"Zuko.." I mumbled sitting up. I frowned noticing he had moved away from me.
"Go back to sleep, you need to rest. You've been awake to long."
"Same goes for you. Iroh will wake up soon. Give him time."
"I need him to wake up." He whispered.
"Go to sleep love. I'll wake you up if I notice anything." He looked back at me before nodding slightly.
A few hours go past and Iroh moves slightly. I sighed and gently touched his forehead before moving to turn to Zuko. I leaned over him and gently kissed his forehead. He looked too peaceful to wake up. I sighed the shook him gently.
"He's starting to wake up." I mumbled. His eyes opened and he moved over to Iroh.
"Uncle ... you were unconscious. Azula did this to you. It was a surprise attack."
"Somehow, that's not so surprising." I snort at Iroh's small little jib.
"I hope I made it the way you like it." Zuko said handing Iroh a cup of tea. Iroh takes a sip from the cup and his eyes widen. He lets out a cry of disgust, but manages to mask it.
"Good. That was very ... uhhh ... bracing." He is handed another cup, which he throws out secretly behind his shoulder.
"So Uncle, I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her." I stood up and sighed softly.
"No, she's crazy, and she needs to go down." Zuko nods. Iroh grunts as he stands up. "It's time to resume your training."
"Iroh be careful."
"Of course Princess." He said politely.
*short skip*
"Lightning is a pure form of firebending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind."
"I see. That's why we're drinking tea, to calm the mind." I sighed and stood beside Iroh.
"Oh yeah, good point! I mean, yes. There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang. Positive energy and negative energy. Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance." Iroh hesitated and looked at me.
"The energy wants to restore balance, and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together, you provide release and guidance, creating lightning." I step forward and generated lightening with wide, demonstrative moves before pushing my two fingers out towards the sky.
"I'm ready to try it!"
"Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide. Breathe first." Iroh said. I moved out of the way and put my hands in front of me. Zuko takes a deep breath. He tries to generate lightning, but instead an explosion launches him back. Iroh shakes his head in disappointment.
"Keep trying love." I said as he stood up. "Calm your inner thoughts. Breathe."
Another attempt by Zuko to generate lightning fails. I frowned and then stood back up.
"Why can't I do it? Instead of lightning it keeps exploding in my face ... like everything always does."
"I was afraid this might happen. You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."
"What turmoil?" I gave Zuko a look. (Bombastic side eye)
"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away."
"But I don't feel any shame at all. I'm as proud as ever."
"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame."
"Well, my life has been nothing but humbling lately."
"I have another idea. I will teach you a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself." Zuko smiles.
"Redirecting Lightening." I smiled.
"You mean what you did on the ship during the storm?" I nodded and looked at Iroh.
"Iroh taught me." I said before walking to the edge of the cliff and sitting down.
"Fire is the element of power." Iroh started as he drew the firebending insignia in the dirt. "The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. Earth is the element of substance." He then draws the earthbending insignia. "The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. Air is the element of freedom." He draws the airbending insignia. "The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!" He smiled broadly but returns to a more serious demeanor when Zuko doesn't react at all. "Water is the element of change." He then draws the waterbending insignia. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."
"Why are you telling me these things?"
"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." He divides the four insignias into separate sections. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole." He draws a circle around the insignias.
"All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff."
"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But it can make you more powerful, too. You see the technique I'm about to teach you is one I learned by studying the waterbenders."
"If you haven't noticed Zuko most of my moves are more like water bending moves. I may have been trained by fire nation but I learned more looking at scrolls of water benders." He looks surprised before he turns back to Iroh.
"Teach me."
"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, then down into your stomach. The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi. Only in my case it is more like a vast ocean. From the stomach, you direct it up again, and out the other arm. The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart, or the damage could be deadly. You may wish to try a physical motion, to get a feel for the pathways' flow, like this." The two begin to practice the redirection motion. "Now, are you focusing your energy? Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out?"
"I think so."
"Come on, you've got to feel the flow." They practice the motion for a few minutes. "Excellent! You've got it!"
"Great, I'm ready to try it with real lightning!" I burst out laughing and looked back at Zuko.
"What, are you crazy? Lightning is very dangerous!"
"I thought that was the point! You teaching me to protect myself from it!"
"Yeah! But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you! If you're lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all!"
"Well, if you won't help me, Hai will." I looked at him as if he was crazy then shrugged.
"Princess Hai." Iroh warned.
"It'd be fun. And besides he won't learn if he can't do it."
"If he moves wrong he could die."
"How did you teach me Iroh?" He stopped and frowned. "I won't hit him directly but if I can generate enough heat towards the sky I can get a lightening storm."
"Fine." Iroh turned and walked away with a frustrated grunt.
"So you're going to create a storm?" I nodded slightly.
"I'm going to try at least." I began heating myself up at the very core of my being a flame forming in my hands. "It might take a lot out of me so don't be surprised if I faint."
"Wait." I ignored him as I moved my flame covered hands in a motion to generate lightening. I blasted the lightening straight up into the sky letting it mix with my heat from the flames.
"Hotter." Iroh said loudly. I repeated my previous moves making myself reach temperatures I've never achieved before. This time when the lightening struck through the clouds, the sky turned black. I relaxed my pose and felt myself stagger back.
"Hai."
"Don't move or you'll lose the lightening." I said before falling to the ground. The lights moved around in the sky and a clash of thunder started the downpour. I leaned over and let the rain hit my burning skin.
"There Prince Zuko!"
"You did it." I mumbled moments later. His eyes fell to me before he came over. "You'll burn if you touch me right now let the rain cool me down."