8 Combat prodigies
As the night wore on, Azula didn't allow herself to rest, anxious for the time to come to destroy Kai.
On the other hand, Kai was sleeping soundly, as if resting after a long day's work. His expression reflected his anticipation for the new day.
When the sun rose, Kai instinctively opened his eyes and began his morning routine, but unlike before, he decided to go straight to the arena to wait for Azula, completely ignoring his training routine with his father.
Waiting for his challenger to arrive at the agreed point, Kai allowed himself to enter into meditation in the center of the arena. He was dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt and pants that were larger than his own size. He was usually barefoot in these situations and the only notable difference was that one of his hands, his right one, was blindfolded with a bandage.
He had been in the same position for several hours since he began his meditation. Finally, she heard footsteps that indicated she was someone with little body mass, and smelled a distinctly feminine scent.
He didn't understand why his senses were so altered, but he wasn't complaining about this unknown change in himself. For him, it was an advantage that only needed to be properly exploited in the future.
When Azula noticed Kai's presence, her expression frothed with fury, barely containing her desire to burn the person she considered to be an obstacle in her path.
Kai opened his eyes and stared at her. Unlike Zuko, the fight that was about to take place could clearly cross the line between life and death. That's what Azula's golden eyes expressed, proving that even though she was younger than Zuko, she had no moral factor holding her back. For him, it was a chance to get a first-hand taste of the much-talked-about Blue Flames
- So you were already here. -Azula said, still trying to keep her composure.
- We're not here to fight? I think we can skip the introductions. -Kai got up from the floor, taking a few steps backwards while watching Azula's movements.
Azula approached the arena and for the first time Kai had to wear an outfit he had never seen the princess wear.
She was wearing a red short-sleeved shirt with gold details, along with black pants that were a little longer than recommended, but which were firmly tied by a red sash that gave the whole uniform a contrast, and finishing with shoes that were detailed with a little metal at the top.
For Kai, it was a uniform that looked better in his eyes. Although he never commented on it, he himself never liked the nation's standardized uniform, finding it too massive for his taste. Perhaps it's a reflection of his upbringing in his homeland, where practicality was prioritized over general rules.
Azula calmly lined up towards his opponent, getting into a fighting pose that had been ingrained in him for as long as he could remember. However, Kai preferred only to keep a relaxed guard, as if distracted, even though his eyes emanated an anxious scarlet glow.
A few silent seconds passed in that place, as if everyone was waiting for something to start the confrontation. To Azula's surprise, Kai began his movement with his left fist, firing a large quantity of flames on a grand scale, easily taking over the arena.
With great skill, Azula used his natural power to propel himself through the air. Realizing that she was out of danger, she began to shoot a burst of fire into the air, until gravity once again exerted itself on her.
Kai, in response, allowed his flames to be released by his feet, propelling him along the ground, masterfully dodging the attacks. In Azula's vision, it was as if Kai was dancing on the flames, totally unconcerned about getting burned. For a brief moment, this sight made a great commotion in her mind, but she quickly regained her composure.
Taking advantage of the moment when the princess let her guard down, Kai, under the effect of his momentum, went straight for her, kicking Azula in the stomach, but without using his dominance to avoid serious damage.
Azula's body was thrown through the air, crashing to the floor and rolling awkwardly into the wall. She coughed heavily, clutching her stomach in remarkable pain, but her eyes showed a clear frustration that was already impossible to hide, and guided by the heat of the moment, she extended her index and middle finger, while her other fingers retracted over her hand.
Kai, thanks to his strange eyes, quickly noticed that Azula was suddenly separating his negative and positive energy, and decided to replicate Azula's initial move to dodge his first blow, using the force of his bend to propel himself through the air.
Within seconds, Azula was recklessly manifesting his first lightning, totally unaware of his feat.
Following the laws of the universe, the lightning bolt came out of Azula's fingers, breaking the sound barrier in the process, crossing the distance between the two combatants without even the sound propagating yet.
Out of pure reflex, due to the exorbitant amounts Ozai had used this technique on him, Kai extended his fingers like Azula's towards the lightning.
The lightning inevitably hit him, but he already recognized the sensation of suffering this blow over and over again, even though he wasn't able to apply his own lightning generation, he had learned to use it in other ways.
Extending his other arm, he followed the lightning release process in his hand. Kai allowed the electric current to travel over his body and redirected it to his available arm to release the charge without suffering too much damage. Azula's lightning bolt traveled in the other direction and hit the ground, creating a crater from the force and energy generated.
Azula, who was unable to hold her beam for more than a second, quickly propelled herself to her feet with her fire to get out of the way of Kai's attack, who was falling towards her with his leg raised in the air sheathed in flames.
Kai's attack hit the princess's old position, creating a wave of fire and smoke. Azula herself, thanks to her last move, now returned to the center, with drops of sweat falling from her face.
Through the smoke screen, two scarlet eyes stood out, together with a gigantic pressure, which made the princess take a few steps back.
Azula let her blue flames slowly take hold of her arms, launching her attacks aggressively and more predictably, hoping to burn her opponent. Masterfully, Kai raised his arms to receive and deflect the flames in another direction, taking one step at a time.
As he got closer, Azula screamed in rage, his eyes beginning to water in despair. Without realizing it, she was giving Kai the chance to adapt to the intensity of her flames.
Kai's fingers were inevitably burned, realizing that even if he managed to apply his preferred technique, maintaining this non-offensive fighting style would get him defeated sooner or later.
The blue flames were increasing in intensity, slowly turning to a white hue. Starting to push Kai little by little, gradually shifting the balance of the battle.
Kai was genuinely impressed by the pressure he was being put under, each time he managed to deflect the new flames, the bursts would hit the wall or the ceiling, making destructive explosions with each impact on the structure they were fighting over.
Azula, driven by adrenaline, didn't notice that her arms were seriously injured; if she kept up the pace, the damage could be irreversible.
Kai propelled himself forward through the flames and grabbed the small hands, crossing his fingers over Azula's. Thanks to this, the white flames disappeared.
- Azula! We have to stop! -Kai shouted, standing a few centimeters from Azula's face. - You're letting your fire have control over your actions! If you continue, you will be consumed!
- Never! You want to take my father's love away from me! - Azula screamed without noticing the state of her arms.
Kai internally felt guilty for having allowed this duel to come to this. He felt stupid for letting his emotions take over. As quick as the duel had been, high-intensity fights rarely last more than two or three minutes.
Azula in his frenzy, filling his lungs with air, preparing to release his flames through his mouth. A blue glow quickly took over the back of his mouth, along with a localized burning heat.
Kai had no choice but to recall a skill that his mother had explained to him in the past, but he couldn't remember the details of exactly why he didn't use the technique. He sealed his lips over Azula's, devouring the flames directly from the source, stopping the princess's last attack.
At that moment, they were both shocked, not by the unexpected moment. Anyone observing from the outside could never have imagined what was going through the minds of both young people.
As he devoured Azula's flames, Kai felt all the emotions she felt. The feeling of fear, anguish, anger, frustration, envy and loneliness. The emotions felt directly made him lose any attempt at focus and the more he immersed himself in the emotions, the clearer it became to him.
Somehow, he visualized Azula's entire life, feeling everything she had been through, all the moments of joy, along with those of sadness. He could openly understand the loneliness she felt, especially her disappointment in her mother.
Although experiencing someone else's life was frightening, it wasn't just him who had suffered this side effect. Azula had also witnessed everything Kai had gone through in life. To the point where she understood his feelings, even his point of view towards Ozai or even herself and Zuko. Most importantly, Azula felt Katsu's maternal love through these memories, seeing how she could be a strict and loving mother at the same time. However, what affected her most were the final months Kai had with his mother, the pain he felt as he saw her getting sicker by the day was too much for even his own heart. Indirectly, he felt Kai's relief and loneliness when Katsu joined the spirits.
When their lips parted, they both stared at each other, unable to say a word to the other. They couldn't understand how it had happened, but they felt and understood that words weren't necessary. What turned out to be mortal combat turned into a complete turnaround for their minds
Azula rested her head on Kai's chest, crying silently, while he just let her understand his feelings without knowing how to proceed.
Feeling Azula's anxiety on his skin, Kai knew that the damage she had suffered could not be repaired, not by Ozai or Ursa. So he decided to give her a hug, taking the utmost care not to hurt her any more than he already was.
As time went by, they were both hugging, with Azula on Kai's legs crying and biting her lips from the torturous pain she was feeling. Kai, on the other hand, was stroking Azula's messy hair, trying to calm her down.
In his thoughts, Kai remembered an event that had happened a long time ago. Once, when he was six years old, he had burnt himself by overdoing his training, causing him a lot of pain.
His mother, Katsu, found him crying by a stream, trying to ease the pain with water. Realizing her son's condition, she approached him, holding each hand gently, singing a nursery rhyme to calm him down.
That day, Kai saw a green flame for the first time, but it was different from what it might have been, it was cold in itself and gave off no heat. The mysterious flame started from the wound he himself had caused, and passed through his arms to his mother's, causing her to frown slightly.
At the time, he was afraid of the flame that had suddenly appeared above him, but he calmed down when he saw what looked like magic to his eyes. The pain he was feeling disappeared without leaving a mark.
Happy at the same time, he thanked his mother and asked to be taught, but she had refused. Kai didn't like this and became angry, until he realized that his mother was injured in the same place where he had been burned.
This memory flashed through Kai's mind and, looking at Azula's burnt arms, the idea took root. Gently, he held Azula's small hands and closed his eyes.
He took advantage of the mysterious connection that had been linked to the princess, connecting to her soul, feeling the mental and physical pain that persisted. Focusing only on the physical pain, he felt on his skin what she was feeling, as if his vision saw her pain as burning flames.
"Grasping" these embers, he transferred her to himself, following the same rule he had used with the lightning bolt a few minutes ago, to the same position as before in relation to her body.
In Azula's vision, she saw green flames coming out of his arms. Frightened, she stared at Kai, but quickly realized that his pain was fading. She was shocked, until she noticed that the wounds she had inflicted on herself had transferred to Kai, and she saw his skin gradually charring.
Not knowing what to say, she saw Kai collapse on top of her, unconscious. Desperate, she screamed for help, without being able to or caring what she had seen.
