The Phoenix

Hell

"Shit!" Fourteen year old Zuko slammed against the ground with his hands tied behind his back and feet tied together, he coughed harshly as a boot slammed into his stomach, blood ran down the side of his head from the beating he got earlier.

He gasped for air and looked up at the man that stood above him. His father.

"So only a year later and I find out your still alive, how disappointing," Ozai knelt down to him as he had men surrounding him. "Prince Zuko,"

Zuko glared darkly at him, the man that was suppose to be his father. The man he was suppose to look up to, the man he only wanted love and appreciation from. The man that killed his mother...

Ozai frowned seeing Zuko wouldn't say a word to him, he stared at the scar that covered half his face, he mark he proudly made. He grabbed Zuko by the hair and slammed his knee into his face making him cry in pain. That made him smile more.

"Tell me boy, where have you been for the past year? On the streets of the earth kingdom? Sanctuary in the colonies? I'm surprised you didn't crawl back into the palace with your cowardly uncle," Ozai lifted his head again by his hair as Zuko closed his eyes feeling the pain in his nose now.

"Or is it true You became a law breaking pirate? Just as worthless as I thought you were," he scoffed shaking his head, he dropped zukos head and stood up while grabbing the whip on his belt.

"It's because of you I lost my crown, my home, my wife, it's all because of you," he sneered hateful towards the child.

"You killed mom!" Zuko finally screamed back.

"You made her!" He roared back. Zuko stared at him wide eyes at the blame. He.. he didn't make her, his father could've stopped.. but she was protecting him.

"Fuck you," Zuko rasped resting his head on the ground as he panted heavily trying to catch his breath. Where was Xan?

Zuko heard something drop behind him and looked confused seeing the whip unravel and fire traveling down, his heart stopped.

"Tell me Zuko, who's fault?" Ozai growled.

"Yours," Zuko spat harshly.

His father raised the fire whip high and snapped it on the boys back. Some of the men gasped at the sound that escaped the child's throat, one man almost passed out seeing the wound.

"Who killed your mother?" Ozai smirked a little.

"You did!" Zuko screamed back in rage. He gasped when the whip snapped across his back again with the fire. He choked on a scream when he did it again without hesitation.

"Whos fault?" Ozai sang a little standing over him as he laid helplessly.

"M-mine," Zuko shook on the ground feeling the cool air hit the fresh wounds past the ripped shirt. He screamed when he was hit with the whip once more.

"Who killed your mother?" He chuckled in satisfaction.

"M-me, please stop," Zuko gasped as he was shaking in fear and pain in the dirt. A boot was pressed against his cheek to force his face in the dirt.

"Murderers don't get mercy," Ozai spat down at him and grabbed his sons neck harshly as Zuko sobbed a little in pain.

"You're nothing more than dirt, a monster," Ozai snarled in his ear.

He had a ring on his middle finger that had an engraving on the bottom so it pressed against zukos neck, his hand started to heat up and turned the metal red. Zuko squirmed at the heat but whimpered when he couldn't fight back, he could smell the skin burning, his skin burning. After a moment making sure the metal was pressed hard into his neck Ozai let go.

Zuko couldn't even keep his head up as he laid on the ground with his hands and feet bounded, he couldn't move, it hurt to much. The blood burned against his back as it traveled, his ribs hurt when he breathed, his head was killing him, it hurt. He just wanted to go home.

"I'm always going to be right behind you Zuko, you won't escape," Ozai hummed as Zuko looked up at him weakly. He breathed softly before a foot came down on him and everything went black.

-

Zuko screamed bolting up from the desk he fell asleep on as he hit his head against the lamp above. He groaned a little rubbing the bump but his hand traveled down his head to his neck, the branding.

He sighed rubbing his face relaxing in his chair, he looked out the side window seeing the sun was only setting. He couldn't have dozed off for too long.

Zuko got up wiping his face again and went out to the deck to see how his crew was doing.

He blocked the sun from his eyes as it blinded him when he opened the door and saw people talking and eating dinner as Katara was still out of her cell. Zuko looked at her sitting with ty Lee, she wasn't going anywhere and she wasn't much of a threat without her bending, but he had to keep his guard up with her. What was he going to do with her... she was a prisoner but she didn't do anything wrong.

"Lee!" Smeller bee waved at him from the side seeing he was out of his quarters.

"And sign of June?" Zuko walked over to them as they handed him some stew they and long shot made for the crew.

"No but she has till the sun goes down right?" They asked and Zuko nodded.

"Yea, she keeps her word so I'm not worried," he crossed his arms.

"She's like one of us, just comes and goes instead," smeller bee smirked a little.

"Shes family, I trust her," he agreed. The brunette stared at their captain for a moment and looked back at Katara.

"What are we going to do with the water bender? She's a hostage," smeller bee raised their brow at him curiously.

"Make sure Ozai is dead, once he's gone she can go," Zuko nodded softly and looked out over the waters that looked golden from the sun.

"You've wanted him dead for years now, why now do you want to actually kill him?" They asked.

"There's a lot of reason I want him dead, for my selfish reasons I want him to be killed slowly, but I never liked dirty pests, that's exactly what Ozai is, I like my home clean," Zuko sighed gently closing his eyes.

"And what has that have to do with her?" They motioned to Katara again.

"Ozai wanted to slaughter the royal family and both water tribes at the wedding, there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen," he said in a short tone before walking off.