was the discussion of that fateful meeting, the division that he had spoken in defense for, and it was the division that earned him the scar on his left eye. Most of the officers of the 41st division had been transferred to other divisions within the Fire Nation military, leaving it with officers that have no political ambition. Consequently, the 41st Division became a dumping ground for Fire Nation officers who fell out of favor with the Fire Lord.
"…Perhaps it's best if we got some rest. It does not look like we will be leaving the colony soon," Iroh suggested. Zuko nodded numbly in agreement. He left and was able to find a room with a bed before falling asleep.
He wasn't on Ember Island this time. Thus time he stood in the center of the Agni Kai chamber in the Royal Palace. "So you're in command of a division now," a voice spoke out. Turning his head, he saw the Blue Spirit was standing on one end of the chamber floor. "Congratulations." His voice sounded like it was both sarcastic and angry at something.
"Don't listen to him!" another voice cried out. It was coming from the other end of the chamber floor. This time, when he turned his head to see who was talking, he saw himself as a little boy. "You should be glad that they put you in charge, they must think you're quite something."
"Or they're so bloody desperate that they'll put anyone in charge," the Blue Spirit growled.
"If that's true, then why isn't Uncle Iroh in charge?" his younger self challenged.
"Uncle said it himself. Men do not want to follow a disgraced leader." He turned his gaze on Zuko. "Which is exactly what you are, you coward."
"No he's not! You leave him alone"
"He's going to have to choose sooner or later! I say we force his hand and make him chose now!"
Zuko decided to open his mouth. "What do I have to choose? What are you two talking about?" he asked the two of them. What they said made no sense. They both looked at him and opened their mouths, but nothing came from them.
As he was awoken by the morning bells, he quickly got out of the bed. As he stretched and finished waking up, the door to the room opened and Bao-yu entered. "Sir, General Iroh asks if you would like to join him for tea this morning along with breakfast," the Yuyan Archer told him. He was in civilian clothes and did not have the face paint on.
Finished with his stretching, he went over to the wardrobe and began to get dress, pulling out clothes that were plain, but functional. "Did he specify where I should meet him?" he asked. For all he knew, Iroh was out in the colony hunting for good tea.
"There is a room adjacent to the kitchen. He will meet you there."
"Thank you." He stepped away from the wardrobe, fully clothed. "Care to join us?" he offered. It would've been rude not to extend the offer.
"The general has already made the offer. I've accepted," the lieutenant told him. "If you would please follow me…" They walked out of the room.
"Lieutenant, may I ask you something?" Zuko asked the archer as they walked.
"What is it you want to know?"
"Why do you wear the ancient symbol for fire? I thought that only the Paragons knew of those symbols." It was something that made him curious.
"…Do you know the history of the Yuyan Archers?" the lieutenant asked him as they passed a few soldiers on a staircase.
"No, I'm afraid not," Zuko admitted, avoiding eye contact with the soldiers as they passed. He didn't know what the situation was right now with them, so he tried to be cautious.
"According to our history, the first Yuyan Archers were trained by the first Paragon of the Fire Nation. The Paragon was a hunter at first and was gifted with both the bow and the sword. In the later years of his life, he began to pass on his teachings of the bow to those who wished to learn. They became the first Yuyan Archers. We wear the ancient symbol for fire as well as the face paint to show who it was that taught us in the beginning," Bao-yu explained.
"The face paint, how does that symbolize the first Paragon?"
"Much like you, sir, the first Paragon had been burned by fire. But instead of one eye being burned, both eyes were burned. Over the years, the face paint has been formalized but it still represents where the Paragon had been burned."
Zuko stayed silent for a second. "Does Naruto know of your relationship with the Paragons?" he finally asked.
Bao-yu nodded. "When a new Paragon is named, we swear our allegiance to them. A Yuyan Archer is loyal to the Paragon first and the Fire Nation second."
"So if Naruto told you to go attack Ba Sing Se…?" He left the question hanging.
"We would be on the boat leaving for the Earth Kingdom within minutes," the archer answered without hesitation. "Is that all?"
"Yes." They walked into the room and went over to the table where Iroh was sitting. "Uncle," he greeted.
"Nephew," Iroh greeted in return. "And Lieutenant Bao-yu, please sit." They sat down. As soon as they did, servants came in, carrying food and tea "So, Prince Zuko, what are you planning to do this day?"
He thought it over as he ate. "I'm going to the walls and examine the defenses as well as the surrounding land before visiting the barracks," he finally decided.
"You're not going to take the time to relax?" his uncle asked with a look of surprise that everyone knew wasn't real.
He frowned. "Uncle, you've put me in command of a colony and a military force. I won't have time to relax."
"Spoken like a true leader of men," the Dragon of the West said with approval. That had been the right thing to say.
"I recommend you been careful when visiting the barracks," Bao-yu told Zuko. "Three years ago, the 41st division was about to be deployed to the front lines when a messenger came. He announced that because of the prince's actions, the 41st were regulated to defending the colonies indefinitely. Some of them blame you for that."
"…I see" He finished his tea and his breakfast before getting up. "Then I better get to work." He stepped away from the table and walked out of the room.
Both Iroh and Bao-yu stayed and continued to have breakfast. "Does the Fire Lord know of what has happened?" Iroh asked, being all business.
"A messenger hawk was sent after the attack last night," Bao-yu answered. "Reinforcements will be here within six days."
"Hopefully, Zuko will be able to defend the colony that long." He prayed to Agni that his nephew would be able to do so. "If General Fong is really as good as some of our soldiers say, then six days is not something we can afford."
"I'm more concerned with how the soldiers treat him." If things went badly, things might become bloody.
He walked along the wall, taking in the surrounding land. As he looked at everything that surrounded the colony, he tried to think how it would work for him. As that thought crossed his mind, he was reminded of something else that happened on Ember Island.
(Flashback)
Zuko stood in front of the backyard with his Sifu, Piandao. "You want me to manipulate the backyard to my advantage?" he asked, just to be sure. Piandao just nodded.
"What's the matter, Zuzu?" Azula called out. "Can't do it? I guess this means you're not that good at swords either, Dum-Dum!"
Zuko turned around and scowled at her. Then he noticed where she was standing. "Sifu, what if my advantage was to help someone else on the battlefield?"
"It is the same thing. It is your advantage," Piandao told him.
Zuko then motioned Naruto to come over. He whispered something in his ear and they both had mischievous grins on their faces. Zuko moved two big rocks in front of a tree. Naruto then ran up to and jumped from said rocks to land on the tree. He jumped to another tree that had a branch hanging over the house. He landed on the house and knocked over the bucket that was up there on purpose. The bucket tipped and spilled it contents onto Azula, completely soaking her.
Zuko grinned at a wet and stunned Azula. "What was that about not being able to do it?"
(End Flashback)
"That was one of the few times I got Azula," he remembered fondly. He heard the midday bell ring. It had taken him most of the morning to look at the defenses. He headed down the stairs to the colony and decided that before he looked for a place to eat, he should visit the barracks.
As he walked through the streets, generally avoiding peoples' gazes, he ran into Jee. "Captain," he said in greeting, saluting him.
"Prince Zuko," Jee replied, returning the salute. "Are you heading somewhere in particular?"
"I was going to the colony barracks."
Just by listening to those words, the captain knew it was not going to be an easy visit. "If you'll allow me, sir, I'll take you to it," he offered.
He was relieved to hear that. He hadn't had any idea where the barracks were and his plan to get to them had amount of walking around until he found it. "Thank you. Please lead the way." They started to walk down, staying clear of other people. "What's my Uncle doing?" he asked as they walked.
"He's found some of the old crew and is playing Pai Sho with them," Jee told him, a little amused at the idea.
He shook his head. "Will they ever learn?" They had been on the same ship with his uncle for three years and every time they play Pai Sho against him, they lost, badly.
"In their defense, the last time I checked they lasted longer," the captain said in reply, defending their motives.
Zuko chuckled at that. He found that to be slightly funny. Theirs was a hopeless situation and yet, they kept coming back for more. But his chuckle faded away as they kept walking through streets of Akawan. Doubts began to fill his mind, making him begin to wonder. "They will never accept you," the voice of the Blue Spirit hissed inside his head, acting on those doubts. "You should make an example of them, humiliate them."
"No, you shouldn't," his younger self warned him. "Put yourself on your knees and ask for forgiveness. Apologize for your actions."
"He would have you choose the path of a coward!" the Blue Spirit told him with a harsh voice.
"And he would have you be a tyrant!"
"Just what are you two?" he asked, wanting to know the answer to that question.
"I thought it was obvious," Young Zuko said. "I am the one who stands in the light with hope and determination."
"And I am the one who stands in the darkness with rage and hatred."
"You two are…different parts of me," he realized. "You're two parts of the same coin." They didn't respond which, to Zuko, meant he was right. Then he saw what he was standing in front: Akawan's military barracks.
"Are you ready, sir?" Jee asked him as they look at the barrack's gate.
"Let's go," he simply said.
They walked through the gate and onto the training ground. As they walked in, the call was given to fall in. Both Jee and Zuko watched as the troops fell into ranks. "Soldiers," Jee called out, "have you already been told about who has taken command?"
"Yeah, it's the person who's responsible for having us kept away from the front lines!" a voice angrily called out. "So now he's here to lead us?"
Jee was about to speak when Zuko stepped forward. "If you have something to say, then come and say it to my face!" he called out. If he was going to lead, he couldn't show any weakness.
The soldiers moved out of the way, so the person who spoke out could come forward. It was a big man who seemed to tower over him. "You're the exiled prince? You're Zuko?" he demanded.
"Yes, I am," Zuko admitted. "What's your name, soldier?"
"It's Sheng. But don't think that because you know my name, it means we're on friendly term," he growled out. "In fact, I would rather like to see you dead in a ditch somewhere."
"Why?"
Sheng stepped forward and, shocking everyone, buried his fist into the exiled prince's stomach, sending him to the ground. "I hate you for what you did to us," Sheng told him, looking down at his prone body. "It is because of you that we have never seen the front lines. It is because of you that we are known as the cowards' division in the entire Fire Nation army! It is because of you we will never have an emblem on that flag! Our division is constantly getting incompetent and disgraced officers to lead us, thanks to you. Neither will we have a nickname for the division!" He pointed to the division's flag, which was just a red flag. For any division in the Fire Nation, to have no emblem or no nickname counted among the highest shames they could have.
"Sheng, stand down!" Jee ordered. If this continued, he couldn't be sure if Zuko would live.
Sheng gave a snort, turned around, and walked away. He stopped when someone grab his arm tightly. He turned back around and was met with a fist in the face. He fell to the ground, dazed and in no small amount of pain. He was grabbed and brought up close to Zuko's scarred face. "So, you consider me to be worthy of your never-ending hatred, is that it?" he asked. His eyes seemed to blaze with an inner fire. "You hate me for my actions? What if my actions saved this entire division's lives from a pointless massacre, did you ever think of that!?"
He let go, letting the soldier fall down again, and turned to face the rest of the 41st. "Listen, all of you! I know that you were denied the chance to go to the front lines. But do you what cause that? I do!" The soldiers were silent. No one dared to speak. "I was there when they discussed how this division was to be used. They were going to send you to the slaughter! You were to be used as bait when you were all new recruits! The general who came up with this plan said what could be better bait be then fresh meat!" Now they were shocked. They didn't know that piece of information. Zuko continued, his glare did not change a single bit. "I was the only one who spoke out against the plan. I said that the division loved and defend the Fire Nation. I asked them how they could betray them like that. Do you know what the result of my outburst was?" He pointed to his left eye. "This! This is what my father gave me because I stood up for this division!"
He went silent, trying to calm his breathing. He then noticed that Sheng was trying to get up. He held out a hand. Sheng took the offered hand and stood back up. "I have denied you the chance to fight on the front lines and I have denied you the chance to put an emblem on your flag, I will admit to that. But I promise you this. You will have your emblem by the time the reinforcements come." He may have wanted to originally get in and out of the colony as he could. But now, he was in command and he would come through with that promise.
Suddenly, the warning bells went off, filling the air with their sound. "We've got incoming Earth Kingdom soldiers! They'll be here within minutes!" a sentry cried out from a nearby tower.
He looked up at the sentry and then back at the soldiers. "The enemy is coming right now. Are you willing to stand by me and fight them together?" he asked them
Sheng looked at the soldiers and looked back at Zuko. "Sir, if you went to face Agni himself, we would be right behind you," he stated, speaking for all of them.
Zuko smiled. "Then why don't we explain to these Earth Kingdom rock-heads why they should fear the 41st division of the Fire Nation?" He turned to the soldiers. "WHAT SAY YOU!?" he asked in a shout.
He got an incredibly positive, very loud chorus of agreement. Frankly, what most of the soldiers said was "HELL YEAH, SIR!"
"Jee, I need you to send relay commands from the command center. Notify my uncle and have him help you," he told the man as the soldiers moved out of the barracks and to the defenses.
"Yes sir!" Jee automatically replied, saluting. "But what will you do?"
"I'll be on the wall. It's best to lead by example." He followed the troops,and the captain followed the orders given.
"Where are they?" Zuko asked, arriving at the top of the wall. All around him, soldiers were standing and waiting.
"They're still incoming, sir," one of them answered, pointing out to the field. The enemy wasn't moving. They just stood there like nothing could touch them.
"They're out of arrow and fire range, sir," Sheng told him, appearing by his side. The big man now carried a pike in his hands.
He gauged the distance and smiled when he figured out how far they were. "There is something that can hit them. Are the trebuchets loaded?" There were trebuchets positioned along the walls, often used to break apart enemy siege weapons.
"Yes, sir," the soldier answered.
"Tell them to adjust their settings and when I give the signal, rain fire," he ordered. Thirty archers appeared, accompanied by twenty-five spearmen, as Zuko thought of a plan. "After the trebuchets fire, all the archers are to nock arrows."
Sheng saluted before heading out to give the orders. He returned quickly. "They're ready, sir."
Zuko raised his hand and the soldiers on the wall fell silent. The Earth Kingdom army began yelling out catcalls and taunts, trying to goad the soldiers in the colony into action. Finally, they fell silent and that was when Zuko dropped his hand. The trebuchets flung their payload onto the enemy forces, sending boulders that were set ablaze into the sky. They soon realized that to avoid being crushed by a flaming hunk of rock, they had to move forward, which they did with gusto.
But Zuko had been planning on that. "Archers!" he called out. "Nock!" The archers drew back their bowstrings. "Draw!" They aimed their arrows high. Zuko exhaled as the Earth Kingdom soldiers continued to come. "LOOSE!"
A decent amount of the enemy forces died from the hail of arrows, but they kept coming. The artillery teams began hurling their rock salvos at the walls. They smashed against the walls, but the walls held. The rocks that hit the top of the walls also took some of the troops. "Stay calm!" Zuko barked at them all. "If you run, you're only making yourself an easier target!"
He watched as the enemy got even closer. "Firebenders, take your stances!" he ordered. He took his stance as the rest of the Firebenders did the same. When the enemy soldiers reached the bottom of the wall, he acted. "Roast'em!" He and the rest of the Firebenders bent a wall of fire down on them.
The screams that followed did not stop the Earth Kingdom army. If anything, it only spurned them on. Bending the earth smother the flames, the Earthbenders that were close to the wall then bent a large column beneath them to push them to the top of the wall. Earthbenders, who were still at the bottom, strengthen the column and bent shorter ones out of the earth, creating something like a stepladder, allowing troops to breach the walls.
"Firebenders, keep the heat on them!" Zuko ordered as he reached for his Dao swords, drawing them out of their sheath. "Nonbenders, keep them off the walls!" As those words left his mouth, the enemy had reached the top of the wall.
"Look out!" Sheng cried out, pushing him out of the way of a sword. He plunged his pike into the offending enemy, killing him instantly. He yanked his pike out and pushed the body off the wall. "You okay, sir?" he asked as the body fell to the ground below.
Zuko's answer was to move past him and decapitated an Earthbender who was about to strike him. "Does that answer your question?" he asked Sheng, who only grinned in response.
They, along with the rest of the defenders, continued to fight the enemies on the wall, while the Firebenders continued to bombard the enemies below. They took lives, but lives were also taken from them as well. The walls were continuously being bombarded by rock salvos. Earthbenders who had a greater accuracy would throw rocks at the troops on the top of the walls. Also, the gate was being hit constantly by a great stone ram.
As they fought, the defenders saw the gate break open from the pressure of the ram. The Earthbenders who were bending the ram stood aside so that the ostrich horse cavalry could charge through. "Sir, how are we going to deal with the ostrich horses?" a nearby soldier asked Zuko.
The exiled prince's answer was to blow a sharp whistle, piercing the air. As the ostrich horse cavalry poured through the gate, they discovered that they were trapped by a half-ring of tundra tanks. As they reeled back, caught off guard by the tactic, they were slaughtered by a hail of incredibly accurate arrows. When Sheng had gone to check on the trebuchets, Zuko had sent a message to his uncle and Captain Jee, telling them to position the Yuyan Archers in the buildings surrounding the gate and to also move the tundra tanks into a half-ring formation around the gate. He knew that the enemy would send in the cavalry to quickly end the fight.
As the last ostrich-horse fell, Zuko quickly sheathed his weapons and bent two fireballs into the air. It was the signal for their cavalry to charge. "The enemy is out of the colony!" Zuko yelled out to the wall, drawing his swords again. "Now let's send them packing!" He leapt onto one of the rock stepladders and ran down it, killing the enemy soldiers along the way.
Sheng turned to the other soldiers on the wall as they all watched him run down. "You can take the stairs and go through the gate if you want. I'm following his example!" he told them. He leapt onto another of the stepladders and ran down it as well. The two of them reached the ground at the same time and began to fight the enemy soldiers back-to-back.
Some of the soldiers followed their example, but the rest of them poured out of the colony gates and smashed into the enemy forces, the komodo rhinos that the catapult attachments hammered away at the stepladders until they fell. The tundra tanks were the ones who sent the enemy troops packing. Whether they ran over the troops or burned them, either one worked for the tundra tanks.
As they watched the last enemy troops disappear, the soldiers let out a cheer. Zuko looked at Sheng. "How many did we lose?" he asked over the cheering. He was panting a little bit, suddenly feeling like he had been drained of energy.
"It's nothing we can't recover from, sir," the soldier assured him with a grin. His pike covered in blood and the light seemed to gleam wickedly off it.
Then, suddenly, the crowd pressed in on Zuko, the cheering turned into chanting. "ZUKO! ZUKO! ZUKO! ZUKO! ZUKO! ZUKO! ZUKO! ZUKO! ZUKO! ZUKO!" they chanted before hoisting Zuko up onto someone's shoulders. They were chanting his name. It was something he had never heard before.
"I think we've all earned ourselves a drink. How about it, boys?" called out Sheng, getting a chorus of loud agreement. "Then let's show our new commander how the 41st celebrates!"
The only thought Zuko had when he was being carried back to the colony was "Why does this remind of that one hide-and-go-seek game we played with Naruto?" For some reason, with the way the Earth Kingdom army had attacked and retreated, it just did.
(Flashback)
Zuko kept himself hidden in the bush. He didn't know how long it had been since the game had started and he didn't know if the others had been found or not. He peered out into the forest and saw Naruto was looking in his general direction. "I know you're there, Zuko. It's just a matter of time," he called out before moving away out of Zuko's sight.
"He knows where I am!" Zuko thought, panicking. "I have to move!" He broke out of the bush and ran in the opposite direction of the blonde. He wasn't exactly sure of what to do next, his brain was on auto-pilot.
"I see you, Zuko! Here I come!" Naruto's voice called to his right. He immediately banked left and kept running. Every time he heard Naruto's voice, he went in the opposite direction of where the voice was coming from. Sometimes he would go a different direction, but basically kept to the same idea of moving away from the voice.
Before he knew it, he was back at the house's backyard. He saw the girls before being tackled by Naruto. "Gotcha!" he crowed. "That's the last one!"
"You mean no one got back safely?" Zuko asked. He would've thought at least one of them would've succeeded.
"Are you kidding?" Naruto asked back, getting off him. "It took me the longest to find you."
"Really, how long was it?"
"About an hour and a half."
"He's not kidding," Ty Lee said, cheerful despite the fact she had been caught. "He found me in twenty minutes."
"Found me in twenty-five," Mai said.
"What about you, Azula?" Zuko asked his sister.
"It's none of your business!" she told him harshly.
"She stepped on a trip wire and found herself tied up by the foot and hanging upside down from tree branch," Naruto told him. "I found her in five minutes."
Zuko just stared at her and began laughing. "It's not funny!" she told him.
"Yes, it is!" he howled. His sister, the so-called "prodigy" had been foiled by a trip wire. Oh, he was going to use this for as long as he could. After finally managing to calm down, he looked back at Naruto. "Wait, a trip wire?"
The blonde smirked. "I booby-trapped the forest. I knew that you would all run into there, so I took precautionary measures. I also manipulated you into coming here, Zuko."
"What?"
"I knew that you would try to run away from my voice, so I used it to make you go in the direction I wanted you to go. Granted, there were a few times you didn't do what I wanted. But you still came here."
The four of them, Ty Lee, Mai, Azula and Zuko just looked at him. "He had planned that far ahead?" was the shared thought between them. "Wait a minute," Zuko said. "I heard your voice every few minutes, there is no possible way you could have stayed close to me the entire time!"
His smirk grew wider. "You underestimate me, Zuko," he said in reply, neglecting to mention the fact he had used clones. He turned to everyone else. "So, have we figured out the lesson for today?"
"There was a lesson?" Ty Lee asked with surprise evident in her voice.
"How could there be a lesson from all that!?" Azula demanded. If anything, that was an embarrassment. Once she hoped to never relive again.
"It's a simple one really," he told them. "You simply have to look underneath the underneath."
(End Flashback)
"He explained the concept to us after that," Zuko thought. "Why does it keep coming back to me?" His silent question was stopped when he was handed a drink.
"Come on, sir!" Sheng told him. "Loosen up a little and drink up, you've earned it!" He raised his drink. "Men, raise what you have for a toast to our new commander, Prince Zuko!" he yelled out.
"ZUKO!" chorused the soldiers, raising their own drinks and drinking heartedly from them. Zuko smiled and drank what was in front of him. Sheng was right, he did to loosen up. He spent half the night celebrating with the troops. Jee joined in at one point but Iroh was content to drink his tea and beat the pants off any soldier who dared to play Pai Sho against him.
All-in-all, it was a good night.
"You've been fighting well," a voice he recognized now spoke. "But you have yet to figure out the lesson those two can teach you."
"I've been a little busy trying to defend this colony, Lord Bahamut," he replied as he looked around Ember Island again. While he was in these dreams, he found that he could not move, only look. "I don't have a lot of time to figure what my younger self and the Blue Spirit are supposed to show me."
"It's not what they are supposed to show you, it's more what they don't want you to do."
Zuko looked out to the setting sun that shined down on Ember Island. "What don't they want me to do?" That was a little cryptic and confusing.
"They've been trying to make you choose, correct?" the voice of the Dragon King asked him, despite sounding like he already knew the answer.
"Yes, I assumed they want me to choose between one of them," Zuko replied.
"You assume correctly. However, there are more than just two choices."
He was again awoken by the morning bells. He got out of the bed and began to dress. It had been four days since he and his uncle had come to the colony and for the past four days, he had fighting off the Earth Kingdom army led by General had spent many hours in the map room, trying to figure out how the General Fong would attack them next and how the 41st division should respond (he had spent quite some time on the ship reading and now, he was glad his uncle had brought those books about tactics and strategy). When the Earth Kingdom army attacked, he was on the walls or the frontlines fighting against them alongside the men.
He had gotten along well with the troops as well. After the initial hostility disappeared during that second battle, the 41st was proud to be under Zuko's command. He didn't treat his troops like disposable tools. He ate with them, drank with them and if two soldiers were fighting each other, he tried to break it up and find what the problem the two had. Jee said that he was acting more like his uncle then his father. He took it as a compliment.
He walked out of the building and saw Sheng walking past. "Morning, sir," the soldier said, saluting him. Once he realized that his hatred for Zuko was misplaced, the two of them got on fine. He was an easy man to get along with, unless you did something earned his ire. In battle, he was deadly with a pike. He was one person Zuko trusted to cover his back while in a fight (which had been proven in the attacks by General Fong's army).
"Morning, Sheng," he replied, returning the salute. "Walk with me, if you please."
"You okay, sir?" Sheng asked as they walked through the streets. As they did, people turned to look at the exiled prince and bowed their heads in respect. After holding the colony for this long, they knew who he was, and they were willing to overlook his status to see his deeds.
"Something's bothering me," he admitted. "Something feels off about the last few attacks. They always seem to pull out just as we push them back. During the last attack, they practically ran once we forced them off the wall." It didn't seem like they retreated because they were forced to. More like because they wanted to.
"So, they ran." The soldier shrugged. "It just means they know they're outclassed."
Zuko shook his head. "I don't think so." But before he could continue with that line of though, they came across Iroh. "Uncle! How was your night?"
"Not bad, I played Pai Sho against some of the crew again as well as some of the soldiers," he replied. "I almost lost at one point."
"I'm sorry?" Zuko stopped in the middle of the street. "Did you just say that someone had beaten you at Pai Sho!?" That was something he just couldn't believe. It was impossible!
"No, I said I almost lost," Iroh repeated, laughing at the shocked expression on his nephew's face. "I managed to win in the end."
"Well, that's good. Truth to be told, Uncle, the day you say that you lost a Pai Sho game is the same day I find out that I am somehow related to the Avatar," he stated.
(Meanwhile, in the Spirit Realm, a certain white-haired and bearded man sneezed.)
"Be careful about you say, Zuko," Iroh warned. "It may come back to haunt you."
"You jest, General Iroh," Sheng said with a laugh. They continued to walk through Akawan, stopping by the walls to see how the defenses were doing, talking to the soldiers manning the walls, and to check the surrounding area, seeing if it had been changed by the battles. By the time they were done, lunch time had come around and they found a nearby restaurant.
They sat and ordered their meals, which were delivered. As they ate, a group of girls at a nearby table giggled and talked, casting glances over at them. When they were done, one of the girls got up from the table and came over. "Is there something we can help you with?" Iroh asked politely.
She ignored him. Instead, she looked at the youngest of the three. "Hey, you're Zuko, right?" she asked.
"That's Commander Zuko to you, young lady," Sheng told her. She was being quite rude, but he was willing to ignore it and write it off as her being young.
She ignored him as well. "So, you are him."
"What do you want?" Zuko asked her, already getting a bad feeling about this conversation.
"Well, me and my friends," She gestured back to the table with the group of girls, who started giggling again, "we were wondering if you wanted to come over and eat with us instead of these old farts." She looked disdainfully at the other two men sitting at the table.
"Old!?" demanded Sheng. "I'm 32, you little brat!" He was not old by any means!
"So?" she asked in a condescending voice. To her, he was old and thus, boring.
"Young lady, you should always respect your elders," Iroh told her. He was not put off by her words, but even he admitted that she was being rude.
"Shut up, you old geezer," she told him with an irritated voice. She then turned to Zuko and asked in what she thought was a sexy voice. "So, are you going to come and join us now?"
He didn't waste any time. "Had you not insulted both Sheng and my uncle, I might have considered it. But since you did, I won't. Please leave."
"Excuse me?" the girl asked. "Did you tell me that instead of eating at a table with hot girls that want to talk to you, you would rather eat with the way too-beefed up soldier and the stupid old man?" He was a guy. That was supposed to happen.
A flash of light went across her eyes, causing her to step back in surprise. A fireball sailed right by her and hit the wall, dissipating harmlessly against the stone. Zuko had not even turned to look at her. He had just stuck out his arm and curled his hand into a fist. "Next time you insult my uncle like that, I won't miss. Leave," he ordered. The girl huffed, walked back to her table, sat down and was immediately engulfed by her friends, who wanted to know what he said.
"That was nicely done, sir," Sheng complimented. He was about to stand and smack that little twat himself.
"Perhaps a little more diplomacy could have been used?" Iroh suggested. Throwing a fireball across her face wasn't really called for.
The soldier shook his head. "It wouldn't have helped, General. I know those kinds of girls. You have to be blunt with them if you want to get your point across."
"Even if she was being polite, I wouldn't have gone over there," Zuko stated.
"Why not?" asked Iroh.
All of sudden, one loud voice cried, "Lord Zuko defended his uncle!? He's so cool!" Turning around to the direction of the voice, they saw it was a different girl at the table who spoke. What she said had the rest of the girls start squealing. And not just any kind of squealing. They were Fangirl squealing.
"That's why. Ask Naruto how he dealt with them," Zuko said, suddenly fearful. "Anybody else want to leave?" They couldn't have left the restaurant faster.
"I take it that you've dealt with those kinds of girls before, sir?" Sheng asked as they walked down the street at a brisk pace.
He smiled. "Well, there was that one time on Ember Island…"
(Flashback)
Zuko stared at the wall, trying to get in all the details it had. Once he was certain, he turned around and was about to draw the wall when Naruto burst through the door. "Zuko! Hide me!" he said with desperation, clad only in his borrowed swim trunks.
"What's going on?" Zuko asked. He had never seen the foreigner so scared before.
"Not important! Just hide me!" he said again, his voice becoming more urgent.
"What did you do?"
"I don't know! I just went down to the public beach. Next thing I know, I'm getting swarmed by girls!"
"…Isn't that a good thing?" He didn't really know a lot about that. But he was fairly certain that it was supposed to be a good thing.
"Not when they start getting really touchy and screaming that they want my children! I mean, why me!? I am not that good looking!" he protested. As far as he knew, there wasn't a reason for them to come after him.
"He's still keeping up with that?" Zuko thought. The prince thought that he would've finally stopped acting like that. "Wait a minute, if you're here, where are they?"
His question was answered when they heard the faint but distinctive yelling of "FIND THE BLOND-HAIRED ONE! WE MUST HAVE HIM!"
"You led them here!?" Zuko asked. How could he do something like that?
"I panicked! Just hide me, please!" Naruto begged.
"Alright, follow me. I know a place where you can hide. Stay there while Uncle and I deal with this."
And so, five minutes later, Naruto found himself in a closet. "Why are you hiding? There are a lot of girls out there are practically begging for what is dangling between your legs!" the Kyūbi groused.
"It is how they want to use what's dangling between my legs that I don't agree with!" Naruto silently replied. He had been horrified by some of the things they suggested to him.
"So?" the fox asked him. "I know I found some of those suggestions to be a little kinky. Now you're telling me that you didn't!?"
"Yes!"
"LIAR!"
However, whichever conversation was going to turn out next, they never knew. Azula, who was halfway in changing into her swimsuit, opened the closet door and looked at Naruto. It was then that he realized that Zuko had purposely hid him in her room. "He is so going to be pranked!" the blonde silently promised.
Meanwhile, the two of them just stared at each other. "Is it possible that you'll believe me when I say that your brother hid me here in order to avoid a mass horde of girls and that this is in no way shape or form me being a pervert?" Naruto asked, sounding hopeful.
"…No," she finally answered, clenching her hand into a fist.
He sighed. "One could always hope."
After that, he tore out of the closet and ran out the door. Azula chased after him with fire in her hands, screaming about him being a pervert. Unfortunately, he chose to run out the front door, right past Zuko, Iroh, and the mass horde of girls who were looking for him. He spent the rest of the afternoon running.
(End Flashback)
"I don't think Naruto has ever forgiven me for that," Zuko said as he finished up the story. He smiled a little at the memory.
Sheng nearly fell to the ground in laughter. "I would have never thought that the Paragon of the Fire Nation would have trouble with women," he said as he tried to make sure he stayed upright.
All of a sudden, the earth started to shake and rumble. Parts of the street gave way, forming holes in the ground. Out of these holes came the Nonbenders of General Fong's army. "How are they here!?" Sheng demanded, holding his pike ready.
Suddenly, as the Earth Kingdom soldiers attacked the colony, Zuko realized what Naruto meant by look underneath the underneath. "I'm an idiot. Now I know why the last few attacks have been so weak! Fong was distracting us while Earthbenders were tunneling beneath us!" He ducked to avoid a swing from an enemy with an ax and bent a fireball into the man's stomach.
He looked around and saw that there were other Fire Nation soldiers fighting nearby. "SOLDIERS, RALLY ON ME!" he bellowed, hoping they would hear him over all the confusion. They did and fought their way to him. "Uncle, find Captain Jee and the lieutenants. Find other soldiers fighting in the streets and take command. Have the Firebenders throw fire down the holes and have the non-Benders take care of the enemies up top. We'll try to push them back through the gate. See if you can get someone to coordinate the soldiers that are still in the barracks!" he hurriedly ordered. Iroh nodded in acknowledgement and ran off to find Jee and the lieutenants. "Sheng, relay the same to nearby soldiers," he told the big soldier as he approached one of the holes. "I'll take care of this."
He took his stance, breathed, bent a fireball into existence, and threw it down the hole. Once he saw just how far down the hole went, he bent the fire cradled in his hands into a continuous stream and directed it into the hole. He didn't stop when the screams started coming from the hole, he kept the stream of fire going. But once they stopped, he did too. To make sure the hole wouldn't be used again, he sealed the exit with a ring of fire that would make its way down and into the tunnel.
Encouraged by what he just did, the soldiers of the 41st followed his example. It was slow work, mostly because they had to seal off the tunnels. But they pushed the enemy back to the colony gate. Because of the surprise created by the tunnels, many Fire Nation soldiers died. But Zuko wasn't going to let his men be demoralized by that. He kept them together and kept pushing them on. As they push the enemy back, they met up with other soldiers, being led by the lieutenants. By the time they reached the city gate, the 41st was out in full force.
"We got them on the run!" one of the lieutenants cheered. It did seem like it, the Nonbenders were falling back through the opened gate.
Feeling that victory was all but secured, Zuko took the lead. "Let's kick these rock-heads out of Akawan!" he roared, charging through the gate with the 41st hot on his heels. It was when they ran into the fields outside of the colony's walls that he realized that the non-Benders weren't being pushed back. They were luring the 41st into a trap. Waiting for them, were the Earthbenders of General Fong's army, with rocks ready to be used.
"Fire!" commanded one of the Earthbenders and they released their barrage.
"Fall back!" Zuko ordered before falling to the ground in order to avoid the barrage. The 41st tried to flee back into the colony but there were those who were not fast enough and were bludgeoned to death by the rock barrage. When the gate was almost closed, the only people who were left outside was Zuko, Sheng, and a few other soldiers who didn't make it through the gate in time but managed to avoid the barrage.
Zuko began to stand back up when he heard a voice yell "Sir, look out!"
He felt someone shove him out of the way and back to the ground. As he regained his balance, he looked up and saw something that he didn't really want to see. "Sheng!" he cried in horror. The soldier was standing before him with a sharpened column of rock piercing his chest. His blood dripped off the column and fell through the air, finally splashing against his commander's face.
"Damn, I missed the brat," the Earthbender who bent the earth column said. "Well, I'll just have to—" Whatever he was going to say, nobody knew. Because that was the exact moment Zuko decapitated him with one swing of his swords.
He didn't stop there. He tore into them. He made full use of his swordsmanship, his Firebending, and even his rage. They would pay for that. They would pay with their lives. They all tried to resist him, to fight him off. But his rage and anger were too great. He swatted all their attempts aside and kept on killing them. Later, he would remember seeing glimpses of the Blue Spirit beside him, somehow looking pleased.
Eventually, they all ran away from him. He was about to go after them when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around, ready to attack the person who would dare stop him, only for him to find it was Iroh. "Control yourself, Zuko," he commanded with the full authority that he had carried for a long time. "The enemy has retreated. We must tend to the wounded now."
He snapped out of it at those words. He raced back through the gate and into the colony. But it was too late. Sheng was dead. His body lay amongst the others who had died in the ambush (for that was what it was. Not a battle, but an ambush).
As he looked upon the bodies, he thought he saw his younger self staring at them as well. "Uncle, can you oversee this?" he asked Iroh, standing behind him.
His uncle said nothing, he simply nodded. He quickly left all but running to the command center. When he arrived, he looked for and found the nearest empty room, which luckily had not been taken yet, as he sat down on the bed. What had just happened kept going through his mind, every single detail. It reminded him of the night he and Azula saw what Naruto was like in a fight.
(Flashback)
The night had taken over as Azula and Zuko made their way back to the beach house. "Why did we even go there?" Zuko asked as they walked through a forest, staying on the path.
"Someone said that a dragon lived on the other side of the island. I wanted to go see if it was true," Azula reminded him.
"What were you planning to do if we found the dragon? Fight it?" he asked with blatant sarcasm, rolling his eyes as well.
"Well of course. Why else would I bring you along?" she asked in return with equal sarcasm.
"You actually wanted my company for once?" It would be nice, if it was true, but he knew it was just wishful thinking.
She scoffed at that absurd notion. "I needed someone who would back me up if we actually found the dragon. Ty Lee would exaggerate,Mai would skip details, and I don't trust the foreigner."
"Why do you dislike Naruto?" he asked, genuinely curious. The blonde had been nothing but friendly to them ever since he had been found.
"He's insufferable, arrogant, smug, and he makes fun of me whenever he can!" she listed off the reasons.
"…Sounds like a match made in the Spirit World if you ask me," he muttered to himself.
Unfortunately, she heard him. "What did you say, Dum-Dum?" she demanded, turning to face him.
He knew the look on her face. But he was going to stand by what he said. "The way you just describe him, he sounds just like you. So it would be a perfect match."
"Well, isn't this sweet," a nasally voice said, coming from the forest. "The little girl has a crush."
"It does not change the fact that she and the boy must be killed," another voice, a deeper one, spoke.
"Who's there!?" demanded Azula as she looked around. But all she saw was the forest.
"Oh, looks like they heard us. We might as well as reveal ourselves," the first voice said. They heard bushes rustling and two men appeared in front of them. There was only one word that could describe each man. For the first one, it was weasel. He was small, his eyes were shifty, and his face looked like a weasel. The second man was big, just big. His muscles looked like they had muscles. His nose looked like it had been broken and reset several times and his face looked like it never had an emotion show since he was born. But despite the differences of the two men, they wore a kind of green cloth, instantly identifying them.
"What are Earth Kingdom rabble doing on Ember Island?" Zuko asked aloud. While he spoke, he tried to discreetly pick up two rocks
"Isn't it obvious?" the weasel-looking one (who Azula had silently labeled as Weasel) asked back.
"By the order of the Earth King, both the prince and the princess of the Fire Nation are to be taken out," the big one (who Zuko had silently labeled Big) stated in a monotone voice.
Azula scoffed. "As if you could beat a Firebending prodigy," she told them. Fire was the superior element, after all, and she knew how to wield it.
"Oh, the little girl thinks she's ready to play with the big boys," Mr. Weasel said with a laugh. Quicker than they could see, he drew two knives and threw them at the tree Azula and Zuko were standing next to. "She fails to realize that she's still wet behind the ears," he said as the two knives seemed to thrum in the trunk of the tree.
Zuko suddenly threw the rocks at the would-be assassins. While they were distracted, he pulled out the knives out of the tree. "C'mon, Azula, we need to run!" He grabbed her arm and ran down the forest path. They ran and ran, too afraid to see if the assassins were chasing them or not. Everything seemed to blur together, even when they came out of the forest.
They made to the beach below the house when the assassins caught up. "Now that wasn't very nice, little kiddies," Mr. Weasel told them as he and Mr. Big cut them off.
"Azula," Zuko whispered. "When you get a chance, run up to the house and get Uncle. I think I can hold them off for that long."
"With what?" she hissed. "You only have the two knives and your Firebending is pathetic."
"Azula, for once in your life, trust me!" he told her with a quiet snarl. She was his little sister and Agni take it, he was going to protect her!
They heard rock breaking away from rock. They turned and saw a huge block of rock come out of the cliff side and coming straight at them. They quickly duck and the thing flew over to where Mr. Big was. He caught it and simply held it with one hand. "Now, are the little kiddies done whispering to each other?" Mr. Weasel asked, an evil grin slowly appearing on his face. He produced another knife and threw it at them.
Zuko pushed Azula out of the way allowing the knife to hit him in the shoulder. "Azula, go!" he yelled, pain covering his voice.
She did as she was told, taking off at a dead sprint up to the house, shouting out "Uncle, help!" with all she could. As Mr. Big watched her go, he broke the chunk of rock into smaller pieces. He then bent a wall in front of her, making her stop and becoming an easy target. Having no other choice (and in a small state of panic) she ran in the opposite direction of the wall, going back to the beach.
Zuko was trying to hold off Mr. Weasel when this happened. When he saw Azula come running back, Mr. Weasel took advantage of the distraction by knocking the knives out of his hands and knocking him down.
Mr. Big began to throw the rocks at Azula. She dodged most of them and was about to bend a fireball at him when she got a rock in the stomach. It knocked the wind out of her, thus making her lose the fireball. She fell to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain.
"This has taken too long," Mr. Big said, standing over her with the remaining rocks. "We should kill them now."
When they heard that, both Zuko and Azula tried to get away by crawling. As they did, they suddenly felt a sharp pain in the leg. Looking down, they saw a knife sticking out of their legs. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," Mr. Weasel said, waving his finger at them. "Didn't you know it's rude for you to try and leave when you're the guests of honor?" He reached for more knives. "Now, let's get to the killing!"
"If one more knife goes anywhere them, you will lose the ability to throw them," a voice told him, making both him and Mr. Big stop.
Azula and Zuko turned to see who had come to help them. "Naruto?" both said in surprise. They had been hoping for their uncle, not him.
"Well, well," Mr. Weasel said. "Another little kiddie who went and stuck his nose in the wrong place, are you going to try and help them?"
"Not try. I am going to help them." The blonde heard a foot move in the sand and turned to Mr. Big, the one who moved the foot. "You take another step, pal, and you're dead," he threatened the Earthbender.
Mr. Big ignored him and took another step. It earned him having his throat cut from ear to ear. He dropped the rocks he was bending and began choking on his own blood. Stepping out from behind the dying assassin was another Naruto. "I did warn you. You didn't listen," the second Naruto said. He walked back over to the first Naruto as Mr. Big died before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
"How is that possible?" Zuko asked in stunned wonder. He had never seen anything like that before in his life.
"Wait…I know about your kind," Mr. Weasel said. His eyes seemed to gleam in the moonlight.
"My kind?" asked Naruto, raising a questioning eyebrow.
"Yeah, you're from across the sea, aren't you? I heard that there are people over the sea that are master of stealth, assassination, and weaponry. I even heard that some of those people are masters of the knife." He gave a psychotic grin as he began flipping a knife. "I've always wanted to fight one of you guys. I want to see which one of us is the better knife-hand. We'll start on three, okay? One—"
He was cut off when Naruto appeared in front of him and shoved a knife into his throat. "Three," the blonde whispered in the dying man's ear. He pulled the knife out and Mr. Weasel fell to the ground dead. He walked over to Zuko and Azula and pulled the knives out of their legs, trying to be careful. "Can you guys walk?" he asked as he pulled the knife out of Zuko's shoulder.
They stood up and tried to walk. They could do so, but they needed help. "Alright, that answers the question." He quickly made two clones. He had one clone help Zuko while the other helped Azula. As they made their way up the hill, he walked out into the ocean until his feet were submerged. He looked at his blood-splattered hands and then saw his refection in the water. It was also covered in blood. It was then Naruto realized that even though he was a shinobi that was the first time he had killed someone. He fell to his knees and began to wash his hands and face vigorously. Even when they were clean, he continued to wash them. It was like the blood wasn't coming off.
(End Flashback)
The door to the room opened and Iroh stepped in. "Are you feeling better, nephew?" he asked, sounding, and looking concerned.
"I don't know, Uncle," Zuko answered honestly. He had known that he was losing soldiers in defending the colony. But it never hit home until he saw Sheng lying there, among the dead.
"It's alright. I have been where you are now many times," his uncle assured him. "I have lost friends on the battlefield, some even in front of my eyes. You will never forget them, but you learn how to deal with the pain."
"Like you did with Lu Ten's death?"
Iroh fell silent and that silence seemed to engulf the room. "Yes," he finally said. It hurt to say it, but it was an old hurt, one that he was familiar with.
His nephew rose from the bed and went over to the nearby window (which had been left open by someone). When he saw the small, but noticeable black clouds on the horizons, an idea began to form in his head. "Uncle, are those storm clouds?" he asked, wanting to be sure.
His uncle joined him at the window. "Yes, they are," he answered after looking at the clouds.
When he heard those words, a grin appeared on his face. "I've got an idea to keep Fong and his men away from Akawan."
The storm had arrived just as night had fallen, covering the land in a shower of rain. The rain was able to allow a single boat to cross a river that was near Fong's fortress without anyone seeing them. Once they were across, the Yuyan Archers climbed out of the boat and quickly made their way to the fortress's walls. To ensure that no one would see them, they wore black clothing, changed the color of their face paint, and had removed their headbands.
"Are we all ready?" Bao-yu asked both his archers as they stood in the rain. They nodded their answer. "Remember, we are to only kill the sentries. Once that is done, we wait until Commander Zuko arrives. Understood?" He got nods again. "Alright, archers, use grapple arrows," he ordered, readying his own bow.
The archers selected the required arrow, nocked, and fire it up to the top of one of the side walls that led into the fortress. When the ropes went taut, they all hooked up and began to climb. Once they reached the top of the wall, they ran silently towards the fortress. Once inside, they split up and followed the orders they were given.
Zuko stood in front of the gate that led into the fortress. All around, the darkness of the night was being gently overridden by the light of the dawn. He knew that the archers were successful. Had they failed, the fortress would have been on alert. Instead, the fortress was completely silent. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Are we all set?" he asked Jee, who stood at his side. On his other side was his uncle. Behind him was the entire 41st.
"Yes sir," the captain answered promptly.
"Alright then, send the question," he ordered.
Jee took a couple of steps back and bent a small, weak fireball up into the air. Once it got past the gate, it faded away. They waited a few minutes before they received their answer. A single arrow was fired from within the fortress, and it landed right in front of Zuko's feet. Tied around the arrow was a single strip of green cloth.
"We're good to go," he declared, taking a few steps forward and settling into a stance. Silence reigned as they waited. When the light of the dawn was quietly overtaken by the light of the rising sun to rise and when it did, he closed his eyes and began to breathe in and out, calling to the fire within.
When he was sure of himself, he took a step forward and with a cry people would later claim to cause the sun to fully appear over the horizon, bent a big fireball at the gate. It sailed through the air and hit the gate with tremendous force, tearing them from their hinges and sent them crashing down to the ground. The 41st rushed past him and into the fortress. By the time any of the enemy soldiers could even try to amount a resistance, it was too late. They had been caught sleeping, for the men on sentry duty had been killed by the Yuyan archers and could not warn them.
Zuko walked almost quietly into the fortress, his uncle and Captain Jee following behind him. Inside, the 41st stood along the walls, prisoners sitting on the ground behind them. When he looked around and saw the Earth Kingdom general wasn't in sight, he looked up at the tower. "GENERAL FONG!" he suddenly roared, his voice filling the air. "I AM ZUKO, PRINCE OF THE FIRE NATION AND HEIR TO THE THRONE OF AGNI! I AM THE COMMANDER OF THE 41ST DIVISION OF THE FIRE NATION ARMY AND I CHALLENGE YOU TO SINGLE COMBAT, HERE AND NOW!"
The entire fortress went silent as everyone waited in silence to hear the general's reply. After a minute of that silence, the general appeared, coming out of the tower. "You are bold, boy, to challenge me," He said as he stood before Zuko, looking down at him.
"I will protect Akawan. It is a colony of the Fire Nation and it is my duty as a prince to defend it against any enemy," Zuko replied, looking him straight in the eye.
"You are an exiled prince," Fong reminded him, trying to see if he could get him angry. "You have guts to back up your people, even if it results in your punishment. I like that in a man, but I am afraid that this is the end of the line for you."
It didn't work. "I'm still a prince and it's still my duty. And if I kill you, Akawan will be safe from harm."
All of the soldiers, even those on opposing sides, were surprised by those words. The prince intended to have the singe combat be to the death. It was rare when someone fought to the death in single combat. They usually just went until one of the combatants was knocked unconscious. To say that single combat went to the death meant the person was (pardon the pun) dead serious.
The general laughed. "So be it!" He declared.
The two combatants stepped back to a more respectable distance. They didn't bow to one another. They just circled each other slowly instead, moving in their respective stances. After a minute circling, Fong made the first move. He bent a chunk of stone out of the ground and hurled it at Zuko. He rolled forward to avoid the rock and went in low on Fong, drawing his Dao swords as he moved. H swung his swords, but Fong kept dodging. Despite his size, he was agile.
It didn't last long as he managed to nick the general on his shoulder and side. Fong responded by bending the earth beneath his feet to throw him off balance. He reacted quickly by backing off and putting some distance between the two of them.
"It's been a while since someone has managed to nick me," Fong stated as the two faced each other again.
"Expect a lot more. We are fighting to the death," Zuko reminded him.
"Indeed." He looked over to a large stack of giant stone rings. Using his Earthbending, he lifted ring after ring, up into the air and threw them at his. Zuko responded by bending his fire onto the edges of his swords. He hacked his way through the barrage of rings, steadily moving towards the general. Once he was through, he leapt at Fong, going for an airborne strike.
But the general jumped away and bent a decent sized rock at him. He tried to block it with his swords. But the impact jarred his hands, forcing him to release his grip on his swords. Because he had released them, they fell to the ground, skidding away from him. "Now why don't you try fighting me like an actual Bender?" Fong taunted him. "Or are you worthless without your swords?"
He gritted his teeth but said nothing. He went into a Firebending stance and bent a fireball at Fong. The general dodged it and bent a hail of small rocks at him. He rolled to the side and saw that two rock walls were about smash him together. It would've worked, had he not rolled forward, getting out from between the walls, and bent a low stream of fire at Fong.
"'Break his roots,' Uncle used to tell me," he thought. "I wonder if it's the same for an Earthbender." He was willing to find out.
Fong saw the fire stream and quickly moved back to avoid it, coming out of the solid stance he was in. Zuko bent another and another at the general, making him continually move backwards. He pressed the advantage that he had. He dimly heard the cheering from the 41st in the background but didn't pay attention to it. He kept pushing Fong back and back until finally, the general seemed to trip. He moved in with an overhead kick with fire attached to finish it off. But it did not end the way he thought it would.
As soon as Fong hit the ground, he rolled backwards and bent the earth to jut out a column. The column hit Zuko hard in the stomach, which sent him rolling away on the ground. He tried to stand up but when he did, Fong appeared and slugged him across the face. It sent him back to the ground. As he tried to stand up again, he heard Fong say something.
"Is that all…sniveling little brat?" he asked before punching him in the stomach, making him fall to the ground. "Is that all…pathetic little charcoal-sucker?!" Fong asked him before kicking him in the stomach. He grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him so that they were face to face. "Is that all the prince of the Fire Nation has to offer me, huh!?" he asked a third time before throwing him to the ground again.
Zuko could hear the soldiers calling for him, telling to get up, not to give in or to fight back. He tried to stand up but was kicked by Fong again. The general wasn't even bothering to use Earthbending now. He was just kicking him over and over. He could feel the pain blossom in his chest, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't move his body.
He lifted his head and saw that time seemed to have stopped, soldiers frozen in motion. Once again, he saw his younger self and he saw the Blue Spirit standing over him. "The time has come," the Blue Spirit hissed. "Use your anger and hatred and destroy this man!"
"No!" Young Zuko shouted, trying to get his attention. "Bring forth your hope and your determination to stand up again!"
"You must choose!"
"If you do not, you will die!"
"Choose!"
"Choose!"
"Choose!"
"CHOOSE!"
He didn't know what to do. He couldn't choose one over the other, it felt wrong to him. But if he didn't choose, he would die. It was just so confusing. And the pain in his chest seemed to hamper whatever thoughts he tried to think.
"Choose!" the vision of his younger self told him, his voice becoming more urgent.
"Choose!" the vision of the Blue Spirit ordered him, his voice becoming more demanding.
"CHOOSE!"
"CHOOSE!"
Suddenly, with a clarity that seemed to have come out of nowhere, he remembered everything that Iroh, Naruto, and even Bahamut tried to teach him.
"There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang, positive energy and negative energy."
"There are other ways to generate lightning."
"I am the one who stands in the light with hope and determination."
"And I am the one who stands in the darkness with rage and hatred."
"You simply have to look underneath the underneath."
"It's not what they are supposed to show you, it's more what they don't want you to do."
"There are more than just two choices."
All that information went coursing through his head, and when he connected the dots, he understood. Finding the ability to move his arms, he reached out and grabbed both in an iron-like grasp. "Neither of you can tell me what to do," he told them, his voice sounding harsh from the pain coming from his chest. "I am not you. You are me! And I say that this is enough!"
He pulled them down towards him. As they drew closer, they disappeared. But he knew where they went. All of a sudden, the pain was gone and he could think clearly once more.
Then time resumed it pace. Fong stood above his body with a fist ready. "IS THAT ALLLL?!" he roared, swinging his fist down at him.
But this time, Zuko was ready. Swinging his legs upwards, he knocked the punch away. Flipping himself onto his feet, he now stood across from the Earthbending general. Then he did one simple thing: he roared.
But it was more than just a roar. It was something that no one had ever seen in the history of Bending, something so incredible. When Zuko roared, he didn't just roar. He also breathed lightning!
Fong was lifted into the air by the lightning and was flung into a nearby wall, crashing into it hard. When the lightning finally stopped, the general had a fist-sized hole where his heart should have been, and he didn't move. He was dead.
Zuko stood there, panting for breath. It was the only sound in the entire fortress. The technique he had just created had drained him quite a bit. It was all he could do to remain standing. The silence lasted for an entire minute before the 41st division just lost it. They started screaming and cheering in a volume so loud, it scared off the nearby birds. The Earth Kingdom soldiers, disheartened at the sight of their general, cut and ran, fleeing the fortress.
As his soldiers celebrated, he felt himself about to fall. "Zuko!" cried Iroh as he stopped his nephew from falling. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Uncle," he tried to assure his uncle. "I'm just a little winded." He tried to walk on his own, but it felt like the strength had left his legs. "Can you help? I want to go see the general's body."
He couldn't believe he had done something like that. He wanted to see it with his own eyes. Iroh nodded in agreement as he helped Zuko stand and walk. The 41st were already going into the tower, to see if there was any useful information or just plain old treasure. As Zuko walked over to the body with his uncle's help, he felt the strength in his legs return. By the time he reached the body, he felt like he could walk on his own again.
The general's body was now slumped against the wall, his head lowered against the body. A single Earth Kingdom soldier, who had run away like the others, guarded it. "Stay back! I will not let you discrete General Fong's body," he told them, holding his spear at the ready.
"Relax. I'm not going to do anything to him," Zuko told him. "But why haven't you run like the others?"
If his face was anything to go by, he was offended. "He saved my battalion from being used by the Fire Nation as bait. We were all grateful for him to have rescued us. If I ran, I would be disgracing what he did for us."
He looked at the soldier, studying his face. "Is there anyone in your battalion named Sensu?" he finally asked. There was something familiar about his face.
The soldier stiffened. "That's my name. How do you know my name?"
Zuko laughed. He couldn't believe it. That was why he looked so familiar. "I met your family. They're worried sick about you. Your father was planning on going to the front lines to search for you."
"R-really?" asked the soldier.
"If you want my advice, then go home after this. They deserved to know you're still alive." He and Iroh walked away after giving him that piece of advice. They sat down on a nearby staircase. They were soon joined by Jee and Bao-yu. The four of them just watch the soldiers of the 41st race around the fortress, trying to find something worth taking.
"By Agni's flaming balls!" shouted someone, like they had seen something they couldn't believe. One of the soldiers came running out of the tower. He looked frantically around and saw Zuko sitting nearby. "Sir, you have to come with me!" he said as he gave a hasty salute.
"What's the matter, soldier?" Jee asked, rising from where he sat. While he might've not been in Akawan long enough, he knew that the soldiers of the 41st usually didn't get this excited over anything.
"We just found something…incredible! They're bringing it up out of the tower basement now!" He ran back and they had no choice but to follow. They hurried over to the tower. A hole in the tower that was the size of a sky-bison had been rapidly created to bring whatever it was they found out. There was now a crowd encircling the hole. Zuko and Iroh made their way to the front of the crowd.
"Everyone, back up! We're coming out and we're going to need a lot of room!" a voice from inside the hole called out. The crowd back up considerably. Four soldiers came out of the hole. It looked like they were pulling something. What they were pulling became obvious in a moment. It was a long platform on wheels, but it was what was on the platform that had everyone's attention.
"That should be impossible!" one soldier cried out.
"It can't be real!" another shouted.
Zuko just stared in wonder. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked in a shocked whisper.
Iroh simply nodded his head. "Yes, it is."
He looked at his uncle. "But I thought you conquered the last living dragon!" That story was near legendary in the Fire Nation! It was how Iroh got his title of Dragon of the West.
"Apparently, I was mistaken," he said as he looked at what was before him. Sitting on the platform, covered in chains to hold it down, was a dragon. It stared at them all with hostile eyes.
"What is a dragon doing underneath an Earth Kingdom fortress?" Jee asked as he joined Zuko and Iroh. As he saw the dragon, he could only stare in wonder.
"I'd say that General Fong was trying to tame it so he could use it against the Fire Nation," Bao-yu said as he joined the group. Even though he was surprised by what he saw, he didn't let it show on his face.
"Then it's a good thing that dragons are stubborn creatures, especially the young ones." Iroh said as he got a little closer to the dragon, who tried to bite when he got too close. "Well, he's a feisty one," he commented with a dry chuckle.
"What should we do, Uncle?" Zuko asked. He was a bit lost on what to do.
"That is your decision, nephew." Iroh told him. "You are the one who brought us this victory. He is your spoils of war." Everyone stared at him and then, at Zuko.
He just stared at the dragon, looking at everything. Its coat was a deep, deep red, almost crimson. Its whiskers and horns, as well as itself, looked like it was still growing. But there was one thing that caught his attention. Around its right eye, the scale color was black, not red. It almost looked like that its eye was burned, like his.
He knew what he had to do when he saw that. He walked around the platform, cutting every chain that was attached to the platform with his Firebending. Finally, he had only one chain left. Looking the dragon directly in the eye, he melted the chain, cutting it loose. All the chains fell off the dragon, it was finally free. It gave a roar of excitement, but the roar turned to growling as he faced Zuko. Iroh, with the help of Jee and Bao-yu, managed to push the crowd back further, giving Zuko and the dragon more room.
The two of them faced each other without moving. "You probably don't understand me," Zuko told the dragon. "But we are both young creatures, we have yet to attain our true level of power. If you wished to fight me, then I will gladly provide. But let that day be when we are older, wiser, and more powerful. Until then…" He gestured to the open sky. "Be free."
The dragon seemed to get the point. It opened its wings and flew off into the sky. After watching it disappeared, Zuko looked back to what was left of the 41st division. "Alright, break's over," he called out. "It's time we went back to Akawan. When the reinforcements get here, we'll let them know about the fortress."
The journey back to Akawan was normal as there was a sense of relaxation that had settled into both the soldiers and officer. But somehow, Zuko knew that it wasn't going to be that easy. His suspicions were confirmed when they reached Akawan and saw fresh soldiers manning the walls. They were told to report immediately to the barracks. When they arrived, they saw that there was a new division in the barracks.
They were brought to the new commander of the Akawan military force, a Colonel Ying. "Ah, so these are the traitors to the Fire Nation," he began. "Captain Jee! Why were these men not thrown into jail when their identities were discovered?"
"General Iroh and Prince Zuko revealed themselves during an attack by an Earth Kingdom army, sir," Jee explained. "They offered their services in the fight. We needed every man we could take."
"I see." He sniffed condescendingly. "And who was it that led your forces for the past six days? Was it you or General Iroh?"
"No, sir," the captain answered honestly. "It was Prince Zuko who led the men."
"So, you willingly let a traitor lead the men. Why?"
This time, Zuko spoke. "Because my actions are why they were kept here, guarding the colonies," he answered.
"Oh, so you felt like you had a responsibility to them. Is that it?" Ying asked. "It doesn't matter now. You'll be thrown into prison and there, you'll await your execution."
"Sir!" protested Jee as nearby soldiers of the 41st took a step to their commander, ready to protect him at a moment's notice. "Prince Zuko and General Iroh have been protecting this colony for the past six days! Had it not been for them, the colony would've surely fallen!"
"But the colony hasn't fallen, has it? These traitors will face execution for their crimes, and we will finish off those rabble you seem to have a hard time getting rid of—" He never finished that sentence, mostly because of the arrow that pierced through his top knot.
Everyone looked at where that arrow had come from and saw that the Yuyan Archers had their bows out and ready to use. "If you finish that sentence, the next one will go through your brain." Bao-yu threatened him, another arrow nocked.
"How dare you?!" he spluttered, outraged by the action.
"The 'rabble' of which you speak of was led by one of the top Earth Kingdom generals," the archer told him, his voice never changing. "Furthermore, the 'rabble' fled this morning when Prince Zuko fought the enemy general in single combat to the death. Prince Zuko killed him when he used the breath of lightning on the enemy general."
"Breath of lightning?" repeated Ying. "That is ridicules! Such a technique does not exist!" And he would've heard of it if it did exist.
"It was created today by Prince Zuko. When we searched the fortress for valuable information, we had found a living dragon."
"Where is it!?" the colonel demanded. "It should be brought to the Fire Lord." If he delivered a dragon to the Fire Lord, he would be well rewarded. He could even see a promotion for him.
"The dragon belongs to Prince Zuko by right of spoils of war," Bao-yu told him. "Prince Zuko freed the creature from its chains. When it wanted to fight, Zuko told it to come back when they were older and in their prime. After that, he let it go free."
"You fool! Do you realize what you just did!?" Ying yelled at Zuko, angry at the lost chance of a promotion. It earned him the sound of every bow held by a Yuyan archer being ready to use and pointing at him.
"Prince Zuko has spent the last six days fighting for the people in this colony, never for his own glory!" the lieutenant continued. "Combined with the actions of today, I believe Prince Zuko is to be granted a great reward. As head of the Yuyan Archers and as such, second to Lord Naruto, Paragon of the Fire Nation, I give Prince Zuko the title of Dragon!"
"You don't have that right!" he shouted.
"Actually, he does," Iroh stated, earning the colonel's attention. "Only the Fire Nation Paragon can revoke a decision made by the head of the Yuyan Archers."
"I have the 41st division as witnesses to what Prince Zuko had done!" Bao-yu declared. "From today on, Prince Zuko will be known as the Scarred Dragon!"
Ying just stared hopelessly at Bao-yu. He couldn't see a way to refuse the head of the Yuyan archers. Everything he said was well within his power. He turned to the soldiers of the 41st. "Is what he says true?" he asked them
"SIR! YES, SIR!" they replied as one, willing to stand behind the exiled prince.
"In regard to the 41st division." continued Bao-yu. "They fought bravely and with honor for the past six days. As such, I believe it is their right to earn an emblem and a nickname." He gave Ying a pointed look.
"Y-yes, they do," he gave in. If he refused, he could very well have a riot on his hands. And he wasn't sure if he and his soldiers would win.
Bao-yu turned to Zuko. "My lord, would you give them the honor of an emblem and a nickname?" he asked.
He nodded and faced the soldiers he had fought alongside with and admitted a little sheepishly. "I can honestly say that I had never given the nickname much thought. I was too busy fighting to protect this colony. However, if you all agreed for me to be a Dragon, I think it's only fitting I give you a nickname that makes you dragons as well." He took a deep breath. "41st division of the Fire Nation army, from this day on, you will be known as the Dragon's Fangs!" His voice grew and swelled with authority. "Let your emblem be that of a roaring dragon, proudly showing its fangs!"
The 41st busted out into cheering and celebrating at his words. Ying had just stood still in the middle of the parade ground. He had come with a new division to claim honor and glory for him and the new division while also throwing the traitors into jail. But all of that was gone now. The celebrating had turned into a full-blown party that had the entire colony going. Everyone everywhere in the colony was celebrating. Food and drink were plenty and there was laughter all around.
As night fell and the party continued, Zuko turned to look at Iroh. "Maybe now would be the best time to leave?" he suggested. He almost didn't want to leave, but they had to. Otherwise, Azula would come for them when she had been told.
His uncle looked at all the celebration going on. "Yes, we should leave." They grabbed their supplies from the command center and went to get their ostrich horse. When they found the ostrich horse, there was a note on the saddle.
We knew that you would try to leave the festivities. Don't worry, we'll tell the 41st why you two disappeared.
Jee & Bao-yu
P.S. Bao-yu sent the fastest massager hawk we have to Lord Naruto, explaining what happened. With any luck, he'll give his response to Fire Lord Ozai the same time he gets the official report. Although hopefully if Lord Naruto does get involved in another battle soon, he should demonstrate to the Fire Nation why he deserves to be legitimately promoted to an officer.
They read the note once more and then burned it. They got on the ostrich horse and left the colony of Akawan through the gate (as everyone was partying, no one really paid attention to them). After an hour of riding, with the colony completely out of sight, Zuko spoke. "Uncle?"
"Yes, nephew?" replied Iroh.
"I'm ready to tell you about what happened in the storm." Now, he could find the words that had eluded him.
And so, two dragons, one who came from the west and once who was scarred, continued their journey.
It was early evening when Sensu finally got to the house. He had spent the afternoon trying to find out about what happened to his father. It turned that he came back two weeks later, having found out that Sensu was rescued by General Fong. Now, he was walked up to the door and knocked on it. It opened up to reveal a women's face. When she saw who it was, she was shocked to see who stood at her door.
He could only think of one thing to say. "Hi, Mom, I'm home."
(Location: Fire Nation)
Fire Lord Ozai read the report that came from Akawan. Initially, he was furious that his traitor of a brother and his disgraced son just decided to waltz into one of the colonies! Then he was surprised and pleased at how Zuko acted like a leader during the attacks, perhaps he had some useful qualities after all. His mood turned sour when he read about how Zuko breathed lightning, freed a young captive dragon and was in turn, given the title of Dragon by the head of the Yuyan Archers.
He had just finished reading about how the 41st division was nicknamed the Dragon's Fangs, when a servant came into the throne and bowed low. "What is it?" he asked.
"My lord, this message just came in from Lord Naruto. The instructions say that you should read this after you have the report from Akawan," the servant told him, keeping his head bowed.
"Give me the message and leave me." The servant did as he was commanded, handing the scroll he carried into the Fire Lord's hands and quickly left. Ozai paid him no attention to the servant. Instead, he opened the scroll.
To the Royal Flaming Asshole
To start off, yes, your daughter is safe (do you think I let her be anything else?).
Now, I know you've probably already read the report from Akawan. Bao-yu sent a hawk to me with a copy of the report. And just so you know, I find the reasons justifiable. He has my backing.
Now about Zuko, can't you be proud of him? He was to generate lightning inside of himself and was able breathe it! I know for fact that had Azula come with the idea and was able to successfully do it, you would have thrown a party!
And he let the dragon go so that he could fight it when he was more powerful. What does that tell you? Because it tells me that he is going to try his hardest to improve his Firebending, just so he could fight a dragon in its prime!
For Agni's sake Ozai! You should try at least to be proud of both of your children! So your son was a late bloomer, it doesn't mean you should automatically think him a failure! Give him some time to improve himself and he just might actually surprise you. And, in case you didn't notice, he already did! Three times!
Paragon of the Fire Nation
Naruto Uzumaki
P.S. I've already sent my reply about the report back to Bao-yu. He knows that I stand by his decisions. So don't try to do anything funny with Bao-yu or the Yuyan archers, Ozai. Remember, they're loyal to me first and to you second.
He stared at the scroll, reading it again. Once he was done, he threw it into the nearby fire and watched in satisfaction as it burned.
The encampment used by the famous elite unit of the Fire Nation, the Rough Rhinos, was as small as it can get, perhaps because there were only five members who comprised of the unit. Since its formation, the Rough Rhinos had emerged to become one of the Fire Nation's mobile cavalry formation, before the tundra tank was invented. As the Fire Nation relied more on its infantry, both Firebender and Nonbenders alike, the role of the cavalry had been reduced. Yet, for Colonel Mongke and his group, they were determined to prove to the Fire Lord that mobile cavalry still has its uses.
Speaking of Colonel Mongke, the leader of the group had a charisma that could not be rivaled by any other Fire Nation nobleman, or military officer. Yet, for the leader of the Rough Rhinos, their opportunity would arrive when a falcon arrived at their camp. One of the other group members, a former Yuyan Archer named Vachir, had grabbed the parchment that was attached to a falcon's leg and delivered it to Mongke.
Meanwhile, a heavily bearded man sat in front of his tent, sharpening his own Guan Dao as his comrade, a bare-chested man carrying a bolo, sat beside him. "Did you hear?" the bare-chested man whispered. "Akawan was under attack by the Earth Kingdom. Surprisingly, they managed to repel the attack."
Kahchi turned to his comrade with an amused look. "I wonder who was responsible for the 'miraculous' victory in that colony?"
Colonel Mongke laughed as he gathered his men around the campfire. He still carried the letter that Vachir handed to him, as a masked man named Yeh-Lu carried what appeared to be components for a new kind of explosive. "The rumors around the mill are true, boys," Mongke said as he grinned. "It seems that the exiled prince who defeated me in a fight one time, was the one leading the defense of the city."
"Wouldn't he be punished for defying his punishment? Technically, he and the Dragon of the West are still in exile!" Vachir asked Mongke.
But the leader of the Rough Rhinos simply grinned. "Well, besides that, I have some news coming out of Kouzan." Everyone quieted down, eager to hear this news. "It appears that Governor Shun has requested extra back up and has contacted us to help defend the colony."
The Rough Rhinos clamored with excitement as their chance at redeeming themselves after the failed attempt to capture the Avatar had resulted in them being shoved aside by the other Fire Nation officers. Fire Lord Ozai, as it espcially turned out, had been displeased when news of the Rough Rhinos' failure. Now that they have been given orders to defend a colony, they could not pass this chance.
"There is something else," Mongke said. Vachir raised his eyebrows as Mongke looked at him. "The Fire Nation Paragon and Princess Azula are traveling around the Earth Kingdom. They will eventually reach Kouzan in a few days."
"And why is that relevant?" Vachir asked back.
Mongke's smile vanished. "You know well that as the Fire Nation Paragon, the brat has command of the Yuyan Archers, right? And as a former Yuyan Archer you would love to have a chance at regaining your spot with Colonel Shinu and his gang."
Vachir knew what he was talking about. "I failed the then-Prince Ozai. Yet, I am amused that the Paragon of the Fire Nation is not only the same age as Princess Azula, but that he is the only one who had the guts to disobey his command. Perhaps maybe I should greet this…Lord Naruto…as everyone talks about." He looked at his bow and patted it. "And perhaps you should ask Colonel Shinu as to why Lord Naruto is not an officer in the first place. Maybe this battle should convince the Fire Lord that Lord Naruto should be awarded an officer's rank, just so the other officers wouldn't complain that they have to take orders from him."
"That's the plan, Vachir. For now, let's take down the camp, and prepare for a long journey!" Mongke's smiled returned, though it transformed into a feral smile. "Kouzan awaits us!" The men of the Rough Rhinos cheered loudly.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
I would also like to personally thank the author Kyūbi16 for sending me a harsh review. We've been talking back and forth about what he meant on his review. He's been pointing out stuff that I need to work that I didn't realized I had. This is why you should always pay attention to the harsher critics; odds are they're the ones who will actually help your story.
Rock-head and charcoal-sucker are derogative terms for Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation respectively. I don't know if I'll come up with derogative terms for Water Tribe or Air Nomad. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing.
I always wanted to know what happened to the 41st division in the actual show, so here is my version. Which is also why I somewhat brought the crew for Zuko's ship back as well while also reuniting the family in "Zuko Alone"
I also wanted to add in something about the Yuyan archers because their headband. It's explained in the chapter, I wanted to kind of expand the Yuyan archers. Give them a little backstory.
If you thought that the Naruto flashbacks were a bit short, don't worry. I'm planning on putting in a few in the next chapter.
Also, don't worry. The dragon will be back. The question of whether or not the 41st division comes back is still up for grabs but they'll be an important factor in a later chapter.
I'll see you all next chapter!