Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or "30 Minutes" by Tatu.

Italics... inspired by "30 Minutes"

Unthinking.

For some it was rare, others second nature. At times it proved light-hearted, and at others brash. How could it be that such a thing would ruin the lives of some as they knew it, and for others reveal to be the miracle for which they'd been anticipating all of their harsh lives? What if those that these actions scorned ended up blessed in the long run; if they had not done so, would others who'd been rewarded by their sudden decision be stripped of their joy? But if they hadn't made those mistakes... would such a consolation have been needed?

At any given point in time, it seemed destiny always had two paths. You always knew which one you chose... but what if another had been taken? If you could go back and do it all over again, would the pain be enough to deter you from your first choice? Or maybe the good that had come of it would persuade you to undertake the hardship again. Some people abhorred that first road taken, others wouldn't turn their back on it for their life. Then, there were yet more people that contemplated the thought and wondered...

----- Regretful

He sat on the window ledge watching the torrents of hail and sleet batter the worn crags of the mountain. The stone walls remembered this scene from years ago... before all of this change and destruction. The silent musings of a boy of past still echoed between them, as the fate of the world hung in the balance. The deciding point was approaching. It was time to choose.

You're out of time...

Decide.

How long did he wait there, trying to figure out what was best? In the end, it didn't matter. The results had been the same...

May as well have been the blink of an eye.

So he finally left the scroll on the bed, embracing what he would face as the storm raged outside. But, then again, he could never really know what would befall him.

I'm sorry...

Words he wished they could have been there to hear. Would he have made a difference? At the time, he could do nothing but deal with the consequences -- consequences of an instinctual reaction -- but what about now? Would he have changed what he had done, for a second chance at the life he had left so long ago? To turn back time on that stupid thing he'd done? As he sat there, he felt the pressures of all of his old duty burden his shoulders and he was no longer the hero of the world with a girl that he loved --

He was a twelve-year-old monk who'd just had his own world destroyed.

If he were to run away, he would be forced to endure the pain of a lost family -- a lost race. He would be alone in his ways, not there to fight for his loved ones or die along with them as the onslaught of soldiers burnt his culture to the ground. No matter what other happiness would come his way, that hurt would still reside within him. Possibly no longer throwing guilty stabs at his heart... but still throbbing... eating away at him until he found solace in another who could replace his lost soul bit by bit... by bit...

And then, came the chance of staying. The chance of hearing the reassuring words which would have fallen on worried ears, had they not already fled. Being there to defend those whom he held dearest above all and being there for a world who had not yet known the curses of war. Even if he had died in the process, his successor would still have come about more quickly than he had been awakened from his prison; the casualties and losses wouldn't have been so innumerable... unforgiveable...

But what about the shining blue eyes who had held him up even when he had told himself it wasn't worth it to go on? Had he chosen that other road, he would never know of her... he would go on as blindly as a fool who sees not what could have been, never imagining that he had been deprived of their love and warmth. He would never feel the pain of loss...

But not a single notion of death or heartbreak would keep him from making the same decision all over again. It was worth it... right?

He wished that he knew what would have awaited him had he not flown off that night. He wished that he could say that he knew exactly what he'd been doing when he wrote his last words to his mentor and friend and stole away in the dead of life's storm. Alas, he could not but savor what life had given him as he dwelled in the memories of those he had lost... and of those he had gained.

Because it was better to have both than just one... better to love and lose than to never have loved at all...

Yet, the facts remained the same: Had the near future been revealed to him at that desperate time and he had sincerely weighed his options, he would surely have stayed in that room and never dreamed of leaving his friends and teachers. He'd never know the joys of having made a mistake... because no matter what he thought of now, no matter how long he'd hesitated, his mind had been made up. No matter how long it had taken to execute this blessing in disguise...

It had still been unthinking.

So. Basically this is me being overly philosophical. ;) It's been written for a long time now but I wanted to finish the trilogy (yes, there are two more). Ok, so I didn't finish the last one but it's almost there. Anyway.

Hope you enjoyed!