Everything was normal. Perfectly normal.

The teen rubbed his eyes and looked around his room. He looked at his band posters covering the walls, the red covers on his bed and lap, the CD cases stacked at his bedside with his drumsticks placed next to them. Everything was normal, right in its place…

But it didn’t feel normal. Not after that dream.

He had dreamed that the Xiborgs had invaded Tamaran, that he and his family had been captured. The last thing he remembered before waking up was his father trying to get them out of the house…

It felt so real… Was it really a dream, or a premonition?

He jumped out of bed. He could ask his mom about it later- he was going to her house today anyway, now that his summer with his dad was over. He walked into his own private bathroom, gazing at his reflection sleepily.

For the most part, Iroh-Kuzon had inherited most of his father’s features. He had the same golden eyes, the same facial structure, the same pale skin, if not paler. His short, untidy hair had been dyed a dark violet, his dark, jagged eyebrows clashing somewhat with his hair. Over his slightly muscular frame he wore a baggy, black t-shirt with the red Fire Nation insignia on the back and the words “Punch me, I’m Fire Nation” written on the front. He wore gray sweatpants and, at the moment, no shoes. This wasn’t his sleepwear but his usual attire that he sometimes slept in.

He brushed his teeth, destroying his morning breath as a part of his everyday life. He gelled his hair this way, then that way, decided this way was better, and went back to it. He then re-entered his room and dug under his bed for his boots. Finding them, he pulled them out.

They were one of many replications of his father’s old Fire Nation boots- or as he’d deemed them, “elf boots”. They were sort of a fad in what was left of the Fire Nation community, having faded in and out of popularity as often as Converses. These boots were several sizes smaller than his father’s real ones, but they still annoyed him, making him think of the phrase “walking in his shoes”, or however that went.

He bashed them against his bed to check for space bugs, and then pulled the boots on, tying them tightly. Once they were secured, he jumped to his feet and headed for the door.

Once mom comes to pick me up, I’ll tell her about my dream.

He walked to the small double doors, both opening electronically on their own. He was expecting to find the hall and staircase that lead down to the rest of his home, but instead was welcomed by a black void. He stood in the doorway, awed, looking up and down to see no walls, ceiling or floor. Besides the room he stood in, everything seemed to have disappeared, leaving nothing but empty space.

“What…?”

The floor he stood on shook, and he nearly fell. He grabbed the doorframe for support, turning around to find everything, his bed and posters and entire room, was on fire. Two pairs of eyes glared from the flame, glowing a demonic red.

Kuzon tried to take a step back, forgetting that the hall was gone, and fell backward into darkness. Something wrapped itself around him, restraining him as he struggled to escape.

“No! Let me go!”

“You cannot escape your fate,” a deep voice growled.

He struggled against the things that confined him, whatever they were. He couldn’t see them, for they matched the black that surrounded him. He kicked and screamed, then kicked again, this time flame flying from his foot. Fire singed one of the dark arms holding him, and suddenly all arms released him. He fell again, head first into nothing.

He blinked, and before he knew it, he was falling through a sky he never could have imagined. It was blue, untainted, unpolluted - something he wasn’t used to. He dived through a cloud, breaking it apart like it was cotton, and then saw what he was about to collide with.

Jump City. He recognized it from all the photos he’d been shown his entire life. It was somewhat industrial, with tall buildings that nearly reached him. He turned to face the ocean, and there it was- out on a small island just outside of the city, a tall building in the shape of a T.

This is where I was born.

He realized he was going to land soon, and unless he did something, it was going to be painful. As he neared the ground, he thrust his hand before him, his eyes glowing a bright white as a black sphere encased his hand.

“Azarath, metrion, zinthos!” he cried.

His fall reduced speed, and he flipped in mid-air, gently landing on his feet. With the glow in his eyes already gone, he stood and looked up at his surroundings, which had changed yet again.

Now he was standing before a grand and elegant fortress, the stone staircase going far above him. The red and golden rooftops and pillars shaped to resemble dragons were unfamiliar to him, more so than the clear sky. It wasn’t until he caught sight of a tapestry with a familiar insignia that he knew where he was.

The Fire Nation?

The voice spoke again. “This is what you were born to be.”

Kuzon turned to try and find the whisper’s source, but found that he stood before thousands of people, all dressed in red robes. Once he’d turned to them, they all fell onto their knees, bowing low to him.

“Let the rage consume you.”

Like long vines, the dark bonds came and tied him again, pulling him backward into the fortress, which was burning down to ash. He struggled to break free, and then saw someone bowing in the front row before him.

“Dad!” he called, hand outstretched. “Dad, help me!”

His father either ignored him or couldn’t hear him. Kuzon tried to call to him again, but a black arm covered his mouth, pulling him into the fortress, the smoke from the fire tainting the sky in a familiar way.

Soon he could see nothing but fire and those burning, red eyes glaring down at him with a judging look.

“You have caused this; you cannot deny that. This is only the beginning of what you can do, what you can become…”

No! I don’t want this! I can’t… I won’t!

“This isn’t a choice to be made. This is your destiny.”

The darkness surrounded him again, and his couldn’t move, his body feeling numb.

“What you have concealed, you shall become!”

~*~

“Kuzon… Kuzon, wake up!”

The teen meekly opened his eyes, blinking up at a new scene. He was lying on his back in the comfort of a mattress and bedspreads, someone shaking his arm. He turned wearily to see a familiar face looming over him, worry etched into her purple eyes.

“…Mom?”

His mother, Raven, slipped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him to a sitting position. “Honey, I know this is sudden, but I don’t have much time to explain. Whatever you saw after we were attacked wasn’t real- you were... dreaming. We need to get out of here now, before we’re caught.”

“Wha...”

“You can’t use your firebending right now,” she added. “You’ll need your magic in a minute…”

Kuzon hardly listened, feeling so drowsy he nearly dozed off while she spoke.

His mother didn’t allow this, shaking him. “Honey, please wake up! I need you here, okay?”

He nodded groggily, though he didn’t fully understand the situation. He noticed that the red gem that often stood in the center of her forehead was gone, now replaced with dried blood that also stained her pale-gray cheek and short purple hair.

“Mom, what happened to you?”

The woman shook her head, tugging at her white cloak unconsciously. “We don’t have time for this. Get up,” she insisted.

Kuzon nodded again and started sliding off the bed. He cringed, the crown of his head aching. He reached his hand up to rub it, his fingertips grazing a cold, metallic object he hadn’t noticed before. His mother quickly took the thin device and tossed it to the side, helping him to his feet.

The small room was dimly lit by azure lights up high on the ceiling. Below each light was a bed like his, only with a glass cover. A person lay sleeping in each incubator, each wearing a silver-green device as he had. A control panel stood at the center of the metallic floor, with brightly lit buttons and many display screens. Across from them was a doorway, the door to it thrown in a dark corner. The ground around his incubator was littered with broken glass.

“Mom, where-?”

She had already grabbed his wrist and was pulling him away from the scene. “Let’s go!”

They ran out the door and into a long, seemingly endless, gray hallway. He tried to run with her, but was dragged for the most part, his legs seeming to move by their own accord. The world around him blurred as she sped up, taking turns he failed to remember.

What’s happening? Where are we going? Where are Dad and Ari? These thoughts ran through his head in an almost drunken way as he struggled with the buzz of being half-asleep. However, he instantly sobered up once they’d turned another corner.

They came upon a group of men, their origin obvious to Kuzon and his mother. What skin they had was paler than any healthy skin-tone, several of them having parts of their faces built of sleek, silver metal. They were gaunt, ghost-like cyborgs, red eyes gleaming maliciously at Kuzon, several with mechanical arms glowing red as well. Each wore white and crimson armor.

Kuzon stared at them in awe. He’d never seen a Xiborg up close before.

One of the creatures saw them, and his mechanical arm rapidly began to open up into a cannon, steam issuing out with a hiss. “There she is! She has the boy.”

Raven’s tightly squeezed her son’s hand, before she turned and dragged him away, the Xiborgs’ many footsteps following. Not daring to look back, Kuzon caught up with his mother, running by her side.

A wide, red beam of light flew over their heads, hitting part of the ceiling and destroying it in mere seconds. Remembering the horror stories of disintegrated people, Kuzon held back the urge to scream.

“Mom, what’s happening?”

“Not now, Kuzon, just follow- AAH!”

Raven screamed as a blast of red flew over her head. Her grip on him tightened even more, if possible. She turned another corner, which helped them avoid another red beam inches from Kuzon’s ankle.

“Be careful!” he heard one of the Xiborgs shout, “We don’t want to hurt the kid!”

Why wouldn’t they? he thought, his eyes falling on a door guarded by a red shield.

“Hang on,” his mother shouted, her eyes flashing white.

The red shield was surrounded by a black glow, which allowed her to dive through the door, Kuzon following anxiously. Startled by the sudden change in his surroundings, he stumbled to his knees, his mother’s hand slipping from his.

The room was smaller than the one he’d woken up in, and with less light as well. The main source of light came from the opposite wall, covered in screens with the view of the building from many cameras. Control panels lay beneath these screens, rolling chairs placed before them.

On the ground were rows of bright white sand, forming big circles and many other patterns, candles standing on the outside of this design. Kuzon couldn’t recognize the design exactly, but knew it was for a very powerful spell, suggesting one of teleportation.

Placing the last candle was a girl Kuzon didn’t recognize until she stood. “Momma?” she asked. “Kuzon?”

Kuzon got up to his feet, staring. “Ari? What is this?”

“It’s going to get us out of here,” Arella replied, wiping sweat from her brow. “I’m glad you guys are okay… Everything’s ready, Momma.”

Kuzon inspected his sister, who was only two years younger than he was. Her long black hair, which was usually properly braided or styled in some fashion, was frizzed, dirty and sweaty. Though she was pale, more so than ever, she still had more color than he’s ever had. Her violet eyes were tired, for she’d been active for a much longer time than he had.

He looked from his sister to his mother, who was scanning the design, checking for imperfections. “Mom,” he began with a demanding tone, “where’s Dad? Hell, where are we?”

Raven shut her eyes tightly. “Everything will be explained soon. Now isn’t the time. They know we’re here, so it won’t be long before…”

She turned to her children, pulling two objects from her chain belt. She took her son’s wrist and put a small, metal bracelet over it. It was wide enough to fall off his arm easily at first, but with a gentle squeeze and a loud snap! the bracelet closed this space, its rounded ends meeting.

“Never, ever take these off.” Raven said hurriedly, putting the other on Arella’s wrist. “They’ll protect you for as long as you wear them.”

“From what?” Kuzon asked. “The Xiborgs?”

She ignored this question. She turned to her son, who was startled to see his mother was near tears. Grabbing his arms tightly, she pulled him into a hug.

“I’m so proud of you, Kuzon. You’re a powerful wizard, and a talented firebender… Your father was so proud of you too…”

Kuzon hugged back at first, but was startled by her words, pulling away. “Mom, what do you mean? You’re acting like...”

At this she just smiled at him, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. “I love you, kiddo.”

“I love you too, Mom, but don’t change the sub-“

She suddenly pulled her white cloak off, muttering something under her breath. She pulled the cloak over him, its length reaching far below his feet. Once she let go of the cloak, its color changed rapidly from white to red.

Kuzon stared at the cloak in awe, his head spinning from all the events happening so fast.

Raven then turned to Arella, bending down and taking a hold of her shoulders. “Sweetheart, I’m proud of you too. Despite everything, you’ve grown into a brilliant and strong little girl. But now you’ve got a long journey ahead of you; both of you do.” She pulled her daughter into a tense hug as well. “Take care of yourselves.”

Arella accepted the hug, just as puzzled as Kuzon had been. “Mom, I’m touched, but we need to go, like you said. You can tell us all of this later.”

There was a brief moment of silence.

Kuzon frowned darkly. “Mom, aren’t you coming with us?”

Raven frowned back, drawing herself up to her full height. “I only have enough energy to teleport two people… and even then I could lose control, so I’m counting on you to be ready for that, Kuzon.”

“N-no!” Arella cried, shaking her head. “You can’t stay; you’ll be killed by the Xiborgs, or those homunculi.”

Homo-what? “We’re not leaving without you,” Kuzon said firmly.

“Yes, you are,” she snapped, her voice suddenly fierce. “You two have no choice. If you stay here, you’ll either be killed or used by Guy.”

“Used by who?” the siblings asked in unison.

“There’s no time for this,” she said quickly. “Once you’ve reached the other side, stay and wait for a boy named Haku. He’ll help you and explain everything. No matter what happens, stay put, stay together, and stay safe.”

“I don’t want some guy named Haru to be there,” Kuzon blurted, “I want you!”

Hurried footsteps and shouts came from behind the door. Raven grew nervous, raising a black, glowing hand as her eyes glowed white. “Enough! Go!”

Kuzon and Arella felt a force push them into the center of the circle. Kuzon started to fight against his mother’s hold, his eyes starting to glow as well. “No, Mom, stop!”

“Save your energy,” she replied quickly, cringing from the force of his resistance. She had both hands outstretched before her now, holding Kuzon back with one and activating the spell with the other. She began a low chant that Kuzon found unfamiliar. Arella, who had no power to fight with, no knowledge of magic, felt helpless as she watched her brother struggle.

The white sand began to glow, and soon beams of light were shooting towards the ceiling from it. Kuzon could no longer see his mother, only her silhouette against the white screen of light. He lost his nerve completely, squirming against her grip frantically.

“Kuzon, stop it!” Arella shouted. “You’re just making things worse!”

She was right. He knew struggling would only deplete his mother’s energy faster, energy she could use to defend herself once they’d left. Somehow, it had taken his sister’s voice to get him to stop. His white eyes faded as he sank to his hands and knees, out of breath.

A shadow suddenly joined their mother’s side. Both of the children could only watch in horror as the second silhouette reached out, striking Raven down.

“Mom, no!”

“Momma!”

Suddenly they were surrounded by white on all sides, and they were falling. Kuzon had never been through such a teleportation, but he had a feeling down was the wrong way. He caught his sister protectively, activating his powers once again. He levitated them both upward, scanning the blank above for any signs of an opening.

In the back of his mind, he desperately wished he could wake up and once again find everything perfectly normal.

~*~

Zuko opened his eyes as someone shook his shoulder. He rolled over onto his back and then hissed from the pain, regretting his movement. His entire body was sore and torn, though the bed he lay on still made him more comfortable than he had been in days.

He opened his eyes again and got a small view of the room he lay in. He could only see what the candlelight allowed him to see, which wasn’t much. He rested under gray rags on a thin mattress. The room was dark, though not half as dark as the cell he’d lived in before. A girl sat beside him, holding a candle with a gloved hand. She wore a sailor suit, and had short, straight, brown hair, her emerald eyes wide and curious.

The girl let out a sigh of relief. “Good, you’re awake… You’ve been unconscious for days. My friends and I have been taking care of you.”

He blinked at her dazedly. “And you are…?”

“I’m Kinomoto Sakura,” she replied. “From the army of Jiyuu No Toushi. I know you must be confused right now; I know I was when I first came here…”

Zuko sat up, despite the pain, staring at her. “What’s going on here? Were you sent here by Guy too?”

Sakura’s weak smile faded. “You already know about him?”

Zuko nodded. “Yeah… He said that he was going to send-“

“You met him?” she asked, shocked. “But… Guy never shows himself… not often…”

Her gaze fell away, down to her hands, which were tightly clenched to keep from shaking. She looked back up, obviously trying to recover.

“I-I’m sorry…” Zuko said quickly. “Did I say something-?”

“No, it’s not your… It’s okay.” She smiled again, though it was feebler than before. She then rose to her feet. “Zeniba will want to speak with you… She can explain everything. You’re going to need that cane; your leg’s in really bad shape... but from what we could tell, you’ve probably heard that before.”

Zuko nodded, chuckling. “Yeah… I get that a lot.” He gently rose to his feet, careful to keep his weight off his bad leg. “Who’s Zeniba?” he asked, taking a hold of the cane.

Sakura turned away, seeming anxious as she told him in a low murmur:

“She’s the leader of the refugee camp.”

Creditz: Zuko, Kuzon (sorta), Arella (sorta) from Avatar: The Last Airbender; Raven, Kuzon(sorta), Arella (sorta), Xiborgs from Teen Titans; Sakura from Cardcaptors; DC Mini from Paprika