She stood, muscles aching, heart pounding, nearly trembling with exhaustion. Adrenaline purer than she had ever felt before flooded her veins. It was the only thing that kept her on her feet.

In front of her, her opponent was on his hands and knees. She watched him struggle to get up, gripping one sword tightly. The other had been melted to scrap when she had burned his arm. The stench of burned flesh blanketed the area. She could have finished him off, here and now. She didn't.

Instead, she watched him painfully climb to his feet and attempt to stare her down. Pitiful.

"You know, I almost feel sorry for you," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "You were outmatched from the start."

"You just wait till-" the Blue Spirit began to say.

"Yes, yes, your partner gets here. Bender, is it?" she said, examining her perfectly manicured nails. "I do believe we have a few more minutes so I believe we should make this quick."

The Blue Spirit shifted, preparing to defend himself. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be stupid. I'm not going to kill you. At least, not today."

"Then why?" he rasped.

She smiled, sharp and dangerous. Pity he couldn't see that under her mask. Why indeed?

Earlier

She stood in the doorway to her father's study. Her father rarely allowed them into his sanctuary. To be specifically summoned was unheard of.

"Ah, daughter," her father said, rising to his feet. "So glad you could make it." He smiled down at her, his shadow engulfing her smaller figure.

"Oh there was nothing urgent," she said flippantly, stepping to the side and into the light. "I didn't see my dear brother around anywhere."

"Do not speak of him," her father growled darkly. Oh, so brother dearest had done something to disappoint their father? "Come," he continued in a more congenial manner, "let me show you something I have never shown to anyone else."

She barely kept a slight gasp from escaping. "Of course, Father," she said, voice shaking slightly. She found she didn't care too much.

With a sharp, dangerous smile, her father pressed a button under his desk and a door panel slid back to reveal a hidden elevator. He stepped inside, and she followed him into the muted light.

Now

"Today was meant as a warning," she said, idly summoning a bit of her fire and enjoying the Blue Spirit's flinch as she let it flicker around her fingers. "My master isn't happy with you. You took something precious from him, and he wants it back."

"The Avatar," croaked the Blue Spirit. "You serve the Fire Lord."

"Oh look, it does have a brain after all," she mocked. "I thought you outsourced that to your sidekick."

"How do you know about him?!" snarled the Blue Spirit, lunging towards her. Instinctively, she threw up her hands and a wall of flame surged up, halting his advance.

"Now now now," she mocked, smoothly covering how her heart was pounding in excitement and a little fear. "If you're going to be that way I may just have to leave before I finish delivering my message."

The Blue Spirit hesitated, then stepped back, lowering his sword. "Continue," he grumbled.

She smirked, but noted that the Blue Spirit's wounds were already showing signs of healing. His file had noted his healing factor, but to see it in action was breathtaking. She envied it.

Earlier

It had been a shock. To find out her father was not only a superpower, but a villain, and the Fire Lord at that? She had to wonder, is that why she had never been able to truly win his affection? All her attempts to be good had only disgusted him? She stood, staring into the eyes of her father and trying to process what she had just been told.

"Are you going to turn me in, my daughter?" her father asked, reaching out to cup her cheek in his strong hand.

"No, no of course not," she stuttered. "I- I just wonder why you told me all this," she asked, hating how her voice faltered. Her father was the only one who could ever cause that.

Her father's hand turned hard, gripping her face and holding it in place, meeting his eyes. "It is because I need a partner," he murmured. His voice was like candlelight, beautiful and peaceful. Until you touched it and burned.

She felt like she was burning. And freezing. "A- partner?" she croaked, her throat suddenly dry.

Her father nodded, a silky smile stealing across his face. "Yes daugher," he said as he let her go to stride across the room. "You see, I sought to create a formula to empower others with my abilities. Unfortunately, no one survived the testing process. Except for one."

He tapped a few buttons on a keyboard, and the mask of the Blue Spirit popped up on the screen. "This thief broke into my laboratory and stole some of my formula to use on himself. I have managed to figure out why it worked on him, and have modified my formula to match."

She stared at the twisted visage of the mask. The Blue Spirit. Her friends all thought him a hero. Yet, what kind of hero steals his powers? So caught up in her whirling thoughts was she, she didn't notice her father's movements until he spoke. "So, daughter, what do you say?" he asked as she started, whirling to see him standing at the entrance to a medical bay. "Will you join me?"

She stared at the pulsing red glow of the liquid in the syringe and could swear her heart beat in turn with it. "What else could I do?" she commented archly.

Present

"I know a lot more about you than you'd like, Blue Spirit," she said, crossing her arms to hide the trembling in them. "But that isn't what this little get-together is about. It's about warning you to give up while you have the chance. Next time, I might not have orders to let you live."

"Who are you?" the Blue Spirit asked. "Why did you stay hidden until now?"

She smirked, flicking her fingers up and letting little tongues of fire play around them. Not one went towards the Blue Spirit. He flinched anyway. "Well, I suppose I do need a name, don't I?" she mused. Smirking, she laid her hand flat, a little ball of bright, blue flame shimmering above it. "You're the Blue Spirit, so I suppose I may have to be the Blue Phoenix. Don't you think it suits me?" she asked, cocking her hip and laying her free hand on it. "As for the other, well, that would be telling, wouldn't it?"

Sirens began to finally blare. "That's my cue," she said dispelling her flames. "I suppose I'll be seeing you around, Spirit."

There was no response from the superhero, but she didn't expect one. She turned and ran, making sure to take a long, indirect route back to her father's lair.

When she arrived, her father was sitting at his computer, small screen up and keys tapping away. As soon as she was close enough to see what he was doing, he switched to a feed of the battlefield she had just left. "How did it go?" he asked, as if he hadn't been watching the whole thing.

"It was even easier than you said," she reported, pulling off her mask and locking her hands behind her back. "He seemed quite frightened of my fire."

"A fact you took full advantage of," her father observed smoothly. He stood, turning towards her and engulfing her in his shadow. "I'm so proud of you, Azula."