The Search

Previously on Avatar...

"The Great Fire Lord Sozin had made it very clear that he began the war for the security of his own people as well as the benefit of the other nations."

"It wouldn't be right to throw away that part of our cause now that we are so near the end!"

...

"And to accomplish our dream, people like the late Fire Lord Ozai and his coward older brother Iroh cannot be allowed to disgrace our beloved nati... NO! They cannot be allowed to stain the honor of our EMPIRE!"

...

It was then that the remaining guests finally got up and began chanting and proclaiming devotion to their new supreme leader.

With some genuine followers, and some just afraid of suffering the same fate as those rebels.

And so the bloodiest Coronation ended.

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Zuko was readying himself for his trip.

He had made the preparations necessary to bring back a special someone.

He had received a message telling him his soldiers were awaiting him in the village.

Zuko was relatively calm until now.

When suddenly, the doors of his room burst open.

The person responsible was his dear and cute little sister, the fire princess Azula.

"Our mother is dead." Azula spat, as she turned her gaze towards her brother, her expression restraining her anger.

"She isn't!" He said to Azula's face, sending her a smug smile while strapping his bracers. "Oh, and be careful with whom's chamber you trespass. You don't want to be lectured, do you?"

"It doesn't matter how strong you are dear brother. No one can bring back the dead. Where do you think she is? Even if she is alive, she already abandoned us once, what makes you think she won't do it another time?"

Zuko just threw his head back and laughed maniacally.

Azula narrowed her eyes and placed her right hand over his shoulder, whilst staring him deep in the eyes. "Listen Zuzu, you better..."

He quickly shrugged her hand off and grabbed her by the throat.

"Don't mistake my permission for you to keep your life for some kind of weakness." Zuko grinned, his hand heating up to the point of releasing smoke.

"Why won't you just kill me then?" She asked slowly, through gritted teeth.

Zuko's eyes were now full of mirth.

He released her throat and suddenly opened his arms.

At his swift action, Azula flinched.

But Zuko simply hugged her. "I just really love seeing this expression of fear. It really fits you little sister." He whispered in her ear.

A great wave of dread passed over her heart.

"She fled to the village she grew up in." Zuko told his sister.

Azula clenched her hands, but no blue flames dared to show themselves.

He released her from the hug and raised a finger, it immediately chirped with the high voltage of his golden lightning, and so he poked Azula's forehead.

She was immediately stunned and fell to the ground, he simply laughed before turning to walk away.

"This should teach you a lesson to not grit your teeth in the presence of your emperor."

Noticing she was about to pass out he told her. "After I return with my mother I wish to see our childhood friends. Take care of the necessary arrangements."

And so he left her knocked out on the floor of his room.

After leaving the royal palace, the Phoenix Emperor stretched a little on the outside area.

"What a nice day for a family reunion." Zuko said to himself.

And so, he conjured a concentrated amount of flame and propelled himself through the air.

Normally this technique of jet propulsion can only be used for short periods of time by regular fire benders, however Zuko literally took flight.

On that day, everybody was capable of seeing the pure black comet raising from the ground.

As the emperor crossed the sky, dark clouds formed behind him.

The climate drastically changed.

What began as a regular sunny day, was shaping up to be one of the strongest storms the fire nation had ever recorded.

Zuko flew through the horizon at ludicrous speeds and after a while, he reached an open field.

Deciding to not waste much time, he made an orbital drop.

The wind drag did nothing to his skin nor his special armor.

The impact on the ground was powerful enough to shake the vast area around it.

Raising from the crater like it was nothing, his image to regular folk would simply be of a spirit that literally fell from the sky.

And so he walked by the ashes of hundreds of fire lilies.

He could see houses in the distance, and so he made his way towards it.

And soon reached the village of Hira'a.

As he entered, Zuko looked around.

Hira'a looked like a typical Fire Nation village.

It was busy, warm, nothing out of the ordinary.

Not counting the dark clouds forming in the horizon though.

When he met with his positioned soldiers, they immediately informed him of the location of his target.

And so he walked down the street, making some turns before stopping.

With the peasants glancing at him with looks of awe and respect, the emperor turned his gaze towards a nearby house.

It was a simple, wooden house.

It was small, but it looked very homey.

As he strode up to the front door he thought. 'Finally.'

After cracking his knuckles, Zuko knocked.

Shuffling could be heard inside, and someone said. "Who's there?"

The voice sounded gruff, not a female voice, and most definitely not his mother's.

Zuko simply replied. "I have a message from the mother of faces."

Inside, the voice was heard again, saying. "Moth...mother of faces?!" Something crashed. "By the spirits, what happened!"

Seconds later, the door flung open and Zuko came face to face with an elderly man.

His expression shifted from curiosity to surprise to wonderment to shock.

The old man shifted uncomfortably and then said. "Is she alright... kid?"

His armor and cape seemed to have made the old man stare at Zuko with his mouth half opened, but eventually he noticed and closed it.

He still looked surprised, though. "Please, tell me it's everything alright with her!"

Zuko's face was calm as he nodded.

He didn't want the old man to make a fuss in front of everyone passing on the street.

"Sorry to request this sir, but would you allow me to enter?" Told Zuko to the elder.

"My name is Gorudo. I am a spirit. Hope you don't mind me troubling you."

"Oh! Of course, of course!" The man replied, slightly surprised, but he bowed in courtesy. "It's good to see your respected spirit."

As the emperor kid was allowed to enter the little house, he awaited for the man to close the door and responded.

"Yes, good indeed. But I must confess the reason I came here, all the way to Hira'a, was not to see you, but to see someone else. And I'm very sure that my assumption is correct, so let's get down to business."

"Who is it Noren my dear?" A voice said.

Zuko slightly widened his eyes.

That voice, he'd recognize it from his memories.

It was Ursa, his mother.

Although she didn't look like she used to, she was definitely Ursa.

"Oh Noriko my love, this young spirit came to make us a visit. You might not remember, but he said the mother of faces sent him." Was the elder response.

Not saying anything, Zuko simply walked towards the woman and placed his palm in front of her face.

Similar to healing, a fire bender is capable of using fire to sense chi paths and interpret spiritual energy.

If one is skilled, or stupidly strong, they can actually dispel any unnatural formation.

And so, Zuko's hand exploded into flames.

This surprised the woman, but frightened the shit out of the man.

Before the man could yell anything, the emperor simply pointed his index and middle finger, and a gold spear of lightning immediately lunged itself towards the man once known as Ikem.

Not even ashes remained.

Zuko then turned his gaze towards the woman at the receiving end of his first attempt in spiritual bending.

He then suddenly pinched and pulled his hand as if removing a rubber mask from her face.

When the flames left her face, she looked just as Zuko remembered her.

Beautiful, with her long ebony hair and soft features.

But the whole process seemed to have drained her and so she fell unconscious.

"Well, like daughter, like mother." He joked to himself.

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After fleeing the Fire Nation Palace, Ursa returned to Hira'a village where she was born.

There, she met a man called Noren who was actually Ikem, having asked a spirit called the Mother of Faces to change his appearance so he could escape Ozai's wrath.

Ursa decided she would make a similar deal, but when the Mother of Faces felt the pain in Ursa's heart she offered something extra: not only a new face, but a new mind, where all her memories of her life as Ozai's wife would be erased.

Ursa made the difficult choice to forget her children along with the rest of her former life and was gifted a new face and a new name: Noriko.

She and Noren would have lived in peace together for many years and eventually had a daughter called Kiyi - Zuko and Azula's half-sister.

But everything changed when the Phoenix Emperor attacked.

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Fire bending abilities:

Blazing rings and arcs - Spinning kicks and sweeping arms movements creates rings and arcs to slice larger, more widely spaced or evasive targets.

Blocking fire - A skilled fire bender can defuse and extinguish an incoming fire blast from another fire bender by using a swift kick, jab or other defensive maneuver. Allowing them to stop attacks.

Fire Blade - A more advanced version of a blazing arc, by narrowing and condensing their flame projections, fire benders can create thin blades of fire to slice through objects without completely destroying them.

Fire Bomb - Used as a short ranged attack, a fire bender can create a flame at the end of a limb and thrust the flame down in an explosive burst.

Fire Circle - Fire benders can create a circle of fire and suspend it in the air for an extended period of time.

Fire daggers - Blowtorch-like jets which are created from the fist or fingertips to use as close-range melee attacks. One can even produce a blowtorch. However, they lack the physical ability to block physical objects.

Fire streams - A basic fire bending ability, fire benders can shoot continuous streams of fire from their fingertips, palms or legs. These streams can be widened to create flamethrower-like techniques. Fire Nation soldiers often uses this technique to damage or destroy villages and towns.

Fire Whip - An extension of a fire stream, this continuous stream of flame has a semi-tactile quality and can be used as a whip.

Fire Lashes - An even further extension of the fire whip or stream, fire benders can create a long lash of fire and bring it down on their enemies. Or even create smaller multiple lashes to envelop an area with fire.

Jet propulsion - Skilled fire bending masters are able to conjure huge amounts of flame to propel themselves at high speeds on the ground or through the air. Normally this can only be used for short periods of time by regular fire benders, however this technique can be used for sustained levitation and flight. This technique can also be used to briefly run across a vertical surface.

Jet Stepping - A more precise form of jet propulsion and variation of the dust stepping and misstepping used by earth and water benders respectively. By using small bursts of flame beneath their feet, a fire bender can quickly scale buildings.

Fireballs/ Fire-jabs - Another basic ability, jabs and punches produces miniature fireballs and missiles of flame. This can be charged up to create large and slower bursts or swiftly and repetitive fires to keep opponents off balance.

Flame redirection - In a similar fashion to water bending, fire benders are capable of changing the course of an oncoming fire blast and redirecting it back to the attacker using fluid motion.

Shield of fire - This technique creates a protective shield of fire in front of or around a fire bender that can deflect attacks and explosions. It may be a lesser version of the wall of flames.

The dancing dragon - It involves a fluid and more natural form of fire bending. It is a simple yet possibly stronger form of fire bending form, as it also brings advantage for more skilled fire benders.

Charged attacks - Certain fire benders had been shown charging their attacks before releasing them. Allowing them to create enormous blasts of fire.

Fire augmentation - Fire benders can also control the size and intensity of any nearby flames and can draw them to manipulate them at will.

Fire comet - An advance form of fire stream in which the user pressurizes the fire into a ball and shoots it towards the enemy.

Fire missiles - A more advanced form of the fire stream, powerful fire benders can shoot long streams of fire that follow the target as they move.

Fire pinwheel - A whirling disc of flame capable of being used at long range.

Intertwined fire streams - An advanced move based on the basic fire stream, the performer directs two powerful fire streams at their opponent. Though by intertwining the two streams, a massive comet shaped fire stream is formed that has much more power than a single stream.

Wall of flames - One of fire bending's few defensive techniques. Either is a situated explosion or controlled inferno. This wall of concentrated flames acts as a barrier to incoming attacks. It may be a more powerful version of a fire shield and not only protects against attacks, but when used right it can be used to stealthily escape from foes. One can even use it to defend from a combustion attack. Once a fire bender used this technique to stop a group of navy patrol boats, it was so precise that the flames burned on water.

Pressurized fire stream - A more powerful form of the fire stream, achieved by pressurizing the fire before is released. It covers more area than a regular fire stream.

Long ranged multiple fire whips - An avatar level fire bender can produce fire whips, the most being five at most. They are capable of reaching long distances. Each fire whip is also very wide and moves in a similar fashion to a squid or octopus' tentacles. They have enough destructive power to demolish large rock formations

Blue fire - The ability to bend blue flames, which are hotter than the orange flames produced by most other fire benders.

Breath of fire - A special technique that allows the user to warm their body with fire bending and breathing control. Although this technique has limits, it is shown to be effective against some cold environments.

Combustion bending - It is an ability which allows the bender to ignite objects with their mind instead of traditional fire bending methods. Combustion benders concentrate the energy through a tattooed third eye to project a ray of heat which detonates with great force, producing situated explosions with a great deal of precision. This technique is extremely effective and very destructive, capable of use at close and long range. It can completely disintegrate hill-sized boulders and instantaneously evaporate large bodies of water with ease. It can also be employed to burn things without setting an explosion, similar to a lens focusing sunlight. The bean can also be curved. However the technique has the potential to be just as hazardous to the user as it can be to their surroundings. The sole known weakness of the combustion ray is that it is heavily reliant on an uninterrupted flow of chi, as blocking the chi paths in the forehead from where the combustion beams form issues forth causes potentially fatal backfires.

Dragon fire - Rainbow colors in the flames.

Energy reading - Similar to healing, fire benders are capable of using fire to sense chi paths and interpret spiritual energy.

Fire breathing - It involves the fire bending fire out of their mouths, mixing airs of the lungs with flame, creating a wider hotter blast. With its wide and encompassing range the technique allows for staving off multiple opponents. It is also useful for stealth, as it requires no hand motions and can thus be impossible to predict. Tea can also serve as a catalyst for the technique.

Heat control - Certain advanced fire benders appear to have the ability to control heat. Using this technique, fire benders can heat liquids, heat metal until it glows red or melt ice. Or in reverse, cool things down.

Lightning generation - It is the ability to generate and direct lightning.

Lightning redirection - By mimicking the redirecting techniques of water benders, a fire bender is able to redirect the course of lightning strikes by absorbing through one arm, guiding through the stomach and out the other arm.

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(15/08/2020)

*Hey there! Thanks for reading my work! I hope this chapter is of your liking. If it is, I do recommend you to take a look at my other stories.

Any ideas for powers, equipment, girls and anything else that might be a good match with my fic is more than welcomed. I might not use anything, but you will have my gratitude for trying.

If this chapter is a mess of grammatical errors, please wait that I'll promptly try to fix it. But for that I need your feedback.

Thanks as always for your time, hope you have a fantastic day and please stay safe. Bye.