Mindbenders

Zuko’s eyes flew open, something was wrong. Something had happened that shouldn’t have, at least not yet. He wasn’t sure what it was but all of a sudden the balance of power shifted and fate had sped up. He looked towards the slit in the curtains, the last grey tinted rays of the sun were just descending below the horizon. He should feel wreak but he wasn’t, he should feel secure now that the one thing that was his true weakness was gone for another twelve hours, but he wasn’t.

He looked towards his mirror, trying to find his reflection in it. He needed something that made him feel solid and real to concentrate on. He sat up and turned towards the vanity until he could see himself. His puckered scar, his long black hair, his golden eyes and fangs, they were all there. Just as they had been the night before, and the night before that and so on for the last two centuries.

If everything was the same then why did it feel so different. It was like the first night all over again.

Zuko looked up and saw Azula above him, her wrist pressed firmly against his mouth, a salty, metallic liquid dripping on his tongue. Blood! It was her blood! Zuko tried to fight his baby sister, the last thing he wanted was to become what she had. Her endless quest after being banished from his kingdom had led to the ancient temples and underground cities of civilizations of benders long since dead. She had been determined to win back everything, no matter what the cost.

She had returned as something other than human, her odd stances had entranced those around her and she bent them to her will. Most she had killed, but not him, she had a special punishment for him. She would do to him what he had done to her, take everything away, making him no more than a puppet on her strings.

Of course that had never actually been his intention, she was dangerous and needed to be taken care of. The simple fact that she was his sister had saved her from the executioners axe. But too late he realized his mercy had been a mistake.

She had exacted he revenge on him thoroughly, his children lay dead next to him, his uncle’s lifeless body was somewhere in the palace. And he knew Katara would be next. Zuko could only pray to whatever spirits would listen to what he would become and keep her at the Water Temple until he could stop Azula.

Zuko looked into the mirror and saw his reflection change, first to his uncle, then to his mother. His uncle he understood, Iroh had a tendency to contact him from the spirit world from time to time, but his mother.

She had a sad look on her face, as if she was saying goodbye to him all over again. Shimmery blue tears fell down her cheeks a she blew him a kiss then faded. He didn’t know how, but Zuko knew she had something to do with this feeling he had.

He started to get up and get ready for the night, he knew the only way to get information out of Azula was to be ready when she woke-up and be on his best behavior. Hopefully, it wouldn’t cost him a price he didn’t want to pay. Just as he was looking in the mirror again, Zuko saw a face he never thought he would see again. His reflection had faded to Katara’s , only it didn’t have the blueish tint a sprirts face did, It looked alive, weak, but alive. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but for the first time in over two hundred years, Zuko felt hope.