disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me. (: enjoy!
I See Fire: Heroes
"By order of Phoenix-King Ozai, you are hereby crowned…" The sage hesitated to place the hairpiece in her bowed head of brown hair.
Despite the light bags of fatigue under her eyes, Azula's tawny gaze was venomous. "What're you waiting for? Do it!" She spat.
A low groan sounded from the skies, finally earning the princess's attention as the sages had their eyes glued to the large beige sky bison descending slowly onto the stone courtyard of the palace.
The prince didn't hesitate as soon as their steed touched ground, hopping down, "Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today… I am."
His younger sister laughed snobbishly, hackles risen despite her snarky reaction, "You're hilarious."
"And you're demented." The admiral's daughter rebutted darkly as she landed nimbly from following her boyfriend's descent.
Azula sneered coldly at the older girl's death glare, gesturing the sage with the hairpiece in hand back off as she stood, "You want to become Fire Lord? Fine. Let's settle this; just you and me, Brother… The showdown that was always meant to be: Agni-Kai." She challenged.
Jaw tight and gold eyes narrowed, Zuko obliged, "You're on."
Katara and Mariko shared a look, and as the younger girl made to say something, the other nudged her to hush. She glanced at him, "You know she won't fight fair, she never does. Please tell me you have some sort of plan to best her on your own." Spirits knew he couldn't take her on alone… not without backup.
"What was your first clue? There is no plan, either," at the briefly alarmed glare from her amber eyes, Zuko added, "to be honest, she looks off for some reason. Look at her. She's slipping… That's my only silver lining." He answered quietly.
Mariko noted the bags under her eyes and huffed, "You'd better be right about this." Why do I have the feeling that even if she's half-mad, she'll still fight as ferocious as she did before?
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The courtyard was cleared shortly after with Zuko on the far end before Katara, Mariko and Appa and Azula near the stone steps leading to the rest of the palace.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way, Brother." Azula lamented as she straightened to face her brother, discarding the robe off her shoulders, getting into a stance.
Zuko glared at her, also in a stance, "No you're not."
Without awaiting any signal, the princess struck, sending a wave of blue flames screaming forward. Countering quickly, a likewise wall of orange flames came to life from the prince's side of the stone courtyard, both walls colliding fiercely and crumbling.
Katara bit the inside of her cheek on reflex at the intensity of the flames, briefly tearing her blue stare away from the warring siblings to her companion. The older girl stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, seeming unperturbed even though they both were witnessing her own fiancé duke it out against his prodigy kid-sister, and she momentarily marveled at how coolly she was handling it.
Mariko watched the flames clash and then die only to be replaced by another layer of blue and orange flames that danced across the courtyard, amber eyes not keeping on the prince but on his sister. The muscles in her jaw tightened when the younger girl zipped towards her brother on the sheer fire-power of her azure 'rockets', and she could swear her whole body flinched as she watched the girl get closer before he acted, sending a wide fanned wheel of orange flames to connect with her and rip her off course.
Azula grunted in slight pain as she was sent flipping back like a rock across the waterfront, landing on her side.
Zuko, spurred by the leverage he had obtained, scoffed and took a challenging step forward. "No lightning today; what's the matter? Afraid I'll redirect it?" He demanded as his sister shuffled to her feet.
The princess glowered tawny daggers at her brother's cocky challenge, positively seething as she breathed out. "Oh I'll show you lightning!" She crowed, blue energy springing to life with the air's tension nearly quadrupled as she harnessed it in her fingers, long streaks of electricity crackling in the thick air in a circular motion.
And without warning as she had done what felt like years ago, Azula directed the dangerous bolts of electricity straight at where the waterbender was standing.
"No!" Zuko exclaimed before he jumped in the way to somehow redirect the lightning. To the older girl's horror, she watched in what felt like slow-motion as he hit the ground.
"Zuko!" Mariko and Katara cried as the latter ran to his side before a second bolt of lightning cut her off from reaching him. The former stubbornly ignored the stinging tears in her eyes as she rounded on the princess, a dagger leaving her right wrist guard to be sent streaking at the younger girl.
Azula perked up as something sharp nicked her right cheek, faltering to lift her hand and touch the spot, pulling her hand back to see blood on her fingertips.
"Your quarrel isn't with her, Azula… It's with me!" Mariko shouted, meeting her tawny glare that zeroed in on her, her own amber eyes dangerous and heated.
"Mariko…" Katara began in surprise as the older girl raised her free hand infront of her.
"Take care of Zuko for me… Please, Kat." She requested quietly; her mouth formed into a thin mirthless smile. "She's mine."
She watched the older girl step forward to face her and she cackled quietly, smirking in that same evil way the other had known her for during most of their shared childhood. "I knew you were just dying to fight me, to finish what we started last time… I'm sorry poor Zuzu's getting hurt has forced you into this. I truly am, Mariko." She drawled, lifting a hand to idly toss back strands of her choppy brown mane of hair.
She flexed her fingers absently from having clawed crescents into her palms, rolling her neck from one side to the other, body relaxing even though every nerve inside was screaming for vengeance. "We never hit it off as kids, even though our mommies requested we make nice… but to be truthful, we never hit it off because of the one simple fact everyone's too scared to say to your face: you're one crazy bitch, Azula." She lifted her right hand and gestured she initiate the rebooted battle, amber eyes cold.
Azula sneered and narrowed her eyes, harnessing another bout of lightning and sending it streaking in her direction.
Mariko reacted at the drop of a hat, gathering the electricity and then redirecting it in the direction it came from, forcing the younger girl to swerve out of the way; she harnessed electricity in her own hands, sending twin bolts of blue lightning screaming at the princess. She's too slippery to pin down, but Zuko's bout slowed her reflexes by a hair's breadth. Her amber eyes tightened. If I can trip her up just once more, maybe I can land a hit and block her chi.
It was dirty and low, but at this rate it was either resort to chi-blocking or be zapped with lightning… And she sure as hell wouldn't dream of partaking in the latter.
Besides, 'dirty and low' was how Azula played.
"Mai says 'hi', by the way; she wanted me to tell you that she doesn't regret turning her back on you, Azula!" She said jovially, watching the princess near-visibly bristle at the proverbial twist she delivered to the knife in her back when mentioning what had gone down on the Boiling Rock.
Is she serious about this? Katara wondered from watching on the sidelines, lifting a brow.
"Bite me, bitch!" Azula yowled, sending a ferocious blast of blue flames screaming at her.
Mariko hopped up and over the flames using her fire-rockets, lithe body back-flipping in the air, and she jerked her left leg downward so an equally sharp blast of orange flames crashed onto where the princess stood.
Another volley of blue jetted at her as she began descending; twisting her body into a downward position, she thrust out her right arm to block the blast with another of her own, somersaulting to land on the covered walkway's roof in a crouch.
"No wonder Lady Ursa chose Zuko over you; your professed excellence is nothing more than sparks!" Mariko laughed humorlessly, grinning snidely at the highly-irate and demented princess.
Azula gave a snarl as she sent a vicious bolt of lightning jetting at where she had landed.
Redirecting it so the bolt flew into the cloudy sky above, she used her fire-rockets again to project herself from the roof to hurtle into the princess, both girls hitting the ground.
A set of filed nails sharply raked across her left cheek as Azula lashed out like a pissed tiger-dillo, being slugged hard in her jaw in retaliation. Mariko drew her punch back only to grunt an oath as the princess kicked hard at her ribs, knocking her back; she shook her head and scrambled to her feet just as her opponent did, reacting quickly.
A sharp yelp came from the would-be Fire Lord as a quick jab connected with her right shoulder, a second quick jab hitting her left and then a third and fourth jabbing sharply into her chest and gut, a final fifth and sixth hitting her shins.
Azula teetered and released an oath as she fell backward, landing flat on her back.
Mariko panted, lifting a hand to gingerly wipe the blood from her scratched cheek, scowling down at the defeated princess. "That was for Ba Sing Se." She said coldly, turning away to the rest of the half-ruined courtyard.
Zuko roused and grimaced at the slight jabs of pain that radiated from his ribs, blearily looking to the blue glow of the waterbender's hands and then to the admiral's daughter jogging to his side. "Mariko." He began, earning his nurse's attention.
Katara jerked her stare up briefly to see said girl sink to her knees near the prince's head and she beamed, "Mariko, that was incredible… I didn't know you knew chi-blocking, though." She declared.
Mariko gingerly stroked his brown hair, perking up when his gold eyes lifted to meet her amber; she felt her cheeks warm and she closed her eyes with a small laugh, the stinging sensation returning full-force to nag at the backs of her eyes. "It's a long story. I'm just glad you two are alright, you especially." She brushed some of his shaggy locks out of his eyes, fighting the cracks beginning to show in her voice. "Nearly gave me another heart-attack, jumping in like the lunkheaded prince you are!" She sniffed.
Katara removed her hands from the point of origin and looked away with a knowing smile.
Zuko smiled wryly, "Sorry for worrying you, y'know, again… Give and take, right?" He mused.
Mariko shook her head with a half-grin and slightly teary eyes, gingerly helping him to stand, perking up as Katara helped him up on his other side, his arm finding the former's small waist and squeezing.
Another stab of pain lightly throbbed from his bandaged middle; he grimaced, faltering in pulling his robe on.
"I thought I told you to not try something stupid." Her familiar voice said with mild exasperation from his four-poster, and he glanced back to see her shuffling to his side.
The prince momentarily took note of the sleeveless blood-crimson tunic she wore that stopped short of her thighs where a pair of slate cropped leggings finished at her shins; he huffed, making a sideways expression she smiled fondly at, turning slightly to let her finish helping him. "And I thought you were bunking with the girls in the other chamber." He countered.
The admiral's daughter rolled her eyes, tying the gold sash of his robe tight at his waistline, looking up at him with a knowing light in her amber stare. "And leave you to recover pitifully overnight and then come find you trying to reopen your wound now? Clearly you don't remember the important details of things, love." She tutted and shook her head.
Zuko quirked a brow at sensing her coyness, cracking a half-smirk as he tugged on her left hand to bring her closer so the space between their bodies decreased, gold eyes inquisitive. "Which are?" He returned, acting coy; two could play at that game.
Mariko fought the heat rising up her neck and soon to her cheeks, a playful grin beginning to form on her lips in spite of. "I know you too well by this point, for one, and for another…" She reached up to gently curl slender fingers in his brown locks, her face tilting up just the slightest. "Last I looked, you and I made a promise, months ago, to not leave the other… No matter what." She kissed him softly.
He smiled against her soft lips that sought to remind him that she did indeed care for him as much as he did her. He reciprocated slowly, using his right hand to run his own fingers through her untamed black mane, feeling her sigh even as he kissed a little harder, teasing and challenging all at once.
She made a mental note to lord it over him preferably sometime after his coronation later in the day, nibbling on his lower lip and tracing the fingers of her free hand down the back of his right shoulder, grinning cheekily at hearing the stifled grumble from him.
Zuko reflexively leaned into her touch, his own free arm encircling her hips and pressing her closer to him, refusing to be the first to groan.
Mariko drew back a smidge to breathe, biting back a gasp as he stole the chance to attack her neck with kisses and bites, back arching as she squirmed and clawed at his shoulder on reflex, biting out a groan. "N-not fair…!" She hissed.
Zuko chuckled and left a kiss on the noticeable hickey just a few inches below her left earlobe, gold meeting amber smugly. "You started it. Besides, you're more feisty in the morning." He added with a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks, but elsewise he remained content and smug.
She growled under her breath and closed her eyes with an exasperated sigh, releasing his back to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Oh bite me."
"Pretty sure I already did, spitfire." He hummed, smiling innocently when receiving a death glare from his blushing fiancé.
Before she could think to whack him for being so damn cocky, a polite knock sounded on the double doors from the hallway, making both teens jump.
"Fire Lord Zuko, are you awake?" They both relaxed at hearing the humble voice of one of the servants. After the events of the aftermath of the Agni-Kai, the trio had wasted no time in taking residence in the palace, namely in the throne room. Once the rest of the party had returned, and once the prince and admiral's daughter had made sure the servants that had remained would be loyal to the former, the party had been escorted to guest rooms to rest for the night.
"Yes, come in." Zuko replied, letting her slip away to throw on a longer tunic over the one she had worn, tying it at her waist with a red sash lifted from the floor.
The doors opened and one of the maids poked her head in, "Sire, Admiral Khan is requesting an audience… With his daughter." She said, eyes glancing from the prince that had frozen slightly to his fiancé that looked back at the maid.
She quieted and smiled slightly, "I'll be there shortly. Thank you." She watched the maid return the faint smile before darting out of the room and closing the doors, lifting a hand to run her fingers through her hair, a habit she only performed when nervous or anxious. "Spirits, what does he want?" She wondered.
"It's not like my relationship with my father is one of the greatest." Zuko mused with a rueful half-smile, momentarily recalling that Aang had only taken his father's bending away instead of his life, approaching her and placing a hand on her back. "Good luck." He wished.
Mariko smiled faintly and kissed him before pulling back, absently running her fingers through her mane of hair that concealed the hickey he'd left, and she nodded. "Thanks, Zu." She sighed softly and slipped away to leave his bedroom.
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Admiral Daichi Khan was a man of flat six feet tall with graying dark brown hair that showed streaks of slate on his topknot-tamed head, olive complexion and dark gold eyes that looked like honey when he was in one of his lighter moods.
Today was not necessarily one of those days.
The turtle-ducks in the royal courtyard's pond kept to one side of the small face of water away from the admiral, quacking and making noise as turtle-ducks were wont to do.
"Father?" The calm placid-toned voice of his daughter said from a few feet away at his back, perking his ears.
Stirring from his observation of the turtle-ducks, Admiral Khan turned slightly to greet her, pausing momentarily to take note of the white bandage covering her left cheek, her hesitant and curious amber eyes. Her wild black hair and pale skin she had inherited from her mother, this he knew, and even though he had been there during the first few weeks she had returned home from her three-year expedition in solitude, he didn't quite take note that she had matured.
Mariko was stronger somehow, wiser, and she looked more grown than her mother had made her out to be. But she was still his child, that much he knew.
The admiral didn't doubt that she was ruthless in the heat of battle, just as he was.
He smiled a little and scritched at his thin moustache idly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Mariko?" He returned in the same calm voice.
She smiled back, even if it was a small one, shuffling past him to crouch before the pond and stir the water with her fingers absently. "How's Mom?" She wondered, mostly out of politeness, partially out of some small measure of guilt regarding the curtness she had shown the woman only months prior.
The admiral thought of the morose disposition that had plagued her mother in recent months and exhaled, placing his arms at his back. "She found your letter. Wasn't too happy that you left again… Neither of us were, to be frank." He relented, watching the ducks continue with what they were doing.
"Hm." She chewed her bottom lip absently, pretending she didn't wince at his comment. She closed her eyes and exhaled steadily. "I'm not sorry that I left. For either accounts." She straightened from her crouch to turn slightly in his direction. "My friends needed me, and who was I to not help them?"
The older Khan thought to say something but for the stubborn fire that had sparkled and flickered in her eyes when they met his, he immediately saw the striking resemblance she bore. His gold eyes softened slightly; she truly had grown.
Just as he'd hoped she would.
So he took the girl by surprise when he stepped closer to embrace her, feeling her stiffen slightly in the fold of his arms. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you, three years ago. I missed seeing my little girl grow into a beautiful and tough young woman… Seeing you like this makes me proud to be your father, Mariko." He said, holding the back of her head.
"Dad…" Amber eyes that had widened when he'd hugged her now were soft, the sting of tears prickling at the rims of her eyes she shut. She smiled happily and hugged back tight, sniffing. "I missed you, Dad."
Katara scowled slightly at examining the drawing closely. "Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?" She asked the artist.
"Those're your hair-loopies!" Sokka answered, scowling back, miffed with being critiqued.
Mariko rolled her eyes and shuffled to examine the drawing, blinking once and then twice at what appeared to be a girl standing next to Zuko with flame-like hair. "Oi, why is my hair on fire? Sokka!" She declared, rounding on her age-mate.
"I thought it would look cooler if it looked like it was on fire… Ow, ow, Z-Zuko, get her off!" Sokka yelped for aid when the girl began pulling his cheeks out while sporting a twitching vein on her brow.
Zuko sweatdropped and then also looked at the drawing, deadpanning. "I look like a friggin' boar-cupine; my hair's not that spiky!" He declared.
"Why did you paint me fire-bending?" Suki asked pointedly once her boyfriend had been released of the firebender's hands, sweatdropping.
Sokka shrugged, "I thought it would make for a nice effect." When Momo hopped onto the table to chitter at him, he scowled at the lemur, "Oh and you think you can do a better job, I suppose?"
Mariko exhaled and pulled away from the table to take a sip of her tea, blinking when noticing Aang had left to go watch the sunset from outside. She smiled after his leave, sipping her tea and taking Katara's chair.
Zuko looked in her direction after the critiquing was done to Sokka's drawing, catching her eye; she smiled warmly at him, a faint heat coloring her cheeks, to which he smiled fondly at, shuffling to join her at the table.
A/N: well there's that. im sorry it took so long for me to finish this, but i'm glad i did finish it instead of just scrapping it. anyway, i hope you guys have loved reading this as much as i've loved writing it! (: in other news, i'm still working on Hakuouki fics, Hana no Satsugai: Kaika firstly and then Tenrai-Tsumi, my version of Hakuouki Reimeiroku.
oh and thanks for the reviews, favs, follows and views too! - Sarudoshi