This one is a little bit strange. It's actually more of a deaged!Zuko fic, in that the phoenix thing is metaphorical. The summary I have written at the beginning of the file is this: "Zuko died beneath Ba Sing Se, but was reborn in fire." The plot is pretty much the following: Zuko is killed by Azula => body is burned on traditional fire nation funeral pyre => magical authorial hand waving => Zuko is now an unscarred eight year old with all of his memories intact => Katara meets strange firebending kid in the catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se and, not recognizing him, takes him with her.
This bit is from some scenes at the Western Air Temple. "Li" decides to teach the Avatar what firebending he knows, because any and all loyalty he felt towards his father and sister were completely extinguished when Azula actually KILLED him. (Also, whenever Prince Zuko comes up Li totally tries to do damage control on his reputation. He can't help it. He doesn't see himself as a bad guy.) This scene follows a training session with Aang that resulted in Li accidentally getting punched in the face:
There was something eerie about the child’s face.
“I’m going to make some ice for you to put on that black eye for now. The bruising could turn nasty. Come here. Sit down.”
Katara told herself she was just being silly. Children got bruises all the time. They were resilient. Katara held Li’s chin and turned his head back and forth, examining his black eye critically before reaching for her waterskin.
She was just being irrational. Still, what was it about this bruise on the left side of Li’s face, making his eye squinted and puffy, that gave her the shivers?
AND THEN THE NEXT DAY IROH TOTALLY SHOWS UP, having escaped the prison in the capital city. (Zuko is off exploring the temple with Teo and Haru)
“So where’s Prince Ponytail?” Asked Sokka, absently. “Didn’t you used to follow him around when he was following us around?”
“My nephew,” Iroh intoned stonily, “Is dead. Azula killed him, and burned his body in the catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se.”
There was a shocked, awkward silence.
“I- I’m sorry,” Sokka muttered. Everyone around the circle murmured their agreement. “I mean… you must have loved him.”
“Yes.” Iroh settled down next to the fire, joints creaking. “Yes, very much so. But he had changed. I believe that… in the end… he would have wanted me to help you.”
Yeah, because his sister and country betrayed him, Toph thought. But that didn’t make what Iroh was saying any less true.
“I will teach you, Avatar. On the condition that you stop this war, so no-one else loses a son – sons – like I have.”
Aang swallowed, and performed a traditional Fire Nation bow. “I will honour your request.”
Phoenix!Zuko
This bit is from some scenes at the Western Air Temple. "Li" decides to teach the Avatar what firebending he knows, because any and all loyalty he felt towards his father and sister were completely extinguished when Azula actually KILLED him. (Also, whenever Prince Zuko comes up Li totally tries to do damage control on his reputation. He can't help it. He doesn't see himself as a bad guy.) This scene follows a training session with Aang that resulted in Li accidentally getting punched in the face:
There was something eerie about the child’s face.
“I’m going to make some ice for you to put on that black eye for now. The bruising could turn nasty. Come here. Sit down.”
Katara told herself she was just being silly. Children got bruises all the time. They were resilient. Katara held Li’s chin and turned his head back and forth, examining his black eye critically before reaching for her waterskin.
She was just being irrational. Still, what was it about this bruise on the left side of Li’s face, making his eye squinted and puffy, that gave her the shivers?
AND THEN THE NEXT DAY IROH TOTALLY SHOWS UP, having escaped the prison in the capital city. (Zuko is off exploring the temple with Teo and Haru)
“So where’s Prince Ponytail?” Asked Sokka, absently. “Didn’t you used to follow him around when he was following us around?”
“My nephew,” Iroh intoned stonily, “Is dead. Azula killed him, and burned his body in the catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se.”
There was a shocked, awkward silence.
“I- I’m sorry,” Sokka muttered. Everyone around the circle murmured their agreement. “I mean… you must have loved him.”
“Yes.” Iroh settled down next to the fire, joints creaking. “Yes, very much so. But he had changed. I believe that… in the end… he would have wanted me to help you.”
Yeah, because his sister and country betrayed him, Toph thought. But that didn’t make what Iroh was saying any less true.
“I will teach you, Avatar. On the condition that you stop this war, so no-one else loses a son – sons – like I have.”
Aang swallowed, and performed a traditional Fire Nation bow. “I will honour your request.”