Mari cooked the stew over the fire slowly. It wasn't much, but it would keep them satisfied for today. She caught her reflection in the tin pot the stew was in. Her hair had grown, but it still wasn't anywhere near where it was before she cut it. Zuko's hair had more length now as well, so did Iroh's.
"He's moving." Zuko said from Iroh's side. They had made camp in a house inside the abandoned village where they previously had battled with Azula.
"Uncle. You were unconscious. Azula did this to you. It was a surprise attack." Zuko explained as Iroh propped himself up.
"Somehow that's not so surprising." Iroh sighed
Zuko handed him a cup of tea slowly. "I hope I made it the way you like it."
Iroh took a sip and his eyes widened in disgust. "It's good." He said with a deadpan tone. He took another sip before gagging. "That was very um, bracing." He smiled.
"I told you I should've brewed it." Mari said with a small chuckle.
"He said he liked it." Zuko said offended.
"Oh yes, very much." Iroh lied with a smile. Zuko grinned proudly before handing him another cup, in which Iroh quickly threw out the window when he looked away.
"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 learn more advanced fire bending if I want to stand a change against her. I know what you're going to say : She's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her."
"No, she's crazy and needs to go down." Iroh said setting down his cup. He groaned as he stood up, holding his shoulder in pain.
"It's time to resume your training."
Zuko nodded, standing up as well.
---
"There is energy all around us. The energy is both Yin and Yang. A positive energy and a negative energy. Only a select few fire benders can separate these energies." Iroh explained on the cliff. "This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance. And in the moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together, you provide release and guidance, creating lightning." Iroh said, motioning for Zuko to step back.
Mari and Zuko watched in shock as Iroh demonstrated, bending lightning with ease.
"I'm ready to try it!" Zuko exclaimed.
"Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide. Breathe first".
Zuko began to mimic Iroh's actions, before shooting his attempt at lightening. However, an explosion was released instead, sending him flying back.
Mari laughed hysterically from behind him. Zuko looked up in rage. "What's she even doing here?"
She shrugged her shoulders, stomach burning from laughing so hard. "Figured this would be more entertaining than cooking."
Iroh just shook his head, disappointed. "I was afraid this would happen. You will not be able to master lightning bending until you have dealt with the turmoil inside of you."
"What turmoil!?" Zuko shouted.
Must he yell for everything.
"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." Zuko sighed.
"I have another idea. I will teach you a fire bending move that even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself."
Zuko turned around with a grin.
---
"Mari, come sit. This may help you strengthen your bending as well." Iroh called out.
Mari obeyed and sat down next to Zuko in front of Iroh. "Fire is the element of power." Iroh said drawing the fire nation symbol in the dirt with a stick. "The people of the fire nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want." He paused before moving to a new spot, drawing the earth kingdom symbol. "Earth is the element of substance. The people of the earth kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring.
"Air is the element of freedom. The air nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!"
"Water is the element of change. 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 everything."
"Why are you telling us this?" Zuko asked.
"It is important to draw wisdom from other places. If we take it only from one place, it becomes rigid ans stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations, will help you become whole."
"All this four element talk is sounding like Avatar stuff." Mari spoke up.
"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 am about to teach you is one I learned by studying Waterbenders.
---
"Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy. They let their defense become their offense, turning their opponents energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning."
"You can teach me to redirect lightning?" Zuko asked, astonished.
"If you let the energy in your 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." He said with a chuckle.
"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 pathway's flow, like this." Iroh began to demonstrate the redirecting motion once more. "Now, are you focusing your energy? Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out?"
"I think so."
"Come on, you got to feel the flow." Iroh said, doing a cheesy arm wave dance.
The two practiced the motion for a little longer.
"Excellent! You've got it."
"Good. Now I'm ready to try with real lightning." Zuko said eagerly.
"What, are you crazy? Lightning is very dangerous!"
"I thought that was the point! You teaching to protect myself from it!"
"Yeah! But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you! " Iroh exclaimed.
" If I could, I would." Mari said as she walked out from the old house, earning a scoff from Zuko.
"If you're lucky, you'll never have to use this technique." Iroh said, dismissing Mari's comment
Zuko turned to the cliff and watched as dark clouds began to roll in.
"Well, if you won't help me, I'll find my own lightning." He said, riding off on the ostrich horse.
"Zuko that's stupid!" Mari called out after him
"He will return. Come inside, and eat while we wait this storm out." Iroh said with a sigh.
---
"I'm starting to get worried for my nephew's safety." Iroh said eyeing the terrible storm. Mari placed another bucket under a leaking hole in the roof of the broken down house they set camp in.
"I should go look for him." Iroh continued getting up. He let out a pained sigh as he grabbed his shoulder. Mari shook her head and assisted him back down.
"No, you're still hurt. I'll go find him." Mari said. Iroh nodded.
"Be careful."
"I always am." She smiled lightly before going out into the storm.
The rain had washed away the ostrich horse tracks so Mari had to trust that she was going the right way. She climbed up hill after hill searching for the prince, but there was no luck. "Damn you, Zuko." Cursing under her breath as she continued to look, Mari noticed that the storm was beginning to grow stronger. She pulled her hood up higher trying to shield the rain from her view. It failed though, she couldn't even see her own hand in the downpour.
"Zuko!" She shouted once more, with no response. Trudging in the now muddy ground, she contemplated giving up, however in this storm, she wasn't so sure Zuko would return in the morning. So she continued looking for him, after 45 minutes. She heard the fimilair growl of an ostrich horse nearby on the top of a rocky hill. Mari stumbled up the rock quickly, hoping that her search would end there. As she pulled herself up onto the very top, she saw a figure standing there shouting at the sky.
"You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it. And now I can give it back!" He screamed. He watched as lightning stroke down on different tops of different cliffs, but none hit the one in which he was standing. "Come on! Strike me. You've never held back before."
"Zuko!" Mari shouted, the rain and wind threatening to throw her off the cliff. He turned around to face her, tears falling from his face, before he collapsed to his knees in defeat.
Mari ran over. "Zuko we have to go. It's getting worse." She pleaded, pulling his arm.
"I'm a failure. Just let me be" He breathed out.
"No. No you're not. You'll get in within time but you can't keep pushing away the people who are trying to help!" She said to him.
He looked up at her sadly, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for breaking the deal." He said getting up.
Mari shook her head. "We don't have to talk about it, Zuko."
"No, we do. My destiny is to capture the Avatar. Yours is to find your mother. I can't take the opportunity away from you just because I got upset." Zuko admitted.
Mari looked up at him, shocked at his words. She didn't know what to say so she hugged him tightly. Zuko stood still at first, but he then wrapped his arms around the girl, resting his chin on her head. "Thank you" She whispered, before pulling him to the ostrich horse and rode off, back to Iroh.