FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANT TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT I'M R.I.P. ELEANOR, BUT I CHANGED MY NAME!! IT'S INCREDIBLY EMO, I KNOW, BUT CHANGE WAS NEEDED. SO FOR ALL OF YOU WHO WATCH ME AND WERE LIKE, "WHO THE F-CK IS THIS?" I'M JUST LETTING YOU KNOW THAT I CHANGED MY NAME!!

Okay, now time for the info about the story. XD I've been thinking about this for a while, ever since I saw the episode "The Western Air Temple." If there's anyone who's reading this and hasn't seen "The Western Air Temple," don't worry, there aren't any spoilers in here. Well, not any I can think of... But, like I was saying, I've been thinking about this for a while. I've always wondered what Zuko was thinking before he made his decision to join Aang's group. So I made it into a fic. XD I love Zuko so much and I feel really bad for him. The fact that he's DEAD SEXY doesn't help things, either. X3

Please be aware that I wrote this at 3 a.m. Face, meet keyboard. Keyboard, face If there are any mistakes or something, I apologize in advance. If it's something that's bugging the hell outta you or something, either PM me or kindly let me know in your review. :3

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. IT RIGHTFULLY BELONGS TO THE CREATORS (WHO ARE PURE GENIUSES) AND WHOSE NAMES I DO NOT KNOW. XD I ALSO DO NOT OWN THE SONG "WHAT I'VE DONE" BY LINKIN PARK. IT IS THEIRS. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I DO NOT OWN THE BAND LINKIN PARK. EACH MEMBER IS THEIR OWN PERSON AND I THINK THAT SHOULD BE RESPECTED. IF YOU SUE ME DESPITE MY HUGE DISCLAIMER, I WILL MAKE ZUKO FIREBEND ON YER ASS. :D

Well, happy reading! And don't forget to R&R!

Zuko gave a great sigh as his war balloon drifted through the thick white clouds, giving him enough cover to stay out of Aang's sight. His stomach gave a great lurch of nerves as he thought about what he was about to do.

In this farewell, there's no blood

There's no alibi

'Cause I've drawn regret from the truth

Of a thousand lies

He was actually going to join the Avatar. He almost couldn't believe it. A year ago, he would've been stalking Aang and his friends so he could have his glory back. Zuko groaned and rubbed his forehead. He was so ashamed of the way he behaved back then. It would take a lot of apologizing and convincing to get everyone to believe him. Especially Katara.

So let mercy come

And wash away what I've done

I face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

Zuko frowned a little bit. When they were trapped together in Ba Sing Se, he had opened up to her and she felt for him. But then he had turned on them all, thanks to a stupid decision. And now he'd broken her trust in him and she probably hated him as much as he hated himself. He groaned again.

Put to rest what you thought of me

While I clean this slate

With the hand of uncertainty

He thought of Aang. A long time ago, Aang had said that they could be friends. That comment had made Zuko wonder why the Fire Nation had bullied the other Nations instead of attempting to connect with them. It also made him realize that his only few friends were Fire Nation as well. When he was young, he had asked his mother why no one in the Fire Nation was friends with everyone else, and she was completely honest with him when she told him that they were afraid of the Fire Nation. Azula was there, and she cackled and said that they ought to be. Zuko simply felt bad for them. And now that he thought of Aang, he realized that they could be friends if they wanted to. When you got right down to it, they weren't all that different. The thought made him smile as he gave the balloon more air.

So let mercy come

And wash away what I've done

I face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

The more Zuko thought about it, the more he worried that things would be quite awkward between all of them if they let him join. They'd probably be eyeing him fearfully to see if he would suddenly snap and use his Firebending to torch them all. And he knew that that terror was all his fault. Because of his past behavior, he'd instilled it in them. He'd been marked as a person to avoid at all costs, and, if encountered, to repel with all your might. As much as it pained him to admit it, he'd severely hurt them all, both physically and emotionally. But he was determined to convince them that he wasn't that person anymore and that he had changed for the better.

For what I've done

I start again

And whatever pain may come

Today this ends

I'm forgiving what I've done

A lot of Zuko's change had to do with his Uncle Iroh. His uncle had been like a father to him, calming him down when he was angry at the world, and giving him soothing talks when he was confused. He was there for him when no one else was. But Zuko had turned around and betrayed him, breaking his heart. Zuko's eyes brimmed with tears that threatened to spill over. Whenever he found his uncle, he would get on his hands and knees and beg for his forgiveness, even if he had to do it for the rest of his life. He loved his uncle too much to let that go.

I face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

Zuko stared out at the horizon as the Western Air Temple loomed into view. He was no longer nervous about what he was going to do. He was sure.

What I've done

Forgiving what I've done…

What did you think? I'm didn't know what to do for the last line, so I left it like that. I wanted to put something like, "He was about to let go of what he'd done." but I thought it would sound bad/corny. Do you guys think it would've sounded bad? Tell me honestly. :3 And let me know how I did on the overall story.

R&R pleeeease! :D