driftfleet | mingle part deux

Neither are you, are you?

[ Zuko's also had the chance to fight other people, to get stronger, and to learn more than he likely knew when he fought Azula before. ]

It's merely something to keep in mind. If you want to fight her alone... well, it's as I said. That's your choice. [ He doesn't need to say he'll intervene if it spreads to involve others; Zuko's heard those tired words enough already no doubt. ]

I don't want to have to fight her ever again, but if anyone has to deal with her, it's going to be me.

[ part of the reason is that their first agni kai was supposed to have been their last. it was symbolic, and hugely important, and it should never be replicated. it had bene destructive, nearly gotten people killed, and azula had only been barely defeated.

that being said, both azula and zuko deserve the opportunity to prove themselves to each other, and to handle their family business as privately as possible. zuko doesn't want anyone else to be the one to strike her down, if necessary. ]

... I appreciate the offer, though.

[ Sasuke merely shakes his head, dismissing either the gratitude as unnecessary or the explanation as unneeded. Helping would only be the right thing to do, falling in line with a number of promises he's made to change. The fact that it's Zuko isn't even the main motivator. ]

I understand. [ Before he looks up again. ] It's your fight. [ If anyone jumped between himself and Naruto when they were getting ready to clash, they'd either end up debilitated or dead. ]

Just win.

[ just win. like it's that easy.

zuko knows he's being overly hard on himself because he's tired, exhausted, scattered -- and he knows when he gives himself time, he'll have a brighter outlook. right now, he can't even control his powers, and without an ironclad focus, he'll die in five minutes.

still. he does have one advantage over azula, and that is information. with information comes confidence, even only a little. and so, -- ]

I already have.

[ it's said finally, and though zuko sounds tired, he sounds sure.

and, finally, he reheats his tea in order to take a sip. ]

Oh, now you're willing to agree with that...

[ He holds in a sigh when he leans forward, resting his elbow on the table, but his tone still isn't hostile. In all honesty he's not overly concerned about the fight, because in his own experience that's usually the easy part.

It's the build-up of worry and anticipation, the paranoia, and then the emotional collapse when it's over that are harder to deal with. A physical clash can only last so long. ]

... what a piece of shit week.

[ there's a soft snort of laughter, breathy, and really not all that happy, but it's either you laugh or you cry. ]

It could've been worse.

[ he overcooked the tea leaves, to his annoyance. ugh. ]

Sure.

My previous incarnation could've shown up also. [ ugggh ]

[ zuko pauses before speaking, because that hadn't been the answer he expected. hm. ]

...I was thinking my father and the rest of your family, but now that you say it, i don't think I could deal with two of you.

[ zuko would never sleep, between the two of them apparently deciding to attach themselves to him like a fucking parasite. ]

One of you is enough, I think.

[ ... oh. So he doesn't know. ]

You thought I was talking about myself? That would be a fucking disaster. [ To massively understate it. ]

I was... talking about Madara.

[ oh ]

That would be worse.

[ ZUKO HAS HAD ENOUGH OF MADARA TO LAST SEVEN LIFETIMES AND HE'S NOT EVEN FROM NARUTO ]

[ Yeah well try learning that you were reincarnated from him after he stabbed you and left you to die, that rudeass bitch. ]

He'd probably try to take my eyes again. I'd be blind, you'd have to fight your father... [ Somehow talking about the worst scenario makes him feel weirdly better. ]

[ god madara is such a piece of shit zuko nearly forgot how much he hated him until right now thanks sasuke ]

An eclipse would happen. Somehow.

[ pause ]

But it would only affect me, because that's just my good luck. And you'd be useless, because Madara would probably take your other arm in addition to your eyes.

[ ... ]

I could kick him back into his grave. [ musing... ]

I defeated him once. I'll have to be more than limbless and blind to be stopped. I've already dealt with the latter and I'm dealing with part of the former right now.

[ zuko rolls his eyes at what he perceives as pointless speculation, and he reheats his tea with a hiss of steam, letting sasuke consider his own butchering of madara. he'd normally tell sasuke to let it go, but. you know.

fuck madara, seriously. ]

... Madara and my father could've met.

[ as he sips his tea

dwell on that, dude ]

[ ......... yeah that sounds great, thanks for that image. ]

... we'd need an army. [ Yeah. ] And that's without more people from either of our worlds showing up.

Obito, Orochimaru, the other members of Akatsuki...

Zhao...the Dai Lee... though I guess you would just have to pay them enough to switch sides.

[ pause. is combustion man worth mentioning.

... ... ... nah. ]

And if we're counting the dead, Sozin and Azulon would be terrible. Or anyone from my family, really, except my uncle.

[ You are wholly responsible for combustion man and you know it. ]

If we weren't counting the dead then talking about my family would be meaningless. [ ... that... statement had slipped out so casually in the macabre air of humor they'd developed but it still manages to sting, straightening up slightly. ]

... who are Sozin and Azulon?

[ well, fair point. ]

... Sozin was my great-grandfather, and Azulon was my grandfather. Sozin started the hundred year war, and Azulon escalated it.

[ azulon was the one who decided genocide was a great idea, he was amazing. ]

[ What exemplary people. ]

Perhaps our family members would all fight one another. [ There's a thought. The Uchiha tended to be stubborn as all hell and Sasuke is getting no sense that Zuko's family is any more agreeable. The two of them are just odd men out, apparently. ]

I'm not sure how Madara was related to me, directly. I don't believe he had children. [ let me tell you how gay Madara was ]

I can't think of anyone who would reproduce with him.

{ zuko has Opinions on uchiha madara ty ]

And if that were the case, your family would probably win. Most of my family are skilled firebenders, but they're more content to send armies to do battle than do it themselves.

[ ozai and azula are both powerful, natural prodigies. but they didn't have to work for it. and they didn't fight in ba sing se, like iroh did. they didn't earn their decoration. ]

[ His eyes actually widen at the first statement before he suddenly coughs, the sound a little strained. He did everything in his power to not actually laugh just then, something so unbelievably rare that it would probably tear a hole in the space-time fabric and make everything they're talking about come true.

Seriously, though, Madara is the worst. ]

... in that case, then, probably. The Uchiha were always an exemplary fighting force.

[ And despite the topic of conversation he does sound distantly proud of that fact, placing an extremely high regard on the concept of his family despite how many times the individual members chewed him up and spat him back out. As with everything they talk about, It's Complicated. ]

The point is more that they'd manage to distract one another while we formulated a plan to either leave or stop them before they did anything worse.

[ hm. ]

... well, we wouldn't be able to just leave.

[ way too many innocent lives at stake, bro. ]

But both sides would grossly underestimate us, which gives us the advantage of proving them wrong.

[ ozai and azulon both thought zuko was better off dead when he was like three days old so really won't they be surprised ]

...

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