Stratus | Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Chapter Seven | Awake

Zuko watched closely as Iroh moved. 

"Uncle, you were unconscious." Zuko explained as Iroh's eyes drifted open. Kumo was gone, well, that was all Zuko knew. When he'd woken, she'd vanished, the only sign of her being there was a few strands of silvery hair that could've either come from her or Kaze, he didn't know. "Azula did this to you, Kumo bandaged you."

He felt betrayed. 

Iroh winced in pain as he sat up, putting a hand against his chest. 

"It was a surprise attack." He scowled.

"Somehow thats not so surprising." Iroh sighed, scanning the room to find it void of the familiar white-haired girl he'd grown to see as family. He groaned in pain as he moved to sit against the wall.

"I hope I made it the way you like it." Zuko murmured, holding a steaming cup for Iroh to drink, who took it gratefully. He sipped it before making a face of disgust, carefully covering it by drinking the whole thing.

"Good." He nodded, handing the cup back. "That was very... bracing."

"So, Uncle, I've been thinking, its only a matter of time before I meet with Azula again," Zuko spat her name out in distaste. "I'm going to need more advanced fire bending if I'm going to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say, she's my sister and that I should try and get along with her."

"No," Iroh shook his head, resting his now empty cup on the rotting wooden floor. "She's crazy and she needs to go down."

Zuko nodded, watching in awe as Iroh stood, managing somehow to stay on his feet.

"It's time to resume your training."

-

"Lightning is a pure expression of fire bending without aggression," Iroh explained. "it is not fuelled by rage or emotion the way other fire bending is. Some call lightning the cold blooded fire, it is precise and deadly like Azula. To perform it, it requires peace of mind ."

"I see," Zuko muttered, though he was distracted by a certain missing individual. "That's why we're drinking tea, to calm the mind."

"Oh, yeah, good point," Iroh grinned, "I mean yes, there is energy all around us, the energy is both Ying and Yang, positive energy and negative energy, only a select few fire benders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance, the energy wants to restore balance and in the moment the positive and negative energy are compressing back together, you provide release and guidance, creating lightning." 

Iroh motioned for Zuko to stand back as he fell into a stance, lightning sparking at his fingertips before he let out a powerful stream into the sky. 

"I'm ready to try it!" Zuko cried in enthusiasm.

"Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it, you are simply it's humble guide," Iroh explained, rubbing his shoulder, he got the feeling Zuko wouldn't be able to do it, not that Zuko wasn't strong, but because his mind was plague by Kumo. " Breathe first."

Zuko drew in a breath, before falling into the stance Iroh had used, moving his arms before trying to guide the lightning. An explosion sent him flying back onto the ground as bits of the cliff tumbled to the ground. 

Iroh shook his head.

"Tell me, Zuko." He mumured, turning to face him as he stood uneasily. "Where is Kumo?"

He noted his nephew's eyes narrow in anger. 

"I don't know! I went to sleep and when I woke up, she was gone." Zuko snapped, folding his arms across his chest. Iroh hummed to himself before his eyes turned to the forest, hearing the familiar thud of paws as something in the forest came thundering towards them.

Kaze emerged from the forest, bursting out the foliage before skidding to a stop. Kumo sat atop him, her armour had been shed for a blue skirt with slits up the side and her old, one-shoulder crop top.

Iroh frowned, knowing exactly where she'd been from the bulging saddle bag. 

"Iroh! You're awake." Kumo grinned, bounding off the polar dog and towards the two, not noticing Zuko fuming behind him. She frowned when she caught his expression. "What?"

"Where have you been?" Iroh asked slowly, watching Kumo's happiness sink as she went to rummage through her saddle bag, producing some food.

"I got some food, since I knew you'd be hungry." She shrugged though shrunk back as she finally noticed Zuko's furious gaze. Rubbing her arm slightly, she moved closer to Kaze, ignoring the dull feeling the wrapt around her heart. "I didn't steal it, if thats what you're thinking, I eared some coin."

"How did you earn some coin?" Kumo froze, Iroh knew what she'd had to do to get the coin. Over the month she'd been away from them, she'd changed, wether they liked it or not. She wasn't just some little girl anymore. "Young ladies such as yourself shouldn't have to earn coin that way, we could've gone without food."

Zuko blinked, part of him not wanting to accept what Iroh had said as the truth. There had to be some mistake, he had to have interpreted it wrong. 

"I earned the coin, how I did is none of your concern." Kumo scowled, pulling the saddle bag off Kaze's shoulders, securing it in her arms as she turned towards the hut. 

"Even if it means sacrificing your dignity for desperate men?" Kumo flipped him off as she stormed towards the house. Zuko watched her go in silence, feeling anger bubble up within him. Making up his mind, he bolted after her, watching her lay down the saddle bag inside before she turned to him. 

"Why?" He roared, storming towards her angrily. Kumo stood her ground, narrowing her eyes into a glare. Kaze whined behind her. "You let other men..."

"What of it?" She asked coldly, folding her arms. She'd done stuff like that for money in the past, what did it matter if she'd done it now. It was the only way for her to earn coin without outing herself as an airbender.

"What of it? Kumo!" Zuko snarled, grabbing her wrist tightly. "That's not okay."

"I can do whatever the hell I want, thank you very much." She hissed, causing Kaze to whimper as he bounded out of the room. 

"You can't let other guys touch you." He snapped, tightening his grip even more out of anger. 

"You don't own me, you shouldn't even be bothered by this." She scowled, now trying to pull away.

"I am bothered, only I should-" Zuko stopped himself, clamping his mouth shut as Kumo blinked.

"Only you should what?" She asked, her eyebrows creasing. Zuko dropped her wrist, turning to leave. 

"Forget I said anything." He hissed, but couldn't get very far after being tackled by Kumo, who sat scowling on his stomach. 

"No! You're going to finish that sentence." She hissed, folding her arms.

"Gah! Kumo, get off." He hissed, his eye twitching slightly as she shook her head. He sighed, letting a blush appear on his face as he turned his head away from her. "Only I should get to touch you like that."

Kumo blinked, drawing her eyes away from his face and up to the ceiling, hiding her joy under embarrassment. Though she squeaked as Zuko pushed her off him and onto the floor. She scowled at him from her place on the floor as he glared down at her before walking away. 

"Zuko, get back here!" She yelled, running after Zuko only for him to shoot a blast of fire at her. She leapt to the side before sending a blast of air at his ankles, tripping him.

"If you don't want me to earn coin that way, I won't." She sighed, peering down at him. Zuko nodded wordlessly, grabbing Kumo's hand so she could pull him up. He blinked when she wrapped her arms around him, burying her head into his chest. Zuko smiled, wrapping his own arms around her.