𝙸
𝙺𝚘𝚓𝚒
Koji was still a young boy, no older then 11 when he accompanied his father, Iroh, to the Temple of the Sun warriors. The man always wore a smile, and every he opened his mouth, great wisdom followed, he was a wise and compassionate general. But now, he was just a troubled old man, dealing with the loss of his eldest son.
Koji and Iroh had been traveling alone for a couple days on foot when they were finally nearing the destination. Great structures and pillars of stone were erected high from the hidden civilization that laid ahead.
"Whoa." You breathed; your young voice pitched high.
"Impressive, Isn't It?" Iroh said, his voice thick and heavy hanging. It wasn't much time ago when Lu Ten, Koji's big brother whom he never knew, was killed at war in Ba Sing Seh. Koji didn't feel too bad about it, he didn't know him.
But he felt for his father, he was a mess after he returned from war. He was clowned and ridiculed for having retreated 'Just because his son died'. Azula even made fun of Iroh, saying his shouldn't have come home crying after Lu Ten died, but instead burned Ba Sing Seh to the ground.
As Koji and Iroh trekked down a lush hill, the temple of the sun warrior civilization not too far ahead. Koji looked up at his father staring down at the ground as he walked, his hands clasped behind his back; It appeared as if he were deep in thought.
"Father..." Koji said walking close behind him.
He slightly looked over his shoulder, "What are you thinking about?"
Iroh inhaled deep through his nostrils before answering, his hand moving up to stroke his beard. "Some troubling things, my son."
Koji looked down at his feet for a moment, trying to guess at the answer to his question, then looked back up to Iroh. "Like what?"
Iroh stepped over to a small rock and sat on it. "Your uncle has killed your grandfather and taken my place as fire lord."
Koji sat down in front of him, legs crossed. "Why would he do that?" Koji asked.
"Because his hunger for power, outweighed his love for his father." Iroh said, sadness in his voice.
Koji imagined himself committing such a heinous act and rebuked the thought immediately. The thought of ending Iroh's life was outright disgusting to Koji.
Koji stood quickly, stomping a foot on the ground. "I would never do that to you, father!" You exclaimed proudly.
Iroh stood, clenching his right fist and covering it with his palm; he brought his hands to his chest and bowed. Koji did the same.
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𝙸𝙸
In a green meadow, a few miles off of a desert town there was small shack, which was where Koji lived in a small shack. Koji used his wits and craftiness to build himself a place to sleep, there was a stream nearby where he would bathe with a thin cloth, and an organized pile of wood for campfires.
Occasionally he would go into town and work and offer to help out in exchange for metal coins, or for a simple smile. He was his father's son.
Koji had a servant's heart; he thought his father would be proud of his wits. He used to be royalty, the heir to the throne of the fire nation. But when Ozai had taken the throne from Fire lord Azulon, and stolen Iroh's rightful place on it, he decided to send Koji into exile, separating him from Iroh out of fear that Iroh would train Koji up so that one day he'd rise and reclaim the throne.
Koji was seen asleep on the floor of his small wooden home, sprawled out wildly and his mouth open wide as he dreamed of his father.
"...koji..." An echoed voice said.
Koji's eyes fluttered, his lungs drawing a staggered breath as he began to fall out of his slumber. "...Koji." The voice said again. This time louder and more urgent.
Koji slightly opened his eyes looking around in his cold, soiled state before a hand slapped him across the face, leaving his cheek red. "Ugh. I forgot how hard he sleeps. Get him up." A moment later, two men with stocky arms grabbed Koji below the arm and held him up from the floor.
By now, your Koji's senses had somewhat returned to him. Looking ahead, Koji spotted someone he wasn't expecting to see for a long time. "Azula..." Koji rasped, his throat as dry as the Si Wong desert from breathing in and out through his mouth.
Azula looked him up and down, comparing him now to what he once was in the fire nation. "I see exile hasn't treated you well, cousin." Azula teased, poking at his fallen glory.
"I always hated your little comments... you know that?" Koji grimaced, brushing a short fluff of hair to the side. "How'd you find me?"
Azula smiled and pulled a mythical trinket from a back pocket of hers. You looked away slightly, squinting your eyes from the bright light. It was a circular piece of metal, and a gem inside glowed so bright that you couldn't look at it straight.
"Father kept this on him in case you ever foolishly decided to come back for the throne." Azula said, sighing afterward.
"And why would he think I'd do that?"
Azula shifted in her stance, "I don't know, I told him you were smart enough not to try. Glad I was right." She said proudly.
You rolled your eyes. "Whatever..." You glanced at the men holding your arms. "Can you tell your goons to lay off?"
Azula looked Koji over for any malicious intent and found none. She then glanced at both of the men, and they let him go.
Koji rubbed his arms where the men had held him tightly. "Why are you here? And it better be good."
"Because I'm hunting a traitor, and I'd be honored if you would join me." Azula asked, inspecting her nails as she asked.
She took another poke at him with that question, obviously she knew Koji was Iroh's son.
Koji rolled his eyes, "Who?"
Azula held her hand out to one of the guards, who then retrieved a rolled piece of paper and placed it in her hand. She then held it out to Koji.
Koji sighed, grabbed it and unrolled it. The face he saw caught him off guard. It was Iroh. "You want me to help you hunt my dad?" You asked blankly.
"Yes, and if all goes well, I'll put in good word with fire lord Ozai." Azula reasoned, making the offer all the more tempting, somewhere in the back of Koji's mind, he longed to go back to the fire nation. To prove himself to his country.
Koji thought for a moment, was it all worth it? He was living a stress-free life. There was a sadness he felt, being separated from Iroh and all, but Iroh had already given him the resources he needed to survive and thrive with little to nothing. He was doing just that.
"It isn't a hard decision, Koji..." Azula said, getting impatient as she looked out in the distance to lush highlands and low green valleys in the distance. "Do you really want to live your whole life in exile with nothing."
Koji shook his head. "Azula, I'd love to join you in your... hunting for my father and all, but the thing is..." He thought of a quick lie... "I'm not the firebender I used to be, it's been two years. What use would I be to you?"
Azula looked unconvinced but nodded and looked to her feet for a moment. "Very well." Koji caught a glimpse of her smirking as she turned around to leave, her goons following her.
Koji watched as she walked away, his senses on high alert. He knew Azula wasn't finished with him yet. He knew her well enough to know that she gets what she wants, one way or another.
Eventually, Azula stopped, whispered something to her goons, then turned, clenched her fists and slightly peaked over her shoulder, He knew what time it was as soon as he saw it.
Azula quickly turned and launched a ball of blue fire from her fists directly at you. Koji's eyes widened. He hastily got into stance and quickly swiped his hands in a X motion, cutting through the flames before retaliating with a blast of his own.
Azula dodged, then shot Koji a glare, paired with a smirk, a devious smirk. Then, Koji realized the mistake he made. He'd been caught in his lie.
"If you didn't want to come you could have just said no, I would have left you alone." Azula said.
"You wouldn't have..." Koji said, sensing her deception. A warmth touched Koji's senses and he turned to see his shack in flames.
"Oh. I'm sorry, I thought we were lying to each other." Azula shrugged. "Sorry about your shack by the way."
Koji glared at her with anger, then looked down and sighed. "That took weeks to build..." Koji muttered.
Azula didn't feel a hint of pity and charged at him, launching several balls of flame. Koji frowned and deflected the flames again before throwing his fist directly at Azula's face, reading her next move perfectly.
She was surprised by his counter and narrowly dodged the fire ball before rolling to her feet, giving Koji a knowing look, her smile just as annoying as when you were children. "Last chance Koji, are you in or out?"
Koji grumbled, "Fine."
"Good." Azula concluded, fixing her hair and brushing past you to trek down the hill's small decline. Koji slowly followed behind, thinking this clear situation of blackmail couldn't get any worse.
"Oh," Azula started, "Guards, burn this place down, Koji won't be needing it anymore."
The goons obeyed. Koji didn't bother to look back as fire was set to his small home. Instead, he closed his eyes, and a small tear streamed down his face as the place he had lived the past two years was turned to ash.
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𝙸𝙸𝙸
The two continued on their journey to the sun temple. "What are we really doing here?" Koji asked. At first Iroh brushed it off as a vacation, but Koji had his suspicions, if it truly was a vacation, why go here of all places?
Iroh chuckled. "I am a retired general now, Koji, I haven't had a vacation in years."
"A vacation? Why not go to Ember Island? Aunt Ursa would take me there with Zuko, Azula, and their friends while you were gone."
Iroh, still smiling, gave in. "You're finally thinking with your brain! Good."
Koji shot a proud, but confused look as Iroh gave a hearty laugh. "The truth is, since Lu Ten's passing, my fire bending has weakened."
"Weakened? How?" Koji asked. He was confused as to how a master fire bender, one nicknamed 'The Dragon of the west' could lose his ability to bend.
Iroh thought a moment, carefully wording his answer. "Hm, how do you think the fire nation is so powerful and feared by the other nations?"
Koji thought for a moment before answering, "Because we have the most skilled firebenders?" His answer was more of a question than a statement.
Iroh nodded. "That is true, but there is more to it than that. The fire nation draws its power from anger and rage, using emotion as fuel to channel their fire into a destructive force."
"But... isn't that a good thing, Father? Won't that make us stronger? More capable of achieving our goals?"
Iroh shook his head, "No, my son. I've learned a lot since Lu Ten passed, that is a dangerous and misguided way of fire-bending, emotion is a temporary and very unstable source of fire. Our emotions can consume us and can cause us to lose control... and they can blind us to the true beauty and life that fire can be."
Koji and Iroh neared a large wall with many inscriptions on it. "So, what is the true source of fire?" Koji asked.
Iroh looked up at the wall, outlining an image of a dragon with his finger. "I do not know, that is why we are coming here, to find the hidden origin of all firebenders from this ancient civilization."
"The masters of fire? Who are they?" Koji asked curiously. Pulling some cool looking fire master in sharp clothing from a fantasy he made in his mind.
"The last of the remaining dragons, Ran and Shaw." Iroh answered, not taking his eyes off of the wall. It showed two dragons on either side of an individual breathing fire onto him. Neat carvings winded around the wall to add extra effect and detail to the image.
Koji furrowed his brows; Dragon fire masters was the last thing he was expecting. "Dragons? But aren't they bad?"
"The dragons are not bad, Koji. The fire nation hunts the dragons for fun, they believe it will enhance their firebending."
Koji's face scrunched into a confused look. "Oh, That sounds... stupid." Koji commented.
Iroh chuckled. "It is. Now be careful and stay close. The sun warriors are likely to be very protective of their cultures, and of their dragons. We must be prepared."
Koji obeyed and stuck close by his uncle for the rest of the trek, they were in the ruins of a once great civilization, and some don't get to walk out.
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