Chapter 3: Baby Steps

After Sokka, Toph and a reluctant Katara had agreed to let him stay, a somewhat awkward evening followed.

Aang's three other friends, Haru, Teo and The Duke, returned a short time later. They had apparently been out collecting food and looked more than a little surprised to see Zuko sitting rather nonchalantly in the middle of their camp. The three friends stood uncertainly on the edge of the clearing.

"I guess I should go talk to them," Aang said.

"I'll come with you," Katara volunteered.

Zuko was left with Toph and Sokka. Neither seemed particular eager for chit chat, which was fine with Zuko. He'd done enough talking today to last a lifetime. Instead he sat quietly and observed.

Sokka went about stacking wood for a fire. He took a small satchel out and dumped the contents on the ground. "Toph, have you seen my flint rock?"

The blind Earthbender gave Sokka an annoyed look. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Oh, uh…sorry Toph."

"Allow me," Zuko volunteered using his bending to easily ignite the wood. In a matter of minutes they had a crackling campfire.

"Sweet!" Toph replied, leaning up against a rock she had bended up from the ground. "We usually have to wait forever to get a fire going."

"Thanks, but I didn't need your help," Sokka grumbled irritably. "Despite Toph's opinion, I'm perfectly capable of starting a campfire in an efficient manner!"

Zuko shrugged. "Whatever you say."

"I don't know what you're so annoyed about Sokka," Toph teased. "He did say he wanted to join the team and he is after all a Firebender. Seems like the perfect job for him if you ask me."

"Well, if you put it that way…true."

And as the evening progressed, Zuko was still very aware of being the odd man out as most of the Avatar's friends gathered around one side of the campfire, while he sat alone on the other. After Aang's apparent talk with the rest of his friends, they seemed to accept his decision, but also looked far from enthusiastic about it. Haru, the Earthbender teen in particular, seemed to regard Zuko with a quiet but obvious reserve.

A simple meal was past out and eventually he was handed a portion by Haru.

"Thanks."

Haru nodded, but didn't offer further conversation. Instead he went back and sat by Katara who mostly glared at Zuko and picked at her food. When Haru leaned over and said something to her, Zuko caught the Avatar frowning.

For a while, Zuko contented himself by watching the flickering flames until laughter made him look up. He saw the Avatar's pet lemur perched on Sokka's head, its long tail wrapped around the Water Tribe boy's face. The lemur had reached down and snatched a piece of fruit out of Sokka's hand.

"Momo! Get your own food!" Sokka muffled a complaint, trying to unwrap the lemur's tail from around his mouth.

Momo jumped onto Teo's shoulder chittering happily. The young boy in his wheelchair contraption laughed. "As far as Momo is concerned, I think he just did."

"Blah!" Sokka spit fur out of his mouth. "Well…still…Momo, you need to learn a few manners!" He scratched his head and picked something out of his hair. "Not to mention you could use a bath. I think you just gave me fleas!"

After their meal, Katara suddenly got up and left the group. The Avatar stood up to follow, but Sokka held him back. "Just give her some time, Aang."

The Avatar sighed. "I guess I'll go check on Appa then."

A few minutes later, Zuko stood and stretched his cramped muscles. To know one in particular he said, "I'm going for a walk." As he left, he felt both Sokka and Haru's eyes on his retreating back.

Zuko strolled about the Temple grounds in the warm evening air until he finally came across the Avatar. Aang was airbending several bundles of hay in a pile before the giant bison.

He looked up as Zuko approached but remained silent.

"Guess I'm not making much of an impression," Zuko said.

Aang shrugged. "It's going to take some time. It's a big adjustment for everyone."

Zuko crossed his arms casually. "If you don't mind me saying, you've got a rather rag tag bunch of followers here."

Aang gave Zuko an annoyed and defensive look. "They may not seem like much to you, but they all are very brave and loyal friends!"

Zuko sighed. "I didn't mean for it to come out that way."

Aang airbended some melons into Appa's mouth. "We had to leave the adults behind during the invasion, including Haru, Teo and Katara and Sokka's fathers," he attempted to explain. "They don't trust you for obvious reasons but right now they all are just worried about their families. Haru's father, Tyro, spent five years already in a Fire Nation prison before Katara, Sokka and I helped free them. It wasn't a pleasant experience. The Duke...well...he doesn't have any parents; both of his were killed in a Fire Nation raid. He's an orphan, like me I guess you can say in a way."

"You were raised by the monks, right?"

Aang nodded. "Air Nomad children were raised a little differently than the other nations. Because there were so few of us born at one time, the Air Nomads considered us sacred, their most prize treasure. Also, unlike the other nations, all the children of the Air Nomads could bend. So when we became old enough to start our formal training, the monks brought us to the temples. But I always felt closest to my master, Monk Gyasto. He was really funny and always seemed to know how I felt. I still miss him a lot sometimes." Aang stroked the bison's fur. Appa gave him an affectionate growl back. "Now Appa and I are the last of the Airbenders."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too, but I'm not without a family." Aang said. "Sokka, Katara and Toph and the rest of my friends, they are my family now. We protect each other."

Zuko nodded in understanding.

He suddenly heard a sound and turned to find Sokka and Haru standing a few feet away.

"Everything all right Aang?"

"Yeah, I'm fine guys."

The two youths nodded and disappeared back into the darkness.

Later that night, when all had settled down to sleep under the stars, Zuko had a dream about his mother. She was sitting in a quiet garden, very similar to the one he would often find her in at the Royal Palace. In her hand she held a white lotus flower gazing serenely out at the turtle-ducks in the pond. As he approached, she looked up and smiled.

As Zuko reached out to her, he was suddenly startled awake. The image quickly vanished like a wispy puff of smoke.

He opened his eyes and found himself staring into a pair of big saucery eyes.

"Momo, come back here!" The lemur jumped off his chest and up into the some nearby trees.

The next instant The Duke skidded to a halt a few feet from him.

Zuko rose up on his elbows, realizing it was daylight.

The young boy regarded him cautiously.

Zuko looked around. "Where's everyone?"

"They've been up for a few hours now. Guess you just like to sleep in."

Though Zuko felt a little annoyed by the statement, he couldn't deny it. Since his return to the Fire Nation, he'd grown accustomed to the habit of sleeping in again.

"Where's the Avatar?"

"I think he's with Toph training. I…I…gotta go." The young boy hurriedly raced off.

A little later Zuko decided to explore the area. He wandered the grounds of the Western Air Temple for some time before venturing inside one of the tall stone structures. His footsteps echoed within the abandoned halls. Occasionally he came across a faded mural or badly chipped statue cut into the stone wall depicting the Air Benders of long ago.

Eventually he exited out the other side and heard a metallic clanging sound. He followed it and found Sokka and Teo in another garden bent over a rather large piece of dented metal. The massive bison lay under a tree napping.

Teo looked up and noticed Zuko standing a few feet away. He nudged Sokka.

Sokka glanced up and frowned.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked.

"Trying to fix Appa's amour. It was badly damaged in the attack."

Zuko looked at the twisted metal plate charred black.

"It's no use though. It's pretty badly damaged and I don't have the right equipment to repair it."

"Maybe Toph can fix it?" Teo suggested.

"Maybe…though Toph's specialty is ripping metal apart, not fixing it."

Zuko examined the plate. "Looks like you just need some heat to soften the metal up enough to pound it back into shape."

"Well I don't exactly have a blacksmith shop on the premises here," Sokka replied sarcastically.

"Why don't you get the Avatar to help you?."

"Aang? Why would you think he could help? I mean, he's great kid, but well let's just say he's mechanically challenged."

"It's easy enough with firebending."

Sokka gave Zuko an odd look. "Aang doesn't really know how."

"Oh?" Zuko replied curiously. "Well, mind if I try?"

Sokka looked at him skeptically and stood up. "Knock yourself out," he said with a touch of sarcasm.

Zuko took a deep breath and concentrated. Extending his hand, he produced a steady stream of fire directly on the metal. After a minute or two, the metal began to glow and turn red.

Sokka peeked from around Zuko's back, one brow arching curiously upwards, his mouth turned in a lopsided frown.

Zuko stopped bending and crossed his arms. "Try it now."

Sokka looked at Teo who shrugged.

Reluctantly, he picked up the hammer and started pounding. To his apparent surprise, the softened metal started to bend back into place.

"Okay…so that might work," Sokka conceded reluctantly.

Zuko grinned.

Over the next hour or so they worked together to repair the plate, alternating between softening the metal through his Firebending and Sokka hammering it out.

It required a great deal of concentration for Zuko to keep up the steady stream of intense flame for even for a few minutes at a time and he was covered in sweat by the time they were finished.

"Looks almost brand new again," Teo commented, impressed.

"Well…uh…thanks for the help," Sokka finally muttered.

"No problem," Zuko replied.

"Now that you and Zuko fixed the amour Sokka, do you think you can help me rebuild my glider device to attach to my wheelchair? I kinda miss not being able to fly."

"Sure, Teo."

"I'll leave you two alone then," Zuko said.

As Zuko took his leave he saw The Duke walking by waving towards Sokka and Teo. He carried a fishing pole laden with fish hung on a string at the end.

Zuko left the garden deciding what he really wanted was somewhere to wash up and possibly find some food. He entered another wing of the Air Temple and after making several wrong turns he became frustrated at getting lost. Eventually he came upon a large room with a cathedral ceiling and a massive set of double doors. On the doors were several large pipes scrolled into the Air Nomad insignia.

Similar to the set he'd seen once in Avatar Roku's temple, but with the Fire Nation insignia on it, Zuko immediately knew what it was. It was the chamber doors leading into the Air Nomad's most private sanctuary. Like the one's which had once existed in Roku's temple, before the entire temple had been destroyed, they could only be opened by the Avatar's sages or the Avatar himself.

Zuko stood gazing at the doors for a long time, wondering what existed beyond. But he knew there would be no way to open them and eventually left the room and found his way back outside.

He followed a path which lead through a tunnel of overgrown vines to a section of the temple which was almost completely collapsed and lay in ruins. Despite the overgrowth of vines and trees which had sprouted between the cracks, it was still easy to see its destruction had not come from natural erosion but at the hands of the Fire Nation.

It was then he spotted the Avatar.

Aang was standing next to a partially collapsed wall and peering, somewhat peculiarly around the other side.

Zuko quietly approached. "What are you looking at?"

Aang spun around, startled, raising his staff defensively towards Zuko.

"Uh…nothing!" Aang blushed.

Zuko looked at him oddly.

Quietly he peered around the side and saw Katara dangling her feet in a pool of water with the Eartbbender Haru sitting next to her. They seemed to be engrossed in a quiet conversation, unaware they where being watched. Katara's mouth was turned down.

"What were you doing, spying on them?" Zuko asked.

"Spying? Of course not!" Aang denied. "I was…just looking for Katara to make sure she was all right!"

He saw Haru place a hand gently on her lap. "She seems like she's in good hands," Zuko commented. "Are they an item?"

"What???"

"You know, girlfriend, boyfriend thing?"

"Of course not! Haru is just a friend!"

Zuko looked back at the pair as Katara looked up at Haru and smiled. "If you say so."

The Avatar frowned deeply.

"Anyway, it's good I found you. I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Let's take a walk."

The Avatar regarded him curiously but followed. Zuko led him back into one of the smaller gardens.

"Sokka mentioned something earlier that I was curious about."

"What?"

"He said you didn't know how to firebend. I just assumed, as the Avatar, you had mastered that already."

Aang looked down at the ground. "Mastering all four elements takes years of training. I never had that luxury. I mastered waterbending in the Northern Water Tribe and with Katara's help. Toph taught me earthbending." Aang gripped his staff. "I was able find a master firebender to teach me for a short time but…I wasn't ready."

There was a look on Aang's face that indicated a great sadness Zuko didn't quite understand.

"Aang…if you will accept my help, I can teach you to firebend."

Aang bit his lip.

Zuko saw his hesitation. "Is it because you still don't trust me?"

Aang shook his head. He looked out into the gardens. "No, it isn't that."

Zuko frowned. "Then why?"

"Because I still fear the ability to control it. Master Jeong-Jeong told me Fire's nature is to consume and destroy. Without discipline and restraint it will destroy everything and everyone around me. He told me I wasn't ready for it, that I was too impatient. I didn't listen to him and I ended up burning Katara." He fiddled with his staff. "I know it's something I need to master, but it's also something I don't want to." Aang sighed. "As the Avatar I sometimes have unbelievable power, but I also risk hurting other people."

Zuko gazed down at the Avatar and saw the boy within. Suddenly, for the first time he began to realize the weight that this twelve year old kid had to bear.

"It's true fire is different from any of the other elements. It's not an element that's manipulated from an existing form like the rest, but has to be created and controlled in a delicate balance. But I can teach you how to master it…if you will trust me."

After several long seconds, Aang looked up at him as if he'd come to a decision. "All right Zuko, I'll accept your offer to train me."

Zuko nodded. "Very well. We'll start immediately!"

(author's note: Thanks again for the feedback on this chapter. It's most appreciated and I've revised this chapter a bit and added a few new things to hopefully strengthen the story up a bit. Because the story in told in Zuko's perspective it's proving both challenging and interesting to present the story but hopefully in upcoming chapters I can bring out the characters more indepthly. Please keep your feedback coming because I really do want to keep the characters as true to the series as possible.)