A/N: I don't own Avatar, alas. I just like the sandbox and intend to play in it for a while.

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Aang sighed as he landed in one of the many gardens the Fire Palace. He'd been taking a much needed break from the duties he'd gained since deciding to stay in the Fire Nation for the time being. He'd really wanted to restore the Southern Air Temple, maybe not necessarily live there, not with all the memories, but he'd definitely wanted to be able to spend more time restoring the home of his childhood than he'd been able to.

To be fair, Zuko and Katara and everyone else had tried everything they could to give him time to restore his old home. But things were too hectic right now, the peace too fragile, for him to take the time. Teo and the others that had redone the Northern Air Temple were doing most of the cleaning and refurbishing right now.

It had stressed him out, that he couldn't help as much as he wanted, and several run-ins with a particularly obnoxious Earth Kingdom envoy had stretched his patience to the limit.

"Yes, yes, Avatar Aang. Your defeat of the Fire Lord was most impressive. However, I really feel that you haven't fully considered the ramifications of your decision to stay in the Fire Palace."

"Envoy-" The plump, monkey-faced man cut Aang off before he could even complete the title.

"I understand you had to master the other three elements rather quickly, Avatar Aang. And I feel this must have diminished the amount of time you could take to study the political climate of our times. It really would be better if you chose to make your home in the Earth Kingdom. We could provide you with every amenity you have here, and the people would find it easier to approach you. Many feel as if you aren't considering the hundred years of war-"

"Envoy-!" This time Aang's voice strangled in his throat before he could get the rest of the title out. He took several deep breaths, desperately reigning in the impulse to blast this idiot several feet away from him. Maybe into a nice wall. That'd worked so well during the war, why not now?

"-that the Fire Nation inflicted on the rest of the nations. After all, you did disappear for that time frame and – urk!"

Aang had finally had enough. With two quick shifts of his feet, he'd knocked the monkey-faced envoy off balance and then onto his behind in the dirt. He glared down at the man, wishing he could just encase him in the rock and be done with him. But Zuko'd be mad enough at him for just knocking an envoy over. It wasn't diplomatic at all.

"I'll take your opinions into consideration." He said curtly, glaring. "But I have no intention of moving my home again so soon. Good day." He barely made the requisite depth for a polite bow. For once he was grateful for the status being the Avatar gave him. He didn't have to bow nearly so low to someone like that…that obnoxious…

There really wasn't a word foul enough to describe him, Aang decided. He'd have to see what nickname Toph could come up with for him. It would be amusing, to say the least.

He snapped open his air staff and leapt up to the wind, seeking comfort in his first element.

Now, as he spun the staff over itself to close the wings of the glider, he glanced warily around. He hoped he'd managed to time his arrival well enough to avoid any more of that sort of envoy taking a short cut through the palace gardens to get to the banquet hall for dinner. Aang himself wasn't hungry, having found some berries and other assorted fruits while he'd been cooling off his temper.

So far, the coast looked clear. Grinning, in a much better mood than he had been now that the obnoxious and overbearing envoy wasn't in his immediate vicinity, Aang sauntered through the garden, enjoying the peace and quiet.

And groaned when he heard voices around the next stand of trees.

"You can usually find the Avatar in one of the gardens if he isn't in important meetings."

That was one of the secretaries that Zuko's uncle had introduced to both his nephew and Aang. He'd told them they needed someone who could organize the various people who wanted to meet with them and air grievances. After the first week of dealing with it on their own, involving many headaches and far too little sleep, Zuko and Aang had come to the mutual conclusion that a secretary would be a wonderful person to have around.

Now, Aang liked the secretaries. They made dealing with his duties a bit easier. But he really, really didn't want to do any official Avatar duties right now. He just wanted to be by himself or with his friends, with no talk of rebuilding or repairing anything.

"I don't want to disturb him, really. I don't need a meeting. I just need to give these to him."

Aang cocked his head, intrigued. A person who wasn't falling over himself in excitement to meet the Avatar? Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. He stepped around the trees before the duo could and greeted them with a polite smile.

"Were you looking for me?" He asked, and blinked as he saw the boy standing with the secretary.

He had golden eyes and black hair, rather normal in the Fire Nation. But what arrested Aang's gaze was the way he held himself, his friendly face and the old, scruffy looking bundle of scrolls he was holding. He could see a symbol on one of the scrolls. And it looked very familiar.

A flame hovering just above a rock, with little lines denoting air swooping all around the central symbols. It was something he'd last seen over a hundred years ago.

"Avatar Aang, this young man wanted to see you about these scrolls. If you're not too busy…"

"I'm not, no." Aang pulled himself together with a snap. He smiled and thanked the secretary for showing his guest through and motioned his guest towards a fountain. The secretary bowed and left. Aang perched on the fountain's edge, watching the boy curiously.

An open face, golden eyes glinting with mischief, peeked out at him from the bushes. A hand reached out to snag his tunic and dragged him into the bush as well. Aang yelped and a hand clapped over his mouth.

"Shh! You'll get us caught before the fun starts!"

"What fun?" Aang whispered. The boy grinned.

"I put a rooster-frog in the master's desk."

"Why?" Aang wondered. A snort.

"Because it's funny to see what happens, of course. And the guy's a mean, old man. He's never fair to his students in the Academy."

"Oh." There was a yelp and a crash from the building. The other boy snorted a laugh and grinned widely as he turned to Aang.

The boy moved over and stood by a tree close to the fountain, fidgeting a little nervously.

"What's your name?"

"Aang. What's yours?"

"My name is Ryou."

"Kuzon. Nice to meet you, Aang."

The young man administered a mental smack, since he couldn't shake his head. This boy in front of him wasn't his old friend. Kuzon was long dead by now. And it hurt to acknowledge that, but it had happened. Boomie'd confirmed it for him.

"What did you need to see me for, Ryou?" The boy blinked and looked down at the scrolls in his hands. He stepped forward and offered them with a solemn bow.

"It has been my family's duty to guards these scrolls until they could be given to you, Avatar. Pardon me for being so late in brining them, but it was not an easy journey to reach the Fire Palace."

Aang took the scrolls, confused. "That's okay. I didn't even know I was supposed to be getting scrolls anyway…" A slightly messy hand had scrawled his name on the outside of the first scroll. Aang recognized the writing.

"You wouldn't have known, Avatar. They were written after you disappeared." The boy winced a bit at his gaffe, but plowed on. "The first was written by my great-grandfather, and the other was written by a good friend of his."

"W-what was your great-grandfather's name?" Aang managed to stammer out.

"His name was Kuzon, Avatar." The boy cocked his head quizzically. "I'm told you knew him."

Aang couldn't answer. He was holding a letter from his old friend. Delivered a hundred and one years after it'd been written, but that didn't matter. With a shaking hand, he unrolled the scroll.