A/N: The following is rated F, for Finale

Reader discretion is advised.

Chapter 8 "Extinguish"

Late Summer, Year 8 in the reign of Fire-Lord Ozai

The surrender would be finalized in the morning.

In the month since Zuko had conducted his raid into Shiro Yoritomo, there had been a great many changes around, and in, the Fire-Nation war camp. Due to the unfortunate death of Cpt. Kiko, Lt Rainesu was now Captain Rainesu; Battlefield promotion. She had been excited at the prospect, despite being still desperately sad at both Ping and Cpt Kiko's death. She had gone to great pains to assure Zuko that he was still welcome to come to her with anything he should require, and in fact, had asked him to join her for supper and conversation about LEADERSHIP on numerous occasions. Despite his earlier convictions as to the danger she posed to him, Zuko hadn't had the heart to turn her down.

"Danger is best faced eagerly, to do otherwise is the barest form of cowardice." Akodo had said.

Zuko wasn't sure if Akodo was the best role-model in this case, even in legend, the man had been a notorious womanizer.

Zuko was also now sixteen, not a particularly significant birthday in the Fire-Nation, but it did mark the one-year anniversary of leaving his seclusion on the mountainside. His uncle had bought him a razor, which he said was "traditional." Although exactly what tradition it was a part of he couldn't be bothered to say. Rainesu, who had somehow discovered when his birthday was, presented him with a small Lion prayer statue, like hers only male. She'd carved it herself and it, like everything else the woman did besides fighting, was stunning.

He'd thanked her, saying it was wonderful, and would always remind him of her and his mother, and the connection the shared. She had seemed strangely nonplussed.

There had been no further attacks on the siege camp. The morning after Zuko's return had seen smoke rising out of the interior of Shiro Yoritomo and there had been no movement of any kind after that. A week ago, three more warships had arrived to begin the siege in earnest. Within hours of their arrival soldiers waving white feathers, a sign that they wished to talk terms, had emerged from the castle, rebuilding the bridge back to the mainland as they came.

They swore up and down that an ancient spirit, the "Grey Ghost" had entered the castle, slain their Lord, and set fire to the lower castle, causing many to become sick with the inhalation of fumes. The claimed that it was the will of the spirits that they surrender, nothing at all to do with the arrival of more warships, who were already disgorging several battalions onto the east side of the bay.

Despite the surrender, Zuko was not best pleased by the arrival of the warships as they brought Zhao, now a full commander, back into his proximity. Worse still, because of Colonel Rai's untimely end, Zhao was now the ranking officer on site. He took over the negotiations and had been heard to loudly exclaim that it was fortunate he had arrived otherwise the two armies would have just spent the rest of eternity staring at each other across the water.

He would claim the credit for the victory.

But worse than that, worse by far, was that from the moment he arrived he had been seen to take an... interest in Rainesu. It had started off subtly, a smirk at officer introductions, an "accident" in the seating arrangement at the first staff dinner which found Rainesu sitting next to him instead of part of the way down the table. It had grown from there into full invitations for dinner, which she accepted at first but soon began to make excuses to decline. It was a difficult thing to avoid a higher-ranking officer who did not wish to be avoided. Zuko infuriated by the man's presumption simply waited, just hoping that the fool would give him the slightest provocation, the slightest reason to be offended so that he could challenge him outright.

It came, but not in the way, or with the outcome he expected.

He was heading to Rainesu's tent, enjoying the summer's breeze, LEADERSHIP in hand when he heard voices.

"Sir, I don't what you-"

"You know perfectly well what I mean, but fine I'll say it plainly. You're beautiful, and I want you."

Zuko froze, a horror in his guts far worse than any fear he'd ever had of dying.

She's an adult, he thought blankly, she can do whatever she-

"Sir, I'm flattered but I-"

YESSS! Zuko roared internally

"Is it the fraternization rules? You needn't worry, no one will breathe a word of it. They never have before," Zhao breathed.

Rainesu's voice grew sharp, formal. "Commander, I believe you have had too much to drink this evening. I request you return to your quarters until such time as you have returned to your senses."

She can handle this. She doesn't need me to interfere. Zuko thought drawing up straight, managing to loose his white-knuckled grip on his katana

"The only thing I'm intoxicated on is your beauty"

Oh, that's just disgusting.

"Sir. You need to leave."

There was a pause and a soft noise like a cough.

"Everything in this camp is mine," Zhao said, not sounding pleasant at all now. "I'm not leaving until you understand that."

Did he just…? Zuko was so stunned it took him a few seconds to process. Then the sounds of a small scuffle broke out and Zuko was through the tent flap in a heartbeat. Only to find Zhao on his stomach, his right arm twisted painfully behind his head, Rainesu's knee between his shoulder blades, and snarl of fury on her face.

"Subtle undertow," a distant part of his brain thought. Water style. I taught her that kata.

He hadn't remembered summoning the red bar of fire to his hand, but it was there now and he had something to use it on.

"Zuko! Stop!" Rainesu said quickly.

It took every fiber of willpower he had to do so, but he did. He crouched down staring at Zhao.

This is HER kill, a part of him whispered, Just watch and enjoy the show.

But she had other plans.

"It seems, sir, you've made a mistake," she paused, "Mistakes can be rectified."

"Rainesu? No!" Zuko said stunned.

She looked right at Zuko, something akin to sadness in her eyes "Zu-, His Highness needs a ship. I believe you have four at the moment, with more on the way? A task force I believe you mentioned? Surely you can spare one of those ships," She leaned in close to Zhao, tugging his arm painfully. "For the man who just saved your life," she finished with a snarl.

"Ow, ow yes yes anything just…" he was staring in horror at the bar of fire in Zuko's hand.

"We'll have it in writing, before dawn or I'll accuse you of attempted rape before the officers assembled as witnessed by the crown-prince."

"And then I get to kill you," Zuko said, grinning evilly.

Zhao fled.

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked.

She was dusting herself off and glared at him. "Of course I'm alright, he was so drunk he could barely stand, I haven't the foggiest idea how he thought he was going to be able to…" she blushed furiously.

"I should have come in sooner but I thought you had the situation in hand. I never thought he would…" Zuko shook his head still, shocked by Zhao's actions.

"I did have the situation in hand, didn't I?" she said, looking pleased with herself. The emotion passed and was once again replaced by an odd sadness "You will be leaving now I suppose?"

"If you wish to be alone I understand complete-"

She sighed and shook her head. "Permission to speak freely highness?" she said smartly.

"Of course."

She stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed him on the cheek. "You really are an idiot Zuko."

Early Autumn, Year 8 in the reign of Fire-Lord Ozai

They sailed away.

After the formal surrender of the fortress of Shiro Yoritomo, there had been a feast which Zuko, in spite of his uncle's haranguing, had skipped. He was far too busy planning. They would need fuel, supplies, naval training for his infantry company, not to mention himself. The list went on and on.

He'd inherited a new executive officer, a navy man by the name of First Lieutenant Dosei Taro.

"I liked the last one better," Iroh said with a grumble.

Despite his uncle's rather unfair misgivings, the new lieutenant was both knowledgeable and efficient. From the looks of him, he was a bit on the thin side and wore spectacles, Zuko judged that he might be only slightly less useless at personal combat than his previous Lieutenant had been. Had been. The memory of Rainesu breaking Zhao's wrist that night would bring joy to Zuko's heart for years to come he was sure.

Despite Zhao's orders, the ship had not come without cost. The previous commander, no doubt goaded on by Zhao, had been so incensed at his removal that he'd challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai, a fire duel.

Zuko destroyed him.

It hadn't even been remotely fair. Zuko had grown up sparring with wild animals and Azula. The man's firebending wasn't even a challenge and the look of impotent fury on Zhao's face made the victory doubly sweet.

Zuko stood alone at the bow of his ship, hands folded behind his back as the made their way south towards the Eastern Air Temple. Iroh came up beside him.

"So, that was an interesting detour," Iroh said musingly.

"Indeed, Uncle."

"...I never did apologize nephew."

"For?"

"For choosing the eastern temple. If I'd selected any of the others…"

"You had no way of knowing. Besides you didn't force me off the boat at Doromuri, my honor did."

They paused, watching a giant elephant-koi surface, the light of the setting sun shining in the azure waters of Chameleon Bay.

"Still, a shame you couldn't find a way to bring your girlfriend with you," Iroh said contemplatively.

"...My what?"

Iroh looked at him bemusedly "Pretty girl, red hair about yea high?" He gestured to Zuko's shoulder level with one hand.

Zuko flushed. "Rainesu wasn't my girlfriend!"

"Lover then. Did you think I didn't notice? You'd been sneaking off to her tent since Matomo."

"We were talking about tactics!"

"Oh? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

"No! We were reading LEADERSHIP together!"

"...What? The whole time?"

"Yes!"

"Well… she was trying to sleep with you the whole time."

"What?! No! She-"

"She never wore her sleeping kimono as you read, maybe one shoulder bare?"

"Well, it was her tent Uncle. She can dress how she li-"

"She never sat next to you, pressing against you, pointing out passages in the text?"

"How else would she sit, if we were-?"

"She never offered to give you a shoulder massage after a training session?"

"She… she was just concerned about some muscle pain I'd been having!" Even Zuko thought that sounded a bit lame.

"She never used the phrase 'I place myself in your care'," Iroh said fluttering his eyelashes at Zuko.

"That, is a traditional greeting to one's superiors!"

"Maybe a hundred years ago!"

"You're being ridiculous."

Iroh narrowed his eyes. "She never, ever, handmade you a personal gift which would have deep significance to the both of you and always remind you of her?"

Zuko thought of the little lion carving now occupying his cabin.

"Oh…" Zuko's eye grew wide in surprise. "Shit."

"You really are an idiot aren't you nephew?"

"Apparently."

Another elephant-koi rose and fell in the distance.

"If you weren't interested you could have at least let me take a swing at her," Iroh grumbled.

"Uggg, Uncle!" Zuko cried in disgust.

Summer, Year 9 in the reign of Fire-Lord Ozai

Zuko had decided he quite liked the sea. The solitude, the wind, the storms. It also made bending practice more effective, the water laden air serving to make bending more difficult, like wearing a weight vest while running. Iroh postulated that that was what had forced Zuko's flames to change color, a strengthening response to difficult conditions.

In the year since Shiro Yoritomo's fall, they had sailed around the world.

The Eastern Air Temple was desolate and barren, his uncle and he meditated in the same places as the air monks had. They learned nothing.

They'd sailed north past the wide mouth of Chameleon Bay around the Ba Se coast to the Northern Temple. They'd found it inhabited.

By flying people.

Furiously excited Zuko donned his grey clothes and mask and entered silently, seeking the Avatar. He found nothing but normal people, not an airbender among them. Most evidence that it even had even been an air temple had been knocked down and filled with odd contraptions and mechanical devices. He sent a letter to his sister describing the odd machines, wondering how it was that they could fly without bending.

He wrote her more frequently now. He wrote all three of them, his sister and the only two friends he had and remarkably they wrote back. Nothing important, always trivial, just gentle reminders that they were still alive, and they knew that he was still alive too.

Alive and far away from home.

Zuko sailed west from the occupied temple and was engaged by Water-Tribe forces. Their little wooden boats were no threat to his steel one, but their bending was. He defeated them, roaring and cursing and igniting their ships while taking heavy damage to his own. He limped south to the northernmost Fire-Nation colonies.

In the long months while his ship was being repaired he fought engagements against bandits and Earth-Kingdom raiders, helped in the collection of taxes, caught a notorious thief and saved a girl from drowning. None of it mattered, no one knew anything about the Avatar.

He sailed west and found the hidden inverted city, the Western Air Temple, birthplace of the last air Avatar, Yangchen. Iroh and Zuko meditated there, found inscriptions about and by Yangchen. Iroh was fascinated, Zuko less so.

"Interesting. It says that Yangchen believed that the Avatar cannot be separate from the world, because her duty is to the world," Iroh said, trying to get Zuko interested.

Zuko only grunted. He had become more taciturn since the colonies.

I should be in the colonies, fighting our enemies and bringing order to that near lawless place, he thought privately. This quest for the Avatar is a waste of time.

He sailed on.

He'd sailed south to the newly re-named Fire Fountain City, to take on coal and have the ship refitted. As Zuko watched the new statue of his father blast fire into the air a scrawny boy tried to pick his pocket, he turned to destroy them and was forcibly reminded of Ping. He let him go.

Still weak, I must be STRONGER.

He sailed on.

The Southern Air Temple had nothing of interest, save a door that could only be opened by air bending. Zuko could barely force himself to care.

What am I doing? This helps nothing, accomplishes NOTHING, he raged, features now set in a permanent scowl as he stood at the bow, arms behind his back. All these temples and we still know next to nothing.

He set a course back to the fire colonies.

For six months they sailed up and down the colonial waters. Zuko would stop in towns, ostensibly to resupply, promote justice through the land and seek rumors about the Avatar. But in truth, he had simply begun to crave violence, if only for the excitement, the feeling of doing something. Often times he would slip away from the ship while his men were on shore leave, don his grey woolens and mask, and enter Fire-Nation military installations to read their classified documents to see if there was even an inkling of the Avatar's whereabouts. It was not technically illegal, and it was certainly much faster than going through proper channels. It was also a much faster way of getting his mail.

He was required by naval doctrine to submit his intended course and destination to Admiralty. Not only would they know if he became lost, but they would be able to plan for his arrival, sending his mail and pay, as well as his soldiers', to the next port. In a letter written in the Admiralty's normal scathing tone, they also saw fit to promote Zuko to Lt Commander, exchanging his Army rank for a Naval one.

He still received reports from his "spies" but there was very little of any import in them. More important was the was the fact that somebody cared enough about him to put ink to paper, no matter how blackmailed. Mai's father was promoting the sale of fruits, her little brother was annoying. Zuko detected a bit of falseness there, if she really did dislike her brother as much as she claimed she wouldn't bother writing about him so often. Ty Lee never changed, her letters were sunshine to Mai's gloomy clouds.

Azula wrote semi-regularly, always formal. Always countering anything positive she had to say with something vicious and amusing. He missed her.

He turned seventeen and still had found NOTHING.

Somedays it seemed like his life was just like the ocean, seemingly endless in all directions with only a few stops to break up the monotony. He spent long hours in his cabin, or on the bridge of the ship, teeth gritted in silent fury as he tried to think of new places to search, new ways to locate the Avatar.

He trained, he wrote, he bent, he seethed. Every day he woke with the light of the sun on the horizon and his fury seemed to grow and grow. Every breath was a gasp, every word was a snarl, every path… a waste of time.

One day in a fit of pique he ordered a course change.

South.

To the South Pole.

..and his destiny

-END BOOK 1-

A/N:

Hello and congratulations, you've made it to the end! Oh, you few, you happy few, you band of readers!

So, what's next you ask? Why book 2 of course! Not only is it done and ready (minus its last, final day-of-publishing edit) the first chapter will be up in… a few hours. That's RIGHT! DOUBLE POST! (/sound of powerchord)

I'll have more to say about it in the notes of that next chapter, but you should have been able to guess that this NEXT book is where we enter canon (reads as: the events of the series). Look forward to it!

And now the meta-bits (aka the parts most people skip past)

Akodo(not actually a womanizer): I'd like to point out that, despite how I will be characterizing him, in L5R lore Akodo, the founder of the Lion clan, is NOT a womanizer. At least not to the best of my knowledge. Sometimes little things just slip into my writing and I like the way they play out. So in THIS work, Akodo (Zuko's very distant, but direct ancestor) is a bit of lady's man. I regret nothing.

Could have expanded on most of this, but didn't: This chapter is SHORT. Painfully short. Going forward you should expect chapters to be at LEAST 3000 words(NOT including A/N). Should I Fail in that regard you should expect another double post. But that being said a lot of time and interesting things happen in the background of this chapter. Zuko has a duel. Zuko has adventures. Zuko sails around. Zuko, however, does NOT find anything to do with the Avatar. That was kind of the point. Zuko knows he's doing all this stuff which should be earning him a great deal of honor and glory, but he can't get any of it, can't feel proud of anything until he finds the Avatar.

Honestly, this whole first book is just setup. When I originally sat down with the idea for this buzzing in my head the events of this book were planned to be, at most, a chapter or two. I wanted to accomplish 3 things, Zuko is older, has combat experience, and has a reason to hate peasants. When I looked up from that awesome torpor that good writing brings on I found that I had 30k words… and I hadn't even gotten to Matomo yet. It was then I realized this bad mamma-jamma was going to have to be broken into separate arcs. Following this point the will correspond roughly with the 3 seasons of the show. The chapters will roughly follow the episodes of said show (provided of course that Zuko is in them)

I hope you enjoyed this work even HALF as much as I enjoyed writing it and I REALLY hope you'll stick around for the rest.

LATER TODAY on a very special "Avatar: The Last Dragon"...

Iroh drinks tea! Zuko shouts a lot!

TUNE IN. Same Zuko time, Same Zuko channel!

Original post date: 10 June 2018