title: pyrophobia

author: ivory muse

rating: t

genre: freeverse

characters: jeong jeong, zhao, aang, a little katara

summary: you could play with fire better than they could- jeong jeong, freeverse.

a/n: i am not insane. i just relished the chance to abuse my word processor and try one of these. even if it looks as though my cat walked all over my keyboard.

disclaimer: i own avatar. i also own chocolate, aspirin, and rainbows.

.pyrophobia.

you were a p.r.o.d.i.g.y once

that's what your teachers said through gritted teeth

because you could play with fire

better than they could

.oOo.

you take on a student of your very own

his name is z!h!a!o

said with a little sneer (he really doesn't care)

all he wants is some p

o

w

e

r

to be able to flick his wrist

and destroy consequences

{such outdated things in this shinypureworld of f.l.a.m.e}

so you try to tame him like you would a candle

[breathe, pet, control yourself, pet]

.oOo.

one morning you find him surrounded by a pile of charred wood

'just practice, MASTER, i was only p.l.a.y.i.n.g'

what worries you is the mad sort of gleam in his eyes

[it will be people, next]

but you're a toughtough soldier and you aren't supposed to care

(not with charred flesh still clinging to your hands, at least)

.oOo.

like a stinking coward you runrunrun as far from the army as possible

you're a v*i*l*l*a*i*n leaving nothing but d

e

a

t

h

and destruction in your wake

you walked a razor's edge between humanity and s.a.v.a.g.e.r.y

and you were t-o-r-n-a-p-a-r-t

.oOo.

it's been yearsandyears when the AVATAR shows up

a half-trained little boy who demands to be taught

(oh where have you seen this before?)

you want to turn him [down] in a h/e/a/r/t/b/e/a/t

r.o.k.u doesn't let you, though

(DO YOU THINK I AM /WEAK/?)

.oOo.

breathe, you tell the boy

breathe&meditate

prove why you are worth my efforts, damn you

he is disdainful (you want to stop breathing?)

but eventually, he learns restraint

.oOo.

|not for long, not once he gets a taste of real F-I-R-E|

you watch with sickbilewrong fascination as he a.b.a.n.d.o.n.s his leaf

-as he w-h-i-r-l-s flame as though it's NOTHING

- as he L*O*S*E*S C*O*N*T*R*O*L and sends his pretty water friend crashing to the ground

(did he ever have it?)

.oOo.

you have red hands and white knuckles as you face zhao again

this time, you are not MASTER and p-u-p-i-l

just a m.a.d.m.a.n with that same gleam

against {a dying ember}

.oOo.

-[my old master gave up fighting years ago]

(that's what he wants you to think)

you can't d-e-s-t-r-o-y the m.o.n.s.t.e.r you've created

[COWARDCOWARDCOWARD]

but you can, at least, save your own hide

just-like-you-always-do