Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Prophesied ❯ Why Didn't He Listen? ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 3: Why Didn't He Listen?

When Katara woke the next morning, Agni and Shasa were gone. Left in her hand was a note.

You are the daughter of Nen.

Two weeks past and Agni did not return. Prince Zuko had dismissed the encounter as a dream and went on deck to train, as always. Due to a recent storm, most of his men were working on repairs, so he trained by himself with his uncle looking on.

For once, Iroh said nothing about the prince's bending. He was thinking, and Iroh is very good at figuring out things.

He was thinking of the time when Zuko was growing up. He'd always shown a natural ability for fire-bending, first showing signs of bending at 8 months rather than the average 2 years. Though he did so more so as a child, Zuko liked to experiment with his fire rather than stick to the moves he was taught. Even now, Iroh could see him sub-consciously bringing all four elements into his moves. The prince was attempting a fire snake much like Katara's water snake at the moment.

Iroh also knew Ozai, Zuko's father, intimately from growing up. Zuko's mother had not been a bender, and Ozai had taken a long time to show any real skill in bending. Of course, now no one could beat him, but that was beside the point. In all logical planes, Zuko should not be such a good bender at such a young age.

Truthfully, you would have to factor in all the training Zuko had done over the past three years. But how could that count for his show of bending skills at such a young age? Things just weren't adding up, and that was frustrating Iroh. Frustrating him and worrying the poor general.

Unlike his nephew, he had not dismissed the encounter with the Fire God. There had to be a reason for it, and also unlike Zuko, Iroh had caught the fact that Agni had not wanted to answer Zuko's last question. Agni knew all, but what did he know?

Agni was messing with Zuko, Agni was calling the shots, Agni could be putting Zuko's life in danger, and not knowing if, when, or even why was making Iroh angry. He hadn't even tasted tea in the past three days.

Zuko caught Iroh staring at him and dropped the fire snake.

“What is it Uncle? Still not controlling my breath enough?”

Iroh jumped at being addressed, having been deep in thought.

“No you're fine.”

“Going to offer me tea?”

“No, not right now.”

“Want to play Pi-Sho?”

“No, maybe later.”

Zuko was officially disturbed now.

“Uncle, are you feeling alright?”

Iroh glanced up at his nephew then nodded. He was fine; it was Zuko he was worried about.

A soldier came up to them excitedly and bowed to Zuko. “Sir, we have news of the Avatar's whereabouts!”

Zuko grinned. “Excellent.”

Katara woke the boys up for breakfast. Neither of them seemed to have any memory of the strangers they'd encountered now two weeks ago. They ate and talked with each other just like nothing had happened. Momo flew around, chasing bugs and scavenging for nuts.

Leaving the boys, she walked through the trees to the ocean shore. Carefully, she drew up a stream of water and guided it through the air around her. Quickly, the gentle calm that had always come when she bended overtook her and she thought of what the Water Goddess had told her. How could she think of Zuko is such a way? He was her enemy! She sighed and focused on the water stream when a cough behind her startled her into dropping it.

It was Zuko.

Shasa entered the chamber dressed only in a silk blue nightgown. She yawned and stretched, causing the nightgown to shift around and above her hips, revealing much. Too bad her husband was not looking.

Agni held a flame in his palm, but the center was translucent, showing a boy with a scar and a young girl in blue. Agni's eyes flashed in anger and Shasa placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I told the boy not to chase the Avatar! Why didn't he listen to me?” The Fire God said to no one in particular.

Shasa proceeded to pout until she saw what was in the flame.

Katara threw a water whip at Zuko which he blocked easily but he didn't attack her.

“Why are you after me?”

“My men are searching the woods for your friend, the Avatar. Fighting you is only something to do until they find him.”

Katara screamed and doused Zuko with a huge wave. He shook the water from his eyes and growled in anger. She ran up the beach, desperately trying to get away from the angry Fire Prince. She didn't care anymore, Shasa had to be wrong! There was no way she'd do that with this bastard!

Appa burst out from the tree and Katara felt a hand grasp her wrist and she was whisked into the saddle. Surprisingly, Zuko didn't send a fireball after them. She chanced a look back at him, but he wasn't looking at them anymore. He was running down the beach, presumably back to his ship, and she was slightly surprised. Katara would have thought he'd be winded from chasing her, but he didn't appear so.

But the day was only starting.

Morning always came late in the Fire Nation, and the Fire Lord had taken the day to sleep in a little. Like anyone would dare disturb him. But someone had dared, for his dreams were beyond unpleasant.

Someone was sitting on his throne, lolled over it like it wasn't anything but a chair. Whoever it was had allowed the sacred flames to die down. Whoever it was had made Ozai angry. And that was never a good thing.

The man looked up and noticed him, and the Fire Lord started towards him.

“How dare you enter here and disgrace the Fire Throne so!”

“How dare I? How dare you look upon it!”

“I am the Fire Lord and you will address me as such!” The man spun around, his eyes red.

“I will address you as no other than the fool you are!”

Teeth turned to fangs and golden wings sprouted from shoulders. A burst of flame from the dragon's mouth flew towards him and he had no time to block it.

Fire Lord Ozai woke sharply and sat up with a small cry. He half expected to see the man/dragon standing in his bedchambers, waiting for him. Wrapping himself in a blood red robe, he walked quickly through the halls to the Throne Room. Servants were tending the flames, and the Fire Throne was empty, still his. The Fire Lord held back the sigh of relief he felt and returned to his chambers. Sleep would not come again to him that day, or that night. For every time he closed his eyes, he saw the red-eyed man. What was worse was that he thought he knew who it was; he just prayed he was wrong.

Zuko chased them throughout the day, ceaselessly. Appa was wounded, and Aang was exhausted from fending off the fireballs. It was all just too much.

Appa's feet broke the water as he drew lower and lower in the water. Zuko smirked, feeling victory was moments away.

Shasa gasped in horror. “They're going to kill each other!” Agni threw the flame at the nearest wall and it shattered, the flames fading as their life was cut, and he threw a cloak over Shasa's nightgown.

“Let's go.”

Agni and Shasa ran through their palace, out the front hall and down to the water's edge. Shasa was waist-deep in the waves before she realized her husband had stopped at the waters' edge. She turned and looked at him, and he sighed.

“Isn't there another way to get there?”

In response, Shasa let herself merge with the water until her body was translucent, the consistency of the water itself. Agni sighed and slipped into the water. With each step his body became like the water due to the power of the water goddess he loved. Then they both dove forward into the water…as part of it.

The flying bison made one last huge effort to maintain the skies and burst forth from the water. He actually made a height of about 100 feet before his energy completely gave out and he fell into the sea.

The resulting wave was huge, a combination of the bison's size and the height from which he fell. Zuko's ship was not designed to handle it, and after several precarious moments of hanging at nearly a 50 degree angle, it capsized.

Appa sank beneath the waves, carrying the trio with him. The water was filled with the bison's blood from his earlier wound. Suddenly, the water around them began to gleam blue, but it was not Aang's Avatar spirit. Appa's wound shrank and disappeared, and the bison roared through the water with its new energy. Aang still had hold of the reins and Katara and Sokka still held onto the saddle, so Appa burst out of the water and eagerly headed towards the nearest island.

Zuko was sinking deeper into the depths, cursing his inability to swim. He could see his men around him as the edges of his vision went blurry…then black as he lost consciousness.

Waves burst around the capsized boat and geysers erupted beneath it, water surging up and pushing the boat until it was right side up. Then geysers pushed the men back onto it.

Gold flashed in the water beneath Zuko, and strong forelegs grasped the prince's fragile body. Golden wings propelled them both upwards and Agni burst from the waves in his true form. As he landed on the ship's bow he transformed back to human form, holding Zuko in his arms.

Iroh ran up when he saw Agni land, but what he saw in the Fire God's eyes was more than just concern for a plan.

A choked sob burst from the Fire God's throat as he fell to his knees. He pressed a hand to the prince's chest, strengthening the inner flame, but still the prince did not breathe.

Iroh felt his heart stop, not only due to the fact that his nephew was not breathing, but at the concern in the Fire God's eyes. Concern he should've but never had seen in his brother's eyes.

Fearful tears ran down heated cheeks as the Fire God desperately looked around. He locked his mouth against the prince's and pushed life-giving air into the boy's lungs, to hold him for moments more. His voice broke when he screamed.

“Shasa, help me!”