Fanfic #244 Zuko, Master of Fire by thinkerPhil(AvatarTheLastAirbender)

This fanfic is an au where Iroh died following Zuko. I really like this fic because it has great character development for Zuko and great world expansion.

Synopsis: Tu Zin changed things. Zuko is alone - truly alone - and must master his anger before it masters him. AU from "The Chase" from Book 2 of the original cartoon. Rating is for violence. Also posted on fanfiction.net.

Rated: M

words: 56k

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36298714/chapters/90492070

Here's the first chapter:

Prince Zuko awoke suddenly, cold and damp, in a deep pit engulfed in darkness. The pit was claustrophobically narrow, with a high ceiling nearly twenty metres above. A sliver of sunlight shone through a tiny slit near the top of the pit. The ground was made of hard, dry, mud with a layer of dust and straw settled on top. The walls were made of a smooth brick, such that one could not climb them.

Bleary eyed, Prince Zuko looked around what was essentially his cell. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized - he couldn't feel his hands. Zuko looked down. Peering intently - the darkness was so thick he could hardly see, even with his eyes adjusted - and put his hands directly in front of his face. Crooked and bent fingers transformed his nightmare into reality.

I'll never be able to firebend from my hands again.

Tired, wet, cold, and teary eyed, Zuko collapsed into the dirt.

I'm sorry Uncle.

THE DAY PRIOR

"You got me. A princess surrenders with honour," Azula said calmly.

Uncle Iroh sent a surprised glance towards the Avatar and his friends.

How will we keep her prisoner? He thought to himself.

Azula saw her chance and immediately struck. Her hands moved in a quick, but subtle circular motion that Uncle Iroh had warned Zuko about.

A flash of light accompanied by a thunderous boom shook across the village.

"No!" Zuko roared, a split second too late.

He could only watch, horrified, as his Uncle was thrown back several feet, unable to react to the speed of the attack.

Zuko was blind to everything around him. The others - the Avatar, the waterbender, and the earthbender - blinked in surprise. Azula exploited the diversion her lightning had created, and attacked again with a flaming kick.

Toph - the earthbender - recovered first, and shielded herself and her companions with a wall of earth. A plume of black smoke covered the battlefield. When it cleared, Azula was nowhere to be seen. Zuko scrambled to his Uncle's prone form.

No, this can't be happening. Not to Uncle. Surely he redirected it! I saw him do it on the ship!

Within an instant the truth was revealed. A hole about the size of a man's fist existed where his heart should have. Uncle Iroh had died before he hit the floor - not expecting such a vicious attack from his niece.

"Uncle," Zuko sobbed, falling to his knees, trying to hold back his tears.

The waterbender, Katara, turned, and moved towards Zuko.

"I can heal him!" she cried.

"No, you can't, not from this," Zuko wept. Tears freely fell down from his singular good eye.

"I'm telling you, I can heal -" she was cut off by a blast of fire from Prince Zuko.

"Leave!" he yelled, nearly choking on his words.

Toph put her hand on Katara's shoulder.

"He's right, Katara."

Toph was holding her tears back.

"There's nothing you can do."

Her eyes grew damp.

"Come on, we have to go before Azula comes back."

"What about…. What about Zuko?" asked Aang.

Katara shook her head. "I don't think Zuko will want to come with us, Aang."

Aang looked at Zuko remorsefully. Zuko glared in response.

With that, they left.

SOME TIME LATER

"Put your hands over your head and don't move!"

Zuko's eyes snapped open. He had just finished burning the remains of his Uncle. Clenching his Uncle's pai sho tile, and with his prayer interrupted, he turned and rose, and saw that he was surrounded in a rough semi-circle by ten Earth Kingdom soldiers.

"Is this the ashmaker from your village, Gow?"

"Yes, that's him," Gow replied, as he readied his hammers. "He won't be getting away this time."

Zuko scowled as he recognised the group as the thugs from the nearby town. He felt a level of anger he had never felt before in his life. His normally golden eyes became a sulfurous yellow as he slipped the tile into his pocket, and slowly raised his hands over his head. A glance at the squad told him all he needed to know. Most were non-benders, as evidenced by their spears.

Non-bending soldiers held spears as their standard weapon, while those that could bend often used hammers, or were unarmed. Only three of the men either had hammers or carried no weapons. They were flanked by men with spears, and Zuko spotted an archer on the roof across the street, at his two o'clock.

One of the soldiers slowly crept forward, chains in hand, ready to bind him.

Zuko struck first.

Flashing a near instantaneous burst of fire at the man approaching him with his left, he swiftly drew his knife - the one his Uncle had given him - with his right, and rushed the soldier, killing him with a swipe to the neck.

Zuko's rage had given him a crystal clarity he had not felt in a long time.

Now is my chance. I have to take them, right here, right now, or I'll never escape.

The flash had served its purpose, blinding the nearest opponent and causing the earthbenders to reflexively shield themselves.

Lashing out with a flaming kick, Zuko attempted to destroy the soldiers that couldn't bend, so he could focus solely on the benders. However, he was interrupted by Gow, who bent a wall between Zuko and the defenseless troops, who scrambled away.

"Your fight is with me, ashmaker," Gow spat.

The two other earthbenders responded in kind, bending a wall opposite to Gow's, leaving Zuko completely boxed in on both sides, with his Uncle's ashes behind him, the three earthbenders and their dead companion in front.

An arrow sprang at him from the archer that Zuko had wearily kept an eye on. With perfect timing, he struck the arrow, breaking it in two. In doing so, left himself open, and was rewarded with a stone to the chest courtesy of one of the earthbenders.

His knife clattered to the ground.

"Quickly! Get him while he can't breathe! He can't firebend without breathing!"

Getting to his feet, Zuko weaved between the stones being thrown at him, trying to catch his breath.

I can't defend against the archer and the earthbenders.

Thinking quickly, Zuko used the walls meant to box him in to his advantage. Moving close to the wall on his right, he put himself out of view of the archer, and began his counterattack.

Firing a blast into the dusty ground, Zuko created a screen of smoke, and hurriedly climbed over the wall.

"Shit! I can't see him!"

"I can't see him either!"

"Keep bending you idiots! He's trying to confuse you!"

He looked and saw the archer was not in the same position.

Perfect. He saw I went out of his line of sight and moved to get a new angle. He won't be able to shoot if he's not set up. I can catch him when he's repositioning. Most likely he'll go behind to shoot at my exposed back.

Ignoring the surprised shouts of the earth benders, Zuko leapt into the alley of the building nearest to him, and sprang between the walls, reaching the roof of the building in six leaps.

If I'm right, he's probably right around...

Zuko and the archer nearly ran into each other. Recovering quickly, Zuko grabbed the man - who had begun to reach for his sword - and slammed his head into the parapet, then flung him from the roof.

I'm home free. They have no range, so I just have to escape through the town, which should be no problem.

However, Zuko made two miscalculations. Firstly - he did not anticipate the recovery time of the earth benders. His scuffle with the archer had given away his position.

"There he is! He just took out Ro!"

Zuko cursed as the earth benders bent away the supports of the house he was on.

Secondly - he had discounted the regular troops. As he landed, he was met with a blow from behind, indulgence from one of the more courageous of the non-benders.

And now I am here, in this pit, unable to bend. They must have crushed my hands immediately after I was knocked out.

Li gulped. The firebender had killed Lang in an instant.

I was almost burnt to a crisp! If not for Gow I'd be dead for sure! What the hell is that firebender made of?

His fellow spearman roused him from his shock.

"Li! Get your head screwed on straight! We're useless here. We're going to maneuver around the firebender's flank while Gow and the others are taking up his attention!"

Li nodded slowly. It was a good plan.

We're just in the way as we are.

Running, Li and his partner, Gomi, went around the nearby buildings, and hid behind a low wall.

"Remember, we're just here to ambush him if we get the chance."

They waited, and eventually, they got their chance.

Li winced as he saw the firebender throw Ro off the building.

I hope he's ok.

As the building collapsed, Li leapt up, and before Zuko could regain his senses, Li struck him in the back of the head with the shaft of his spear.

Gow smirked as he saw Zuko collapse. "Good job Li! You got him in one hit, and alive, too!"

Li nodded. Gomi had gone to check on Ro. Li looked over and saw his friend shake his head.

"He's gone. Neck snapped from the fall."

Li frowned. "I can't believe we went through that much trouble for one firebender," he said as he wiped the nervous sweat from his brow.

Putting his hammers away, Gow shook his head as the other remaining soldiers caught up to him.

"He wasn't just any firebender. He was the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. It's no wonder he was so strong."

"He got Lang and Ro. We should kill him right now!" One of the other soldiers said angrily.

"That's why I'm glad we got him alive. He's too good to kill quickly. There's a well nearby, we can crush his hands and throw him in there. He'll die away from the sun and without hope, like he deserves. Like what he's done to our people."

As Appa flew away, Aang contemplated what he had seen.

"Hey, Katara?"

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Why did she do that?"

"Why did Azula attack Prince Zuko's uncle, you mean?"

"Prince Jerkbender's uncle, you mean," Sokka interrupted.

Katara and Aang gave him a flat look.

"What?" Sokka shrugged. "He's our enemy. I'm just glad we were able to hold them off long enough to escape."

Toph, who had remained silent, spoke up.

"The only reason we were able to escape was because they didn't team up on us."

"That's not the point! Why did she attack her uncle? I mean they're siblings, aren't they? Wasn't he her uncle too? What kind of family would do that?" Aang asked again.

Katara answered, her voice even. "Aang, that's why we have to stop the Fire Nation. They're all related to the Fire Lord. Who knows what kind of horrible things they do."

"I guess…" Aang said, sounding unsure.

A beat passed.

"Their heartbeats were strange." Toph said, breaking the silence.

She was met with what she could only guess were strange looks. Toph rolled her eyes.

"You do know I'm blind, right? I can't see the looks you guys are giving me."

Another beat passed.

Sokka was the first to regain his voice.

"Well, yeah, of course their heartbeats were all messed up. They were fighting each other, weren't they? Jerkbender especially couldn't decide whether to attack Aang or his sister. Duh."

"Not just that," Toph continued, not at all phased by awkward silence, "the Princess had a perfectly steady heartbeat the entire time. Attacking her brother, and killing her uncle? It had no effect on her. You guys have told me a bit about how Zuko has chased you all over the world. I think you should be glad it was him and not his sister."

Katara remembered how desperate Zuko was to catch Aang in the North Pole.

"If he was desperate back then, he's probably even more dangerous now. It seemed to me like his uncle helped him keep his cool," Katara said, voicing her concern. "We'll have to be even more careful, especially if his sister is chasing us now."

Zuko did not know how long he had been in the pit.

It's probably been a few days. Agni, I'm so hungry.

Why did Azula… why did she kill Uncle?

"You know why she killed him. He was in her way," he whispered to himself.

But…. no. The only way she'd be allowed to… Father would have had to have allowed… no. No! Father's a good person. He'd never allow that to happen to his family!

The darkness was suffocating. Zuko felt as though the walls of the pit were closing in on him. He held a broken, useless hand to his scar.

I deserved this. Didn't I? Father would say I deserve these hands too.

Several voices went through his head at once.

"Azula was born to be lucky, but you, you were lucky to be born."

"Weak."

"Pathetic."

"Useless."

Useless.

Father will never want me back. Even if I brought him the Avatar on a platter he'd never accept me as his son. I can't bend anymore. What kind of Prince can't firebend?

Zuko stopped thinking for a while.

Will I die here?

Suddenly, Zuko felt angry again.

"I didn't survive the North Pole for this," he growled.

"I didn't hunt the Avatar for three years and almost succeed, just to die in this pit!" Zuko pulled himself to his knees.

"Do you hear me!? I haven't suffered for so long only to fail now! I do not accept this!"

Standing, Zuko continued.

"You spirits have taken everything. My honour, my position! My mother! My crew! My uncle! My firebending! But you can't have me! I refuse!"

Zuko slumped back down.

If I hadn't been so weak, none of this would have happened. I would be home right now, the rightful heir to the throne.

His thoughts turned to home.

Home. That place doesn't exist anymore. It hasn't since Mother left. The closest thing to home was when I was with Uncle, but he's gone now.

I have no home.

Uncle would tell me to never give up.

Unbidden, another memory came up.

"No! Prince Zuko! Bending does not come from the muscles! It comes from the breath! You must breathe!" Uncle Iroh had once berated him.

What was it they had said? 'He can't firebend if he can't breathe?'

Maybe I can still firebend. Uncle taught me the breath of fire technique to survive in the North Pole.

Zuko took a deep breath.

Calm, I must stay calm. Let my breath flow through me, and then…

It was there. It was slow, it was sluggish, but Zuko could feel his chi. It moved slowly throughout his chest, warming him slightly. He felt the broken chi paths above his elbows, and knew that he'd never be able to bend with his hands, even if they healed externally.

It's fine. Firebending comes from the breath. I won't need my hands. But what will I do when I escape? Father doesn't want me. If Azula didn't kill me, it's only because she has a use for me.

He shuddered, remembering what 'uses' she had had for him in the past.

None of that will matter if I die here. I have to escape first. Then I'll worry about what to do. AFTER I escape.

Settling on his knees, Zuko bowed his head, and began to meditate.