Flameheart | Zuko

TEN

The sword was an extension of her arm. With her eyes closed she moved around the area in circles, performing a dance she had grown to know over the years, her stance lowered, her feet light, her sword moving from side to side, twirling around herself. She could feel the slight breeze of the wind her sword seemed to create with every movement, the shiny blade sending a beam of light straight to one of her eyes, the weapon slashing the air in two, making a sharp sound she had thought was threatening at first, but as she got familiar with her weapon and got to know how to yield it, she had come to think of it as comforting, a reminder she was never defenceless.

"It seems to me you're healed."

Homura smiled, her eyes opened and she stopped twirling her sword, letting it instead rest by her side limply. The Fire Lord was standing opposite her, his hair pulled into a half bun, smiling back at her, an expression that made him seem even more handsome and a few years younger. He was holding a sword at hand and with her smile growing, Homura widened her stance and lowered her knees, her sword raising slightly.

"Why don't you see for yourself, my Lord?"

His eyes widened at once and for a second, she regreted her decision to call him by his title, but then, he let out a small laugh and raised his own sword. "Make the first move, my Lady."

She cast him an amused glance and then, she striked. She placed her injured arm behind her back as she fought and Zuko mimicked her moves as he countered her attacks. They moved back and forth, steel against steel, but it was evident neither of them were trying hard. They were attacking just enough to appear threatening without truly being a danger to each other. Gradually, their friends got out in the training grounds and even though Homura couldn't see them, she could hear them.

They kept fighting the way they had before, but she could tell they were never going to stop if someone didn't make something different. A comment from Sokka was enough to make her realise she was probably being too nice to Zuko.

"It's almost as if they don't want this fight to end!"

Homura didn't have a reputation for being nice while fighting. Sokka's comment was enough to fuel her creativity, and in a second, she had taken her decision.

She ducked beneath his arm, quicker than Zuko could blink, slammed the hilt of her sword on his chest and punched his arm at just the right place. Zuko let out a small sound mainly out of surprise, his sword fell from his grasp and before he could recover, she pushed him to the ground. Her friends behind her could be heard snickering as Zuko let out a small sigh and looked up at her, unimpressed.

"Are you happy now?"

"Very," she mused. With a groan, he raised an arm so she could help him up. Homura rolled her eyes but regardless, she sank her sword to the ground and grabbed his arm to help him up. The moment she had grabbed his arm, though, he pulled her down.

Laughter was heard from the side as she fell with a sharp shriek as she let go of her sword, her fall followed by a thud indicating Zuko's plan had been successful. He pushed himself up slightly and peered down at her scowling face with a smirk. "I'm very happy now too. Look at us, two happy people."

"You're intolerable."

He chuckled as he got up, "Am I?"

"Yes," Homura grumbled as she got up, took her sword off the ground and trudged over to her friends. She realised Sokka, Suki and Ty Lee were sitting on the side, watching her as she got over, but Toph was standing up. She got in the middle of the training grounds, opposite Zuko. The Fire Lord watched Toph closely for a while and then, seemingly accepting his fate, he let his sword to the side - along with his shirt and Homura tried really hard to not stare, not that it worked - and got opposite Toph. There was a beat of silence. And then they started.