Phoenix Fire (Avatar: The Last Airbender) #Wattys2016

||Chapter 25 - Emotions||

Special Thanks to @thelonedemigodfairy for this awesome fan art of Lea!

3rd Person's POV

Shinya stared down at Lea's closed eyes, emotions overwhelming him, worry, sadness, and protectiveness. Iroh also had these emotions, only adding joy to the mix. After a moment of silence, except from the distant shouts of war and fire blasts and earth moving, Lea's breath hitched, suddenly breathing again as her eyes sprang open. Lea sat up, Shinya helping her, taking deep breaths, breathing in and out, in and out... Breath through the nose and out of the mouth

"I have taught you well." Lea froze, before looking over to see her Uncle Iroh smiling kindly at her

"Uncle!" Lea cried before launching herself over to him, throwing her arms around his neck as she buried her head into his shoulder as joyful tears escaped her eyes. He is here. Lea pulled out of her embrace with Iroh

"What happened? Is the comet still going on?" Lea asked, noticing that she don't feel drained, but instead rejuvenated. Shinya hugged her from around the waist, waiting for Iroh to speak

"Did you meet with Agni?" Iroh asked his niece who nodded

"Good, the ashes worked..." Iroh whispered the last part to himself, only Shinya and Lea heard. With a confused look, Lea asked

"What ashes?" Lea asked having Iroh faintly blush in embarrassment, scratching the back of his neck nervously while Shinya awkwardly laughed

"What?"

"Well... IROH MADE YOU EAT YOUR PHOENIX'S ASHES!" Shinya yelled before hiding behind Lea, not wanting to be blasted off of the earth by the Dragon of The West

"WAIT WHAT?!"

"I can explain-" Lea began wiping her tongue off onto Shinya's sleeve who cringed

"LEA!"

"WELL SORRY PRINCESS!"

"Enough you two!" Iroh made an attempt to stop the duo from fighting, but was slightly glad to see this much energy in Lea after looking so drained from the Comet. With an amused smile, Iroh made them stop

"Enough lovebirds, let's go." That made the duo stop fighting, both of them turning as red as Lea's hair. Iroh laughed at their faces before standing up, dusting imaginary dust off of him

"I will explain after the war is won, now, what was the last thing Agni told you Lea?" Iroh asked as Shinya got up, helping Lea as well to balance herself

"Umm... There was a lot of talking our family and how I felt towards them... Saying of how I didn't have any darkness within me so that threw me off balance and I needed to find my own balance in order to truly achieve my fire.... Oh! He said and I quote 'I shall lend you peace in mind, I shall lend you my wings.'." Lea explained very briefly before quoting what Agni stated, using her hands as Agni 'talking' causing Iroh to rumble in laughter, holding onto his belly

"Oh of how wonderful! Very well, your destiny isn't with helping me, Shinya, and the other members of the order take back Ba Sing Se, but elsewhere. Lea, I would like you to dance for me. The last dance you did for me before your brother's banishment." Lea tilted her head, remembering she used Kai in that dance...

"Wait, what about Kai-" With a loud squawk the trio looked over to see in the pile of ashes, a baby Phoenix

"Wait what, but Lea ate-" Iroh put his hand over Shinya's mouth to stop him from saying anymore, giving him a look. Lea ignored the two and advanced towards the baby Phoenix, known as a reincarnated Kai. Lea bent down and picked up Kai, wiping off the ashes that was on her before walked to a area that was big enough for her to dance in. Lea took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she remembered the dance within her head.

Using her memory muscles, she twirled three times with Kai crushed to her chest (Not to the point of suffocation) before doing three alas then did a aerial into the air. Landing on her feet, Lea threw Kai into the air who flapped her wings and circled around Lea. Lea reached out and walked backwards before pulling her fists into her chest before doing a backwards somersault, landing on her left knee while the other was outstretched to the side. Lea swung her right leg around counter-clockwise, fire erupting from the bottom of her foot as she jumped up, her right leg sliding under neath her left foot. Lea laid back wards before Kai came down and grabbed the front of Lea shirt, pulling her up into the air before dropping Lea into a roll, landing on her feet after the roll, Lea grabbed her right leg and pulled it upward and began to spin while holding onto her leg that pointed straight up to the sky as Kai circle around her, leaving a trail of flames before slowly lowering her leg before running forward and doing a deer leap, only, fire erupted from her back, forming humongous wings sprouting out from her back. Lea landed on her knees with her fist to the ground, signaling the dance was over.

Shinya stared wide eyed at the princess in disbelief, she has never danced before like that, the only other time she danced like that was back on Ember Island in their old vacation mansion. Lea stood up, breathing heavily as she looked behind her to see the shimmering fire of humongous wings behind her

" 'I shall lend you my wings.' Is what Agni told you, and he literally meant that." Stated Iroh smiling at the sight of the wings and being able to see Lea dance again after so long. Kai landed on Lea's right shoulder before lightly rubbing her face into her cheek

"What now?" Lea asked Iroh who walked towards her, placing his hands on her arms

"For you to face Azula, for you to help Zuko and Katara beat her. It is only fitting that all of the siblings be together. This is your fate, your destiny will come after that." Iroh told Lea who nodded before kissing his cheek before hugging him. Iroh hugged her back, careful not to touch the fiery wings. The niece and uncle pulled apart, Lea walked over to Shinya who was staring at her in 'awe'

"Hey, look after him okay? He may be all high and mighty, but he tends not to look where he is going." Lea told Shinya who chuckled and nodded. The two hugged, Shinya breathed in Lea's scent that smelled of campfire smoke. Lea also smelled his scent (Which sounds weird when put into words XD), his scent was of the earth, but herbal medicines in the mix along with pine from trees. The two pulled away, but their arms still wound up around them as they stared at each other

"Good luck, Lea." Shinya told Lea who nodded and smiled

"Help regain back our home." Shinya nodded and kissed Lea's forehead tenderly, only unlike of it being a brotherly kiss to the forehead, it held so much more. Lea's eyes met his before snapping out her daze and quickly kissed the corner of Shinya's mouth before speeding off into the west direction while Shinya stood there in shook, his eyes never leaving Lea's form as she ran, even after her form disappeared from sight, he still looked after her. A blush spread on both of the thieves faces, emotions swirling within them as the two were separated. While Shinya stared off into the direction Lea was, Iroh stated at Shinya with an amused smirk before muttering

"Knew it."

To Be continued