Azula's Recovery - Avatar: TLA

6.1 - Zuko

Zuko arrived at dinner to see Noren and Kiyi already at the table. Kiyi was showing her father some firebending moves – simple ones like summoning a flame and making it rise and fall without going out. It reminded Zuko of his early lessons with Azula, the two of them happily blasting fire every which way to their instructor's horror.

He sat down and Kiyi eagerly repeated all her moves for Zuko. He smiled, clapped and congratulated her at all the necessary times to her utter delight. Servants laid out the rest of the food and as they were about to begin eating, Ursa arrived.

Zuko stood to greet her, "How did it go?"

She beamed and gestured behind her, "Wonderfully!" Azula stood at the doorway fiddling with her sleeves and looking incredibly awkward.

Zuko hoped he masked his shock well, covering it with a grin at his sister, "Are you just going to stand there all night?"

She scowled back at him, "Shut up." She strode over and sat down next to Zuko's seat. Ursa hesitantly sat down beside Azula, who had begun to fill her bowl with some of the arrayed meats and vegetables.

Kiyi looked to Zuko with a wide pair of eyes. Zuko put his arm around her and told her that the food was getting cold, a silent invitation to relax and trust Azula. She seemed to understand and grumpily began to fill her bowl too.

An awkward silence fell over the room as they ate.

Kiyi was openly staring at Azula and Noren and Ursa seemed to be having a heated silent conversation, Zuko noticed how their worried eyes seemed to yell at each other, despite no words being uttered. Azula just stared down at her food, occasionally glancing up at the others before instantly returning to her food.

Zuko sighed, sick of the awkward tension in the room, "Kiyi, why don't you show Azula what you learned in your firebending lesson today?"

Though she was only 8, Kiyi had a pretty impressive 'I will kill you' face. Too bad Zuko had grown up with Azula who had basically mastered that face before she could talk. Zuko was now immune, and he shrugged giving her a 'sorry but you've gotta do it' face.

Kiyi huffed and Azula sat up, her attention now on her younger sister. Kiyi held up her hands, before dropping them again, "I'm only new to this..."

She looked afraid but Azula waved a dismissive hand, "We all started somewhere little sister. Show me what you've got."

Kiyi seemed encouraged by that, and lifted her hands again summoning a bright yellow flame. She concentrated hard, as she made it rise and fall gently before allowing it to wink out. Kiyi looked to Azula to see her reaction.

Azula's face remained impassive as she spoke, "Very good control Kiyi, you'll be a firebending master in no time."

Kiyi's eyes lit up and she turned to her father, "Did you hear that? Firebending master! Wait! Azula, you could teach me too right. Zuko always told me how good you were. He said that besides your father and uncle, there was no better firebender!"

Azula quirked an eyebrow and turned to Zuko, "Is that true?"

Zuko shrugged, "Credit where credit is due."

Azula nodded to him and turned back to Kiyi, assessing her intently, before saying, "Stand up, and come over here."

Noren began to protest but Zuko gave him a pointed look, I'm not going to let anything happen to Kiyi. If you can't trust Azula, trust me.

The two girls stood side by side a few steps from the table. Azula dropped into a wide firebending stance and told Kiyi to copy it. Kiyi did so, and Azula walked around her assessing and readjusting her leg width or the way her shoulders faced. Once she was finally satisfied, she told Kiyi to hold it for a second to remember it.

Azula looked up to Zuko and he could have sworn she was looking for his approval. He smiled and nodded at her to go on.

"Now, firebending comes from the breath, it comes from deep down here," Azula patted her lower stomach and took a few deep breaths, raising and lowering her hand over her stomach. Kiyi did the same from her stance.

Then Azula held up her other hand and a blue flame appeared. She again used her right hand to move up and down her stomach with her breaths. Kiyi watched entranced as the flame lifted when she breathed in and lowered as she breathed out. Azula then told Kiyi that it was her turn. Kiyi stood with incredible focus, moving her hands the way Azula had. Her flame was considerably smaller, and it even went out a few times to the young girl's dismay. 

When she finally got through five inhalations and exhalations successfully, Azula congratulated her and told her that she had just learned the absolute basics of firebending: breath control. More air and control over your breathing meant bigger, stronger flames. Every move stemmed from that one principle.

Kiyi squealed, jumping around Zuko and her parents excitedly, "I can firebend! I'm going to be a master!" She collapsed into Zuko's lap, "Can you show me a firebending move?"

Zuko laughed, "Another one?"

"Yes!" Kiyi shrieked. Zuko remembered his own joy at finding out he could firebend, it had been one of the best days of his life. Always happy to show off his skills, he stood and with Kiyi beside him, dropped back into the correct stance. Azula prowled around their younger sister, again readjusting any errors. Once satisfied, she stood back and crossed her arms, waiting to see what Zuko would teach her.

"So this is more for show than anything else, but it's a fun trick to have up your sleeve." He started, and taking a deep breath, summoned a flame in his right hand. Kiyi watched first, eyes aglow in the orange light. Zuko bent the flame towards his other hand, and as the flames moved back and forth, they appeared in the shape of a dragon. After going between his hands for a moment he directed the flames to Kiyi and she 'caught' them in her own hands, passing them back and forth.

Ursa and Noren oohed and aahed, fascinated by the flames and Zuko's and Kiyi's skill.

Azula snorted, "That's hardly a firebending move."

Kiyi passed the dragon to Zuko and he made it fly around the room, curling and twisting, flowing along. "You're right," he said, still focussed on the dragon lighting up the room, "I learned this from Aang and Katara. It's based on a water bending move." He weaved the dragon around both his sisters before letting the fire die out, to Kiyi's dismay.

"A water bending move?" Azula seemed unconvinced, and a little disgusted, "Why would you base it off that?"

Zuko shrugged as he sat down again, "While travelling with them and uncle, I learned that even though the nations are different and separate, we can draw wisdom from all of them. I learned how to use my firebending like Katara did, feeling the ebb and flow of the heat and energy around me. Aang taught me how to move quickly and softly, like air. To feel the movement around me. Toph taught me how to stand strong, to not only dodge or redirect an incoming attack, but face it head on and stop it in it's tracks. None of what I learnt was very traditional but it helped me a lot. Even lightning redirection-" he turned to her cautiously, and she raised an eyebrow. Go on, she seemed to say, "It's a variation of a water bending manoeuvre."

She studied him for another moment, "I noticed that in our Agni Kai. You fought so differently. I'd never seen firebending like that before. I'd just assumed you'd had to find other ways to fire bend because...well you never really had the knack for it."

Instead of being angry, Zuko only laughed, "Yeah well, none of that really matters now. Come on, let's finish eating, I'm exhausted after today and all that bending."

He grinned at Azula and she smiled tentatively. It was barely an upturn of her lips, but he took it and grinned back.

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