Chapter Text
Deep within the Earth Kingdom, among the most remote villages of the continent, Prince Zuko was walking through the underbrush, being careful of the wild and poisonous animals that inhabited the forest.
He felt frustrated; he knew his destiny was to help and teach firebending to the Avatar, but clearly neither he nor his team wanted him around, and he understood that. He didn't expect that, after chasing them all over the world, they would quickly accept him into their group.
However, he had the false hope that, after saving them from the assassin "whom he himself had hired and regretted," they would at least have given him a small margin of acceptance. Of course, that was not the case. Nothing had ever been easy for him: first, he lost his true destiny, and now also his firebending. Truly, life hated him.
"You are too far from your home, Prince Zuko," commented a male voice behind the raven-haired boy, causing him to turn around in a start and carefully observe the group behind him, cursing himself for not having noticed them— "Shouldn't you be in the palace?"
"Who are you?" Zuko asked as he slowly drew his dao while stepping back. "What do you want?"
"It offends me that you don't remember me," the man complained with a mocking smile; his companions also laughed. "However, you were almost dead to the world, so I'm not surprised."
"General Buijing," Zuko murmured with disdain as he pointed his dao at him. "What are you doing here? It's so rare to see you outside your office... Did the Fire Lord send you?"
"No, of course not, but you have an impressive bounty on your head that's too tempting to pass up," the General commented mockingly as he crossed his arms and the two soldiers prepared to attack. "And I'm looking forward to a promotion."
"Over my dead body," Zuko growled as he took a fighting stance.
"Oh, dear," Buijing said arrogantly as he signaled his companions to attack. "No one expects you alive."
Soon, the two soldiers advanced on their general's order, fire in their hands. Their eyes burned with the intensity of the flames they controlled. Zuko quickly took a battle stance; his gaze was serene, but his muscles were tense, ready for combat. He looked towards Agni, and it wouldn't be long before his sister Tui would hide.
The first soldier launched a burst of fire, illuminating the dark forest. Zuko dodged with the grace of an airbending master; his swords gleamed under the light of the flames.
With a swift movement, he lunged forward, his swords cutting through the air with lethal precision. The sound of metal clashing against metal resonated as he blocked the second soldier's attack, striking him on the helmet. He spun around to deflect a fireball launched by the first soldier.
Zuko moved with the grace of a dancer and the ferocity of a warrior. Every strike of his swords was calculated, every movement a work of art amidst the chaos. Despite being at a disadvantage due to his lack of control, his determination did not waver. With a war cry, he disarmed the first soldier, his swords shining with a silver gleam.
The remaining soldier redoubled his efforts, launching coordinated attacks. Zuko defended himself skillfully, his swords creating an impenetrable shield. With a quick spin, he deflected a flare and then counterattacked, his swords finding their target. The second soldier fell, leaving only the general.
Breathing heavily, Zuko stood his ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw General Buijing trying to escape.
He tried to attack him with his swords but received a fireball to his shoulder. As he turned his gaze, he saw five soldiers approaching. With a grimace of desperation, he turned and ran with the soldiers in pursuit.
Agni had been hiding for a while, and Tui, at her full power, illuminated the entire forest. Zuko ran, dodging every branch and rock in his path, as well as the flames from the enemy soldiers.
The soldiers soon cornered Zuko at the edge of a cliff. The waters of the river at the base of the cliff ran strong; he knew that if he fell, he would die.
So Zuko turned to face them. Some flames danced dangerously close.
"Surrender, traitor, you have no chance," one of the soldiers exclaimed, his voice resonating with authority, as he and two others launched a fire blast.
Zuko stepped back instinctively to avoid the fire attack, when suddenly he felt the void of the precipice beneath him. Panicking, Zuko tried to grab onto the edge of the cliff or a branch to save himself. But, unfortunately, one of the soldiers, taking advantage of the exiled prince's distraction, launched a fireball that hit Zuko in the abdomen.
Zuko soon fell from the force of the impact. The wind roared in his ears, panic flooded him, and pain coursed through his body. He soon hit the cold waters of the river's strong current.
Darkness quickly enveloped him, bringing him to unconsciousness rapidly, without giving him a chance to swim to save his life. Regretting not being able to fulfill his destiny, Zuko closed his eyes, expecting the embrace of death.
As he slowly drowned, two translucent figures watched him with pity and concern. The spirit of the Sun, Agni, was worried about his champion, and the spirit of the Moon, Yue, looked at him with pity. They looked at each other and came to a small agreement: they would save the prince's life and give him another chance, but not in this world. So they surrounded him with their celestial light.
"Your journey is not over, my champion," Agni whispered, his voice warm like the dawn. "Destiny awaits you."
"You must find your inner fire," Yue added, her tone soft and comforting. "Therefore, you need a stronger motivation."
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The streets of Musutafu city were bustling and filled with people heading home after a long day of work. However, there was also panic after the collapse of the Maruko Bridge due to a villain. More than one civilian had fallen, and there were many injured, as well as dead.
There were rescue groups of heroes helping civilians and rescue services. Among them were the young graduates of the Yuuei academy: Present Mic, Eraserhead, and Ingenium, who were on rescue duty.
Amidst the panic, Tensei spotted a young man crawling out of the river with great effort. He looked like a corpse due to the paleness of his skin, the scrapes on his clothes, and the patches of burns.
"I need an ambulance now!" Tensei ordered as he ran to rescue the young man. "You're safe now."
He tried to place a hand on the young man's shoulder, but since he seemed disoriented, he punched Tensei hard in the nose, breaking it.
"Damn it!" Tensei cursed as he held his nose. With a worried look, he glanced at the young man who was lifting his gaze. "Calm down, my name is Ingenium, I'm a hero."
But his words seemed to fall on deaf ears, as the boy continued to look around in confusion. Then he looked directly at Ingenium, and the young hero could glimpse a pair of golden eyes like the sun before the boy lost the battle against unconsciousness.
"Damn it!" Tensei growled as he took the boy in his arms and carried him to the approaching paramedics. "He has second and third-degree burns on his shoulder and abdomen. He also seems to have a severe case of drowning and a concussion; his pupils were dilated."
The paramedics soon had the young man ready for transport to the hospital. They tried to take the hero, but he refused, as he still had work to do. As the ambulance left, Tensei couldn't stop thinking about the strange young man and his peculiar injuries.
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Zuko woke up feeling a deep pain all over his body, but mainly in his shoulder and abdomen. When he opened his eyes and observed his surroundings, he was forced to close them again when a sudden bright light blinded him completely.
After a while, he opened them again, this time slowly so his eyes could adjust to the intensity of the light. The firebender looked around curiously, analyzing the strange place.
The room was white with strange smells. He also realized he was lying on a strange but soft bed. To his left was a device emitting very annoying sounds he had never heard before. To his right was a large window with an interesting view and a small table next to his bed, which had a glass of water and a strange device.
Zuko grimaced as he tried to get up from the bed, only to fall back feeling mysteriously dizzy from the small movement. He brought a hand to his head to try to relieve the headache that had appeared, only to feel bandages on his head. He also touched his nose, feeling a strange material on it.
Soon he began to panic, as he didn't recognize where he was and didn't remember arriving there.
"Where am I?" Zuko murmured to himself, completely terrified. He tried to remember what he had been doing last and soon began to panic when he couldn't remember anything.
"Hey, breathe, you're safe," assured a soft female voice. Zuko turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw a woman with black hair streaked with gray. She was wearing a white coat, approached him slowly, and began checking the devices. "You really hurt yourself a lot, young man."
"Where am I?" Zuko asked the woman, grimacing at how weak and hoarse his voice sounded.
"You're in the recovery room of Jaku General Hospital. I'm Nurse Tanaka," the woman replied with a small, kind smile. Then she looked at him sympathetically. "The doctor should be here soon, rest."
Zuko nodded slowly, not really understanding what the woman was talking about. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he was facing a strange-looking man dressed almost like the woman. He had a device with a light close to his eyes, causing him a sharp pain.
"Umm," Zuko complained, grimacing in pain and trying to move away from the strange doctor, who was causing him slight panic.
"Sorry, kid. I was checking your pupil reaction because you had a large cut on your forehead. Fortunately, it's just a concussion," the doctor explained, putting away his flashlight and then writing something in his notebook. "You're an unusual case, young man."
"What are my injuries?" Zuko asked, still somewhat dazed but now worried.
"You have a concussion, a first-degree burn on your shoulder, and a second-degree burn on your abdomen," the doctor explained while writing on his tablet and then looking at his patient. "Other than that, you're in excellent health. Now try to rest for a while; there are some people who want to talk to you."
After the doctor left, Zuko quickly fell asleep again, as sleep was overtaking him. The next time he woke up, a nurse changing his medications called for the officers who were waiting for him to wake up. When they entered, Zuko frowned, thinking he was hallucinating because there was no way he was seeing a man with a cat's head.
"Who are you?" Zuko asked, dazed as his vision cleared and he saw the strangers better. There really was someone with a cat's head.
"I am Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa," the man with the hat replied, then pointed to the other two. "This is Officer Tamakawa Sansa and the turbo hero Ingenium. We're here to ask you some questions."
"Alright," Zuko replied as he sat up a bit in the bed. "Go ahead."
"Can you tell me your name and age, please?" the detective asked as he took out a notebook.
"My name is Zuko, I'm 17... I think," the golden-eyed boy responded, somewhat unsure about giving his name.
"And your last name?" the detective asked again, looking at him intently.
"I don't remember," Zuko replied, grimacing from the headache as he tried to recall his last name. "What happened? Why am I here?"
"That's what we wanted to find out," the officer replied as he approached the young man. "Ingenium found you by the river after the Maruko Bridge collapse, but you didn't seem to be part of the victims since you had different injuries."
"What is the last thing you remember?" Ingenium asked, tilting his head.
"I... I think I was running away... but I can't," Zuko murmured as he brought a hand to his head and turned pale from the pain. "I can't... I can't remember anything else... I'm sorry."
"Hey, calm down," Ingenium stopped him as he gently took one of his hands and removed it from his head. "Maybe you need to rest and recover, you were very hurt."
"With the amount of damage you had, the doctor was surprised at how quickly you woke up," the officer commented.
"How long was I asleep?" Zuko asked sleepily, something he hadn't asked the doctor.
"Two days," Ingenium replied, who, noticing his tired expression, helped him lie down. "You should sleep."
With that, Zuko settled back into the bed and quickly fell asleep. The three left the room as quietly as possible and gathered at the reception.
"So, detective, what's the verdict?" Tensei asked as he crossed his arms. "Is he sincere or lying?"
"Before I say, what do you think?" Tsukauchi responded, crossing his arms.
"In my opinion, I think he was completely sincere," Tensei replied, raising his hand.
"I agree," Sansa said, tilting his head adorably. "So, what's the truth, Tsukauchi-san?"
"He is completely sincere, gentlemen," Naomasa replied, then looked at the young man's room door. "I can say with certainty that what the young man suffered must have been quite severe if he doesn't remember anything."
"The question is... who is he running from?" Sansa asked, looking at his colleagues.
The three fell silent, as Sansa was right. Whoever he was running from was not a good omen, and if he couldn't remember anything, he was in even greater danger.
The next time Zuko woke up, he was not alone in the room. Tensei Iida was sitting in one of the guest chairs, flipping through a list of places and jobs for the young man. The novice hero was determined to keep his promise.
He was going to help the poor young man readjust to life in Japan.