Hiya again guys! I just can't stop updating this! I don't want to give up on it is why, because I've done that before...anyways! I've made this one slightly longer than the second one at least, so I hope you like it! : D

Characters - Zuko, Aang, Toph, Teo, Haru, The Duke

Pairing(s) - ZukoxAang, and undecided others

Disclaimer - This always makes me sad...I own nothing but the thoughts from my silly little head!

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Where was he? Aang had run after the prince, but he seemed to have disappeared before the young Avatar could catch him again. Aang stopped in the middle of the hall he was in and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck slightly, trying to decide which way he should go. He looked down each of the four halls, thinking of what lay beyond each corridor.

To his right, there was the entrance to the all-day echo chambers, and that didn't seem like a Zuko place to go to Aang. In front of him there was an entrance to the tunnels, and once again, it didn't seem 'Zuko-ish'. Behind him was the door to the hall of mirrors which he just managed to escape from, so Aang wasn't too thrilled to go back the way he came. On his left though, there were the gardens which were slightly overgrown from the lack of human care, but it was still a great place to go.

Aang decided that he would try the gardens, believing that Zuko would want to be somewhere calm and quiet after that. Aang darted off to his left and only slowed when he went through the garden gate. It really was beautiful in the gardens, and there was also a maze leading to the fountains in the middle. Aang decided that he would try to find Zuko inside the maze, and he prepared himself for the most likely long and confusing path to the middle.

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Toph was in the all-day echo chamber, arms crossed and a small frown on her face. Teo, Haru, and The Duke were playing and hadn't even noticed her presence yet. She cleared her throat, and they stopped momentarily. "Oh hey Toph, what's up?" Teo asked the young earthbender with a grin, but it quickly fell away when he saw that her frown didn't move from her lips.

"Well, the Sugar Queen is apparently not as sweet as she seems to be," Toph said as she walked over to the others, making them look at each other in confusion and anxiety. "What do you mean?" Haru asked her softly.

"Katara decided to insult Sparkles at lunch when he almost dropped the hot bowl she shoved at him, and Twinkle toes stood up for him when Sparkles just ate in silence. Aang called him their friend, and Sweetness didn't like that, so she blew up at him, telling Twinkle toes that he had to be out of his mind to call Zuko their friend," Toph said, drawing the others in with shocked looks on their faces.

"So Sparky ran off, and Aang called Katara unbelievable and ran off after him. She really was quite mean to him, and I told her so. She's taken it too far in my opinion…" she said with a scowl. The three boys around her were in shock for a moment, and they shook their heads.

"How could she say something like that, especially with him right in front of her!" The Duke said with a pout. He really liked the firebender, for unknown reasons to the others, but it was a good thing for him. Teo and Haru were speechless, and they all just stood in silence, letting the situation sink in.

The all-day echo chamber was eerily quiet.



-

Zuko was sitting on the edge of the fountain in the middle of the gardens. It was quiet and away from the others, which was exactly what the prince wanted at the moment. It had been so relieving to be called a friend by Aang, but Katara had ripped that away from him seconds after he felt the amazing feeling. He felt like she had ripped him in two, tearing his hope to be accepted as well. The firebender sighed, his head resting on his knees. He hugged his legs to his chest tighter, looking down into the rippling water from the fountain. It had surprised him to see that the garden wasn't over-run completely and that the fountain still had plenty of water in it.

He started to drift off into a daydream, remembering his past; the good times and the bad. He remembered his mother, whom he loved and missed deeply. He thought of his Uncle, whom he felt he had betrayed, even after he was always there for him, and was more of a father to him than Ozai ever was or ever could be. It hurt Zuko deeply to think that his Uncle hated him and wouldn't be able to forgive what he had done to him.

And also, Zuko remembered the day he was banished; the day everything changed for him. The Agni Kai, the mind-blowing pain, the scar, and the shame he felt. It made him pull his legs closer to his chest, and he craved the comfort that he desperately needed and deserved. But Zuko felt as if that would never be available to him; a banished prince, a traitor. It tore him up inside.

Zuko suddenly heard someone running in his direction and calling his name, pulling him from his thoughts. His head shot up, looking in the direction the voice was coming from, trying to place the voice to a face. Aang. His eyes widened slightly and turned away again, not knowing whether he wanted the comfort he needed from the young Avatar or if he wanted to just be alone.

"Zuko, there you are!" he said, relief showing in his voice, "Look, I'm sorry about Katara. She's out of her mind. You shouldn't mind what she said, you are our friend, and you're a great person." Aang leaned in front of Zuko, trying to look into his eyes. Gold and silver met for an instant, giving the prince chills up his spine. They never had a chance before to look at each other directly, with Zuko chasing him up until a few months ago. It was…nice.

"Thank you Aang, but it's alright. I know that Katara doesn't like me…I just had to get out of there, I knew it wasn't a good time for me to be intruding, so I left. I also wasn't feeling too well anyways," Zuko said, obviously making something up to make Aang be happy again. A frown didn't suit his features well, and it made Zuko always feel as if it was his fault for making the other frown.

"Zuko," Aang said sternly, "We both know that's not true. I'm sorry for what Katara said, but I told her off in a way, so I think she gets the point…" he said with a very faint smile towards the prince. Zuko looked up at the other, shocked at what he said.

"You told her off, over what she said about me? Why would you do that Aang?" He asked incredulously, his grip on his legs loosening ever so slightly. Aang just smiled and chuckled softly before answering, " I did it because what she said was wrong, in more ways than one. It was horrible of her to say that, and 

because you are a very good person, and someone who isn't your friend is out of their mind!" Aang grinned at the other, getting a small blush from the prince.

"Th-thank you Aang, but I'm not quite sure about that…" Zuko said softly, his blush still tinting his pale cheeks, not used to complements from anyone, especially the Avatar. Aang just shook his head, scooting himself closer to the other, and pulling him into a kind of a sideways hug.

Zuko was slowly starting to feel better again, and having Aang there by his side was definitely helping.

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I liked this chapter, many different scene changes and I'm doing better each time I think! : D

Reviews make me update even faster, which would mean, like five chapters in one day! : O

Okay, over doing it there maybe, but you get the point!