star_kingdom | first flame ☀ video

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first flame ☀ video

So that's it. My entire world... gone. My country, my people, everyone...

[A teenager in red and gold clothing slumps dejectedly onto the steps in Traverse Town's first district. A moogle carrying the communicator is hovering beside him.]

I'm sorry, kupo. For now, you'll have to make a new life here!

[Zuko looks up, showing his mismatched eyes; one side of his face is covered with a burn scar. His anger flares as his gaze fixes a little above the camera onto the moogle.] I didn't want a new life! How many times do I have to lose everything?!

[He moves to stand abruptly. Bad decision; the still-fresh wound in his midriff jolts and he has to sit back down, gritting his teeth in pain. The moogle flutters beside him, worried.]

Are you okay, kupo?!

...Yeah. [Zuko runs a hand through his hair, obviously agitated.] Sorry. Getting mad at you won't fix anything. [He accepts the proferred phone from the moogle and looks at it with a blank expression.] What are you giving me?

It's a communicator! Maybe you can contact your friends with it!

How--? [He's curious, even in spite of his situation. He presses a button experimentally-- and the feed ends.]

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I've heard the same thing. There's a king who's looking for help against the Heartless; all you have to do is sign up. Like joining an army, I guess.

[Which, come to think of it, Aang might not approve of, being as peaceful as he is, but...]

[He frowned a little. He didn't want to join an army and have to kill things for a living.]

I'll help fight them back but I won't kill them, Zuko. There has to be another way.

Why not? [Zuko looks frustrated again. He should've seen that answer coming.] In case you forgot already, those things destroyed everything we fought to save. They're not even people! They're just... dark things! This is different to fighting the Fire Nation.

Just because they're not people, it doesn't give me the right to kill them. And it's not all that different. An enemy that won't give up and will destroy everything in order to make it theirs.

There's always another way than killing, Zuko.

What other way? You're going to use your special Avatar powers and take away their leader's bending? [He doesn't even wait for an answer, just crosses his arms.] I didn't think so. This time there might not be any other way.

[And he sets off again, heading for the second district in search of some Heartless to prove his point. If what the moogle said is true, the things can be found just about anywhere.]

[He's taken aback by that, and a little upset. There's always another way. It's just hard to find. He doesn't want to believe there's no other way.

But he does let Zuko go this time. He won't stop the firebender from attacking the Heartless he finds, even if he, personally, doesn't want to kill them.]

[If Aang should choose to follow Zuko, it doesn't take him long to happen across some Heartless. The Firebender is outnumbered ten to one, which wouldn't be a problem, since most are just weak Shadows and Soldiers.

...It wouldn't be a problem, except the wound in Zuko's torso feels like it's starting to seize up with pain, and every punch and kick he throws just makes it worse. Two Shadows are easily dispatched with a burst of flame, disappearing into nothing but smoke, but the exertion makes him double over and grit his teeth. This was a stupid idea, yet he's too angry to care. He would wipe out every last Heartless if he could right now. He presses on, incinerating another Heartless that leaps straight at his chest.]

[He gives Zuko a little while before following. He knows Zuko doesn't handle things the same way everyone else does and sometimes he needs to be alone but... he's worried.]

[Zuko is learning Heartless are nothing if not persistent. After taking out the first wave, more appeared to take their place, and these ones are stronger. Still gritting his teeth and trying to press on despite his wound, he backs up, only for his back to hit a wall as the Heartless close ranks. They're more instinctual beings than intelligent, but even they seem to tell that their opponent isn't at his best.

Firebending at point-blank would be dangerous, so he draws his dao blades, separating the single sword into its two halves and shifting his stance. If he could just cut a path through...]

[Aang arrives to see Zuko with his back to the wall. He thinks for a second, because there doesn't seem to be enough room to send himself over to Zuko and fight over beside him, but there's so many of them.

He brings his staff around and blasts a shot of air at them, trying to blast a path through to Zuko.]

[Half the Heartless are left stunned by the air blast, and Zuko's surprise at seeing Aang is fleeting as he realises the opening he's left with. A Heartless leaps at him from the left, but he cracks its head with the pommel of his blade and kicks it off; another attacks from his right and he drives his sword through the space where its heart should be, and it disappears in a cloud of black smoke. Aang might disapprove, but Zuko can't feel much pity for the things that destroyed his home and are now trying to kill him.]

[Aang isn't saying a word about Zuko killing them. He keeps working his way towards Zuko, fighting some off with air and staff, others with earth. He doesn't try to use fire, not so close to Zuko. He doesn't want to hurt him.]

[Zuko is still fending off whatever enemies Aang hasn't taken care of, but when he has to twist mid-lunge to avoid an attack, it sends another burning stab of pain through his stomach wound so sharp that he drops to one knee, one of his swords slipping from his grasp.] --Ugh!

[Zuko dropped a sword! That's something serious.] Zuko! [He calls up a much more powerful blast of air, sending the Heartless around them flying.] I can fly us both out of here before they come back!

Then don't just tell me, do it!

[He snatches up the blade he dropped and rejoins the two halves of the sword, resheathing them on his back. Aang's right; the Heartless have been driven back enough that they should have enough time to make a getaway.]

[He pops the wings of his glider open.] Hold on! [He waits for Zuko to grab him and uses a blast of air to push the glider, and them, up into the air. He sets them down near the hotel.]

Are you okay?

[Zuko hangs on as well as he can despite the protests from his injury, but as soon as they touch the ground he collapses to his knees again, panting and holding his stomach.]

Been better... [Said dryly. He knows it's his own fault for picking fights he was in no state for, and he has no one to blame but himself.]

Zuko...

[Worried Avatar is worried about his friend.]

You should go and rest and recover. There's probably someone around here who can do healing stuff. I can go look.

There's not a lot anyone can do about it, besides Katara.

[And she's not here. Though he probably should change those bandages or at least re-tighten them, since they've gotten loose with all that fighting... Slowly and very carefully, Zuko pulls himself back onto his feet, still using the wall for support.]

Uh... I might need some help back to my room.

[And there's an Aang popping up under Zuko's other arm.] Lean on me. I'll help you back.

[Zuko gingerly leans his weight on Aang. His wound is still twinging painfully, but he should be able to make it back.] Thanks.

[It's not lost on him that not so long ago, he would have been too proud and too stubborn to accept any help, least of all Aang's. A lot of things have changed since then.]

...Guess I should apologise. That was pretty stupid of me.

[It's not long on Aang, either. He knows they've all changed, and it really does make him happy that Zuko can trust in him.]

Well... we both do some pretty stupid things. [He grins.] The important thing is we got away.

Edited 2011-10-11 13:41 (UTC)

Lucky for us we have people to bail us out when we do those stupid things. [He offers a grateful a smile as they reach the hotel, and enter.] I can probably make it on my own from here.

Yeah, real lucky. [He nods and smiles.] Okay. Go get some rest.

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first flame ☀ video

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