ASHES, the last airbender

CHAPTER ONE

"Again!"

There were many things that Honora of the firenation had been taught in her years at the palace, in her years of training, of becoming a master of her own element, it was true...but there was also plenty that she had learned with her own two palms stained with divinity, with sin. She had been taught that the quickest way to kill a man was by the snapping of his neck, a quick jerk of critically placed hands and his soul would drift to the spirit world to await the judgement of Angi...but she had learnt that the most painful way to kill a man was by consuming him with ivory flame until flesh melted from bone.

A mere difference of nature versus nurture, of cruelty taught and cruelty learned, being turned into a monster and then becoming one through your own ruin. She had been taught that fire was devastation, it was a disease that festered in the dying light, a spark and a match and a bomb all rolled in one, that it was dangerous and good and powerful. But she had learned that fire was death disguised in warmth...and sometimes it seemed that only she could feel the burning, could smell the soot that choked her, could condemn the flame that scorched the earth in its desire to eat itself whole.

She was reminded of such things as the morning sun beat down upon her pale face in waves of amber, as it brushed over her skin, as it seeped into her flesh and made her feel alight with power, like she was on the crusp of exploding and taking the whole South pole with her.

But Honora didn't have time to linger on such thoughts for long as she felt the sudden heat creeping up behind her, a raging inferno of amber flame with its desire to burn...and with a long suffering sigh she simply clenched her fist, forcing the fire ball to diminish into nothing more than a mere brush of warm air that she wafted away with an aura of nonchalant boredom, glancing over towards her brother who was soaked in perspiration, panting for breath and growing more and more frustrated with every loss he'd suffer...as if he'd ever best her even on her worst days.

"Come now, Zuko. I'm sure you can do better than that...it's not possible that you're somehow becoming worse now, is it?"

There was a mocking expression of worry, of twisted concern that was too sweet to be true on her ethereal face as he growled at her furiously, her voice echoing through the mostly empty deck where no crew member dared show their face, rough and husky, like the flames she controlled had overwhelmed her so completely it had burned through her throat and made her every word seem like she was choking on the ash she left in her wake, a sultry seduction that spat venom and cruelty and was sharper than any mere blade that would cut into their path.

It was a voice that could command armies, a voice that had been raised to do so...and instead here she stood, using it to taunt her younger brother like they were children once more.

She was given the desired effect, his face shifting into a murderous scowl as with a yell, he pushed a large wave of amber fire towards her, the likes of which would be impressive if their sparring hadn't served a particular purpose...and so she simply lifted scarred hands to greet it, letting the flames consume her as her own whirlwind of ivory encased her in an embrace that grew and grew and grew until it was practically flirting with the skies, disappearing into the flames...before allowing them to seep into her flesh as she abruptly appeared in front of her brother who'd startled in suprise.

"You lose." The princess cooed, and then swiftly dug her forefinger into his stomach, letting the smallest current of lightning that she'd tamed drift through her skin and into his own as his muscles seized and spasmed, forcing him down to his knees as his own body betrayed him. She didn't hold on for long of course, she had no desire to actually hurt him as much as he may of liked to believe differently, she just needed him to take a moment to breathe before he'd pass out after over exerting himself to the point of self destruction again because he simply didn't know when to stop.