trans_9 | Father Dearest [Locked]

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Father Dearest [Locked]

Hiccup was overjoyed by the presence of his special visitor and that was why he'd left her to go to his forge. Quickly gathering up all his plans and drawings, he made his way out.

He wanted to show her everything he'd thought of, every idea he had, wanted to share absolutely everything he could about himself in the day he had.

This was the first he'd get to know his mother, and the first she'd really get to know him, and he wasn't going to waste a minute of it.

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All of that was why he was in a rush as he ran out the door, still gathering up papers, and why he slammed right into the man standing there, scattering some of them.

"Sorry, didn't see you there--"

The man had black hair and amber eyes. Amber eyes just like Zuko's. Amber eyes just like the ones that'd stared back at him when Azula had threatened him.

Hiccup was quick to understand, and the one thing he understood best was that there was absolutely no way he stood a chance.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes."

Zuko could have used the omicomms to call for assistance. It wasn't like Ozai was much of a hacker.

But he was kind of busy running to the rescue, and it was possible the others would figure out that Ozai would go someplace that made sense to him, someplace that felt more familiar than the rest of the City. Angkor Wat was often the closest place Zuko felt to home outside the Sensoriums, and maybe that was why Ozai took his prisoner there. Maybe Ozai felt the same way.

It meant Zuko had the advantage of territory. And he'd need every advantage he could get against Ozai, in what was apparently one of Stacy's elusive blind spots.

Hiccup was trussed up and gagged, on the ground in one of the temple courtyards.

He was conscious, at least, and this was abundantly clear by the fact that he was shaking his head frantically.

"T-p! Isf a t-p!"

Like seriously, duh, Zuko. What the hell are you doing barging right into it?

Rescuing his friend. Duh.

After a brief look at Hiccup, both to make sure he was okay and to send him a look that said, "What, you think I didn't know that?" he turned to his father.

"You wanted another chance to kill me, you got it. Let the peasant go."

He took his firebending stance in the open mouth of the temple, hoping to lure Ozai out into the open. Stacy's eyes might see and stop him there.

"Ged oud of hee yoo monon!" A pause. "An' m' nod a pefant, I'm a cheefd fon. What if wif you guyd an cawing peeple pefantf? Sewioufy."

"Will you shut up, you insolent whelp!" echoed Ozai's voice from the temple surrounds. He was hiding somewhere in the architecture.

The fool hadn't shut up the entire time he'd been awake. That was actually more why he burned his arm than anything else. Punishment.

For annoying him.

Fine then. With a careful look around the temple to try and figure out where Ozai would be aiming from, Zuko ran across to Hiccup to singe his bonds off.

"Just run as soon as you can. Go.]"

He'd be fine. Just a little father-son reunion. Sure.

Flames shot down at the both of them from the nearby roof off to Zuko's left.

That was a lot of fire.

Zuko was barely ready for it, twisting just in time to parry the blast to the open-aired interior of the temple. The heat boiled around them, blurring the air and scorching the columns that Zuko had just barely avoided parrying the fire into.

Hiccup had to be free enough to run, because if he wasn't, they were . . . well they were in even more trouble than they already were, and that was a lot of trouble.

"GO!"

It had been enough.

Hiccup managed to break through the rest of his bonds, and then he bolted, clutching his burnt arm to himself as he ran.

"It seems your friend is just as much of a coward as you are, Zuko," said Ozai.

"He didn't even look back. But then it's easy for anyone to see you're not worth fighting for." Jumping down from the roof, Ozai kicked flames in Zuko's direction.

"Or maybe he's gone because he's not a firebender."

And therefore shouldn't be in the middle of a fight between them. You know, since non-firebenders don't do well in the middle of a firefight.

"And he's probably gone to get reinforcements. You have no idea the power the people on this ship have."

And Ozai probably wouldn't believe him, OR stop the fight even if he did. After all, none of those people were here. Yet.

"I've seen what they can do. You can't win against them. That peasant you kidnapped? He's one of the ship's council leaders. You might as well have just tried to kidnap the Earth King. By yourself. In a kingdom full of Avatars."

Banter was not Zuko's strong suit, and it was not typically a good idea to piss Ozai off further. But Zuko already knew he couldn't win this fight. His only chance was in keeping himself alive (and Ozai distracted) long enough for Aang, or someone with a fine collection of machine guns to show up and interfere.

And to hope that Azula wasn't hiding somewhere in the temple, waiting to strike while their father had him distracted.

Azula wasn't there, or at least she wasn't if she'd followed his orders. Ozai was fully confident he could handle this alone.

"I don't expect to win against them."

There was a high kick, then a low kick and then two punches, all flaring fire Zuko's way.

"I just have to survive until the end of the day, when I get put back to sleep, to wake up a free man later."

"Bad news, dad. They only let crimes from before the ship slide."

Zuko can't get a blow in edgewise, but they have long since passed the point where Ozai should have overpowered his son and broken his defense. He's parrying the attacks barely - but he's parrying them. He might soon parry them enough to get a strike in of his own.

"You kidnapped a council member, threatened his life, and now you're trying to kill your own son where anyone can see. No matter how long it takes you to wake up, they won't have forgotten this."

Zuko's not sure he believes it. Look how easy the Council went on Azula. But at least he'll have Hiccup on his side for this, if only because it's impossible for Hiccup NOT to have proof of how dangerous and crazy Ozai is.

"Seriously, this is the worst plan you've ever had. It's barely even a plan."

Ozai's plans in general weren't the most nuanced. His generals handled the finer details. The fact that he thought "Burn the Earth kingdom to the ground" was a stellar plan showed it.

Thus, there was some slight annoyance on his face as his son called him out on it.

"You honorless simpleton, do you honestly think that I don't have plans in place for when I return?"

Step 1: Kill Zuko and the Avatar
Step 2: Make Azula do all the work.
Step 3: ???
Step 4: RULE WITH AN IRON FIST

The dance they danced as they talked wasn't really a dance because in most dances, the partners weren't trying to murder each other, but it had qualities that could be called dance-like.

It was a pretty lame plan. Lame along the lines of:

Step 1: Capture the Avatar
Step 2: Smuggle the Avatar out of the Water Tribe
Step 3: Survive the frozen tundra
Step 4: HONOR

Planning wasn't really either of their strong suits. Zuko, acknowledging this, had a sudden feeling that if he saw his uncle today, he'd get an earful about running headstrong into battle without taking a moment to plan how he was actually going to succeed at it.

At least he'd had the foresight to send a message to the Avatar. The Gaang wouldn't heed his warning to stay away forever.

He was surprised they'd stayed away this long. What little plans he'd made sort of hinged on Aang showing up and laying the Avatar State smackdown on his dad again, since Zuko still didn't stand a chance against Ozai in one-on-one combat.

He could hold his father off. But with every step he had to be perfect, whereas Ozai just had to wait for one of Zuko's inevitable imperfections.

Still, Zuko wasn't the only imperfect firebender in this fight. For all that Ozai was a paragon of talent, he was subject, as his son was, to rage.

"I think whatever plans you have are probably about as good as the ones you had back home - the ones that cost you your throne, and landed you in Uncle's old jail cell!"

Yeah, that cheesed him off.

The blasts got more aggressive and Ozai practically dove after him, try to drive him off his feet.

"YOU WILL LEARN RESPECT!"

At least he would before he, y'know, died.

Which might be soon. That was a terrible idea. Goddammit Zuko.

Angkor Wat had long since caught fire and was slowly burning, the smoke filling the City and visible for miles around. It was all Zuko could do to stay on his feet, and not give in to the intense heat around him.

Without any time left for banter he fought back, protecting himself as best he could. If help didn't arrive soon, he was doomed.

Much to Ozai's surprise, it was not easy to kill Zuko. In fact, there were a few times he took glancing hits himself or was driven back, but in the end, Ozai was wearing him down.

"I'm amazed. You're no longer completely incompetent."

A sweeping kick and a wave of wire, timed perfectly to catch Zuko off his guard would possibly knock him off his feet if he wasn't prepared to jump over it.

He was prepared.

Almost.

The wave of fire came at Zuko faster than he expected, and his jump was too slow, the fire catching him and setting fire to his clothes, singing his legs with hot, painful burns.. His stance would suffer.

And if his stance suffered, he'd die.

He struggled to maintain his bearings, ignoring the burning pain in his legs. He had a whole world to restore. He couldn't let his people down.

Except, he couldn't stay on his feet. The damage was deeper than surface. Ozai had taken out his stance, and without his stance, he was as good as gone.

Zuko fell to his knees, gritting his teeth through the pain of his burns, still parrying fire from his stationary position.

"Look at you!" Ozai shouted, blasting blast after blast at him as he walked closer. "Look at how pathetic you are!"

He wanted to see the look on his face as he did the finishing blow.

"You chose to side with my weakling of a brother and look where it got you. You aided the Avatar but where is he now when you need his aid? Your so-called friends have forsaken you and left you to die alone. Your softness is your downfall."

And in that final moment, where any opponant faced with the glory of the Phoenix King should be cowering in fear, Zuko looks up and stares his father in the eye.

"I've got only one regret."

He should be begging for mercy. He should be groveling with humiliated awe.

But all he does is look straight into his father's eyes.

"I didn't figure out how much - how you were nothing sooner."

It could be more poetic. But it gets his point across.

"I am the Phoenix Lord! And I am your father! You're a disgrace and I regret that you were ever born."

Fire blazed around one fist.

"It's time I pruned the family tree."

Just as he was about to strike, a piece of rubble came out of nowhere and clonked him upside the head, rather comically.

"He's not alone! You great big, bullying--fire guy that's going to kill me, too, probably."

Yeah, he was dead. Soo dead.

Braving the flames and the heat, injured himself, he hadn't had the heart to leave entirely. He'd found his discarded omnicom and called for backup, certainly, but he couldn't leave his best friend to die. Not alone.

"You're the one that's the disgrace!"

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Father Dearest [Locked]

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