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Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Title: To Return Peace

Author: Tiasha

Type: One-shot/Drabble

Word Count: 437

It was strange really. He had been chasing the Avatar for the past three years in order to return home and restore his honor. Now, he was giving up.

The Fire Nation was no longer the loving and embracing home he remembered it to be; and his father would never allow him to restore his honor fully. A harsh truth he had finally come to terms with. His uncle's "betrayal" to the Fire Nation had also aided in him coming to this realization, for how could someone so understanding, compassionate and loyal betray the nation he had served and loved? No, his uncle was no traitor. He never was and never would be.

"Are you sure about this nephew?" his uncle questioned before they began a mission that there was no turning back from.

"Yes, uncle; I'm more sure about this than I have ever been before."

His uncle was silent for a moment, contemplating his answer to the elder man's question. "You understand the consequences of helping the Avatar? There will be no excuses for our behavior. You will have no chance to return home or restore your honor. You will be deemed—"

"There was no welcome awaiting me the moment my father assigned me the task of capturing the Avatar three years ago," he interrupted his uncle, eyes narrowing in anger at himself for having been so blind in the past.

"Then let us go, nephew."

He nodded; "They'll be heading for the Earth Kingdom. No doubt about that."

He watched his uncle raise an inquisitive eyebrow at him, arms folded in his sleeves as they sat off in a corner of the shipping rig they had bought passage on. "Oh? You believe the boy has mastered waterbending already?"

"There is no need for them to travel to the South Pole, uncle. That girl knows enough to teach him."

His uncle grunted in agreement to his decision and deduction.

Silence settled around them, broken only by the sounds of the waves lapping against the hull of the rig and the harsh artic-like winds howling around them.

"And how do you plan on convincing them that you now wish to help them?"

He furrowed his brow in thought; he hadn't quite thought that far ahead yet. Well, shoot…here he was trying to be grown-up and come to terms with reality…and he hadn't thought about how to convince them yet… "I'll think of something."

"Of course."

The tone in his uncle's voice told him that the elder man was slightly amused with his flawed plan. Well, no kudos for him when they reached the next port then…